QR codes for equipment maintenance: make fault reporting easier

Staff see a fault at the machine, but reporting it means finding a form, identifying the equipment and explaining where it is.

A staff member hears a new rattle from a shared machine. They can read its asset label and take a useful photo. This is the best time to report it. Returning to a desk to find a general form adds work and may lose useful detail.

A QR label lets them open the right page while the equipment is still in front of them, describe what they observed and report it through the maintenance team’s existing tool.

Real facilities teams use this approach. At the University of British Columbia, technicians scan QR labels on university-owned equipment or infrastructure through the Planon Mobile Field Service App. Authorized users can view asset information and associate it with a work order.

Kennesaw State University uses machine-level QR labels for campus laundry equipment. If a washer or dryer needs repair, the reporter scans the QR code on that machine, enters the printed machine identifier, adds the building and unit, describes the issue and submits a service request. In both cases, the maintenance system remains responsible for the work after the scan.

Define the report before you print the label

A good equipment label supports a short, predictable sequence:

1. A staff member sees or hears a problem.
2. They scan the label on that machine.
3. The destination confirms which equipment they are reporting.
4. They describe what they observed and attach a photo if useful.
5. The existing form, help desk or CMMS accepts the request and provides a confirmation.

Decide what happens at step three before creating the QR code. The best destination may be a direct request form, an equipment page with a prominent Report a fault button, or an authenticated asset record for technicians.

Keep emergency reporting outside this routine. The University of Sussex, for example, uses building-specific QR requests for routine facilities work but publishes phone numbers for emergencies. Put the urgent number and a short instruction on the physical label where staff can read it without scanning.

Give each machine a clear identity

A generic maintenance homepage adds identification work back into the process. A label on Chiller 2 should lead to the Chiller 2 reporting path, or at least make that asset unmistakable when the page opens.

Use one QR code per machine when you need a distinct destination or distinct scan count. Print a human-readable asset ID beside it. Include the location if similar equipment sits in several rooms or buildings.

If your form tool supports a prefilled asset ID in its URL, create that URL in the form tool and test it before using it as the destination. If it does not, show the asset ID on the label and tell the reporter where to enter it. Kennesaw State’s laundry instructions use this practical fallback: the machine identifier appears beneath the QR code.

A Graklink dynamic QR code opens the URL you set. Your form or CMMS handles asset prefill, request creation, assignments and maintenance records.

Ask for details the maintenance team can use

Keep the mobile form short enough to complete while standing beside the equipment. Confirm the machine name and asset ID near the top. Then ask for the observed problem, when it was noticed, a photo and whether the equipment is still operating. Collect reporter contact details only when your process needs them.

Avoid asking staff to diagnose the failure. “Grinding sound during startup” is more useful than forcing someone to select a technical cause they cannot verify.

After submission, the maintenance tool should show a clear acknowledgement. If it provides a request number or email updates, tell the reporter what to expect.

Make the scan instruction specific

Many staff members can scan without installing another app. On an iPhone, Apple supports scanning through the Camera app. Camera from Google can scan in QR mode or the default photo mode on selected devices.

A short label instruction is enough: Open your camera, scan the QR code, then tap the link. Test it on the phones people actually carry, including managed devices with camera or browser restrictions.

Some maintenance systems require their own app or an authenticated account. Say so on the label. UBC’s equipment page tells technicians to use its Planon mobile app and gives everyone else a service-centre contact.

Add a readable short link as a fallback when practical. It helps someone with a damaged camera, a device that cannot scan, or a label installed at an awkward angle. Keep the asset ID and urgent phone number readable without any device.

Keep fault reporting as the main action

Operators may also need a manual, startup checklist or vendor contact. If those resources share one destination, put Report a fault first and label the other links clearly. Do not make someone search a long instruction page for the reporting form.

A Graklink hosted page can provide a mobile destination with the report link and approved equipment information. The form or CMMS receives the report, assigns the work and records what happened.

Separate scans from maintenance results

Basic scan counts can tell you whether a machine label is being opened. They cannot tell you that a fault was submitted, accepted, repaired or closed. Someone may scan and leave. Someone else may use the printed short link or call the service number without scanning.

Compare each label’s scans with the actual requests recorded in your form or maintenance system. A label with no scans may be hard to see or placed where staff do not pause. Many scans and few requests may mean the form is difficult to finish, the destination requires an unexpected sign-in, or people also use the page for equipment information. Check the workflow with staff before deciding why.

Use the maintenance system for submitted and completed job totals. Separately coded machines or placements let you compare scan activity. Use a controlled placement comparison when you change label position or wording, and keep ticket and repair results in the maintenance system.

Choose the setup that matches the number of machines

For one machine or a small pilot, one dynamic QR code is the direct fit. Each includes destination editing, unlimited scans and basic scan counts. If the form provider, vendor or equipment page changes, update the destination without replacing the printed label.

For several machines or locations, use separate QR codes to compare label scans while your existing equipment register and maintenance tool keep the operational records.

Start with a few shared machines. Install the labels, scan each one from a normal standing position, submit test reports and confirm they arrive in the correct system with the expected machine information. Then review the actual reports. If people still omit the location or choose the wrong asset, fix the destination form or label before adding more equipment.