The business problem
A service business depended on legacy software and paper-based field workflows. Technicians returned completed work orders to the office for re-entry and contacted office staff to process customer card payments.
Modernizing the process required a suitable service-management platform, the infrastructure and devices to use it, and a coordinated change for dispatchers, technicians, and office staff.
Selecting and implementing the platform
Evaluated replacement software and selected Acowin, a vendor-supported service-management product, to replace ACOMARC on the legacy Unix environment.
The existing software vendor performed the data conversion. The implementation work on the business side covered coordinating the cutover, validating converted records, preparing users, and retiring the legacy environment after the transition.
Timing was coordinated around service and dispatch needs. Validation and staff preparation were part of the migration, alongside the technical platform change.
Changing the field workflow
Equipped technicians with iPads for work-order capture and in-field card processing. Trained field and office staff on the new workflow so completed work could reach dispatch without waiting for paper to return to the office.
The implementation also included the operating details needed after launch: user access, mobile device setup, application administration, and backup and recovery for the business system.
The result
The weekly paper-return and re-keying cycle was eliminated. Dispatch gained a live view of field work, and technicians could process payments at the customer site without interrupting office staff to charge a card.
The business moved onto a vendor-supported platform while improving the process around it. Software selection, migration, mobile devices, and training worked together to change how service work moved from the field into the office.