The updated and improved version of Microsoft’s Smartforms—its all-in-one questionnaire builder—is enabling water company OASEN to improve customer service and satisfaction while reducing manual processing. Working in collaboration with OASEN, experts at Dynamic People have created a new Smartforms solution that’s integrated with Microsoft Dynamics 365, ensuring complete data capture, analysis, and reporting. We’re implementing a new and updated version of Smartforms to help OASEN deliver water and drive change.
Delivering water, driving change
OASEN supplies almost a million inhabitants in South Holland with clean and safe drinking water every day. Smartforms is an embedded part of OASEN’s work, with the company using the survey platform to support field service technicians and engage with customers.
“When a technician performs work, they need to record materials used, work details, and account for their actions,” said Herman van Noorloos, Senior IT Project Leader at Oasen. “Smartforms are also used for surveys to minimise unnecessary questions, allowing technicians to complete their administration efficiently.”
Operators could use Smartforms to manage customer complaints about water quality, record the problem and the follow-up actions. “Customer feedback and the actual resolution are all documented in the form,” said van Noorloos.
Surveys, forms and questionnaires are critical to the way OASEN manages operations, proving total transparency on work completed and customer complains.
This enables more efficient workflow management and planning. However, they can take time to complete – something that wasn’t always popular. “Technicians dislike administration but still need to provide the data,” said van Noorloos. In the past, technicians were asked to complete up to 14 forms. “This process took up too much of the technicians’ time.”
The solution was to move from the existing solution to the new and highly customisable version of Smartforms that can be integrated into Microsoft Dynamics 365 – and worked Dynamic People to deliver it.
Co-creating a Smartforms solution
If you’ve not used it before, Smartforms is an advanced questionnaire builder that interfaces and interacts with Microsoft Dynamics 365. Using Smartforms, users can create and customise interactive surveys to meet specific needs – all within the familiar Dynamics environment. Data from forms can be captured, processed and shared in real-time, providing total transparency for users. Individual records – like job sheets – can be managed centrally, enabling more efficient monitoring and management.
OASEN and Dynamic People have a long-standing relationship, working together on various IT projects based around the Dynamics 365 platforms. OASEN wanted to update its questionnaire solution for better management and more user-friendliness.
The first step was to understand how OASEN currently used Smartforms, documenting the processes, interactions and interdependencies in place. This mapping process provides engineers and solution architects with an accurate picture of the current system.
But transitioning to the new Smartforms software wasn’t about replicating what already exists but taking opportunities to improve it.
The new version of Smartfoms is fundamentally different from the old one – providing an all-in-one solution for creating questionnaires.
“We used to have to hard code surveys,” said Dynamic People’s Vincent Pannenborg, Dynamics 365 Lead Consultant. “The latest version of Smartforms enables you to create completely customisable surveys with dependencies and logic – enabling you to create much more intelligent ways to capture data and information.”
Dynamic People’s expertise is building Dynamics 365 solutions that solve problems. “As a consultant, my role is to help create the questionnaires and then embed them within a business,” said Vincent. “My role is to create the questionnaires based on business requirements and then implement them and train users.”
“One of the key benefits of Smartforms is that it can interact directly with a record. For example, if it’s embedded with the work order, it can generate a specific form based on work order.” It’s a much more intelligent and intuitive process, he said. “You can also have all kinds of workflows and processes triggered based on what you fill in in the questionnaire.”
By digitising everything, they (OASEN technicians) only need to fill out one questionnaire, which is automatically processed,” said van Noorloos. “Work hours and end times are recorded in the questionnaire, and all other information is stored without requiring additional office work.” As well as data capture, Smartforms is improving the user experience. “Validation happens directly with the user, ensuring that everything is accurate on-site,” said van Noorloos. “Only the necessary information is recorded.”
Embedding Smartforms, unlocking benefits
Creating the new Smartforms solution was a collaborative project that involved both partners committing to creativity. “OASEN is an early adopter of the new Smartforms software, which meant both sides were learning through the development process,” said Pannenborg. We have a great relationship with OASEN and worked hard to create a solution that delivered all the required elements.”
During the development process, OASEN continued to use the existing Smartforms solution, which Dynamic People created a new one in parallel. Dynamic People embraces DevOps with weekly stand-ups and ongoing client contact and communication, which are vital to the project, said Pannenborg. “We have processes in place to register all features, assign tasks manage to completion. We worked through each phase to test, feedback, iterate and improve until we reached a solution we are happy with.”
“We used to have an older version of Smartforms that was a separate product. Now, it is fully integrated into Dynamics 365, which offers significant management advantages,” said van Noorloos. Smartforms has improved management and enhanced user-friendliness, saving technicians’ time and enabling a faster and more secure data transfer. It’s also helped the business: “We can see potential for the broader application (of Smartforms).”
Key benefits of Smartforms at a glance
- Easily create and customise dynamic forms.
- Integrate surveys directly into your business processes.
- Reusable building blocks for efficiency and consistency.
- Add logic to specific questions for more customisation.
- Preview and publishing features for ease of use.
The Dynamic People advantage
Driving organisational change isn’t all about systems, platforms and processes – it’s about people, too. We have a long-lasting relationship with OASEN, working as a trusted partner to deliver IT change projects built around the Dynamics 365 system. It’s working for OASEN and it can work for you too. “Integrating Smartforms into Dynamics has been highly beneficial,” said van Noorloos. “It’s more user-friendly and efficient for management.”
Would you like to learn more about how Smartforms and Dynamics 365 can help deliver better experiences and drive growth? Contact us today at sales@dynamicpeople.com.