There was a time when we thought it was impossible to manage a field service business remotely. With the advent of mobile technology, remote field service management is a reality now. Through apps on smartphones and mobile devices, it’s getting easier than ever for back-office staff to connect with field workers and coordinate their actions. Although access to mobile devices is important, you need to empower them with mobile field service management software solutions if you are targeting peak efficiency and accuracy.
In this article, we’ve listed down 6 benefits of using mobile software solutions in field service operations:
1. Streamline route planning
Mobile field service management software makes it easier for you to plan the route. It takes factors such as technician and customer locations and travels time into consideration to allow you to coordinate and organize service appointments in a much better way. Route optimization helps you schedule more efficiently and accommodate last-minute emergencies as well. Moreover, it reduces the maintenance and fuel costs of your vehicles.
2. A simple step to schedule and track
On the basis of work orders, appointments are scheduled, completed projects are tracked, pending projects are monitored, and the workload of each field agent is determined. Advanced mobile field service solutions enable you to create work orders and book appointments effortlessly. The software automatically delegates tasks to field workers after considering their workload, skills, location, and other factors.
Work orders can be seamlessly integrated with accounts, contacts, service contracts, etc. so that they can be easily tracked and relevant data can be extracted for analysis.
3. Improved productivity & efficiency
Mobile apps in field service management allow instant access to critical information and daily appointments. This enables field workers to be extremely productive in the field. They can easily track time on the job, add documents and photos to customer accounts, etc., on the app itself. This saves valuable time and gives them better control to do their job well.
4. Instant access to the latest information
Field service workers are always on the move and live with constant changes in their work schedules. Often, the appointments get added, canceled, or postponed; emergency service calls are also frequently added. A mobile approach keeps the field workers updated on the changes in real-time. Armed with the latest information and real-time updates, they are more prepared to take on their tasks without being confused or stressed.
5. Ensure all service calls are billed
Every field service company has issues with the billing of service calls. Some of the service requests, such as emergency repair, are unbilled as they do not show up in the accounting records. Sometimes, technicians forget to add the list of spare parts used; these oversights can significantly impact the company’s bottom line.
Field service management software tracks each service call and each part used and update it in real-time on the information system. When technicians use a mobile app, their field service reports are directly sent to a centralized information system as soon as the service call is completed. This data is stored in digital format, which the staff can access to create invoices and send them to customers in a day’s time.
6. Track key performance indicators
The field service management software is powered by tools that can help you define and track important KPIs such as productivity, efficiency, profitability, and other metrics. By measuring these key performance indicators, you can get a critical insight into the performance of your teams and identify areas of improvement and optimize the service management operations.
Mobile solutions are changing the way the field service business is managed. It has the potential to greatly benefit your business by improving customer satisfaction and increasing profits. Invest in mobile field service for your company and give your employees and your customers what they want.
Author Bio:
“Akhil Rajan is a Customer Success Specialist at Zuper, an intelligent workforce management platform for service-oriented businesses. Working with customers on a daily basis, he has a deep understanding of their needs and pain points and so he is able to contribute to the marketing strategies for Zuper with the content he writes. He writes on topics like how to increase workforce utilization, how to reduce the service turnaround time and increase workforce efficiency, customer adoption, cost reduction strategies, etc – to name a few. He is often found buried in books or playing chess in his free time.”