A. No. Many mobile operators offer PDA phones for free on some business tariffs. If you have a business mobile phone which is ready for contract renewal then you may be able to replace it with a PDA device for free.
Q. Do I need an internet connection to use eSquiggles?
A. Yes, although only for actually sending the forms or reports, receiving information whilst on-site or accessing information from on-line resources. A field worker can work off-line whilst entering data. For example, if a job is being carried out in a basement or part of a building with poor network coverage, the data can still be entered in real time, can be saved and then sent back electronically once the field worker is in a better area for network coverage.
Q. What if changing legislation or requirements means my form or reports layout will need to change?
A. eSquiggles forms are highly flexible and can be adapted very easily. More fields can be added, the structure can be changed or the format can be altered – either by our Consultants or in-house by your own staff. Similarly, the reporting tools are extremely user friendly and with Microsoft Word or Excel as the output medium for reports, changes can be made in a matter of minutes.
Q. Will I need to spend a lot of time and money on IT support?
A. No. eSquiggles is available on a SaaS (Software as a Service) basis. In real terms, this means that you are not actually buying the software, you are simply renting it on a ‘pay as you go’ type basis. No large scale investment is needed to buy hardware, software, databases or IT support.
Q. Can I buy eSquiggles on a traditional licensing basis rather than on SaaS?
A. Yes. eSquiggles licences can be bought rather than paying on a ‘per transaction’ basis. In terms of hosting and support, this can be done either in-house by your own IT staff or by ourselves.
Q. Can I get management information from the system?
A. There is a management reporting module which can report on the amount of work processed through the system, number of jobs completed per field worker, etc.. You can also monitor turnaround times and service level agreements.
Q. I post paper copies of final reports to my clients. Can I allow my clients to be sent an email automatically when the report is completed, allowing them to download it?
A. Yes. We can provide self service for your clients so they can visit eSquiggles and download their completed work item.
Q. Will my staff and colleagues need hours of training?
A. No. eSquiggles is extremely user friendly and intuitive. The levels of training required are minimal and would normally be provided on a ‘train the trainer basis’. This means that one or two people will be trained, they will in turn train colleagues, therefore keeping costs to a minimum. On-line tutorial presentations are also available.
FAQ’s
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Aren’t mobile devices expensive?
A. No. Many mobile operators offer PDA phones for free on some business tariffs. If you have a business mobile phone which is ready for contract renewal then you may be able to replace it with a PDA device for free.
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Q. Do I need an internet connection to use eSquiggles?
A. Yes, although only for actually sending the forms or reports, receiving information whilst on-site or accessing information from on-line resources. A field worker can work off-line whilst entering data. For example, if a job is being carried out in a basement or part of a building with poor network coverage, the data can still be entered in real time, can be saved and then sent back electronically once the field worker is in a better area for network coverage.
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Q. Can I design my own forms?
A. Yes. There is a forms designer as part of eSquiggles.
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Q. What if changing legislation or requirements means my form or reports layout will need to change?
A. eSquiggles forms are highly flexible and can be adapted very easily. More fields can be added, the structure can be changed or the format can be altered – either by our Consultants or in-house by your own staff. Similarly, the reporting tools are extremely user friendly and with Microsoft Word or Excel as the output medium for reports, changes can be made in a matter of minutes.
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Q. I don’t feel comfortable designing my own forms and Word templates. Can you do it for me?
A. Yes. We offer a forms design service.
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Q. Will I need to spend a lot of time and money on IT support?
A. No. eSquiggles is available on a SaaS (Software as a Service) basis. In real terms, this means that you are not actually buying the software, you are simply renting it on a ‘pay as you go’ type basis. No large scale investment is needed to buy hardware, software, databases or IT support.
Return to Top
Q. Can I buy eSquiggles on a traditional licensing basis rather than on SaaS?
A. Yes. eSquiggles licences can be bought rather than paying on a ‘per transaction’ basis. In terms of hosting and support, this can be done either in-house by your own IT staff or by ourselves.
Return to Top
Q. I already have some in-house systems. Can eSquiggles interface to them?
A. eSquiggles has a range of interfaces known as Web Services. These allow your in-house applications to send and receive data from eSquiggles.
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Q. Can I get management information from the system?
A. There is a management reporting module which can report on the amount of work processed through the system, number of jobs completed per field worker, etc.. You can also monitor turnaround times and service level agreements.
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Q. What mobile devices are supported?
A. All Pocket PC devices running Windows Mobile 2003 and Windows Mobile 5.0 (2005) are capable of running eSquiggles.
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Q. What data can I capture using eSquiggles?
A. Forms can be designed to capture most types of data including pictures, video and audio.
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Q. I notice eSquiggles can capture audio files, does this mean I can use it for digital dictation?
A. Yes. Voices notes can be captured using eSquiggles mobile forms, uploaded to the system and then an audio typist can transcribe these notes.
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Q. I post paper copies of final reports to my clients. Can I allow my clients to be sent an email automatically when the report is completed, allowing them to download it?
A. Yes. We can provide self service for your clients so they can visit eSquiggles and download their completed work item.
Return to Top
Q. Will my staff and colleagues need hours of training?
A. No. eSquiggles is extremely user friendly and intuitive. The levels of training required are minimal and would normally be provided on a ‘train the trainer basis’. This means that one or two people will be trained, they will in turn train colleagues, therefore keeping costs to a minimum. On-line tutorial presentations are also available.
Return to Top