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Job Cards in the Field, Without the Remote Desktop
A cross-platform app that connects field technicians to Microsoft Dynamics CRM with minimal data use, and gives supervisors visibility of where their people are.
Client Overview
ATNS uses Microsoft Dynamics CRM for job card and issue tracking. Its technicians and supervisors work in the field, often in remote areas, and technicians accessed the system through Remote Desktop over VPN connections that could be slow.
ATNS partnered with iSolve Mobility to develop an app for technicians and supervisors that integrates with CRM, supports job card access and updates, and gives supervisors visibility of technician whereabouts.
Industry
Mobility
Project type
Field Service Mobility & CRM Integration
The Business Problem
ATNS needed to extend Microsoft Dynamics CRM into the field without depending on slow Remote Desktop access over VPN.
Technicians needed mobile job card access
The app had to let technicians access job cards and update job card statuses from the field.
Data use had to stay low
Minimal data use and better availability were important because technicians worked in remote areas with slow connections.
Supervisors needed visibility
The same solution had to let supervisors track the whereabouts of technicians.
What Made This Complex
The working environment shaped the solution: remote areas, slow connections and an existing CRM that still had to remain the source system.
Designed for the field
The app had to provide a practical alternative to Remote Desktop over VPN with minimal data use and better availability.
Integrated with the existing CRM
Job cards and issues already lived in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, so the app had to connect to it through RESTful services and .NET web services.
Two audiences, one app
Technicians needed job cards and status updates; supervisors needed technician location visibility.
Our Role
We developed a cross-platform mobile app on Cordova and integrated it with Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
Built the cross-platform app
Developed the Cordova app for technicians and supervisors.
Integrated Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Connected the app using RESTful services and .NET web services.
Enabled field access and visibility
Supported job card access, status updates, minimal data use and supervisor tracking of technician whereabouts.
The Solution We Delivered
The result is a cross-platform field app that supports job card access, status updates, supervisor visibility and Microsoft Dynamics CRM integration.
Technician App
Lets technicians access job cards with minimal data use and update job card statuses from the field.
Supervisor Visibility
Lets supervisors track the whereabouts of technicians.
CRM Integration
RESTful services and .NET web services connect the app to Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
A look at the app
Screens from the ATNS application as delivered.
Tech Stack Used
Mobile App
Cordova, for cross-platform mobile development.
Integration
RESTful services and .NET web services.
CRM
Microsoft Dynamics CRM integration.
Business Value Delivered
A Mobile Alternative to Remote Desktop
• Technicians have a mobile alternative to Remote Desktop and slow VPN access.
• Job cards can be accessed with minimal data use.
Updates From the Field
• Technicians can access and update job cards in the field.
• Improved availability supports field use.
Supervisor Visibility
• Supervisors can track the whereabouts of technicians.
The takeaway
ATNS shows how field service teams can reduce their dependence on slow remote desktop access by extending CRM functionality into a mobile app.
The same app supports technicians in the field and supervisors who need visibility of where their people are.
If your field teams rely on slow remote access to systems they need every day, this is the kind of extension we build: integrated properly, engineered for the conditions they work in, and delivered as an app they will actually use.
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