I have seen lots of organisations using iAuditor (SafetyCulture) to collect data from their engineers operating remotely. Often the data collected being collected is straight forward job inspection, safety checklists or job completion records, answering yes/no questions and collecting photographs and signatures.
But the biggest problem with iAuditor is the cost to equip an entire mobile workforce with licenses to run iAuditor. With license costs increasing is there a better alternative?
Yes if you are using Microsoft 365 (Microsoft Office) then you already have a license to use the Microsoft Power Platform which includes Microsoft PowerApps.
Microsoft PowerApps allows you to create ‘apps’ to display and collect data on mobile devices, and send the data back into the Microsoft Office eco-system.
Using the Microsoft 365 suite of products including PowerApps gives you a credible option to replace iAuditor thus removing the cost of those licenses from your business. And another great thing is that the data collected is now available to your Microsoft Office environment, so accessing it in Excel, Power BI, or just simple in the file system (e.g. PDF files or photographs) is easily done.
Interested in learning more about making full use of your existing Microsoft licenses and moving away from iAuditor? Simply drop me a line here.
 

What can you do with PowerApps that I may be doing with iAuditor?
PowerApps allows you to create forms to display and collect data. You can collect photographs and signatures, use barcodes and QR codes, generate PDF’s and collect GPS information.
Can I have multiple forms with PowerApps?
Yes you can have multiple Apps with one form per App, or one App with multiple forms within it. Some planning is required to work out the best way of handling your forms based upon how your workforce and business operate.
Does Microsoft PowerApps work on Android and iOS?
Yes PowerApps works on both Android and iOS. You simply install the PowerApps app and then sign in using your Microsoft 365 account. Any apps that have been ‘shared’ with you in your organisation are then shown for you to use.
Can Microsoft PowerApps work offline?
Yes. Data can be stored/collected on the device and transferred when a data connection is made.
Do photographs taking with PowerApps include ExIF data?
Yes the ExIF data is taken from the device and included in images sent from PowerApps.
Can PowerApps generate PDF documents?
Yes PowerApps can produce PDF documents, including merging into existing Microsoft Word templates.
Can I send data from existing systems into PowerApps?
Yes you can upload existing data into PowerApps, for example current job lists or appointment lists.
Can I connect PowerApps to other systems?
Yes there are numerous data connectors allowing integration with third party systems such as accounting systems and CMS and CRM systems.
Can photographs taken in PowerApps be collected in the file system?
Yes images from PowerApps can be collected as normal JPEG image files. If a device has multiple cameras then they can all be used for image capture.
Can I display PDF files in a PowerApp?
Yes a PDF file can be displayed in a PDF viewer built into Microsoft PowerApps.
Can I send an email from Microsoft PowerApps?
Yes you can send an email using PowerApps, and you can attach data and pictures collected if you wish.
What is Microsoft Power Automate (previously Microsoft Flow) and how does it fit in?
Power Automate is a separate package in the Microsoft Power Platform family that allows a business to move data from one system to another. PowerApps can be one of those systems.
How much is it likely to cost to implement a Microsoft Power App system?
This is a very hard question to answer as there are so many factors involved. But a typical single form with a few questions, collecting images and a signature could be designed and rolled out for £2,500.
Designing forms in PowerApps can be quite complicated so using a third party PowerApps developer to help setup forms is recommended. But once setup the forms can then be amended either by yourselves or involving a developer.
 

There are a few things to be aware of when using Microsoft PowerApps including – 

• Some connectors and functions require an ‘advanced’ license which is in addition to an existing Microsoft 365 license. This license is still considerably less than an iAuditor license. Third party connectors may require additional licenses, but if you are already using that package (e.g. Sage Accounts) then there may be no additional license costs.

• Microsoft licensing in general can be quite complicated, please contact me if you have any questions.