Feature

From Document Manager Magazine Vol 17 No 05 - September/October 2009

Several real time advantages have proven themselves over and over again since we implemented this solution.

"Several real time advantages have proven themselves over and over again since we implemented this solution. Everything goes straight into the system for anyone to see it within seconds. In a few more seconds, we can attach it to an e-mail to send to someone else - it's great."

Kitchen equipment maintenance firm Serviceline has revolutionised the way it gathers information from its Field Service Engineers, thanks to a combination of DocuWare EDM and digital pen & pad technologies

Founded in 1989, Serviceline works closely with the food service industry to maintain kitchen/catering equipment and appliances. Such equipment is regularly serviced and needs to undergo safety checks according to the UK Health and Safety Council requirements. Serviceline's expert engineers provide installation, warranty, and emergency service support for all major makes of commercial catering equipment found in establishments like restaurants, hospitals and stadiums.
The company has 173 employees of which 120 are engineers, equipped with a digital pen and pad (from Destiny Wireless) to complete Field Service Reports (FSRs).
In 2006, Steve Elliott, the company's director and founder, saw the technology at a trade show and had an epiphany: With this digital pen we could get everything automated, all incoming and outgoing information can immediately be transferred to DocuWare and automatically stored.

Requirements and Organisational Framework
Initially, the engineers sent in these FSRs by mail, each taking at least two to three days to arrive. They then landed on a Job Manager's desk who indexed the information by hand in DocuWare.
Two important factors originally convinced Steve Elliott and his team to opt for a DocuWare solution: the immediate reduction of physical storage space, and options for automating the storage process. From 2004 to 2006, DocuWare was mainly used as a repository for the hundreds of scanned FSRs that came in every month.
To build on their DocuWare solution, they integrated the Destiny digital pen and pad solution and Solarvista software, which enables correct indexing and keeps track of labour hours. Steve Elliott had been looking for a solution for years. He explains: When we first saw it, Bluetooth was not that common, so it seemed revolutionary. But we knew that the information could somehow be transferred to a document management system by using a phone.

The Solution
The expanded DocuWare solution, which includes 60 licenses with four key administrators, works in combination with the Destiny Digital Pen Solution and has completely revolutionised work processes at Serviceline. All of its engineers were outfitted by Destiny Wireless, each receiving a Destiny digital pen (created by Nokia but sold by Destiny, Nokia SU1B), a Destiny digital pad (created by Destiny), and a mobile phone (Nokia 7610/N70) which run Destiny Wireless software.
The digital pen works by using Anoto functionality, which involves an infrared camera in the digital pen, digital paper technology, and server technology. In order to use the device, Bluetooth is set up between the pen and a phone first. A tiny nib in the pen registers the pen's every movement across the grid surface on the Destiny digital pad, which actually looks like carbon paper with little dots and grids, and then stores it as a series of map coordinates. These coordinates correspond to the exact location writing on the page and subsequently records every detail.
Almost daily, an engineer will fill in a FSR and then send it in using the pen. The FSR shows what was repaired, the time spent at the location and whether a job is complete or not (if new parts have been ordered but not delivered yet). Since spare parts are often needed, an engineer simply needs to take a photo of the old part with the mobile phone and e-mail it to the FSR.
After filling out the form and marking a send box on the pad, the pen is instructed to send the stored sequence of map coordinates. These are then translated into an image that results in an exact copy of the handwriting displayed. These images and metadata are sent to a Destiny Wireless server via the internet to Destiny, where they are processed and forwarded to Serviceline. This data is then automatically imported into a DocuWare file cabinet. At the same time employees are notified via email that the jobs are outstanding and they are completed in the company's internal service management application, Solarvista.
Documents are managed in a file cabinet indexed by job number, engineer name, date received, etc. In Solarvista, the Job Manager can also indicate whether a job is completed or if further work is required. Once indexing is finished or checked off as not complete at the end of the day, the accounting department can do a search of FSRs in progress, to see which jobs still need attending to. Now about 150-250 FSRs a week (1000 sheets a week) and several hundred invoices and purchase orders a month from suppliers (typically including at least 10 photos a day) are all stored in DocuWare.

Benefits
Several real time advantages have proven themselves over and over again since we implemented this solution, says Steve Elliott, adding Everything goes straight into the system for anyone to see it within seconds. In a few more seconds, we can attach it to an e-mail to send to someone else - it's great.
Now, when Serviceline asks for payment and a customer claims not to have a copy of the job sheet, credit control staff can e-mail a copy while still on the phone with them. This has improved debt collection and funds management within the company.
Similarly, if an engineer has already left a site but the customer calls and does not agree with the work completed, Serviceline employees can immediately look up what the engineer has done. This instant access eliminates any doubt and enhances customer relations. As an intensively paper-based company Service-line needed a lot of storage space. Now, that space is used for other purposes. Today, the endless stream of health and safety records and compliance documentation, required by law, are instantly filed in DocuWare and only take seconds to retrieve when necessary.
Another key benefit is invoice control: when invoices arrive by mail, employees mass scan them right away and everyone in the operation can access them instead of e-mailing them back and forth.
Customer service has also improved considerably. A customer can call up on any given day and ask about a specific job. A Job Manager can easily see the identification number for the parts or appliances that correspond to the information in the DocuWare Document Pool and therefore can advise the customer on the estimated time of arrival of the parts or when an engineer is able to complete the job. Some customers can also log into the system themselves.

Summary
The DocuWare Solution has become the focal point of the business; everything works interdependently with DocuWare. Information runs seamlessly through the Destiny digital pen to a mobile phone, then to DocuWare. The process has been perfected: no-one misses an invoice, and all information is readily available.
Upgrading to DocuWare 5.1 has opened up new possibilities, such as more indexing capabilities. The ultimate goal is to have all documents in the system, so that everyone at Serviceline - as well as customers - has direct access to them at anytime.  Every single engineer will be able to complete his or her work in an absolutely paperless manner.

More info: www.docuware.com

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