Questions
Short, factual answers about the platform, the data, the models and the contract.
Platform and architecture
What does Sparkoper need to run?
A Debian server: the utility's own machine, a local VPS or a dedicated server in Europe. The whole platform is a single Go binary over a single SQLite file, served by Nginx. No proprietary cloud service is required.
Does it keep working without a reliable connection?
Yes. Field teams work from their phone offline, and what they record is synchronised when the connection returns. Offline mode is part of the standard deployment.
How do you migrate the platform, or leave it?
Migrating means copying the binary, the file and the configuration. SQLite is an open, public-domain format, so a backup is a file copy and the data stays readable without Sparkoper.
Does Sparkoper replace my ERP?
No. The ERP stays the system of record for finance, billing and HR. Sparkoper runs the system of action — requests and maintenance in the field — and connects to the ERP through an API. No migration, no re-licensing.
How does the connection start?
Read-only. Nothing is written into the ERP until your IT team is ready, and the API can be unplugged if it does not work.
How long does a first connector take?
Weeks. Sparkoper starts with one process and one team, and the first monthly report comes within weeks.
Maintenance and knowledge
Does it cover preventive and corrective work?
Yes, in one flow: preventive rounds set on each asset, and unplanned breakdowns. Work orders are handled on the phone, online or offline, where the work happens.
What is recorded after an intervention?
What was done, by whom, when and with what — directly on the asset, with photos and voice notes rather than long forms. NFC identification opens the right asset on site.
What does the monthly maintenance report show?
The share of planned work completed and the share of equipment in service, so plan and reality can be compared month after month.
Where does the manufacturer documentation come from?
From manufacturers' official sources: installation manuals, service instructions, maintenance manuals, technical guides and safety documentation. Sparkoper covers more than 175 manufacturers and 700 official documents across 7 equipment domains, and reviews its sources every month.
What happens when a manufacturer publishes a new revision?
Sparkoper tracks the documentation attached to the installed equipment and flags the new revision for review. A revision may concern a newer generation or a different configuration, so it is validated before it is applied.
How does a technician get the right document in the field?
By scanning the asset or opening its equipment sheet: its history, the manufacturer documentation, the applicable procedures and the video the team needs.
Analytics and models
Do the reports need AI?
No. Indicators, response times, trends and comparisons are produced by rules and analytics, without any generative model. More than 150 operational digests are sent every month: daily for the field, weekly for managers, monthly for the board.
Where are models used, and can they be switched off?
Models are called for defined tasks only — sentiment analysis, recommendations, selected predictions — and can be switched on or off per client and per use case.
What governance applies when a model is called?
A defined purpose, limited data, a controlled output, and a logged, traceable call. For regulated operators: human validation of recommendations, no training on your data, and a model hosted in the jurisdiction you require.
Data, contract and cost
Where is our data hosted?
On your own infrastructure or in your country — you choose. Data is encrypted, backed up and exportable at any time, in an open format, with no lock-in.
What happens at the end of the contract?
Your data is exported in an open format, and the training videos stay usable with no time limit: at the end of the contract, whatever the reason, the utility keeps the video files.
What does it cost once the project funding ends?
No hidden fees, and no charge per field user. The model is built on the value delivered and designed to stay affordable when the project funding ends, so the utility can keep running it on its own budget.
Pricing
How does Sparkoper charge?
Pricing has two components: an initial deployment and a recurring operating fee. There is no public price list: each engagement is quoted on its scope.
What drives the deployment cost?
The processes being digitised, the integrations with your existing systems and the initial configuration — not the number of users.
Do you charge per user?
No. Field teams are not charged per user, so adding agents does not increase the bill.
Is part of the fee tied to results?
Yes. Part of the recurring fee can be tied to the improvement of indicators agreed with the operator.
Choosing Sparkoper
Why not a generic maintenance or field-service tool?
Sparkoper is built for water utilities: customer requests arrive from WhatsApp or a QR code, assets carry their manufacturer documentation, work orders run offline on a phone, and the procedure video is attached to the record. A generic tool covers the work order, not the chain around it.
Why not the module in our ERP?
The ERP stays the system of record. Sparkoper runs the system of action in the field, offline, and connects to the ERP through an API, read-only first. Nothing is migrated and nothing is re-licensed.
Why not build it in-house?
A typical stack is seven networked components to run, patch and monitor. Sparkoper is one Go binary over one SQLite file on a Debian server — and because the data stays in an open format, building later remains possible.
How do new agents learn to use it?
Learning sits inside the work: a short video and a few questions on the record being worked — an equipment sheet, a request or a work order — with no separate training platform and no second login. Progress is visible, each skill acquired earns a badge, and the quiz result comes straight away.
What is different about Sparkoper?
It runs on the operator's own infrastructure, it is not charged per field user, the data leaves in an open format at any time, and the knowledge stays with the asset and with the teams: manufacturer documentation, procedures, history, and the training videos the utility keeps at the end of the contract.