A US hospital has implemented new mobile facility and work order management apps for iOS and Android that increase the efficiency of hospital technicians who repair equipment across large campuses and enable the immediate rerouting of employees to respond to critical malfunctions as they happen.
The apps, utilised by the Boston Medical Center, also enable hospital staff to initiate and monitor service calls and check on the status of incidents at any time. Using native device capabilities, employees can scan hospital room barcodes to report a problem or to learn what work needs to be performed in that location. Photos of assets can be added to the record, and work orders can be closed on location.
Using the offline mode, the mobile apps can run in areas without mobile coverage and then synchronise when connections are re-established.
From desktop to mobile
The new work order management apps were enabled with the help of Magic Software, a global provider of software platforms for enterprise mobility, cloud applications and business integration. The hospital had already gained experience using Magic Software’s technology as the basis for its desktop-based hospital-wide facilities management system. Extending it to mobile was a logical progression.
“Not only have we made our facility management team happier and more efficient with the new smart ways of working on-site, we have also eliminated the huge amount of paperwork previously required by hundreds of technicians completing thousands of work orders a day,” says Bob Biggio, vice president of Facilities and Support Services for Boston Medical Center.
“Boston Medical Center is clearly achieving great results with its mobile apps,” adds Udi Ertel, president, Software Division at Magic Software Enterprises Ltd. “However, it’s important to realise that they didn’t get there overnight. They started with a small app and, after that success, they built more apps incorporating advanced functionalities.”
