How We Built a Work Order Management System: Case Study

The vital task of all сompanies is to organize an effective and smooth facility management process. This is not just about technical services and property maintenance, it’s about creating a сompliant environment, that boosts work efficiency of employees.

When it comes to managing facilities, a lot of companies deal with a large amount of paperwork. That's why most organizations need an all-in-one tool that will help them control this process and feel relieved.

Our client came up with the idea to create a custom app for work order management to increase the productivity of everyone who is involved in this process.

Let’s see how the work order management app created by Apiko sends the “vibes of relief” to both companies and service providers.

Reasons to create a maintanance management app

Here are the main turning points that triggered our client to create a maintanance management application:

• B2B companies need a tool for tracking costs spent on work orders
• Most companies struggle with finding qualitative facility management companies
• Organizations need to eliminate paperwork and automate the invoice processing
• A desire to keep track of all orders, manage all documentation (spendings, services history, services schedule, work requests and reports) in one place

What challenges does work order management app solve?

The decision was to develop a complex work order management system for companies, service providers, workers, and admins.

 

 

The system consists of 3 custom products:

• Work order website for companies

Work order website is an inner application for company managers, aimed at tracking the work orders. The main goal of this system is to automate the relationships between the company and supplier. With the help of work order site, companies can:

• Сreate and manage work orders

 

 

• Assign suppliers to each work order and set due dates

 

 

• View and manage the database of work orders, suppliers, ordering companies, technicians, properties, etc.

 

• Gather all the data about work orders and create detailed reports

• Work order mobile app for technicians

An application for technicians where they can leave reports and photos about the work done, track time, and report about the material inputs. The application functions even if the network is unavailable and synchronizes all the data. With this app, technicians can:

• Search and view work orders

• Estimate and track time spent on work orders

• Update the status of work order completion

• Track physical assets (by scanning QR codes from equipment or manual input)
• Upload information about the assets
• Attach invoices and information about work orders
• Receive reminders and notifications
• Fill in information about used materials
• Set work availability

• Work order chat

A chatbot system in which workers inform about the problems in the company (e.g. equipment malfunctions), after which a system automatically creates a work order with all required details.

Technology stack

As the application deals with a large amount of data, our primary task is to provide a high site speed.

The technology stack we've chosen includes GraphQL+Apollo, React, and React Native.

 

These technologies allowed us to build precise data and project architecture, and, as a result, provide a qualitative and speedy data processing.

Integrations that help to improve property management process

• Xtracta - automated data entry software used to enable automated invoices processing.
• Xero - has helped us to implement automated invoice payment process
• Peoplesoft - enables the invoices validation

What are the benefits of work order management app?

Work order management system allows companies to:

• Look for and find reliable service providers
• Create work orders
• Monitor and receive reports on workflows
• Receive invoices and automate their processing
• Run tenders to choose facility and property management service providers according to custom criteria

When the suppliers can:

• Offer facility services to leading companies
• Browse and monitor work orders (employees can track and analyze personal activity, add attachments, and descriptions for a certain type of work, etc.)
• Apply for tenders and choose the best service provider

Result

Fully customizable and complex product, that eliminates paperwork and saves your time. The work order management system allows companies to find, hire, and monitor the workflow of facility management service providers they've chosen. Facility service providers, in their turn, can promote their services, apply for tenders, and cooperate with large organizations.