How To estimate how much data the mobile app will use

It would be great to know exactly how much data the ESC Mobile apps will use so that you can purchase a plan accordingly. This is not as easy as it seems, however, because it can change based on your settings and usage. Here are some things that can influence your data usage each month.

ESC Connections Server Settings

• Maximum number of calls sent.
• Days in advance to send dispatches.

Technician Usage

• Whether location services is enabled for the device, and how often that updates.
• Number of equipment records the tech drills into.
• Number of history records the tech drills into.
• Number of quote records the tech drills into.
• Number of line items added to the invoice.
• Number of pictures uploaded.
• Allowing techs to create customers.
• Allowing techs to create dispatches.

Details:

So you can see that getting an exact number is a tricky thing. Having said that, you can make some fairly educated guesses using either the sample below, or by testing your actual usage for a day. Here are the steps to do both:

Sample Scenario

In this scenario the tech is set to get just one dispatch at a time. Here is what the tech did for this dispatch:

• Refreshed the dispatch list.
• Drilled into a dispatch.
• Changed status to Traveling.
• Changed status to Working.
• Looked at customer’s equipment list. Drilled into one piece and attached it.
• Looked at customer’s agreement info.
• Looked at last history record.
• Took one picture.
• Created an invoice with 4 parts. Got both signatures and payment.
• Emailed Invoice

The total usage in this scenario ended up being 1 MB. So if you are setup similarly, you can probably take that number and multiply it by the number of dispatches a tech does a day, then multiply it again by the number of working days in a month.

Testing Your Usage

A better way to get this information though is to get try the mobile applications for a day and see what your usage is. This is great, particularly if you are using the Mobile Manager app as well, as it will give you a much better sense of what your typical usage will look like.

iOS

• At the beginning of the day, go to Settings → Cellular and scroll all the way down to the bottom, where you will see a Reset Statistics option. Do that.
• Use the Mobile Tech and Mobile Manager app normally throughout the course of the day. If you are not really running dispatches but are just simulating this instead, be sure to turn off your WiFi as well as most of the time your techs will not have access to it.
• At the end of the day go to Settings → Cellular and look at the amounts listed beneath Mobile Tech. Multiply that amount by the number of working days in a month and you’ll have a very good idea of what your monthly usage will be. If you will be using the Mobile Manager as well, do the same calculations with the amount under the Mobile Manager app and add those to the Mobile Tech amount for your field supervisors.

Android

• Download an app that can track your mobile usage, such as My Data Manager by Mobidia Technology.
• Reset the app at the beginning of the day.
• Use the Mobile Tech and Mobile Manager app normally throughout the course of the day. If you are not really running dispatches but are just simulating this instead, be sure to turn off your WiFi as well as most of the time your techs will not have access to it.
• View the app at the ending of the day to see how much data the Mobile Tech app used. Multiply that amount by the number of working days in a month and you’ll have a very good idea of what your monthly usage will be. If you will be using the Mobile Manager as well, do the same calculations with the amount under the Mobile Manager app and add those to the Mobile Tech amount for your field supervisors.