The goal of any field service company is to get as much productivity out of their available resources as possible. Compared to other business models, running a field service organization can be especially challenging. In addition to the financial, customer service and administrative tasks involved with running a business, you also need to manage field service technicians, keep track of schedules and equipment, and ensure your organization continues to deliver fast, efficient and effective service to your customers.
Without a connected mobile device, technicians are wasting time and money by dealing with unnecessary customer issues or driving back and forth from the office to the client. If a team of 10 field technicians who work 250 days a year could guarantee one new service call per day, that would equal 2500 additional service orders worked per year.
Here are 8 ways connected mobile software improves field efficiency and productivity:
1. Smart Scheduling
Automated scheduling and dispatch together with a connected mobile device create a two-way connection between schedulers and technicians. Technicians can update their status so dispatchers see their availability and know the right person to schedule for each job. Technicians receive job details, addresses, and service information on their mobile device. Since many service organizations receive dozens of calls per day, saving as little as five seconds per call adds up to thousands of dollars per year.
2. Save Time and Resources
Automating work order processes eliminates paper from the operation. That means no more illegible handwriting, lost invoices or important forms, and no more time wasted re-entering data. Empower your entire team by making critical data readily accessible in the field and in the office, providing the visibility and velocity you need to succeed in this competitive environment.
3. Eliminate Duplicate Data Entry
An end-to-end field service software will connect your field service technicians to the back office, dispatch teams, and management to eliminate duplicate data entry and enable seamless data sharing. Data entered once is instantly synched across the company. A connected mobile allows the technician to enter data once and eliminate thousands of man-hours of duplicate entry and re-keying errors.
4. Real-Time Warranty Information
Warranty and service contract leakage happen when a technician performs a service at no charge, assuming it’s covered by the customer’s contract. A connected contractor management software will not only help technicians spot the “leaks,” but also “plug” them by providing them with the data they need, when they need it, to ensure they don’t give away service or parts for free. That means more money in your pocket!
5. Turn your Techs into Salespeople
Technicians often find themselves at a job when a customer approaches and asks for a quote on a new job or a new piece of equipment that needs service. Empower your field techs to communicate sales opportunities right on their mobile device. With a click of a button, a new case can be created and sent off to the sales team for immediate follow up. Don’t throw away money that’s already in your pocket with lost paperwork, forgotten emails, and missed opportunities. With a powerful, cohesive mobile tool, your team can turn quotes around in hours instead of days.
6. 360° View of the Building Location and Equipment
Service the right equipment at the right location. For mobile workers who are constantly on the go, trying to figure out which piece of equipment needs repair and where that equipment is located can be a chore, especially if there are multiple locations, assets and tasks. With a connected mobile device, the building address automatically populates into the service activity. The technician can also see the complete make, model and serial number of the equipment, its location in the building, warranty status, what work was previously done as well as any notes from the last service call. No more guessing which piece of equipment needs what type of service.
7. Make Time Tracking a Breeze
A fully connected mobile device makes it easy for technicians to let the office know where they are and what their status is. With the click of a button, techs can set their position as arrived, in progress, or done. Their time automatically synchronizes to the back office making payroll a breeze. With mobile capabilities such as time sheet input based on clock-in/clock-out, task status and more, tedious and error-prone time entries are eliminated, opening up time for additional work while freeing field professionals from administrative chores.
8. Integrated Inventory Management
With integrated inventory management, field technicians can view stock levels at “warehouse locations”, mark inventory items as “allocated” at the time the Work Order is created, receive a warning when placing a Work Order for out-of-stock items and more. Get control over the inventory management process, so that technicians are not manually entering pieces every time they have to build an invoice. It also helps to ensure that technicians have what they need for each service call, resulting in greater first call resolution and more satisfied customers.
Conclusion
If you run a field service company, you know that technology is propelling the industry in a new direction. How quickly and efficiently you implement these technologies and processes into your business practices will determine how productive your technicians are, how profitable you become and how satisfied your customers are.
FIELDBOSS Contractor Management software is an end-to-end solution built within Microsoft Dynamics 365. FIELDBOSS is a flexible and configurable platform that allows you to work the way you want to work, now and in the future. Our focus is to help you get the most out of your labour resources and deliver the information you and your staff need to run your business more efficiently, profitably, and with lower risk.
Contact us today for a free demo.
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