Hippo CMMS has always been mobile, but now we’re set to take things further with the new Hippo CMMS Mobile app. Thanks to tighter integration with your mobile device, the app delivers faster features, and more of them. It’s the perfect tool for technicians on the go.
Some quick background on the app’s development: We started by asking ourselves, What do technicians need to work more efficiently? Then we carefully built the best answers directly into the app.
Work order management comes down to real-time access to reliable data
It really is that simple. Technicians need the right data, and Hippo CMMS Mobile app puts it directly in their hands.
Thanks to cloud computing, our CMMS keeps the data up to date in real-time, which means everyone on the team is working from the same information, pulling in the same direction.
access real-time work order data
It’s a giant leap forward from old paper- and spreadsheet-based methods, where data quickly gets lost or goes stale. With paper, you’re only ever one lost sheet away from preeminently losing valuable data. And with spreadsheets, it’s the opposite problem. Instead of losing data, you lose track of which file is the most up-to-date version. You end up trying to run a 2020 preventive maintenance schedule using a calendar from back in 2019. Hippo CMMS Mobile app goes everywhere with technicians, delivering features that keep them tightly connected and up to date even from the more remote locations.
Barcode scanning with Hippo CMMS Mobile app
Technicians can scan barcodes on assets using their mobile device’s built-in camera, accessing asset data.
scan barcodes to access asset data
Sometimes barcodes help with something even more basic: simply finding which asset to maintain. For example, a technician need to perform a routine maintenance task on a pump. The challenge is that there are three identical pumps sitting all in a row. By scanning the barcodes, the tech can check for open preventive maintenance work orders, ensuring the right work gets done on the right asset.
But work order management also comes down to being able to send in the right data
Strong, clear communication is always a two-way street. Techs need to be able to not only access real-time data but also input it into the CMMS software. Techs need to know what to do, and the maintenance lead needs to know what the tech is doing.
The ability to immediately input data also helps increase the accuracy of the department’s data overall. Instead of waiting until they’re back at the maintenance department’s office, techs can input data wherever they are, while it’s still fresh in their mind. And accurate data is reliable, which over the long-term empowers the department to make good decisions.
Hippo CMMS Mobile app simplifies data input down to a few well-placed taps and short scrolls on a mobile device.
Task comments with Hippo CMMS Mobile app
Adding comments to tasks allows technicians to keep everyone updated on their current challenges and progress. If a tech needs to step away from the asset because of an unforeseen issue, they can add that to the work order. They can also add questions or concerns about tasks. Now instead wondering why something is taking longer than expected or why a task was completed so quickly, everyone on the team is in the loop in real-time.
Direct image upload with Hippo CMMS Mobile app
Sometimes a picture works better than a written comment, and with the app technicians have the option to directly upload images to work orders using their mobile device’s built-in camera. Just like with task comments, there are a few different situations where techs can take advantage of this feature. For example, they can upload images to get advice or directions from the lead or other techs.
upload images directly to work orders
They might have opened up an asset only to discover that the routine maintenance task they were expecting is actually a much more complicated repair. Also, just before a technician closes out a work order, they can attach a picture of their work and request a virtual visual inspection. Once the lead or a more senior tech has approved the work, they can then remotely close out the work order.
Time tracking with Hippo CMMS Mobile app
The app lets technicians know what they need to do and how best to it. Time tracking lets the department know how long each work order takes, which is important for tracking current efficiency and scheduling future tasks in the preventive maintenance software. Technicians can manually enter how much time they spent on work orders or they can use the built-in timer. Either way, the maintenance department gets an accurate picture of how long tasks take to complete.
Offline sync with Hippo CMMS Mobile app
Some technicians have the pleasure of never leaving climate control facilities while others face the challenge of working on assets so remote they’re beyond Internet access. It could be deep within a mine or high up on a wind turbine. With Hippo’s new app, technicians can still access the work orders that are already on their mobile device. And then can add task comments, images, and track their work times. The app holds all the data while offline, syncing with the CMMS database once it reconnects with the Internet. Techs don’t have to try to remember everything; the app does it all for them, and then makes sure the data is safely updated to the CMMS, where it’s backed up, kept secure, and made accessible to everyone else on the team.
And with Hippo CMMS, it’s never just the features
In the end, even the best features are worthless if the maintenance team can’t access them. It’s worse than useless. You end up paying for something you can’t use.
New UX specifically mobile device screens with Hippo CMMS Mobile app
Hippo CMMS has always been about the user experience, and that includes the desktop and web-based versions of our CMMS. With the mobile app, we were especially careful to create something that could become a simple, powerful tool regardless of prior experience. Technicians with a bit more experience using mobile apps find everything exactly where they expect it to be. The app’s layout is simple and intuitive. For more senior technicians with less experience using mobile devices, there’s a nice gentle learning curve.
Our head UX designer, Karan Raj Kohli, explains the hard work that went into making the app as easy to learn and use as possible. “Before starting the project, I spent a lot of time thinking about our user base. I worked out multiple types of users, including an older technician in a factory who is good at his job but not tech-savvy. With this user in mind, I used higher contrast ratios in the buttons, shapes, and colors, and added more spacing to accommodate large, strong fingers. I then replaced the drop-down menus with drawers to make it easier to navigate the app and control the amount of data on the screen.”
Get the benefits of Hippo CMMS Mobile app
Ready to find out more? There’s plenty we’d love to share with you. In fact, we set up a whole page with a cool video and more information on the app.
