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Indiana telecom contractor streamlines operations with mobile-first data collection, processing thousands of poles while eliminating costly hardware dependencies
33% increase in productivity per worker | 50% reduction in labor costs | 7,200+ poles processed and counting
"You're not spending $2,500 per person to fire up the legacy tools... you have one person at the pole instead of two. That right there is a no-brainer."
— Dave McElroy, VP of Business Development, Taro Communications
If you've worked in telecommunications for any length of time, you know the drill: heavy equipment bags, expensive camera setups, two-person crews trudging from pole to pole to capture measurements and photos for make-ready documentation. It's how pole fielding has always been done. But for Dave McElroy, a 33-year industry veteran who's seen every trend come and go, "how things have always been done" wasn't cutting it anymore.
The problem isn't just the process—it's everything around it. Traditional pole fielding requires specialized hardware (cameras, measuring sticks, battery packs), two-person crews for safety and efficiency, and complex workflows to get data from the field back to engineering teams. What if there was a way to do it all with just an iPhone?
The experienced fiber contractor from Fishers, Indiana, was growing fast—landing prime contracts with AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon while expanding operations across multiple states. But growth meant scaling field operations, and scaling field operations meant one thing: large upfront costs in traditional pole fielding equipment, hotels, car rentals, per diem.
Beyond the hardware investment, the process itself requires two people at every pole: one to hold measuring equipment, another to capture the detailed photos and measurements needed for accurate make-ready documentation.
Cloneable takes a different approach. Instead of specialized hardware and two-person crews, the platform transforms pole fielding into a mobile app that uses standard smartphone cameras and sensors to capture everything engineers need: pole height, attachments, clearances, and detailed imagery.
"Typically, my two-man team can stick six to seven poles an hour," Dave explains. "But with Cloneable, with one person they're at 8 to 10 poles an hour for one person." The math was simple, but the implications were profound.
For a growing company, efficiency isn't just nice to have—it's everything.
Two weeks from pilot to production
Dave tested the approach himself before committing his teams to it. "I went out and did those test poles myself," he says. The app's interface was intuitive—point, shoot, and let Cloneable's technology handle the complex measurements and data organization that typically required specialized training and equipment.
Equally important was Cloneable's ability to integrate seamlessly with their existing Katapult backend workflow. The iPhone app collects all the field data, then syncs it into Katapult for annotation and make-ready processing—crucial for maintaining compliance with clients who mandate specific deliverables. Field crews could modernize their data collection while engineering teams continued using familiar tools.
The team deployed their new mobile-first pole fielding process in two weeks.
Scalable training that works
Despite completely changing their data collection approach—moving from specialized hardware to mobile devices, from two-person crews to single operators—Taro needed minimal ongoing support after implementation.
"We do the train the trainer over here," Dave explains. "I wanted to master it first and then once I mastered it, then I gave it to my lead fielder and he mastered it and he's been training everybody ever since and I don't even have to touch it."
The key was building on existing familiarity. Field crews already knew how to use smartphones. Cloneable's platform adds the specialized functionality needed for accurate pole fielding while using visual prompts and automated data validation that eliminate guesswork.
"It's so user friendly. It's just anybody could do it. If you can use Facebook, you can use this. In fact, Facebook's probably harder."
This wasn't about learning complex new software—it was about giving field crews better tools while keeping the technology simple and focused on the actual work.
The numbers don't lie: iPhone pole fielding delivers
Several months later, Taro has processed over 7,200 poles using Cloneable's mobile approach, with thousands more planned across Oregon and Georgia.
The efficiency improvements created measurable operational benefits:
- 8-10 poles per hour with single-person teams vs. 6-7 poles per hour with traditional two-person teams
- 50% reduction in labor costs per pole
- Minimal hardware requirements ($1,500 mobile device vs. $12,500+ for traditional pole fielding equipment)
- Double the team capacity (deploy two single-person teams instead of one two-person team)
The platform delivered these results by removing common bottlenecks: no more coordinating two-person crews, no more managing expensive specialized hardware, no more complex setup processes. Field workers open the mobile app, follow the guided workflow, and capture everything engineering needs.
These improvements extend beyond individual companies. When pole fielding works with devices teams already carry, it reduces barriers to entry, simplifies training requirements, and helps contractors respond more quickly to project demands. Small contractors can compete without massive hardware investments. Field crews become more productive. Projects move faster.
After processing over 7,000 poles, Dave remains convinced that mobile-first pole fielding delivers both immediate operational benefits and long-term scalability.
Ready to streamline your field operations? Taro Communications' experience demonstrates how modern data collection tools can deliver substantial operational and financial benefits while maintaining existing client workflows.
Contact us to learn how Cloneable can help your teams work more efficiently.