If you are planning to move to a mobile data collection app, you can follow the 3-step approach below to implement the ideal mobile data collection (MDC) solution.
- Understand how data collection supports your company’s use cases
- Define your mobile data collection app strategy
- Design, build and implement your mobile data collection software
You can use the approach to successfully build your mobile data collection apps and avoid data entry errors, lost forms and waiting times and provide decision makers with the right data and information at the right time.
Reading: How to create an app for data collection
Building a mobile data collection app – a prerequisite
Before you use the 3-step approach for your mobile data collection app, you need to address the key components that on that design and performance of your MDC program. For example, data, online forms, surveys, and inspections related to a specific industry such as utilities, oil and gas, property management, and telecom are important when building and launching your app. Likewise, the app’s customizable nature or easy-to-use features with minimal or no training may prove beneficial in getting the most out of your data collection efforts.
Check out Salient components
You need to investigate critical components that can have a meaningful impact on your mobile data collection app. Weighing these components below will help you choose the best platform to build your MDC program.
User Requirements and Use Cases
Mobile data collection app supported multiple use cases across all industries. When building the app, you must connect your MDC app’s inspection, survey, research, or assessment requirements. As intended, your app must support effective data tracking and share real-time information. Therefore, it is imperative to connect your critical use cases to the data collection mobile app.
Data Collection
When dealing with multi-faceted surveys and inspections, you need end- to-end data collection facilities such as video, audio or image surveys. For example, suppose a mobile app is driving the OSHA rating for a water utility. Aside from the cascade of collecting information about the Pole, audio, video and image files that can serve as evidence must also be captured.
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Determining your data needs will help you choose the ideal mobile data collection tool . For example, your mobile data collection app can be built to serve the purpose of visualizing data and creating maps that will assist you in choosing an appropriate MDC platform.
It is a requirement that you must consider all-encompassing data collection capabilities promoted by the app. Additionally, evaluating the mobile data collection platform’s ability to accommodate the increasing file sizes and the bandwidth required to upload those files is also most important to implementing robust mobile data collection software.
GIS & Mapping
GIS & Mapping
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Data collection also emphasizes geo-intelligent data. There is a need to perform an inspection supported by polygons, lines and points. For example, a field crew at a utility company performs periodic inspections while mapping infrastructure. Their mobile data collection apps, which support GIS in collecting longitude, latitude, elevation and GPS direction, help the team capture key data during power pole inspections.
Safety Protocols
It is important to protect your company’s data from cybersecurity threats such as malware and ransomware. MDC platforms can leverage secure cloud technologies to improve privacy and security in this regard. Therefore, the mobile data collection app must have a multi-layered approach to mobile security and privacy.
Skip logic
Because your data collection depends on it If you have any questions about the form or survey that support specific use cases, you need to make sure you skip the logic to build your questionnaire based on previous responses. Therefore, you need to ensure that the mobile data collection tool reflects logic capabilities that support contextual data collection for specific use cases, real-time business intelligence, and reporting. Regarding the skip logic part, you may come across mobile data collection software that supports simple branching and prerequisite logic mechanisms.
Integrate with other technology platforms
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Digitize your data collection program is further enhanced by the mobile data collection platform’s ability to integrate with other technical platforms to facilitate data analysis, business intelligence and reporting. You need to check if the MDC platform encourages API integrations, allows synchronization with the cloud and allows advanced integrations with ERP, CRM, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, etc.
Mobile Compatibility for Forms
It would be helpful if you were aware of the device types that become part of the mobile data collection app system. For example, Android phones work well with many MDC platforms. However, when finalizing your mobile data collection tool, keep in mind that few MDC platforms work with Windows, Blackberry, and Apple devices.
Setup
The key is to enable a seamless and easy setup of your mobile data collection tool. First, you must assess the MDC platform to understand the ease of design in terms of workflow management, data collection and administration, and the processes supported for creating survey tools and online forms.
Consider We the scenario of setting up and creating the IVR form for field workers required to collect data from remote locations. When setting up mobile data collection software, you must evaluate the effectiveness of setting up and using features such as IVR, SMS, and complex online forms to measure the app’s performance.
Budget Allocation
Your budget has a greater impact on choosing the ideal mobile data collection platform. In terms of your overall mobile data collection app budget, you need to balance long-term and short-term costs by evaluating platform support, maintenance, and training costs to choose the right mobile data collection tool.
Streamline data collection with Fielda’s mobile data collection app
Look no further, the Fielda app has developed a mobile data collection app that takes all of these components into account. With our mobile data collection app, you can streamline your data collection efforts and processes, reduce data errors, and increase efficiency while lowering your overall costs.
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