Dec
9
Written by:
CivicView News
Friday, 9 December 2011
CivicView has announced the development of a SmartTasks web application, delivering local government organisations with the first truly mobile solution to improve the 
productivity and effectiveness of its remote workforce.
Demonstrated by Insight Informatics, the Australian developer behind CivicView at the annual national User Group meeting in Sydney last week, the SmartTasks Applicationoffers work orders functionality via any web-enabled smartphone device.
“This new product offers massive productivity benefits for organisations using CivicView by giving council employees critical system functionality while out on the road,” said CivicView’s Mark Smith.
“It successfully leverages the technology of today’s smartphone – including wireless connectivity, in-built cameras and GIS functionality to give remote staff a fully-functional and instantaneous means to log, update and manage work orders and asset management projects, correspondence and authorisations” he said.
Data between the SmartTasks App, the organisation’s CivicView database and third-party applications is synchronised in real time to improve the dynamic of council workers and communication to and from the field.
Data seamlessly feeds into CivicView’s integrated HR/Payroll, Reporting, Property & Assets, Financials modules.
“This product successfully extends the functionality in CivicView and applications used enterprise-wide by making information and processes available in real-time, out on the road via a highly portable device and a user-friendly interface. Councils using this Application can immediately improve the general effectiveness of teams on the road, the response time and turn-around on projects,” said Smith.
CivicView is a fully-integrated enterprise management solution developed in collaboration with Australian councils and used by organisations across New South Wales and Queensland for more than a decade.
The new Application feature provides facility for council employees to update, document and close work orders – including maintenance projects, inspections and repairs to all manner of council assets while out on the road, using any web-enabled smartphone device.
Real-time integration with the CivicView HR and Payroll, Assets and Reporting tools facilitate seamless means to report upon inspections, maintenance, and man hours-per-project to feed into financial reports.
“A contractor can use the iPhone camera and attach an image to help document an inspection, or progress with the work order. This is then saved, seamlessly in the CivicView database while out on the road and as per normal, any emails, alerts and messages are automatically sent as configured in the system,” said Smith.
With SMS and email functionality, the App provides councils greater connectivity with staff out on the road to optimise customer services and risk management.
“According to the urgency or risk associated with an incident, Council staff can send a team out to a priority incident and they can dynamically pick up all the information regarding location, and detail of the work required to deal with the emergency without having to return to the office.
Full integration with CivicView’s graphical Risk Register feature allows employees in the office to dynamically allocate remote staff to emergencies and priority issues while on the road to optimise the safety of residents.
“For instance, there may be a tree over a footpath, or a critical road-sign down – CivicView Work Orders and SMS instant notification features mean a council can identify the closest team and send them out to address the incident a-s-a-p.”
The App gives CivicView organisations the freedom to eradicate inefficient paper-based processes and duplicate data entry once employees are back in the office.
“This really is the best tool to improve the productivity and effectiveness of council’s mobile workforce to benefit customer services and reduce operational costs,” said Smith.
“I’m very excited to see the reaction of councils and local government organisations to this new functionality,” he said.
CivicView SmartTasks will be available in the New Year as the first of a range of Applications and mobile-friendly electronic forms planned for councils, including SmartTimesheets and SmartLog – a means for residents to lodge customer service requests.