Venue Wi-Fi and mobile data are rarely predictable. A lead-capture process should still work when a connection drops in the middle of a busy hour.
Design for a local save first
Staff need a clear answer after every capture: saved on this device, pending sync, or safely on the server. Saving locally before sending protects the conversation when reception disappears.
Keep the floor workflow simple
- Generate each lead on the device with a unique identifier.
- Keep the original card photo with the local lead until upload succeeds.
- Show a visible Pending Sync state rather than a misleading success message.
- Let staff continue manual entry when OCR or upload is unavailable.
- Retry in the background with sensible backoff after connectivity returns.
Make handover safe
Before a shift ends, ask staff to check the sync screen and keep the app installed until the queue is clear. Managers can then focus on the useful exception: a real unresolved item, not a paper list that needs to be typed again.