Last Updated on May 15, 2023 by Sarah Gayda
The talk around remote digital workers is all the rage these days given the pandemic’s forced adoption of the work-from-home trend. However, amid all the buzz, a critical component of the workforce has been left out of the conversation.
Front-line workers in the field – those working on construction, utilities, oil & gas, and mining sites, to name a few – don’t have the luxury of constant connectivity and, given the crucial role they play in business success, can’t get left behind.
Two things can help smooth the working relationship, information transfer, and communication between connected and offline employees while also improving field-worker safety: a strong connected digital worker strategy and winning technology.
Strong connected digital worker strategy
Connected digital worker strategies “…are designed to allow front-line workers, the back-office, executives and machines to seamlessly collaborate, while allowing the front-line worker to access and capture field data in real time. They also empower front-line workers with step-by-step, visual and guided work instructions to improve their working life and safety. This facilitates maintenance work execution, inspections, checklists, operator rounds and risk assessments using a mobile or wearable device.” Read more about how digital worker strategies help asset-intensive industries overcome maintenance and operational business challenges here.
Winning offline technology that syncs when connected
Field workers must be able to access their documents and files, such as safety procedures, maintenance manuals, emergency procedures, and inspection reports, while offline. Tools must allow for powerful information collection, operate in offline and online modes, process and sync field information in real-time, and fully integrate with enterprise systems.
Colligo Briefcase allows workers to easily access SharePoint on iOS mobile devices (online and offline), enables secure content distribution with central policy management and analytics, and provides a “single-pane-of-glass” view into multiple repositories like SharePoint, Microsoft 365 (previously Office 365), and OneDrive for business.
Briefcase provides rich offline access to SharePoint on iPads during underground construction
Recently, a construction firm contracted by a large metropolitan transit authority streamlined the closeout process for the city’s mega-project – the construction of new subway stations. Using Colligo Briefcase, workers had rich offline access to SharePoint on iPads when deep underground.
“I’m not aware of any other solution that can provide such rich offline access to SharePoint. If two people edit an observation while offline, Colligo Briefcase makes it easy to resolve any conflicting changes when back online. I think it does a fantastic job!” states James Tsao, IT Manager & Project Consultant.
Deploying Colligo Briefcase enabled the subway project team to:
- Provide rich offline access to observation lists items
- Eliminate onerous, paper intensive documentation
- Cost-effectively digitize the closeout process
- Boost productivity onsite for underground contractors
- Improve the timeliness of reporting from weeks to daily
Read the full case study. For another example of successfully enabling offline field workers, learn how Briefcase strengthened field technical safety and productivity at Northpower.
Interested in how Briefcase can empower your offline workforce and contribute to the success of your connected digital worker strategy? We can help – get in touch.
