Offline inspections and depot dispatch for utility crews
A rural electric cooperative's crews completed paper forms in the field, then entered the same information into two systems at the depot. Over 18 weeks we built one inspection app for their issued phones and a dispatch board for the depot.
Screens
The challenge
Half the service territory had no usable coverage. Crews also worked in gloves and bad weather, so forms needed to remain usable one-handed and continue saving without a connection.
Our approach
A local-first data layer saves work on the device and syncs in the background, with conflict handling a dispatcher can read. Large touch targets, photos and asset-tag scanning reduce typing in the field. Sync can retry safely as trucks move in and out of coverage, without duplicating or losing the form.
Outcome
- Inspections captured once in the field, with photo and GPS evidence
- About 2.5 hours per crew recovered each week by removing depot re-entry
- Full asset history available on site
- 78% of crews using the app in month one without a mandate. Two remaining trucks needed replacement phones
“They spent their first week riding in a bucket truck instead of sitting in a workshop, and you can tell on every screen. The sync has not lost a form yet.”Dana Whitfield — Line superintendent, Cedar Ridge Electric Cooperative
Original interfaces and workflows are protected by NDA. Images are UI recreations using synthetic data and figures. Client identity is shared with permission.