OnDesk Mobile Enterprise App

Four disconnected enterprise tools replaced by a single mobile-first platform. AI voice chat, asset management, IT support, and leave requests under one app, accessible without a laptop.

RoleBusiness Analyst / PM
CompanySave the Children International
Timeline2024 - 2025
Key FeatureAI Voice Chat - First in Org
DomainEnterprise · Mobile · AI-Powered
Type0-to-1: Replaced four legacy systems
The Problem
Field workers juggled four separate platforms for leave, travel, IT support, and asset management, each with its own login. None were accessible without a laptop.
The Solution
A single mobile-first app with AI voice chat that consolidated all four tools, giving field staff access to every function from one app on their phone.
My Role
BA/PM defining the consolidation strategy, scoping which features to include, and building the case for mobile-first design in an org with no prior mobile product.
The Impact
Four systems consolidated into one, 400+ field staff unblocked from mobile, and the organization's first AI feature shipped to production.
The Challenge

Four systems, zero mobility

Field workers had to juggle four separate platforms for basic tasks. Leave requests, travel bookings, IT support, and asset management each required a different system, different login, and different interface. Without a laptop, none of these were accessible.

01
Field staff needed a laptop just to submit a leave request. For a 2-minute task, that meant powering up equipment, waiting for it to boot, logging in, and navigating a desktop-first interface on a small screen.
02
When a device broke in the field, workers couldn't easily report it. The IT support tool itself required the device they were trying to fix. Ticketing took days, and problems that could be solved in minutes sat unresolved.
03
Paper-based workflows were still running. Requests were printed, signed, scanned, emailed, and manually processed. A 5-minute workflow stretched across days and created bottlenecks in HR and IT.
04
IT asset management was spreadsheet-based. No real-time visibility into which devices were assigned, which were broken, or where missing assets had gone. Asset requests required email chains.
Platform Health

How the platform has moved across six dimensions

These six areas capture the full scope of the work. The numbers represent a score out of 10, based on capability and coverage at each stage.

When I started Four separate systems, no mobile access, paper-based workflows, manual asset tracking, no unified IT support.
Today Single mobile app, AI voice chat for IT support, real-time asset management, fully digital workflows, 400+ field staff with genuine mobile access.
Mobile Accessibility
Before: 1After: 9
System Consolidation
Before: 2After: 9
IT Support Speed
Before: 3After: 8
Field Adoption
Before: 2After: 8
Workflow Coverage
Before: 4After: 9
Paperless Operations
Before: 2After: 10
What I Built

Five features that moved the needle

Each section below shows the problem, the change, and the result.

Shipped Feature 01

Four-System Consolidation

Before

Four separate desktop tools. Four different logins. Four different interfaces. Field workers needed a laptop to access any of them, even for a 2-minute leave request.

→
After

All four systems unified into a single mobile app with one login. Leave, travel, IT support, and asset management in one place, accessible from any device.

Instead of asking workers to use four tools, we unified them into one. A single login. One interface. Mobile-native design that actually works when you're standing in the field.

4-in-1 consolidation: separate systems unified into one mobile app
Before: Four Systems
Leave Portal
Travel Booking
IT Desk
Asset Tool
After: One App
OnDesk
with
4 modules inside
Shipped Feature 02

AI Voice Chat for IT Support

Before

IT support required opening a ticket on a desktop portal. Field workers with a broken device couldn't easily submit a support request. The tool required the very thing they needed help with.

→
After

AI Voice Chat lets field workers describe their problem out loud. The system triages the issue, provides instant guidance for common problems, and escalates to IT if needed. Hands-free, device-independent.

Voice support made sense for field workers. They don't have two hands free. They don't want to type. They just want to speak and get help. This was the first AI feature in the organization.

First AI Voice Chat feature in the organization
Voice Chat Flow
Field worker speaks problem
Instant triage
AI detects issue type
Auto-resolve
If beyond scope
Escalate to IT
IT team picks up ticket
Resolution
Shipped Feature 03

Mobile-First Interface Redesign

Before

The desktop interface was ported to mobile as-is. Tiny buttons, complex forms, multi-step flows designed for a mouse and keyboard. Adoption among field staff was near zero on mobile.

→
After

Rebuilt the mobile experience from scratch. Thumb-friendly layout, one-action-per-screen flows, offline-capable for poor connectivity. Every screen designed for someone standing outside in difficult conditions.

We didn't shrink the desktop version. We designed a completely different experience built around how field staff actually work. One action per screen. Large tap targets. Offline sync when connectivity drops.

400+ field staff now have genuine mobile access without a laptop
Desktop Approach
Multi-column form
Tiny buttons
Requires connection
Mobile Redesign
One field per screen
Thumb-friendly
Offline-first
Shipped Feature 04

IT Asset Tracking and Management

Before

Asset management was spreadsheet-based. No one knew in real time which devices were assigned to whom, which were in repair, or where missing assets were. Asset requests required email chains.

→
After

Integrated asset management into the app. Admins can see all assets, their status, and who they're assigned to. Workers can request and return assets directly from their phone with one tap.

Real-time asset visibility replaced email-based requests. Workers get immediate feedback on available devices. Admins have full control without leaving their desk. No more lost laptops or forgotten handoffs.

Real-time asset visibility and direct request handling
Asset Status Board
Assigned
Laptops
247 devices in field
In Repair
Devices
12 under maintenance
Available
Pool Devices
8 ready to assign
Missing
Devices
3 flagged for recovery
Shipped Feature 05

Paper Elimination and Workflow Digitization

Before

Several HR and IT workflows were paper-based. Forms were printed, signed, scanned, emailed. The process took days and created a backlog. Approvals sat in inboxes. Tracking was impossible.

→
After

All paper-based workflows retired on go-live day. Every request, approval, and acknowledgment now happens digitally within the app. Instant notifications. Full audit trail. No lost forms.

We killed paper workflows completely. No gradual transition. On launch day, the paper processes were turned off. Workers adapted immediately because the digital workflow was simpler, faster, and required no searching.

100% of paper workflows retired on go-live day
Paper vs Digital Process
Paper Process (Days)
P
Print
S
Sign
Sc
Scan
E
Email
W
Wait
Digital Process (Seconds)
T
Tap
F
Fill
Su
Submit
D
Done
The Thinking

How I decided what to build and what to skip

Consolidating four systems sounds like a scope problem. The real work was figuring out which problems justified doing it at all.

How I found the problems

  • Pulled 3 months of support tickets and IT requests, tagged each one by system origin and issue type
  • Over 60% were procedural questions, not technical failures. "How do I submit leave." "Where do I book travel."
  • The tools weren't broken. They were inaccessible when people actually needed them
  • Field staff interviews confirmed it: opening a laptop felt like too much effort for a 2-minute task

Why IT support was prioritized first

  • Mapped all 4 systems by usage frequency and pain severity
  • Leave management: high frequency, low pain. The existing system worked, people just wanted it on mobile
  • IT support: lower frequency, but a broken laptop in the field meant days of lost work, not hours
  • That gap drove the decision to invest in AI Voice Chat specifically for IT support first

Why voice and not text chat

  • The initial proposal was a text chatbot. Simpler to build, faster to ship
  • The primary use case is a field worker outdoors, dealing with a device problem, not sitting at a desk
  • Voice is hands-free. Text requires full attention and both hands
  • Made the case to leadership: a text chatbot built for the wrong context would get low adoption. They approved a scoped pilot for IT support only

How success was defined

  • No revenue metric exists for internal tools, so success criteria were agreed before build began
  • Three signals: reduction in procedural IT tickets, time-to-resolution for the 5 most common issues, and adoption rate within 90 days
  • The paperless outcome was binary. The paper-based systems were retired on go-live day
Reflection

What I would do differently

  • The AI Voice Chat should have launched on a single use case first, just leave requests, before expanding to IT support
  • IT support has a much wider range of edge cases, which needed more training data and testing than scoped
  • A focused pilot would have shipped faster and built user trust before tackling the harder use case
Platform Access

Internal enterprise app

OnDesk is an internal enterprise platform, not publicly accessible. It operates behind Save the Children's organizational authentication with field staff access managed centrally.

Internal Only
Available upon request
A guided walkthrough of OnDesk, including the AI Voice Chat feature, asset management flows, and IT support integration, can be arranged directly. Screenshots, recordings, and a live demo can be coordinated with appropriate authorization.
Request a walkthrough
The Outcome

Enterprise mobility, genuinely modernized

OnDesk became the new standard for internal tooling at Save the Children International, demonstrating that enterprise software can be both powerful and simple to use, even in the most challenging field conditions.

4-in-1
Separate systems unified into a single mobile-native experience
First
AI Voice Chat feature in the organization, setting the bar for future AI initiatives
400+
Field staff now have genuine mobile access without a laptop, genuine workflow unblocked