By: Dan Dickinson, NDS Account Executive
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Middleton Electric made a decision to implement the NDS Mobile Work Order system into their operation so in March 2017, six (6) field technicians armed with Android tablets hit the road. Printed work orders are now a thing of the past as the field technicians no longer carry them and the office no longer waits for paper work orders to be returned. In addition, Middleton’s Inventory is now being updated in near real time.
Middleton Electric services the Town of Middleton, Massachusetts with approximately 4,000 customers along with its infrastructure of poles, transformers and substations. Facilities Manager, Ken Rollins, says, “The mobile work order app has really improved our work flow processes, eliminated paperwork, and improved our Inventory tracking. The field techs took to the system immediately as the user experience is very straightforward and the system is very easy to use.”
NDS first introduced the Mobile Work Order system over two years ago. An important benefit of the Mobile Work ![\"\"](\"http://www.ndsys.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/electric.light_.truck_.png\")
Order system is that it can be deployed very quickly with minimal intrusion. A typical system can be installed and fully functioning within 30 days and that includes time for employee training. Better yet, there is a very fast return on investment and the average cost per tech is only $6.00 dollars per day.
NDS is constantly evaluating and adding new features to the mobile app as end users continue to push the technology. Recently, Backflow testing was incorporated into the mobile work flow so that water utility technicians have the ability to perform tests and record the results electronically. Another new feature is the capability to automatically alert a field technician of an upcoming appointment, say 30 minutes ahead of time. The alert enables the technician to take action if he/she is going to miss the next appointment or be late. Additionally, GIS map displays have been incorporated into the mobile app. This allows field technicians to view their route map, get driving directions and even create new orders via the map. GIS maps can also be incorporated into the Mobile Work Orders app’s Closing wizards for certain order types and allows GIS assets to be updated.
Have questions about putting the NDS Mobile Work Order app to work for your utility? Please email Dan Dickinson at ddickinson@ndsys.com.