Helping an award-winning marine stabilisation specialist replace a spreadsheet-based process with a scalable Progressive Web Application built for technicians working in the field.
About the client
Tri Sea Stabilizers is an award-winning specialist dealer, installer and service provider for Seakeeper marine stabilisation systems. Unlike more general marine engineering businesses, Tri Sea focuses specifically on Seakeeper products, supporting customers with system selection, installations, servicing, maintenance, warranties and replacement parts.
The company operates across Florida and North Carolina, with certified technicians located throughout the Southeast United States. Its team has experience working on vessels ranging from 22-foot boats to superyachts measuring up to 165 feet. Tri Sea’s technicians provide both workshop and mobile services, travelling to marinas, boatyards and customer locations to complete installations, inspections, maintenance and repair work.
This field-based service model means technicians must be able to access accurate product, installation and maintenance information while working across a wide geographical area. The information available to them directly affects their ability to diagnose issues, complete work correctly and deliver the standard of service expected by Tri Sea’s customers.
Barbara Kornegay, Service Director and Business Manager, Tri Sea Stabilizers
“Our technicians work across a large geographical area and regularly deal with different Seakeeper models, installations and technical requirements. Having the right information available when and where they need it is essential.”
The Challenge
While working with Tri Sea Stabilizers on a separate software implementation project, the customer identified another operational requirement.
The business needed a dedicated application that technicians could access and interact with while working in the field. The team relies on a significant amount of technical information to complete installations, maintenance and diagnostic work competently. This includes mode specifications, installation requirements, cooling and electrical information, torque settings, technical documentation, model comparisons and fault-code guidance.
The existing process involved storing and accessing much of this information through a Google Sheet. This had provided a practical and relatively quick way to make information available to the team, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to manage as the amount of information grew.
Spreadsheets are not designed to operate as structured field applications. Large worksheets can be difficult to navigate on a mobile phone, particularly when technicians need to find a specific piece of information quickly. A spreadsheet also provides limited control over how different users access, update and approve information.
The business required functionality that went beyond simply displaying rows and columns. It needed a structured administration area, controlled access for different types of users and an approval process to prevent unreviewed changes from being made available to the wider team.
Connectivity presented another major challenge. Technicians regularly work inside vessels, boatyards, marinas and coastal locations where mobile network coverage can be weak or unavailable. A solution that depended entirely on a live internet connection would leave technicians unable to access critical information at the point they needed it most.
Barbara Kornegay, Service Director and Business Manager, Tri Sea Stabilizers
“The spreadsheet gave us a useful starting point, but it was never intended to become a long-term field system. As the information grew, it became harder to navigate on mobile devices and did not give us the level of control we needed over access and changes.”
The Solution
InsideEdge worked with Tri Sea Stabilizers to investigate the options for replacing the spreadsheet with a dedicated mobile solution.
The original requirement was based around a traditional mobile application supported by a separate web-based administration system. However, developing and maintaining native applications for different mobile operating systems can create additional cost and complexity. Separate versions may need to be supported, tested and updated, with changes potentially passing through external app store release processes.
After reviewing how the application would be used, InsideEdge recommended a Progressive Web Application as a more practical approach.
A Progressive Web Application uses web technologies to provide an experience similar to an installed mobile application. It can run through a supported browser, be added to a device’s home screen and use caching technology to make selected information available offline.
This creates an application that can work across mobile and desktop devices without requiring entirely separate native applications for each operating system.
The resulting application, Tri Seakeeper Pro, combines a central administration platform with a responsive field application designed to work effectively across mobile browsers.
Centralised technical information
The application provides technicians with a single, structured location for accessing the information required to complete their work.
Instead of navigating a large spreadsheet, users can find information organised by Seakeeper model and technical category. This includes important installation, cooling, electrical, torque, sales and display information, along with supporting technical documents.
Technicians can also compare models and review the differences between them, helping them understand the requirements and specifications relevant to the vessel or system they are working on.
Document access in the field
Important documentation can be stored alongside the relevant model and technical information.
This gives technicians quicker access to the documents needed to complete an installation, diagnose a problem or confirm a technical requirement. It also reduces the need to search through separate folders, email attachments or external storage locations while working on a job.
Offline availability
Selected information and documentation can be made available offline, allowing technicians to continue using the application when connectivity is poor or temporarily unavailable.
Progressive Web Applications can use service workers and cached content to maintain access during intermittent or lost connectivity, provided the relevant information has been made available to the device beforehand.
For Tri Sea, this was a critical requirement rather than an optional feature. It means technicians can continue accessing important information when working inside a vessel or in a location without a reliable mobile signal.
Controlled administration and approvals
A central web-based administration area gives authorised users control over the information made available through the application.
Rather than allowing every user to alter the source data directly, the system supports role-based access and a structured approval process. Changes can be reviewed before theybecome available to the wider field team, helping Tri Sea maintain the accuracy and consistency of its technical information.
This creates a clearer distinction between the people responsible for managing information and the technicians who need to access it in the field.
A scalable foundation
The Progressive Web Application approach also provides Tri Sea Stabilizers with a more scalable foundation for future development.
New models, information categories, documents and functionality can be introduced centrally as requirements evolve. Because users access the same application, improvements can be deployed without asking every technician to download and manage a completely separate version from an app store.
Barbara Kornegay, Service Director and Business Manager, Tri Sea Stabilizers
“InsideEdge looked beyond our initial request for a mobile app and recommended an approach that was better suited to the way our team works. The Progressive Web Application gives us the mobile experience and offline access we need, without creating unnecessary complexity.”
The Results
Tri Seakeeper Pro has transformed the way critical technical information is managed and accessed across the business.
Technicians now have a purpose-built application that presents information in a format designed for mobile use. Rather than navigating through a complex spreadsheet, they can access structured model information, technical requirements and supporting documents from one central location.
The application has created a more reliable single source of information for the field team. Updates can be managed centrally, reviewed through an approval process and then made available to the appropriate users. This provides greater confidence that technicians are accessing current and authorised information.
Offline functionality also gives technicians greater operational resilience. The ability to access essential information when a network connection is unavailable reduces disruption and helps the team continue working in environments where a conventional web-based system may become inaccessible.
For technicians, this means
● Faster access to relevant technical information
● A clearer and more user-friendly mobile experience
● Less time spent searching through spreadsheets and separate documents
● Continued access when working without a reliable network connection
● Greater confidence that information has been reviewed and approved
For the wider business, the application provides:
● Stronger control over technical information
● Role-based access for administrators and field users
● A structured process for reviewing and approving changes
● Greater consistency across a distributed field team
● A scalable platform for adding future models, content and functionality
● Reduced complexity compared with maintaining separate native mobile applications
Most importantly, the project has converted an operational workaround into a dedicated business application. Tri Sea Stabilizers now owns a solution designed specifically around the needs of its technicians and the environments in which they work.
Barbara Kornegay, Service Director and Business Manager, Tri Sea Stabilizers
“Tri Seakeeper Pro gives our technicians a much easier way to access the information they need in the field. They can find important technical details and documentation from their mobile devices, even when the network connection is unreliable.”
Closing statement
By partnering with InsideEdge, Tri Sea Stabilizers replaced a growing spreadsheet-based process with a secure, structured and scalable Progressive Web Application. Tri Seakeeper Pro gives the field team reliable access to critical information and documentation, strengthens control over how that information is managed and provides a flexible foundation that can continue developing alongside the business.