Throw the Sticky Notes in the Trash: How Cirrus Aircraft is Maximizing Maintenance Efficiency with the Brightly Mobile App

Background

Cirrus Aircraft hired Brian Miller as Lead Facilities Analyst in early 2023, with a goal to take the company’s execution of Asset Essentials “to the next level,” Miller says. One of the primary ways Miller has accomplished that goal is by encouraging the use of the Asset Essentials mobile app.

Deploying the Technology 

Miller has experienced success by requesting that workers simply access the Asset Essentials app on their phones to log work orders on the go. “Being able to deploy the technology alongside the maintenance worker as they go out and perform their duties is important,” Miller says. “It’s a lot easier to ask them to make sure they have their phone on them and can take pictures and update work orders while in the field, than having them haul around a piece of computer equipment all day.” 

Simplifying Progress Reporting 

Even if it’s easy for maintenance workers to access Asset Essentials from their phones, Miller found that they often faced challenges trying to type all the necessary information to update their progress. However, by learning to use the app to its full capacity, Cirrus maintenance techs have realized how easy it can be to provide updates. 

“If you’ve tagged your assets properly, the tech just has to scan the equipment with their phone and the app will automatically populate the work order with the location and the asset,” Miller says. “All you have to do is input the notes about what’s wrong, and you can do that with dictation. The big win has been teaching them how to do dictation on their phones: Just scan the asset, talk to your phone, and hit submit.”

People now know that the right way to create a work order is through the app, not with a phone call or a sticky note on the door.

Using QR Codes 

QR codes embedded within Asset Essentials make it easy for techs to update work order progress in the field, but they are equally helpful for end users who need to create work orders. Asset Essentials offers location-specific QR codes, which Miller has used to create custom signage to hang throughout Cirrus facilities. 

The signs provide a QR code for employees to scan using the Asset Essentials mobile app to create a new work order if they see a maintenance need. When a work order is created by scanning the QR code, it is easily traced back to an exact location, such as a specific break room or bathroom. “It’s all done automatically, and nobody has to figure out what to call the location,” Miller says. “We appreciate anything that can improve the experience for people to be able to create a work order easily, and Asset Essentials has been great by having that QR system included.”

Because Cirrus did not utilize the app in the past, Miller has provided training and education for all employees about how and why to use the app to create work orders and has seen increased adoption and efficiency. “People now know that the right way to create a work order is through the app, not with a phone call or a sticky note on the door,” Miller says.