When searching for the right mobile field service software, many forget to consider a very important factor, the circumstances and environment in which their field technicians work in. It is not always possible to connect to Wi-Fi or get a strong signal to a network. Consider the following locations: underground basements, hospitals, construction sites, remote areas, or even surrounding high-rise buildings could affect the network connection.
In essence, each time your technician is traveling to work in the field, he or she might have to deal with low or zero internet connectivity. Even if this happens with one technician per month, the overall impact on productivity can be significant. A weak or unavailable internet connection could mean inaccessible service history, billing delays, documentation errors, or a complete halt to the service call.
As a field service organization, when choosing a new field service software for your business, you want (and need) a reliable solution. Technology that is consistent and doesn’t leave you hanging in the middle of the job is paramount. To reduce the chances of a technological failure, look for a mobile solution that allows you to continue working, with or without an internet connection.
Follow the leaders for true offline capabilities.
The FIELDBOSS mobile solution uses the Resco Mobile CRM app. Resco is among the leaders in providing world-class offline mobile solutions. Offline capability is currently being added to mobile apps by most CRM vendors. However, offline is not a capability that can be easily added. Offline doesn’t only mean to add a local database support, providing the CRM data when the app is disconnected.
“Offline means that ALL the features and functionalities of the mobile CRM app are available when the app is disconnected – with no limitations. Thus, the logic of every feature must be developed and implemented to the mobile app independently from the server. Otherwise, a feature will simply not work when the app is disconnected. But a mobile CRM app is usually the main business tool of every mobile sales or service professional. So, if it doesn’t provide 100% of functionality anywhere and anytime, it can cause immediate damages for a company’s business.”
Radomir Vozar, CEO at Resco
So, what can you work on offline with FIELDBOSS Mobile?
Consistent Service – Offline Checklist Access
- Checklists make it easy to maintain regulatory requirements, service quality, inspection standards, site surveys, and compliance standards. A service manager can attach a fully customizable checklist with each work order, ensuring technicians have clear instructions and do not miss any steps in a service call.
- Using the checklist feature provides standardization. Without access to offline checklists, a technician is not able to view or update a checklist due to the non-availability of internet access, which can lead to chaos. A technician may not have internet connectivity, and consequently would be unable to access the list of regulatory inspection requirements. This scenario would lead to negligent service, potential safety hazards for the people working in the building, and a poor reputation. If your technician has offline access to the mobile field service app, he or she can follow the inspection protocol and reduce the margin of error.
Customer History Consistently at your Fingertips
- Imagine going to a service location without knowing the contract’s terms, warranty agreements, or even worse, not knowing the repair history of the machinery you are going to fix. Such incomplete or inaccessible work order details can put your technicians in a tight spot. To save your technician’s day, ensuring dependable access to a customer’s history and work order information is a must, even in situations where there is no internet connectivity.
- Uninterrupted access to previous work orders, equipment information, contract terms, and repair notes equips your technician to deal with customer issues professionally. For example:
–Ready access to past repair notes helps technicians make informed decisions.
–Access to warranty agreements can save you from inaccurate billing.
–Years of work order history aids the technician in diagnosing issues much faster.
Input Now, Sync Later
- Consider the following scenario: your service technician does major equipment repairs on a mining site. Due to a lack of internet connectivity, he or she cannot input any repair notes, part and equipment data, job hours, or update the job status. In this case, the technician ends up writing down all the information on a piece of paper, which is hardly ideal if your company is looking to upgrade operations and move away from manual, paper-based processes.
- To avoid such risky scenarios, a field service mobile app with offline capabilities lets you input information even when offline. You can update work order status, parts, and equipment data, add notes, input job hours, and enter other work order-related information. The input information is updated across all devices as soon as you have a network connection, helping your technician perform his or her job without worrying about network connectivity.
And there is plenty more you can do! Endless offline capabilities include task management, notes and photos or videos, product/parts management, and so much more. Issues of low or no connectivity are bound to happen for one reason or another; be proactive and prepare for these scenarios by equipping your team with the right mobile solution for their field service operations. By preparing in advance, your company can achieve increased efficiency, which is not dependent on environmental or external factors. Ultimately, an offline mobile app such as FIELDBOSS helps field service companies to reach their full potential and get the most out of their people.
Contact FIELDBOSS for more information about how you can leverage an offline mobile software to mitigate inefficiencies in your field service business and provide the best service possible to your customers while increasing your business profitability.