By FMW Editorial Staff
November 9, 2022
No area of fleet management is immune to the advancement of technology. From updated EVs to evolving charging technology, fleets are able to take advantage of technology to streamline every part of the management process.
One of these areas is maintenance, a major factor in the health and safety of vehicles and drivers alike. Using their Mobile IoT-driven suite, Connixt is seeking to digitize and automate maintenance, giving mechanics and technicians the ability to modernize the process and save time and money.
We sat down with Connixt CEO and Co-founder G. Satish to hear more about how Connixt is revolutionizing the maintenance industry with a user-friendly new application.
Tell us a little bit about Connixt and what you do for fleets.
Connixt is in the business of providing mobile apps for maintenance crews. Our goal is to digitize most of the manual paperwork that has to be filled out, the subsequent data entry and manual reporting compiled by a workshop crew. We like to think that, more than selling mobile apps, we’re selling time. With the Connixt app, we give back time to mechanics and maintenance workers by making the maintenance process as quick and easy as possible.
What are some of the main features of your app? How does that help workers be more productive and save time?
One of the biggest advantages that we like to highlight about our app is its high user adoption rate. The reason that most software applications win or lose is not because of the features, but the lack of user adoption. Connixt works hard to make sure our app is intuitive and easy for a mechanic or technician to use. Like Facebook or LinkedIn, a user doesn’t need to read instructions to put it to use.
Other important features of the app include speech-to-text, the ability to attach audio recordings, and add photographs with annotations to work orders. These are true differentiators that make it easier to complete, review, and approve jobs. The app even automatically updates jobs into a maintenance system.
How do mechanics take advantage of these features?
When mechanics begin a shift, they can pick up an available tablet or smartphone or even use their own, if authorized. Once they log into the app, they can look at a simple work-queue with all of the jobs that have been assigned to them. This shows them an overview of everything that needs to be done throughout the day, helping them manage their time. Then, they can choose one of the jobs from the set and begin work.
If a mechanic is doing a job like a 20,000-mile inspection, PM job, or a brake replacement, the app pulls up useful information beyond just the work order. It will also pull up the work instructions, checklist, and the specific steps they need to follow to complete the job. The Connixt app also allows them to capture and annotate photographs before and after the job is complete. They can record parts consumed, time taken, and other important factors about the job.
Utilizing the speech-to-text capability eliminates the need to type in comments. In addition, the app will automatically update parts requested and deduct them from the inventory. All of the information a mechanic records is automatically updated to the backend system and sent to the pertinent supervisor for review and approval.
Connixt works with any maintenance system. Whether a mechanic is using a legacy system, an old AS 400-based system, or something brand new, Connixt will be able to integrate with it. As fleets upgrade to new maintenance systems, Connixt can make the transfer and integrate with whatever they get next. This future-proofs the application, making it easy for fleets to use.
The idea behind Connixt is to eliminate the use of clipboards and sheets of paper. We help eliminate the need for mechanics to walk back and forth between a kiosk or terminal and their workstations. They can handle everything in one place. The Connixt app eliminates the possibility that important information is left out or entered incorrectly due to the inconvenience of writing or typing forms and paperwork.
Why should a fleet maintenance operation choose Connixt over another alternative?
Connixt is the first app designed exclusively for the technician; it delivers the best user experience for the mechanic. It doesn’t force them to become technology experts. And it is configured independently for each customer with their own forms and processes. As a mobile application in the cloud, this native app can be readily downloaded onto a smartphone instead of accessed by logging into a browser. The app works with both Android and Apple operating systems. Whenever Google or Apple upgrade their technology, Connixt can incorporate the updates into the application.
Do you have any success stories that you can share?
One of our largest customers is a heavily regulated fleet that has a large number of users. Its highly unionized set of shops is heavily distributed across certain geography. The customer has published case studies that show efficiency gains in the range of 20% within the first few months of operations. Connixt has become mission critical for its operations, processing thousands of transactions a month with them and growing.
How does Connixt integrate with ELD systems?
Connixt has partnered with several ELD providers in the industry. Our goal is that whenever there is a fault code or any readings that come back from the ELDs, we are able to incorporate that into the working process, including maintenance and reporting systems.
Additionally, if there’s a fault code, this will trigger the creation of the work request, along with any required parts, to be submitted for approval, and updated to the maintenance system. We want to help companies extract more value from the large investments in the technology.
