One thing’s for certain: the mobile workforce is here to stay. In fact, it’s expanding at very fast rate. A forecast released by International Data Collection (IDC) predicts that 60 percent of the U.S. total workforce will be mobile workers by 2024. Marinate on that for a second … 60 percent. And that’s only accounting for the U.S. workforce.

The expanding mobile workforce is impacting all industries. Employers are tasked with adopting new processes and tools to keep their mobile teams productive and successful. In this blog, we’re highlighting the two categories of modern mobile workers and important considerations for selecting a mobile forms app or other data collection software to accommodate both groups.

Category One: Frontline Mobile Workers

The IDC release mentioned earlier outlines frontline and information as the two specific categories of mobile workers. Let’s start with IDC’s definition of frontline mobile workers:

A worker who performs client-facing or operational activities onsite or in the field that require distributed, mobile access to data, content, applications, and workflows. Examples include store associate, nurse, lab technician, construction worker, field service worker, and hospitality worker. The two primary types of mobile frontline workers are mobile field workers and mobile on-location workers.

Frontline workers make up the majority of the mobile workforce, and they’re also most likely to encounter IT issues that can impact productivity. That being said, there are a few key things to consider when selecting a mobile data collection application for your frontline team.

Considerations for this category:

• Does the tool work offline? If you need to collect data from frontline workers in remote locations with no WiFi connectivity, you need a mobile forms app with offline functionality.
• Is it user-friendly? Consider the varying technological skills of your frontline employees. You’ll want to find an application that’s easy-to-train and easy-to-use.
• Can you incorporate intelligent form fields? You not only need fast data capture, you need accurate data. Mobile form capabilities such as answer validation and image attachments will help reduce data entry errors from your field teams.
• What’s the storage capacity? While there are a lot of mobile data collection apps on the market today, some of them structure their pricing by capping or charging for storage. Look for a solution, such as Device Magic, that offers unlimited forms, submissions and data storage.

Category Two: Information Mobile Workers

Now, let’s look at the information mobile workforce. IDC defines this category as follows:

A knowledge or office worker who typically works from a single location, has dedicated computing resources, and tends to create, transform, and distribute data and/or content using productivity and enterprise applications. Examples include programmers, business analysts, marketing specialists, researchers, billing clerks, lawyers, accountants. This category of mobile worker includes those who may also be physically mobile during their workday, including mobile professionals, occasionally mobile workers, and mobile non-travelers.

The information mobile workforce has become more of a mixed bag, including formerly office-based employees who have transitioned to home-based amidst the pandemic. For this blog, let’s focus on the information mobile workers who are responsible for collecting and distributing data across your organization. This may even be you. There are a few additional items to consider to meet the needs of this group.

Considerations for this category:

• Does the tool integrate with your existing systems? We can’t stress this enough. Find an application that offers robust integrations and/or works with your current software systems.
• Is the mobile form builder easy-to-use? Experienced programmer or not, most of us don’t have time to deal with a complicated application. A low-code, drag-and-drop app builder allows for quick and easy creation of custom mobile forms.
• Who’s receiving the data? In many cases, multiple employees and departments need to receive organizational data. However, not all of them need to receive all the data. That’s where forms automation comes into play. With mobile forms automation, processes that used to take days to complete are reduced to just minutes.
• Do you plan to customize the tool as your own company app? Organizations do this for a variety of reasons. Primarily, it makes the app more recognizable to current employees and customers. If this is on your wishlist, it’s important to find a tool that offers white label services.

Next Step: Calculate the ROI of Switching to Data Collection Software

We are big advocates of transitioning to a digital data collection process. However, it’s always important for businesses to find the right data collection software, as well as estimate the return-on-investment before onboarding a new tool. Calculating the ROI of switching to mobile forms starts with gaining full visibility to the financial impact of your current process, and how that compares with the savings and benefits you stand to gain by onboarding new software. You have a handy software selection checklist. Now all you have to do is crunch some numbers using our ROI calculator.

The post Selecting the Right Data Collection Software for Your Mobile Workers appeared first on Device Magic.

For many businesses, barcode technology plays a crucial role in the deliverability of goods and services. Whether you’re performing a facility inspection, a safety equipment check, merchandising product, or tracking shipments—barcodes provide a database worth of information on a single item. When leveraging barcode scanning capabilities with mobile forms, one scan can dramatically transform the way your team collects information.

Using your Mobile Device as a Barcode Scanner

The Barcode Field, in its simplest form, allows users to scan an item’s barcode (using the built-in camera on their mobile device) and extract the information into text format in a form field. The field will then display the corresponding numeric combination associated with the item, saving users time spent entering lengthy characters and human error associated with manual data entry.

The real magic of the barcode feature occurs when users reference preexisting data from an Excel sheet, Google sheet, or other database resources. When uploading an exhaustive list of assets, inventory, or product information to your Resource files, you simultaneously equip your team with the same access, right at their fingertips. When you give your users access to pick-lists of information, they can narrow down selections and expedite form completion while you receive more accurate data in return.

By using the lookup function of a resource with the barcode field, scanning a single barcode can automatically pre-populates fields with corresponding cells. No more missing line items or re-entering information before submitting forms.

You can easily recreate, upload, or delete data when scanning existing barcode labels. Users can scan barcodes and quickly determine when the next time an equipment asset needs to be serviced or replaced, or what aspect requires further inspection.

Because digital forms are inherently smarter than paper-based alternatives, they can be formatted with conditional logic specific to an asset, so users are answering the right questions about the correct item, every time. With barcode scanning, your team can significantly reduce time spent filling out form fields.

Check out more reasons why you should implement barcode scanning in your mobile forms below.

Benefits of Barcode Scanning and Mobile Forms

• All-in-one solution. Mobile Forms and Barcode Scanning exist in the same application meaning no additional third-party scanners are required. Users can scan directly from their mobile device and finance teams can reallocate funds for other projects. Because the application exists across iOS and Android platforms, employees can leverage their personal devices, saving more time and investment.
• IT team not required. Administrators logged into the Management Console can setup barcode workflows with ease using the drag-and-drop form builder. Device Magic’s intuitive user interface makes it possible to seamlessly create workflows and connect your existing tools, without an IT expert.
• Auto-Fill, all the way. When a tech needs to go back out to a job or do a task again because it was incomplete or incorrect the first time, it costs your business time and money. Preventing errors and finding ways to reduce reworks will keep projects moving forward on schedule and allow you to get more done.

Each mobile form feature offers its own unique approach to transforming how you collect data. Consider how using the barcode scanning feature in your data collection process can streamline work for your team.

See why administrators and mobile users alike choose Device Magic for their teams. Create your free account today to test the power of barcode scanning and digital forms.

The post How Barcodes and Mobile Forms Transform Data Entry appeared first on Device Magic.