Bespoke Job Management System Case Study
Verx Networx Services: From Field Work to Sign-Off and Payment
Installing fibre networks involves more than the physical work taking place in the street. For a contractor coordinating engineers across different locations, every installation needs to be allocated, tracked, completed and signed off before the work can be reported for payment.
Probeck developed a bespoke web-based job management system for Verx Networx Services, a fibre installation contractor working on behalf of major network providers. The platform connects engineers in the field with the administration team, bringing job imports, work tracking, completion records and reporting into one central system.
- Job imports
- Bring contractor jobs into one system
- Engineer job lists
- Each engineer sees their assigned work
- Daily sign-on status
- Support end-of-day employee welfare checks
- Payment reporting
- Export completed work for reconciliation
The Challenge
Managing Work Across Multiple Engineers and Locations
Fibre installation contractors can be responsible for numerous jobs across different geographical locations.
The work managed by Verx includes fibre splicing, installation of new network backbones and connections to street cabinets and poles. Jobs originate from a main contractor and need to be managed through to completion.
For engineers, the priority is knowing which jobs they are responsible for and recording the progress of their work. The administration team needs an overview of the entire workload, including which jobs are outstanding, in progress, completed and signed off.
There is also an important commercial requirement. Completed work needs to be recorded accurately and reported back to the main contractor to support reconciliation and payment.
The challenge was to connect these requirements within one system without making the process unnecessarily complicated for engineers carrying out physical work in the field.
The Solution
One System Connecting Engineers and Administrators
Probeck developed a bespoke web-based job management application around the operational requirements of Verx Networx Services.
In practical terms, it is field service management software shaped around fibre installation work, bringing job allocation and completion tracking together without adding functions the team does not need.
The system provides a central place to manage jobs received from main contractors and track their progress through to completion. A straightforward import function allows the administration team to bring multiple jobs into the platform without recreating each record individually.
Once jobs have been imported and allocated, engineers can access their own job lists and update the information required as work progresses. Administrators have a wider management view across the operation.
Reporting and export functionality then supports the reconciliation of completed work with the main contractor.
The project combines bespoke job management system development, a role-based business application and practical workflow automation within one web-based platform.
How the System Works
From Imported Job to Completed-Work Report
The platform follows the operational lifecycle of a job, connecting the information received from a main contractor with the engineers doing the work and the administrators reporting its completion.
- 01
Import the Jobs
Administrators import job information received from the main contractor, allowing multiple records to enter the system together.
- 02
Allocate Work
Jobs are allocated to the engineers responsible for completing them, with each engineer seeing their assigned work.
- 03
Track Progress
The job record is updated as work progresses, providing visibility over outstanding and completed activity.
- 04
Complete and Sign Off
Finished work moves through completion and sign-off, creating a record of the job being completed.
- 05
Export and Report
Administrators report and export relevant job information to support contractor reconciliation and payment.
The Engineer Experience
Keeping Things Simple for Engineers in the Field
An engineer working on a fibre installation does not need access to every job across the business.
The Verx job management system gives each engineer access to a focused list of their assigned work. Engineers can view those jobs and update the information required as each one progresses towards completion.
Because the application is web-based, it can be accessed through an appropriate browser rather than requiring a native mobile app.
The objective is to make the system useful to people carrying out physical work in the field, keeping their experience relevant without introducing unnecessary administration.
Employee Sign-On Status
A Simple Daily Process Supporting Employee Safety
The sign-on status was created to help protect employees working away from the office in potentially hazardous environments.
At the start of the working day, each employee signs in and records the required details, including information such as their mileage. When they finish for the day, they sign out so the directors can see that their work has ended.
If somebody remains signed in, a director can identify the exception and try to contact them to check that everything is all right. For field teams working around roads, underground infrastructure and open access chambers, that follow-up provides a practical welfare safeguard if somebody has forgotten to sign out or may need help.
The status screen does not replace appropriate lone-worker procedures or emergency arrangements. It gives the directors a clear daily record and a prompt for human follow-up.
Administration and Oversight
The Full Picture, Without Chasing Every Engineer
While engineers see their own work, administrators need visibility across the operation.
The administration interface provides a central overview of the jobs managed through the platform. Administrators can review progress, identify outstanding work and monitor which jobs have reached completion and sign-off.
This role-focused design gives each user the information relevant to their responsibilities without inventing a more complicated hierarchy than the process requires.
Field engineer
Focused assigned work
- See allocated jobs
- Review relevant job information
- Update progress towards completion
Administrator
Wider operational oversight
- Import and allocate jobs
- Monitor statuses across the workload
- Review completion, sign-off and reports
Reporting and Payment
Completing the Work Is Only Half the Job
For a subcontractor, finishing an installation is not the final stage of the process.
The work also needs to be recorded and reported correctly so the main contractor can confirm what has been completed and arrange payment. Verx's job management system connects job completion with that reporting process.
Administrators can identify completed work and generate the information required for reconciliation. Export functionality allows relevant job data to be extracted without manually rebuilding a report from individual records.
The system supports payment reporting. It does not need to process payments or automatically issue invoices to connect completed field work with the administrative records required to get paid.
The Result
Better Visibility From Job Allocation to Payment Reporting
The Verx Networx Services platform brings the job management process into one central application.
Engineers have a straightforward way to access their assigned work and record progress. Administrators can monitor the wider workload, review completed jobs and access the reporting needed to reconcile work with main contractors.
The import and export functions connect the system with the information received from and returned to the organisations commissioning the work.
The result is a structured process connecting job allocation, field activity, completion, sign-off and payment reporting.
For Probeck, the project demonstrates how bespoke web application development can follow the practical requirements of a field-based business rather than requiring engineers and administrators to adapt their work to a generic job management platform.
Still Managing Jobs Across Spreadsheets and Separate Systems?
Verx Networx Services needed a way to connect engineers working in the field with the administrators responsible for managing jobs and reporting completed work.
Whether your business manages engineers, installers, maintenance teams or other field-based staff, Probeck can develop a job management system around the way your business operates.
From job allocation and progress tracking to reporting and integrations, the right software can help bring the process together.