We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.

logo
  • Engineers & Specifiers
  • Contractors & Installers
  • Wholesalers & Distributors
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Subscription
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • PRODUCTS
    • Bath & Kitchen
    • Fire Protection
    • HVAC
    • Hydronics/Radiant
    • Plumbing
    • PVF
    • Tools
  • PROJECTS
    • Commercial
    • Green Building
    • MRO/Retrofit
    • Remodeling
    • Residential
  • HOW TO
    • Design
    • Fire Protection
    • Legal Matters
    • Management
  • BUSINESS
    • Buying Groups
    • Technology
    • Associations
  • CODES & STANDARDS
    • ANSI
    • ASHRAE
    • ASSE
    • Regulations
    • Green Building
    • IAPMO
    • ICC
    • NFPA
  • RESOURCES
    • Media Kit
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Classifieds
    • Digital Editions
    • Behind the Wall
    • Webinars
    • AHR Live 2023
  • PODCASTS
  • DIGITAL EDITIONS
Home » Mobile Solution to Annoying Paperwork

Mobile Solution to Annoying Paperwork

The latest technology can save users time and money.

December 15, 2017
No Comments
2017 Dec PHC GoCanvas

When HVAC and plumbing technicians arrive to a site, they have a lot more to do than the installation or repair that led to their dispatch. Before they can even begin to plan out their tasks or look for problems, there is a mountain of paperwork to climb with another to follow after the job is done. 

Even at a time when technology makes so many daily tasks easy, many companies still use outdated processes to collect information, from clumsy spreadsheets to actual reams of paper, in the field. That slows down a technician’s work, and opens it up to more potential errors, an especially critical problem in plumbing and HVAC, where compliance with local, state and federal regulations is so important. Companies are increasingly on the hunt for ways to automate the workflow in the field, from before the technician gets into the vehicle, throughout the service call, and all the way through the eventual analysis of important data.

Some of the biggest benefits of a mobile workflow platform that supports plumbing and HVAC technicians is what happens at the home office. Getting people to the right place, at the right time and for the right job is the foundation for everything else the technicians do, but it takes a lot of time and energy to manually coordinate the day’s schedule. Automated systems can send out relevant data like location, what needs to be addressed, and any pertinent building codes at any time to the right technicians, making sure they don’t waste time and money going to the office, or driving back and forth across a territory inefficiently.

Once on the site, field technicians can use mobile apps linked to cloud-computing platforms to process all the paperwork automatically, instead of having to fill out paperwork manually. Using their smartphone or tablet, technicians can take pictures, annotate them with any necessary details and automatically append them to their reports in real time. Instead of relying on shorthand notes jotted down to expand upon later, engineers can create a much more complete record of their activity, and the reasoning behind it, marking safety and code compliance as they go.

The code compliance isn’t a small matter either. The right solution can have the details of technical and regulatory manuals built in. The federal compliance standards for equipment used in plumbing and HVAC alone runs for hundreds of pages before even beginning to count the state and local procedures. Where once technicians had to hunt painstakingly through a massive binder filled with tiny print to fill out paperwork and multiple volumes to accommodate different locations, digital mobile platforms can automatically populate the forms and checklists for a technician immediately with some basic prompts.

That’s a big step up even over early electronic documents, since technicians no longer have to find and copy the relevant details. On top of that benefit, cloud-based platforms can automatically update the compliance documents with the latest versions to emerge from regulatory agencies, without any extra effort. The same goes for technical manuals, as they too can more resemble the bricks used to build a building than merely the information for how their HVAC and plumbing systems work.

All of the information collected in the field can be automatically filed and archived at the main company office. This streamlining saves a company a lot of man-hours in redundant data entry, not to mention the time saved by technicians who would have to come to the office and deliver physical paper records. Having all of the records properly cataloged and organized also makes it easier to anticipate future needs in terms of repair and maintenance, so that companies and their contractors will be able to stay on top of when they may need to make a return visit to a client.

Mobile workflow solutions are ultimately about simplification. You take the boring, laborious administrative work out of the equation, and everyone at a plumbing and HVAC company has an easier time. Technicians can get more support in the field, while simultaneously becoming more accountable for their time and the work they do. Any one of the functions may have some existing digital angle, like a shared calendar or a folder of manuals in PDF, but the beauty of operating on a platform specifically built for a company or organization is that it can all be done together without having to switch between multiple services or needing to remember to copy from one place to the next, especially without any physical paperwork.

Mobile platforms can be a silver bullet for nearly any industry, but there’s no question that the future of the plumbing and HVAC industry relies on using them to build and maintain their systems in peak condition.

For more information visit gocanvas.com.

James Robins is CEO of GoCanvas.

Business Contractors & Installers HVAC Plumbing Technology
  • Related Articles

    Is $2,500 Worth 30 Minutes of Paperwork?

    IWSH Supports Access to Revolutionary Mobile App to Increase Women's Access to Public Toilets in India

    Transition to Trades Offers a Solution to Labor Shortage

  • Related Products

    Directory Listing - Premium

  • Related Events

    Watts "Intelligent Scale Solution" Webinar

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular

  • SLB Announces Newmans Valve as NEWCO Valve Supplier for Western Hemisphere

  • Duravit Announces New Hires and Promotions

  • PVF Roundtable Annual Golf Tournament Registration Now Open

  • Chicago Plumber’s Union Dyes Chicago River Green for St. Patrick’s Day 2023

Featured Video

Caleffi video thumb

The Gold Standard: Separation with NO Compromise

Industry Events

  • 11Apr

    ASA ELEVATE2023

    Charleston, SC
  • 18Apr

    2023 WQA Convention & Exposition

    Las Vegas, NV
  • 18Apr

    2023 AD Decorative Brands Annual Meeting

    Boston, MA
More Events

Subscribe to our newsletters & stay updated

Subscribe & Learn More

  • Tw03 2023 cover
    Learn More
  • Pe03 2023 cover
    Learn More
  • Phc03 2023 cover
    Learn More
  • Es 2022
    Learn More
Subscribe

More from PHCP Pros

  • Editorial Team
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • About
  • Advertise

Follow Us

© 2023 All Rights Reserved

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development | ePublishing