Device Magic: Data Collection Made Simple

Dusan Babich, Co-Founder & CEO

Data is the fundamental asset around which all enterprise workflows and processes revolve. As a result, establishing an efficient means for its collection is imperative. Despite the abundance of data in the workplace, many environments inhibit its collection thanks to factors like remoteness, low connectivity, adverse conditions and lack of technical support. The key to addressing this predicament has not always been in plain sight, but has certainly been within reach: smartphones.

Combining enterprise mobility with field data capture, Device Magic brings an intuitive, yet innovative mobile software and data collection app to the table. The company’s product is designed to assist field agents in capturing information from anywhere, anytime—with or without an internet connection.

Overcoming Data-Driven Obstacles

While working in the mobile industry, Device Magic founders Dusan Babich and Mike Welham noticed a recurring problem. Agents working in the field were manually collecting data from inspections, audits or even while filling out work reports; but the entire process was slow, not to mention error-prone.

Enter Device Magic. Making data collection an efficient and hassle-free process was the primary goal behind the company’s inception in 2011, but what came to be was something ubiquitous to every field agent.

“Our mobile forms help make the data collection process less time-consuming and error-free,” says Dusan Babich, Device Magic co-founder and CEO. “Our customers do not have to build a solution from scratch; an easy subscription to our product does the job for them.”

From inspections to site audits, field reports, purchase order receipts and daily work reports; collecting site pictures and geo-tags to customer signatures, Device Magic’s mobile forms handle it all. Traditionally, collecting and reporting field information related to such tasks was arduous. In addition, with paper forms and documents, there was always a risk of losing certain data while in transit from the field to the office.

However, Device Magic has been instrumental in simplifying the data collection and transfer equation. Right from the get-go, the product smoothly automates form-building processes, and makes scaling them possible for future use. For example, the company showcases sample forms during a free, 14-day trial period, and the intuitive solution makes onboarding simple and straightforward. After this trial period, the app integrates into a customer’s existing cloud-based or on-premise platform.

When an organization creates a mobile form using Device Magic’s software, it leverages pre-built, configurable data rules and conditional logic. The form can therefore feature a range of data fields that fit the organization’s specific needs. These fields might include text boxes, drop-down lists, site images and locations, among others, and can be arranged using the app’s drag and drop feature.

Our mobile forms help make the data collection process less time-consuming and error-free.

Once ready, the form is sent to a field agent who, upon receipt, can easily fill in the necessary information and send it back to the office using an Android or iOS tablet or mobile device. In addition, this data can be delivered to a number of storage locations like Dropbox, OneDrive and ShareFile.

Excellence in Action

Device Magic has undoubtedly carved a niche space in the market and while doing so, has continuously put customers first. To ensure success and satisfaction, the company regularly interacts with customers, consistently gaining insights on product wants and needs.
Babich cites an exemplary story about a solar EPC company as one that best illustrates this dedication put into practice. Greenewable Solar carries out solar installations in different urban and remote, rural areas. Their projects include ground-mounted and rooftop solar systems for residential and commercial clients, agricultural solar installations and rural electrification.

In the past, the entire data capture process was conducted on a physical clipboard. This turned out to be inefficient, creating obstacles for data collection and transfer in real time. Furthermore, since most of their job sites were remote and even required some underground work, the company found it difficult to track various projects’ progress, as well as to ensure the work was up to their standards.

The firm realized that they needed technology that could allow them to do their job more efficiently, enabling them to keep track of all their work. Device Magic’s mobile forms helped them capture all the information they required during the installation process. These forms have proven to be invaluable in managing the complete solar installation process, from design to post-installation maintenance. In addition, they’ve been instrumental in providing insight on projects in remote locations, helping maintain quality standards and ensuring accurate records. The company is now using Device Magic across all stages of its business and workflows, with plans to expand further.

Looking Ahead

This is one of many instances in which Device Magic has proved to be a trusted partner for its customers. Gaining such traction among large enterprises has contributed directly to the company’s tremendous success and growth this year.

The Device Magic app is being rapidly adopted and incorporated by organizations around the world, which has only inspired Babich and his employees even more. Every individual is dedicated to working relentlessly towards exceeding their customer’s expectations time and again, and it’s paid off. Interacting with customers and seeking their feedback has enabled the company to enhance the capabilities of its product in accordance with client needs.

It’s clear that Device Magic will continue to build and expand, with plans to add more features such as enhanced mapping and visual overlays, additional integrations with single sign-on (SSO) providers and more in the near future. "Our aim for the future is to enhance our forms with additional reporting and analytics capabilities, and to be even more readily deployable and adaptable in an enterprise environment,” concludes Babich. "We're excited to see what's next."