How Field Service Best Practices Grow Your Business

Management practices are always evolving. While some fundamental principles have stood the test of time, the introduction of Field Service Management concepts has radically transformed the way top companies approach key issues such as data collection, higher first-time fix rates, and real-time updates in the workforce.
Having fast response times is the key to customer experience success in super-competitive industries. Hence, administrative tasks need to be carried out with the goal of scoring higher technician utilization rates. But how can companies continuously keep improving their overall productivity? The one-stop answer to all of these demands is field service management software.

Understanding Field Service Management Software

FSM software solutions are tools that companies use to boost their operational efficiency. These tools aim to improve ‘business intelligence’ via streamlined management of field service operations. An FSM Software offers –

• The ability to track worker requests to make sure onsite service is impeccable.
• An easy to use interface to manage all departments, personnel, and operations.
• The effectiveness of work order management depends on software functionality and the ability of the workforce. Companies get to invest in complicated human-machine efforts.
• FSM software assesses a huge amount of data in real-time so specific business objectives such as precise inventory management become easier.
• Companies can account decades of field service experience to improve their scheduling. Dispatch, delivery, fleet tracking, and other time-restrictive tasks are easier to complete with all-encompassing field service software.

New field service management software vastly improves the way businesses can report cost-related information. These programs also boost a company’s ability to collect data and perform result-oriented analytic tests.

The Importance of Field Service Productivity

Efficient field service and customer satisfaction are two aspects that every modern company has to improve. Those two business processes share an unbreakable bond. Service technicians seek to use basic technology such as mobile apps and internet connection to provide as much support as possible to field technicians. To measurably increase productivity and see a significant change in customer service satisfaction – collecting metrics concerning every organizational workflow is critical.

• High-performing Field Service companies set and supervise accurate metrics. This data-driven approach helps them address the challenges of the field service industry.
• Field Service Productivity starts with companies defining clear-cut objectives.
• Such systems empower the service management team by asking them to take care of key performance indicators.
• Creators of these platforms use independent research to inform and enlighten the members of the workforce on how to stay ahead of competitors. These data-based changes do not necessarily need to be anything major. The ability of a field service management system is determined by its ability to treat workers as valuable resources and improving them – little by little on a day to day basis.

Why You Need to Improve Field Service Productivity

Sustainable and scalable growth is the only way to survive in a marketplace that demands nothing short of positive productivity rates. Ever since the advent of mobile application technology, time has become as important as spare parts. Any discussion of improving a business’ time-efficiency and resource-utility is impossible without delving into a mobile field service software discussion. Why? Because there are so many examples of successful field service software implementations. From accounting and supervising available resources (including employees, digital tools, inventory, and everything else), to scheduling multiple jobs simultaneously – the benefits of investing in a field service system are countless.

Here are some easy and guaranteed ways of improving field service productivity –

Standardize and streamline data entry

Good field service system vendors can create company-specific apps or programs to completely optimize the data collection process. A new system devoid of paper forms, spreadsheets, and other ‘hard’ data entry mechanisms is vital for businesses looking to compete on a digital scale. Having a customized Field Service Software System is akin to having a home office – all the formulas, data fields, and layouts come pre-installed inside the FSM systems. These resources help create a mobile workforce that ensures the efficiency of all data capture and assessment processes.

FSM technology is error-free. All possibilities of mistakes are completely eliminated since pre-designed web forms guides users through all the steps. Smart data entry tactics using tried-and-tested logic patterns are instilled into the FSM software’s design.

Eliminate data re-entry

Data entry is a time-consuming process. In fact, for modern workplaces, manual data entry is a time-wasting exercise. Why should field workers have to send data twice – once at the site and once at the office? Data re-entry is unacceptable. All entries need to be transcribed and permanently entered into the business systems.

Mobile tools such as adjustable business apps make the process of data collection easier and faster. All data sent by the field service workforce to a mobile application can be immediately processed and sent to the business’ central server. Here, the stored data is available to anyone with company access and an internet connection. As the need for engaging in tedious and pointless data re-entry reduces, work order improves. Workers have more ‘free time’.

Create audit trails

Contractors have to constantly deal with audits. The severity of these audits is even harsher when government contracts are involved. There’s a need for companies to comply with regulations with each function or transaction. Thankfully, there are several field service management software tools that help companies check whether or not their practices are compliant. By adopting an organized software selection process and selecting the best FSM software with compliance features, businesses can –
Ensure that the system records all important information (e.g., timekeeping, unallowable costs, etc.) alongside an ‘audit trail’. Hence, every action taken can be checked for compliance in real-time.

• Capture e-signatures from employees, clients, etc.
• Set specific time metrics for system users. Keeping track of who’s working for how many hours –including their GPS locations is easily possible with field service management apps.
• Supervisors can instantly and accurately address customer service issues.
• Every commercial step of the company comes with a sense of accountability.

Consistent maintenance of these efforts guarantees a significant change for contractors. Their credibility improves. Hence, they have more access to expensive and important tasks or projects.

Automate simple tasks

Leverage your FSM software to carry out basic business tasks. For instance, ask your service delivery, sales team to always keep their GPS turned on. Good field service system vendors always create company-specific apps. Hence, the business owner has a clear idea of where his clients and delivery workers are located. In case there’s a demand for a delivery in New York in North America, the closest delivery person can immediately respond. No time is wasted in assigning or delegating tasks. With automation, administrators get to pay attention to higher-value work. Instead of carrying out repetitive administration jobs, bosses can focus on increasing productivity. The speed of workflows increases. Plus, there’s no room for human errors.

Visualize operations with interactive dashboards

As companies aim to make the most of their resources, they realize that their investment of time is as important as a monetary investment. Successful field service software implementations involve both optimizations of resources and quick decision-making. Field-service organizations that are driven by FSM technology deliver higher first-time fix rates because they receive real-time updates on their FSM mobile app.

These apps feature easy to use dashboards. The centralized dataset containing all company-related information acts as the core of these dashboards. Mobile workers get real-time access to organizational data. They can see their progress and intuitively take steps to improve their output. Managers get to spot irregularities in the workflow in an instant. They can re-allocate resources within seconds to resolve issues. With faster reporting and analysis come more opportunities. Some common examples of dashboard features include –

• Location tracker to supervise the on-site efficiency of employees.
• Filters such as ‘working hours’ or availability.
• Tables and charts showing the progress of the workflow states
• Separate dashboards containing refined information such as the best performer of the week, etc.

Compared to traditional workers who had to maintain their individual records, the modern mobile worker equipped with an interactive dashboard can improve much faster in terms of workplace creativity and productivity.

Strategically Schedule

Supervise your tangible and intangible resources with field service management software. As workers get used to being guided by their mobile devices, the ability to schedule more strategically also improves. They can end up accepting more jobs, completing them in a short time.

Follow-Up With Techs

Every company owner who invests heavily in field service management software has this question in mind ‘was my business software-buying effort successful?’ The easiest way to get an answer to this question is to follow up with the mobile application tech experts.
They crunch numbers, adding up all variables to create practical guides that clearly state whether or not FSM software has helped the business. That’s the magic of FSM technology – you can quantify qualitative efforts such as customer support, or compliance from team members. Most companies report that the value added by the increase in productivity is nothing compared to the costs of getting an FSM Solution.

Ready to optimize your service operations and scheduling?

The FSM industry is going through an age of innovation. MobileForce’s AI-based Fielf Service software leads the pack. All the basic FSM solutions one would expect from an advanced FSM software are offered. Companies using up with Mobileforce improve their ability to apply real-time knowledge, insight, and analysis to carry out significant business decisions that improve overall productivity and customer experience.

Learn more about Mobileforce FSM.