Eye Opening Facts About Field Service

Eye-Opening Facts About Field Service

There are dozens of websites, publications, and email newsletters dedicated to field service technology. But what’s actually driving field service companies to technology? What kinds of software and devices are they using?

We’ve gathered some eye-opening facts to help you understand where the industry is today, and how real businesses are using technology to innovate and stay productive.

Mobile technology is no longer a rarity in field service: it’s becoming expected for staying competitive and improving service. You may have noticed that this trend is only going to grow further to 2.5 million units.

Discover the innovation-making field service companies thrive

Learn more in our free ebook: How the Best Field Service Businesses Use Mobile Apps

Check out even more resources

Two people in an office looking at a tablet.

Improving Your Operations with Field Service Management Software

Whether you have two or 200 employees, your business’ success depends on their hard work. Passionate, motivated team players are the difference between…

Two people in hard hats looking off camera.

Should You Connect Field Service Management Software with QuickBooks?

Field service management software has shown to increase productivity both for employees in the field and operations teams in the office. You may be wondering how field service…

Person in safety vest smiling.

How the Best Field Services Businesses Use Mobile Apps

Mobility and field service: the talk has been happening forever. The idea that real-time information improves customer service and boosts technician productivity is changing…

Connect with an Expert Today.

We’ll help you put together the right solution for your needs.

Text Version

EYE-OPENING FACTS ABOUT FIELD SERVICES

Driving field service mobility: 80% customer demand for improved service; 44% Competitive pressures; 33$ Need to work with reduced field workforce; 41% Growing volume of service requests.

Common mobile workforce challenges:

1. Ensuring the mobile workforce is at optimal productivity/efficiency

2. Accurately capturing and sharing data in real-time

3. Improving first-time fix rates

Berg Insight expects mobile workforce management to grow to 2.5 million by 2018 in North America and Europe.

What devices are the workforce using? – 66% Currently use an automated software solution; 47% use a cloud solution; 41% mobile phones; 22% tablets; 37% computers.

Top 3 reasons for the cloud: 1. Faster deployment; 2. Less strain on IT; 3 Lower upfront cost.

The Cost of Late Payments for Small Business

The Cost of Late Payments for Small Business

As a small business, cash flow can be life or death for your business. But what are the real costs of late payments? How do they really hurt your business? A recent UK study revealed some shocking numbers on the heavy cost of late payments.

Protect your business and get paid in real-time

Discover how businesses are using mobile payments for faster and easier sale cycle

Check out even more resources

Woman looking at tablet inside a large vehicle machine.

Centurian Transport saves $100k every year with GoCanvas

Centurion is the largest heavy haulage provider in Australia. They deliver national supply chain solutions to the resources, energy, construction & retail sectors…

Image of two men in front of kegs on tablet.

Duotank Transforms Business Processes with GoCanvas

Duotank is a bag-in-tank alternative to the traditional keg beer system. The aseptic tank environment enables breweries to maintain the quality of their beer…

Image of Two Men and a Truck looking at tablet.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® used GoCanvas to increase data visibility & compliance

With a workforce that primarily works out in the field, many of the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® locations found that paperwork was hindering…

Connect with an Expert Today.

We’ll help you put together the right solution for your needs.

Text Version

55 Billion pounds – Total amount of outstanding invoices in the UK.

That’s Equal to 75% of UK business investments in assets for the third quarter of 2013.

Total cash on Berkshire Hathaway’s balance sheet. 3.4% UK GDP.

The Danger to Small Business – Average business is owed £38k.

25% of businesses fail when owed £50k.

About 1 in 3 businesses have experienced late payments of 90 days or more.

Fascinating Facts about GoCanvas

Fascinating Facts about GoCanvas

Who uses GoCanvas? Where are they located? What are they using our mobile app for? In honor of our latest funding milestone, we wanted to share some facts about where our business is today.  

Check out even more resources

Two people in an office looking at a tablet.

Improving Your Operations with Field Service Management Software

Whether you have two or 200 employees, your business’ success depends on their hard work. Passionate, motivated team players are the difference between…

Two people in hard hats looking off camera.

Should You Connect Field Service Management Software with QuickBooks?

Field service management software has shown to increase productivity both for employees in the field and operations teams in the office. You may be wondering how field service…

Person in safety vest smiling.

How the Best Field Services Businesses Use Mobile Apps

Mobility and field service: the talk has been happening forever. The idea that real-time information improves customer service and boosts technician productivity is changing…

Connect with an Expert Today.

We’ll help you put together the right solution for your needs.

Text Version

Fascinating facts about GoCanvas – How many sheets of paper have we saved? 25,593,595.

When placed side by side it’s enough to cover – 4,443,33 miles. That’s nearly the distance between Washington D.C. & Rome.

GoCanvas is used in 65 countries with 10 different languages.

Who we work with – 106 partners, over 30 major industries, 27 Fortune 1000 companies, 5 different telecoms.

94 Ante up processes streamlined – GoCanvas believes you don’t need to have millions of dollars to give back. As part of our Ante Up program, employees can donate GoCanvas and their time to deserving not-for-profits.

Top Five Downloaded Canvas Apps – 1. Job Estimator with Dispatch; 2. Inventory Collection; 3. Building Inspection; 4. QuickBooks invoice; 5. Job Work Order with Dispatch.

Great Lakes Fusion Saves 400 Hours Annually Going Paperless

Great Lakes Fusion Saves 400 Hours a Year By Going Paperless

Great Lakes Fusion

The Background

Great Lakes Fusion (GLF) started in 1998 as a small construction company specializing in the Landfill Industry as a Methane Gas pipeline installation and repair contractor. Since that time, they have grown into a multi-faceted construction company with the expertise to take on most any project in the excavation and construction industry.

As a family run business, they’ve worked hard for the past 17 years to grow their company. But with that growth, their paper records became a heavier and heavier burden on their business.

The Problem

This burden was affecting GLF in various ways. Forms, from equipment inspections to work orders, were supposed to be returned to the office every night. However, if employees were working at job sites far from the office, these forms could come back days or even a week later.

As their team grew to over 30 employees, this delay also put pressures on the back office. “Time cards wouldn’t come in until Monday”, Jamie GLF’s office manager, said, “With payroll going out on Tuesday, it put a lot of pressure on our office.” GLF decided they needed a solution to these slow and cumbersome processes.

The Solution

In April 2013, they decided to go with GoCanvas, the global leader in mobile apps for the construction industry. GLF found the transition to paperless processes easy and full supported in taking their construction company paperless. “Employees picked it up easily” Jamie said, “It’s been a simple transition.”

GLF found itself in the same position thousands of GoCanvas customers have; the GoCanvas platform—with 20,000+ customizable mobile apps, the app builder and real-time data collection—was revolutionizing their internal processes.

The Outcomes

GLF has seen real, measurable results from implementing GoCanvas as their paperless solution for construction projects. Some of their immediate benefits include: 

Measurable Time Savings

Previously, GLF struggled with a growing burden of paperwork. Job site timecards, for instance, would come in on Mondays, and payroll would have to be finished by the next day. This time crunch put pressure and stress on the office. Being on paper, they would need to be organized and typed up again into the database for processing.

With GoCanvas, this process has been dramatically streamlined. Foremen now collect time cards on their smartphones. These mobile time sheets now go straight to the cloud and is immediately available to the office staff on the same day.

This streamlined paperless process has given GLF measurable time savings. Switching to GoCanvas saves them two hours a day. Over a year? That’s over 400 hours they can use towards growing their construction business.

Faster Invoicing

In additon to saving time in the office, GLF also has a faster sales cycle as a result of paperless workflows. With all their construction projects, GLF relies on work orders to invoice customers. From the week’s work orders, the office sends out billing every Friday. But if a form didn’t return until Friday afternoon, GLF couldn’t bill the customer for another week, slowing down their sale cycle dramatically.

With GoCanvas, these issues have been largely eliminated for this construction firm. All work orders are immediately available in the cloud. This makes it easy for the office to create and send invoices straight to the customer. If a form is missing fields, then the field employee won’t be able to submit the form. This forces completion of inspections with all necessary documentation.

By eliminating paper forms, GLF has dramatically sped up their sales cycles with paperless billing. What once could take weeks to send to customers now happens in a day or less.

Improved Data Accuracy

Working in the field at job sites and on construction projects, it’s easy for conditions to change. Yet with paper, employees would have to start over their work orders if something happened. This meant additional work on already long shifts.

Today with GoCanvas, GLF employees can edit their records while they work. Is the well drill taking longer than expected? That can be added into the report. The shift to mobile ensures that employees spend less time reporting, and can focus on great work for customers.

With drop down lists, employees in the field capture important information faster. They also use reference data. This feature allows them to pre-populate parts of their app with information from their own system, including pricing and equipment information.

By taking their construction company paperless, employees spend less time trying to find information, return forms with fewer mistakes, and focus more on doing great work.

Flexibility to Meet Evolving Organizational Needs

As a cloud-based, mobile platform combined with an easy-to-use app builder, GoCanvas provides this construction firm the flexibility to quickly add new features and functionality to any of their mobile apps. As needs evolve and change, GoCanvas apps can be updated easily, with no programming required.

For instance, as GLF’s equipment changes, Jamie can go into her GoCanvas account and update the equipment inspection. Within seconds, the updated equipment inspection will be available for all her users. These real time updates ensure easy transition, with limited possibility for errors in future inspections.

Other mobile app alternatives make this process cumbersome or costly, weakening the effectiveness of their platforms. With GoCanvas it is a frictionless process at no additional cost.  

With GoCanvas, GLF has replaced all of their paper forms with mobile apps and paperless workflows. They’ve cut down administrative work, and receive more accurate information from the field. Going paperless and using electronic documents allows them to continue to grow as well and provide the best quality work to their customers. 

Ready to Rethink How You Work?

GoCanvas has helped a variety of businesses across multiple industries transform their safety processes and rethink their efficiency, ultimately saving them money. Why not do the same? Reach out to one of our experts today to kickstart your process revolution.

Check out even more resources

Three inspection workers on job site.

The Ultimate Guide to Quality Control Inspections

Discover essential steps and best practices for effective quality control inspections. Ensure accuracy, compliance, and efficiency today!

A man using GoCanvas for the digital transformation of his workflow.

Next-Gen Project Management for Construction

In this on-demand webinar, we showcase GoCanvas’ latest product release, which is designed for construction and trade professionals.

A electrician inspecting equipment.

VIP Lighting Gains Business Efficiencies with GoCanvas

See how VIP Lighting streamlined operations and improved efficiency with GoCanvas, improving data collection speed and accuracy.

How AB Moving Company Saves $583K Annually with Mobile Forms

Man on tablet in front of a moving truck.

How a Texas Moving Company Saves $583K Annually with Mobile Forms

AB Moving Saves Thousands of Dollars

Overview 

  • Savings of $175,000 in processing and labor costs
  • Savings of $125,000 in credit card processing
  • Improved information collection
  • Stronger management oversight

Apps Used

  • Bill of Lading
  • Damage Report 

The Background

Founded in 1996 by owner Kenny Baker, AB Moving has a fleet of 72 trucks, serving customers in Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. The company is headquartered in Allen, a Dallas suburb, with 15 office employees, and all moving is done by subcontractors. The moving services company and its 72 teams complete as many as 700 jobs each week.

AB Moving does both commercial moving and residential moving: apartments, homes, businesses and more. For over fifteen years, AB Moving has offered highly quality work, understanding that they not only move customers’ possessions but also their lives.

The Problem

While AB Moving was trying to provide the highest quality service, paper wasn’t serving the company well. Since 2009, AB Moving was using a sophisticated software application to record customer, job booking, and moves data. But, drivers were still using bills of lading and damage reports on paper.

The end result? All movers had to come into the office at 5 am to pick up that day’s assignments. Though AB Moving had sophisticated technology, it struggled to get information from the field integrated back into their system. Brent Davis, the general manager, knew they could do better. “I was an auto adjuster for 17 years,” Brent says, “and was also the guy who test-piloted all the new technology. I’m just blessed with the ability to see how things can be done in the most efficient way.”

So Brent began looking for a technology fix that would eliminate as much of the paper as possible.

The Solution

In January 2014, AB Moving switched to GoCanvas, the global leader in mobile apps for business. Thousands of organizations leverage GoCanvas’s cloud-based, “Software-as-a-Service” mobile app platform to replace cumbersome paper forms with highly customizable mobile business apps. 

Businesses can search from over 20,000+ ready-made apps in the GoCanvas Application Store that can be customized to an individual business user’s needs. In addition, GoCanvas offers a do-it-yourself app builder that enables non-technical users to build apps in minutes.

The Outcomes

Over the past year, AB Moving drivers have stopped using paper and started to use Samsung Galaxy tablets and GoCanvas mobile apps. The company has discovered measurable results, including:

Substantial Financial Savings

Previously, AB Moving took payment with a manual credit card machine or over the phone. But, this process was slow, cumbersome, and had high fees. By going digital, AB Moving has lower fees and estimates that they’ve saved $125,000 in fees alone. The moving company’s previous process was also time-consuming for office employees. They would spend hours matching contracts and credit card receipts, taking credit card information over the phone, and printing bills of lading. By streamlining this process, AB has saved another $50,000 in employee time.

In total? AB Moving saved $175,000 in 2014, and since has increased savings to over $500K in 2016. 

Measurable Time Savings

AB Moving’s drivers work through many parts of Texas, often far from the office. Previously, all drivers would have to come into the office at 5 am to pick up their jobs for the day. Davis recalls with a cringe, “If it was raining outside, they would come in and get the papers all wet. It was awful.”

With GoCanvas the office can set up all moves the day before hand. The light dispatch feature allows AB Moving to pre-populate bill of lading forms so movers know where they need to go and what to do. The matching and scheduling process that once took hours or days is now available in minutes. Light dispatch reduces the number of unproductive miles for drivers. AB Moving saves gas and time.

Improved Data Collection

AB Moving also receives stronger and more accurate information from GoCanvas. Previously, it would have to compensate customers up to 90 days after the move, since it didn’t have proof that items were already damaged beforehand.  

Today, movers can easily take photos of items damaged before moving. With all information in the cloud, the photos are easy to find and always accessible. Those photos have reduced the number and costs of post-move damage claims.

In addition, bills of lading are required by state law to be signed. Davis explains, “There are fines for incomplete forms. With the GoCanvas application, the movers can’t upload the form until everything is complete and it is signed. It’s bulletproof now, and that is saving us a lot of money in fines.”GoCanvas does this by easily making fields required. With paper, nothing stopped a form coming back only half-finished. A driver can skip a field in the GoCanvas mobile app, but if a field is required, they won’t be able to submit the app until the required fields are completed. So AB Moving no longer struggles with missing information in their forms.

Real-Time Oversight

Previously with a dispersed workforce, AB Moving struggled to get information about their workforce in an easy manner. Who booked the move? How did the customer hear about AB Moving? Were any packaging supplies sold? With all reports immediately available in the cloud, AB Moving can understand this information in real-time. The company is even taking this data further: the data from each job is integrated with a home-grown application that AB Moving developed.

Through that application, Davis says, “Now I can see exactly what every mover did, who booked the move, the referral source, any boxes and other packaging supplies we sold. We can track anything we need to.”What once were disparate files are now seamlessly connected and available for understanding not a week or two later, but the very same day.

Flexibility to Meet Evolving Business Needs

As a cloud-based, mobile platform combined with an easy-to-use mobile app builder, GoCanvas provides the licensed mover with the flexibility to add new features and functionality to any of their mobile apps. As needs evolve and change, GoCanvas makes editing apps a frictionless process.

For instance, as prices change, it’s easy for AB Moving to upload a new price list into their GoCanvas apps. They don’t need to rely on IT support or have any knowledge of coding. With GoCanvas, it’s a simple drag-and-drop interface that anyone can use. Other mobile app alternatives make this process cumbersome or costly, weakening the effectiveness of their platforms. With GoCanvas it is a frictionless process at no additional cost.

Today, AB Moving has ditched paper for mobile apps. Having taken back time in their workday, the professional movers can focus on helping people move easily throughout Texas.

Ready to Rethink How You Work?

GoCanvas has helped a variety of businesses across multiple industries transform their safety processes and rethink their efficiency, ultimately saving them money. Why not do the same? Reach out to one of our experts today to kickstart your process revolution.

Check out even more resources

Two people in an office looking at a tablet.

Improving Your Operations with Field Service Management Software

Whether you have two or 200 employees, your business’ success depends on their hard work. Passionate, motivated team players are the difference between…

Two people in hard hats looking off camera.

Should You Connect Field Service Management Software with QuickBooks?

Field service management software has shown to increase productivity both for employees in the field and operations teams in the office. You may be wondering how field service…

Person in safety vest smiling.

How the Best Field Services Businesses Use Mobile Apps

Mobility and field service: the talk has been happening forever. The idea that real-time information improves customer service and boosts technician productivity is changing…

PVFC Saves Hundreds of Hours with Digital Inspections

Pikesville Volunteer Fire Company Saves Hundreds of Hours with Digital Inspections

working firefighters. male fire fighters. fire. fire department record management. Fighting fire and fighting paperwork. Saving time and saving people. Pikesville Volunteer Fire Company saves hundreds of hours. Paperless fire company.

The Background

Pikesville Volunteer Fire Company (PVFC) has been protecting Pikesville, Maryland since 1897. As the second oldest volunteer fire department in Baltimore County, it is the only station in Baltimore County that operates an engine, tower, heavy rescue squad, and medic, offering a full range of fire suppression, rescue, and EMS services for the community.

The Problem

Though much has changed since 1897, record keeping has continued on paper. Yet, with a full volunteer force, paper record management has become a heavier and heavier burden for the department.  

This burden was affecting the PVFC in various ways. When members would go out and buy supplies for the station, it could take weeks for reimbursement (if the treasurer could even read the crumpled receipt).

When a truck or piece of equipment would break, the process to verify/repair it was especially slow. If a fire truck malfunctioned, the lieutenant/engineer would have to come into the station to verify the issue and order the correct part. If a lieutenant was out on the road for business, it could be days or over a week before that truck would be serviceable again.

Justin, both 1st Rescue Lieutenant at PVFC and Director of Channel Sales at GoCanvas, saw GoCanvas as a solution to these slow and cumbersome processes.

The Solution

In April 2014, they decided to go with GoCanvas, the global leader in mobile apps for business. PVFC found the transition easy and full supported. “I received a report from a volunteer I hadn’t even trained.” Justin said, “that shows you how accessible the platform is.”

PVFC found itself in the same position thousands of GoCanvas customers have; the GoCanvas platform—with 20,000+ customizable mobile apps, the app builder, and real-time app management—was revolutionizing their internal processes.

The Outcomes

By eliminating paper forms, PVFC has dramatically sped up their repair cycle. What once took over a week to order now happens in a day or less.

More Accurate Data

In addition to improving their equipment repair process, PVFC now captures more accurate information with GoCanvas. The Department of Transportation requires inspections of fire company vehicles twice a month. PVFC often struggled with incomplete forms, information filled out that didn’t pertain to the vehicle, and uncertainty on who inspected the vehicles.

With GoCanvas, these issues have been largely eliminated. By utilizing required fields, PVFC forms come back with all the necessary information. If a form is missing fields, then the volunteer won’t be able to submit the form. This forces completion of inspections with all necessary documentation.In addition, conditional screens ensure that inspections occur quickly and cover the appropriate parts of the truck. For instance, their Heavy Rescue doesn’t have a pump, so that section of the inspection can be skipped.On mobile devices, information is now safe from coffee spills and dirty cars. By no longer having to do manual data re-entry or chase down missing information, PVFC estimates that they’ll save hundreds of hours this year.

Easier Volunteer Tracking

In PVFC, there’s a credit system. Volunteers get credits for showing up to training, or fundraisers. With paper forms, employees had to sign in by hand at these events. Afterward, someone else would have to enter this information a second time, and try to decipher messy handwriting or illegible ID numbers. Not only did this take away time from other projects, but also allowed room for human error.Today with GoCanvas, PVFC can track volunteer credits more easily with almost no admin work. Volunteers can pick their name from a drop down list, and their ID number automatically populates. Hours automatically calculate eliminating mathematical errors. This means less time trying to find information, reduced mistakes, more accurate systems, and more time to focus on keeping Pikesville safe.

Flexibility to Meet Evolving Organizational Needs

As a cloud-based, mobile platform combined with an easy-to-use mobile app builder, GoCanvas provides PVFC the flexibility to quickly add new features and functionality to any of their mobile apps. As needs evolve and change, GoCanvas apps can be updated easily, with no programming required.For instance, as they have new volunteers, PVFC can go into their GoCanvas account and simply update the volunteer list they use in their check in app. Within seconds, the list changes will be updated for all their future events. This allows for an easy transition, with limited possibility for errors.Other mobile app alternatives make this process cumbersome or costly, weakening the effectiveness of their platforms. With GoCanvas it is a frictionless process at no additional cost.  

With GoCanvas, PVFC continues to get rid of their paper forms. They’ve cut down administrative work, and improved information accuracy. Though much has changed since 1897, PVFC’s commitment to Pikesville safety remains the same.

Ready to Rethink How You Work?

GoCanvas has helped a variety of businesses across multiple industries transform their safety processes and rethink their efficiency, ultimately saving them money. Why not do the same? Reach out to one of our experts today to kickstart your process revolution.

Check out even more resources

Two people in an office looking at a tablet.

Improving Your Operations with Field Service Management Software

Whether you have two or 200 employees, your business’ success depends on their hard work. Passionate, motivated team players are the difference between…

Two people in hard hats looking off camera.

Should You Connect Field Service Management Software with QuickBooks?

Field service management software has shown to increase productivity both for employees in the field and operations teams in the office. You may be wondering how field service…

Person in safety vest smiling.

How the Best Field Services Businesses Use Mobile Apps

Mobility and field service: the talk has been happening forever. The idea that real-time information improves customer service and boosts technician productivity is changing…

Grower Direct Farms Saves $600 Monthly Going Mobile

Three inspection workers on job site.

Grower Direct Farms Saves $600 per Month by Going Mobile

The Background

Grower Direct Farms was started by Leonard Van Wingerden in 1981. Bypassing the opportunity to buy flat fertile farmland in Somers, he acquired a 160 acre sand and gravel pit operation on its decline in the foothills of North Somers. The place looked like a moonscape with craters, rock piles, sand, stumps, some pasture fields, and wooded area. But Leonard saw potential in this land, and worked hard to cultivate it once more. Today Grower Direct Farms comprises 1,300,000 sq. ft. of crop protection structures, 43,000 sq. ft. of support buildings and 20 acres of outdoor growing area.

The key to their success? Grower Direct Farms excels at the fine balance of art and science with a highly trained work force, experienced management, and modern efficient facilities with rigorous conservation and sustainability practices as an integral part of the flower and plant growing regimens. 

The Problem

Working with major retailers like Home Depot, Grower Direct Farms needed to go and remove plants from the display. Whether it was because there were overstocked or had died, this information was crucial in figuring out stocking.

Gathering this information was easier said than done. Grower Direct Farms would fax the information back to their office. However, this system came with multiple pain points: not all forms returned to the office, employees struggled to decipher handwriting, and the hours spent re-entering that information back in their database to reflect inventories. This process wasn’t just slow, but also created opportunity for errors in their information.

Grower Direct Farms needed a faster and more accurate system.

The Solution

In December 2013, Verizon introduced Grower Direct Farms to GoCanvas, the global leader in mobile apps for business. With their free trial, they received full support from GoCanvas as they moved from paper to mobile apps.

Each and every account gets a dedicated senior mobile app consultant. With their consultant, Grower Direct Farms was able to explain what they wanted and to create a mobile experience for their unique needs.

Grower Direct Farms found itself in the same position thousands of GoCanvas customers have; the GoCanvas platform—with 14,000+ customizable mobile apps, the app builder and real-time app management—strengthened their internal processes.

Their consultant created Grower Direct Farms’ first app as well as had a short training with their users. Then, their users were ready to go.

The Outcomes

Today, Grower Direct Farms has 23 users, some on Android and other on iOS devices. They have experienced real, measurable benefits from implementing GoCanvas, including: significant efficiency, cost and environmental. Key results include:

Real-time access to data

Grower Direct Farms has leveraged Canvas’ cloud-based, “as-a-Service” mobile app to enjoy real-time, actionable intelligence. Employees visiting various retail sites can transmit in-store data from their devices via the GoCanvas cloud. This switch has allowed Grower Direct Farms to shift from ad hoc reporting to a systematic process for data collection that can be converted into actionable intelligence. What once took hours to become part of Growers Direct Farms database can now be accessed in seconds. Saving time has a real monetary benefit as well: they estimate that they save $150 a week in peak season processing time. In one month alone, GoCanvas will save them $600.

Improved data accuracy

More than faster data, Grower Direct Farms also enjoys more accurate data. Previously, employees had to enter in all information by hand, including type of plant and certain details about it. With GoCanvas, Grower Direct Farms harnesses reference historical data, allowing them to pre-populate forms with data on plant type and details on it. This feature not only makes reporting quicker, but also improves report accuracy. The improved data has created real visible changes for Grower Direct Farms. Today, they struggle less with demands for plants that are out of stock as well as making fewer emergency deliveries.

Flexibility to meet evolving business needs

As a cloud-based mobile app platform, GoCanvas provided Grower Direct Farms with the flexibility to easily add features and functionality to each app as user and business needs evolve. With other mobile app alternatives, making even minor changes within each app proved cumbersome and diluted the effectiveness of the tool. For instance, as they decided to use GoCanvas for their spring cull, Grower Direct Farms was able to copy their first app and edit it to reflect the plants and data they needed to collect.

GoCanvas allows Grower Direct Farms to do this quickly and easily. This flexibility allows them to be nimble and nuanced in understanding the needs of their retail partners, and ultimately, their customers. Started on a seemingly unfertile land, Grower Direct Farm discovered opportunity and began to thrive. Today, they have over 20 acres of outdoor growing area, and 1,300,000 square feet of protective and support structures. In 2014, the GoCanvas mobile app platform allows Grower Direct Farms to have complete, accurate information in real time, helping them achieve even more success. 

Save time and money with your own custom mobile app

Discover how much you can save by going mobile. Search from our collection of customizable mobile form templates for Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing in the GoCanvas Application Store to find something to use as a starting point. 

Ready to Rethink How You Work?

GoCanvas has helped a variety of businesses across multiple industries transform their safety processes and rethink their efficiency, ultimately saving them money. Why not do the same? Reach out to one of our experts today to kickstart your process revolution.

Check out even more resources

Two people in an office looking at a tablet.

Improving Your Operations with Field Service Management Software

Whether you have two or 200 employees, your business’ success depends on their hard work. Passionate, motivated team players are the difference between…

Two people in hard hats looking off camera.

Should You Connect Field Service Management Software with QuickBooks?

Field service management software has shown to increase productivity both for employees in the field and operations teams in the office. You may be wondering how field service…

Person in safety vest smiling.

How the Best Field Services Businesses Use Mobile Apps

Mobility and field service: the talk has been happening forever. The idea that real-time information improves customer service and boosts technician productivity is changing…

How are Businesses Going Paperless?

How are Businesses Going Paperless?

Paper is on the way out: ebook sales have overtaken printed book sales. Consumers aren’t the only ones ditching paper: businesses of all kinds are leaving paper in the 20th century. 

But why are they going paperless? And what are they doing to replace the forms such as inspections, time cards, and delivery confirmations that businesses can’t avoid? We asked our customers and here’s what they said in three major industries: 

Check out even more resources

Three inspection workers on job site.

The Ultimate Guide to Quality Control Inspections

Discover essential steps and best practices for effective quality control inspections. Ensure accuracy, compliance, and efficiency today!

A man using GoCanvas for the digital transformation of his workflow.

Next-Gen Project Management for Construction

In this on-demand webinar, we showcase GoCanvas’ latest product release, which is designed for construction and trade professionals.

A electrician inspecting equipment.

VIP Lighting Gains Business Efficiencies with GoCanvas

See how VIP Lighting streamlined operations and improved efficiency with GoCanvas, improving data collection speed and accuracy.

Connect with an Expert Today.

We’ll help you put together the right solution for your needs.

Text Version

The problem with paper

$2182.62 – the annual cost of owning & operating a standard five-drawer filing cabinet.

$80 – the annual cost of paper per employee.

Construction uses

Working on various sites, mobile apps allow their offices to get information in real-time, and make decisions on actionable intelligence (Work orders 37.6%; Inspections 63.5%; Checklist 35.1%).

Top features: GPS capture; signature capture; photo capture.

General office uses

Mobile apps aren’t just for those in the field, they also help your office workers get more done and share it in real-time (Invoices 33.7%; Auditing 24.3%; Timesheets 65.2%). 11% of documents are misfiled or lost.

Top Features: Time/Date Stamp; Calculations; Signature Capture.

Transportation and logistic uses

Ensuring that the right product makes it to the right location isn’t easy, but going mobile is making it faster and ensuring accuracy each and every time (Tracking Forms 78.41%; Checklist 33.2%; Inspection 54.7%).

Top Features: Dispatch; GPS Capture; Time/Date Stamp

Sabi Sands Fights Rhino Poaching with GoCanvas

Two people in operations reviewing work on computer using GoCanvas solutions.

Sabi Sands Fights Rhino Poaching With GoCanvas

The Background

Sabi Sands Game Reserve is a group of game reserves located adjacent to the Kruger National Park. Named for the Sabie and Sand Rivers that border it, the Sabi Sands Reserve is the home to many wild animals including the Big Five. The Big Five are the five big game animals people travel from around the world to see. They include the African elephant, Cape buffalo, African leopard, and the White/Black rhino.

The Problem

The game reserve was struggling though with a problem seen throughout South Africa: rhino poaching. Rhino horns have become a symbol of status. Others believe rhino horn can cure cancer and other illnesses.While these myths have been dispelled, rhino horns remain sought out. A single rhino horn can be sold for $10,000. This demand has given rise to a well organized crime syndicate around poaching rhino horn.  

While rhinos don’t have to be killed to get their horns, they often are. In 2012 668 rhinos were killed and that number rose to over 1,000 in 2013. Unfortunately, the Sabi Sands Game Reserve saw a rise in poaching like the rest of South Africa. They tried to track the rhino poaching. But with only a clipboard, this process was slow, and difficult to gather. The Sabi Sands Reserve couldn’t keep up with the well-funded crime groups. Mike Grover, a conservation officer, decided that the reserve needed a solution that was faster to help protect their rhinos.

The Solution

In July 2012, Sabi Sands Game Reserve decided to go with GoCanvas, the global leader in mobile apps for business. As part of our Ante Up program, GoCanvas provided our service as well as equipment to get started. As part of the program, GoCanvas also sent a Senior Mobile App Consultant to South Africa to help the Game Reserve get started with GoCanvas.

The Outcomes

Sabi Sands found itself in the same position thousands of GoCanvas customers have; the GoCanvas platform—with 14,000+ customizable mobile apps, the app builder and real-time app management—strengthened their internal processes.

Over the past two years, the Sabi Sands Game Reserve has experienced real, measurable benefits from implementing GoCanvas. Some of these include:

Real-Time Tracking of Rhino Poaching

Previously, all tracking had been done with pen and paper. With conservation officers all over the reserve, it could be hours or days before a report of a poached rhino returned to the office.With GoCanvas, all tracking reports are sent immediately to the cloud. Not only is the documentation safe and secure, but also saves the conservation team hundreds of hours. They can respond to rhino poaching more quickly with better safeguards. GoCanvas provides Sabi Sands a streamlined system, saving them hundreds of hours.With time freed from paper processes, the game reserve can respond quickly and thoroughly to save Rhinos.

Expanded Information Collection

Paper reports limited the Sabi Sands Reserve’s ability to gather information. They could take notes, do an approximate location, but capturing images and other information was cumbersome and time-consuming. Going with a mobile app allowed Sabi Sands to expand their information in important and exciting ways. Now they can take photos of rhinos injured or killed, as well as tracks the poachers left. With GPS, they can capture an accurate location where the poaching occurred as well.If a poacher is caught, he can be prosecuted for the crime he was caught committing as well as any other crime that has been documented in the past.

Improved Monitoring of Animal Health

Like many GoCanvas customers, the Sabi Sands Game Reserve has found more ways to use GoCanvas as they became comfortable with the technology. Tracking animal health used to have some of the same problems that tracking rhino poaching: slow, cumbersome, and difficult to gather complete information. Today, Sabi Sands uses GoCanvas to track animal health. When a lioness, for instance, had been in contact with a rabid dog, conservation officers were able to document her health and keep an eye on her pride’s health in real-time. GoCanvas mobile apps improve the conservation officers’ ability to protect animals and respond quickly to health issues.

Flexibility to Meet Evolving Business Needs

As a cloud-based, mobile platform combined with an easy-to-use mobile app builder, GoCanvas provides Sabi Sands the flexibility to quickly add new features and functionality to any of their mobile apps. As needs evolve and change, GoCanvas apps can be updated easily, with no programming required. For instance, as Sabi Sands found the rabid dogs were affecting animal health, they went into their GoCanvas account and simply created a new tracking app. Within seconds, these changes will be updated for all their users. Now they can monitor where and when the rabid dogs cross over into the reserve. Then, they can easily find and inoculate these dogs, ensuring that diseases aren’t spread to the big game animals in the reserve. Other mobile app alternatives make this process cumbersome or costly, weakening the effectiveness of their platforms. With GoCanvas it is a frictionless process at no additional cost. With GoCanvas, the Sabi Sands Game Reserve Sabi Sands can easily gather information on animal and human activity on the Game Reserve. With real-time information, Sabi Sands can focus their time and energy on protecting rhinos and all the animals in their reserve.   

Ready to Rethink How You Work?

GoCanvas has helped a variety of businesses across multiple industries transform their safety processes and rethink their efficiency, ultimately saving them money. Why not do the same? Reach out to one of our experts today to kickstart your process revolution.

Check out even more resources

Two people in an office looking at a tablet.

Improving Your Operations with Field Service Management Software

Whether you have two or 200 employees, your business’ success depends on their hard work. Passionate, motivated team players are the difference between…

Two people in hard hats looking off camera.

Should You Connect Field Service Management Software with QuickBooks?

Field service management software has shown to increase productivity both for employees in the field and operations teams in the office. You may be wondering how field service…

Person in safety vest smiling.

How the Best Field Services Businesses Use Mobile Apps

Mobility and field service: the talk has been happening forever. The idea that real-time information improves customer service and boosts technician productivity is changing…

The History of the Paperless Office

The History of the Paperless Office

Check out even more resources

Woman looking at tablet inside a large vehicle machine.

Centurian Transport saves $100k every year with GoCanvas

Centurion is the largest heavy haulage provider in Australia. They deliver national supply chain solutions to the resources, energy, construction & retail sectors…

Image of two men in front of kegs on tablet.

Duotank Transforms Business Processes with GoCanvas

Duotank is a bag-in-tank alternative to the traditional keg beer system. The aseptic tank environment enables breweries to maintain the quality of their beer…

Image of Two Men and a Truck looking at tablet.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® used GoCanvas to increase data visibility & compliance

With a workforce that primarily works out in the field, many of the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® locations found that paperwork was hindering…

Connect with an Expert Today.

We’ll help you put together the right solution for your needs.

Text Version

The History of the Paperless Office

Creating paperless offices is a popular idea in business today. But how old is this idea? Discover the unlikely journey of the paperless office.

Early 1960s: Computers begin to have video display terminals, such as IBM 2260, allowing people to read text on the screen.

1969: BBC creates a short piece on the automated office future. All processes are streamlined, reducing inefficiency, but also eliminating human contact.

1970: PARC is founded by Xerox, an R&D firm, focusing on hardware and IT.

1975: Businessweek publishes ‘The Office of the Future’, predicting that all records would be electronic by 1990.

1976: IBM introduces the first commercial laser printer, IBM 3800. Soon after Xerox releases the first laser printer for the office.

1980-1995: Paper use doubles due to the rise in affordable laser printing.

The mid-1990s: Cloud storage begins to gain significant bandwidth with the internet.

2001: Sellen and Harper in ‘The Myth of the Paperless Office’, investigate why work is still dominated by paper.

2000-2009: American consumption of paper drops by 20%.

2007: Apple introduces the first iPhone.

2008: The Economist argues that the paperless office is coming with a new generation who rely less on paper, and more on technology

2011-2012: Smartphone use at work jumps from 37% to 60% in one year.

2013: Adobe reports 87% of respondents have a mostly digital office and 59% would like to be more digital.

2013: Millennials push for more tech, less paper. 16% of office workers use Dropbox. Rises to 31% for 18-31-year-olds.

Conclusion – The paperless office isn’t here yet. But, with faster technology and a digital generation, this future is on its way.

>