“If the job is done on site today, we’ll have the job sheet back as soon as they hit Complete and we can start processing the work and invoice the costs for the customer.”
GOFORMZ CASE STUDY
AT-A-GLANCE
Needed a digital solution that could incorporate new field types and job site data within the same form. As well as a means for completing and processing forms faster, without having to physically hand-in forms.
Implemented GoFormz, enabling DTM team members to capture job site Images and add them to their forms, straight from their device.
THE FULL STORY
Doocey Traffic Management Solutions (DTM) has provided a range of traffic management services to the United Kingdom, since 2005. DTM works daily to improve road safety and minimize congestion through impactful, effective traffic management.
Doocey Traffic Management Solutions (DTM) works to increase traffic efficiency and safety, across their operational divisions (including Civil Engineering and Traffic Management) and many job sites. With paper forms, however, obstacles often hindered DTM’s efforts, resulting in frustrating delays and tedious workflows.
When Kevin Lyons, General Manager at Doocey Traffic Management, identified the source of DTM’s delays, he sought a solution to streamline operational workflows and more seamlessly incorporate the new types of data his team needed to capture on forms.
“All of the guys are out working on various sites,” Kevin explained. “[Before GoFormz] they would do the job onsite, come back at the end of the day, and review the paperwork…” This time-consuming process significantly delayed DTM’s workflow across each of their teams and job sites. Adding to this dilemma, was DTM’s struggle to document both handwritten information and job site images, without wasting valuable time.
“We had the written paperwork and a digital camera, but we needed to get the handwritten form electronically, and the photos on the same form so they could be emailed back. [Before GoFormz] we had [users] filling out the paperwork, then they took the photos on the camera, and then would have to come into the office (20 to 30 miles away) to plug it into the computer so it can be downloaded to the server, and then emailed.”
This entire process needed to be completed in a timely manner, so DTM personnel could provide supporting information and visuals to support or inform any pending claims or queries. With paper forms, this workflow faced a variety of delays and obstacles.
Fortunately, Kevin was introduced to GoFormz by a customer, and DTM began incorporating mobile forms into their daily workflows. “It was quite easy to upload [our template] and play with the fields and input them. I taught myself and a few of our users… it’s not rocket science to build the forms,” Kevin explained, detailing DTM’s initial introduction to the GoFormz platform. As more users were introduced to DTM’s now mobile forms, news of the app’s usability and simplicity began to spread. “They were spreading the word that using the tablet and GoFormz is a lot easier than doing the paperwork… It sort of sold itself to everyone else.”
Doocey Traffic Management’s GoFormz user count began to grow, as their users adapted to the ease of digital documents and data collection. Kevin now hosts training sessions for new DTM GoFormz users, helping familiarize team members with GoFormz’ array of features and digital tools. Initially, some users were reluctant to incorporate an app into their data collection workflow. Fortunately, once comfortable with the digital forms, the once tech-averse users now “would never look back because [GoFormz is] that easy to use.”
When it comes to DTM’s daily workflows, GoFomz has drastically improved the efficiency and thoroughness of captured project data. One example provided by Kevin, was DTM’s Non Hire Job Pack, which is completed by fifteen Field Engineers daily, at each of their job sites. This form includes a plethora of vital project information, including project dates and times, photos of the job site, safety checklists, signatures and more. Once this form is completed, it is signed by the customer and emailed back to the office for processing.
This job pack not only helps gather job site data, but also helps manage DTM’s inventory of supplies, like traffic cones and signs. Because this data is captured digitally, any discrepancies in the number of cones or other materials can be addressed rapidly and more effectively.
“If the job is done on site today, we’ll have the job sheet back as soon as they hit complete and we can start processing the work and invoice the costs for the customer.”
DTM’s digital optimizations have also largely impacted the entire operation’s expenses and labor demands. Before GoFormz, DTM relied heavily on lengthy, physical documents that cost a fortune and were often lost. “Just for a fifty-page duplicate book that the operator and the engineer have to fill out every day when they use a piece of machinery… we pay £7.50 ($9.94) per book,” Kevin explained. “And we were just giving the books out daily because they were being lost, left on the side of the road, or left at home…”
Additionally, these daily documents required a significant amount of time to complete and process. Originally, DTM had a staff member dedicated to processing incoming paper forms. Now, with GoFormz, a large amount of this workflow can be automated and simplified, resulting in less staffing time spent on processing. “We have about 90% of our forms on GoFormz, and also reporting scheduled every Sunday evening, telling us what [information] has come in from every departments.”
With digital optimizations across staffing and supplies, DTM has witnessed incredible savings. By reducing the cost of tangible supplies by approximately £20,000, and eliminating the need for a staff member dedicated to paper processing, DTM saved “£50,000 in the first year just on the labor and stationary.”
“I think last year we spent £24,000 ($31,795) on stationary orders… it’s stupid to continue with paper,” Kevin explained of their future plans with GoFormz. “We’re going to go completely paperless as a company. [We’ll] be streamlined and save a fortune.”