The importance of increasing accountability and visibility has always been paramount for Field service management. To maintain a seamless workflow, it is crucial for them to manage human and physical resources working out in the field. This is one problem that has plagued field service companies for a time unknown. Until very recently, the industry was only reliant on spreadsheets, emails, and the individual skills of the employees. But in this fast-paced digital era, where customer expectation has changed dramatically, this is not going to suffice. So, there had to be a better way to manage the work processes.
The answer to this challenge is Field Service Management Software. This cutting-edge digital tool has revolutionized field service delivery by standardizing and automating the process. If you look around and notice your competitors, more and more field service business owners are investing in this software solution to manage their business better. Now, ask yourself—should you do the same? Or better yet, why is this gaining so much popularity in such a short time span? Well, the answer is here. Go through them and decide for yourself whether you should make the switch as well.
Improved Productivity
Productivity is the cornerstone of business growth. In the light of this assumption, you cannot achieve your desired growth if you are not using your resources to their fullest potential. And for a service delivery business, its technicians are its biggest asset. So, how can you optimize your resources in this matter? The answer is simple—by optimizing your technicians’ schedule.
Essentially, FSM software comes with advanced features that help you streamline your schedule. By assigning the right technician with relevant skills to the right job, you can expect more efficient service delivery. Besides, with efficient scheduling, you can avoid double booking and overlapping appointments, find alternatives more easily if a technician is absent, access better route plans, and notify your technicians about their schedule. All these results in improved productivity, and in turn, increased profits. Moreover, automated scheduling eliminates the tedious effort you need to put in if you are doing things manually. No wonder people are going for the advanced tool for scheduling and dispatching.
Cloud Storage
If you are still running your organization with the same old paper-based system, have a look around your office. How many registers and binders are lying around? How many forms are still left waiting to be filled? How much paperwork do you have pending to look after during your off-hours? Sounds dreadful, right? Now, if you are asked to pull out one particular customer address or a job detail, how long will it take for you to bring out the right sheet of paper? Worse still, how much space are these stacks of paper taking up in your office?
The questions could get more frustrating. But there is no need to suffer so much. In this digital age, you can simply go paperless by switching to the right FSM software solution. This incredible digital tool is essentially a cloud-based platform that keeps all your data organized in one place. And you can access them whenever the need arises, that too from any device or system. This way, you never lose a single piece of information again. Neither do you have to enter the same data twice on any step of the work, be it generating work orders or creating invoices. Hard not to love something that makes your life that easy, isn’t it?
Real-Time Access to Real-Time Information
We started our discussion with the aspect of increasing scalability in business. Now, you would require a 360-degree view of your business operations. But in a traditional field service business environment, this is rather impossible unless you are not physically present at ten places at a time. But you are no magician and therefore, this is impossible.
FSM software, however, could be your magic wand. This digital tool offers features for inventory management, work progress monitoring, time-keeping for technicians, job status update, and so on. Thus, you have all the information you need to manage your business available at your fingertips. Some FSM tools like Field Promax even come with an integrated mobile app for the technicians powered by GPS technology. This way, you can track the real-time location of your field technicians without having to call them ten times a day. Sounds pretty convenient, right?
Improved Customer Service
For any service delivery business, the key to success is customer satisfaction. But how do you make sure that your customers are getting what they want? Moreover, how do you make their experience with your organization a memorable one?
The easiest way to achieve this goal is to employ an FSM tool for your business. This serves as a one-stop solution to all your challenges in rendering excellent customer service. With this software solution, you can create estimates and send them for customer approval. Generate work orders directly from approved quotes, assign and dispatch technicians, notify customers before the scheduled appointment, share proof of work in case they are not present on the job site, create and send invoices digitally, share them online with your customers, accept digital signature and payment in the field, and do a lot more. This way, you are providing convenience to your customers every step of the way, without leaving any room for any error or mismanagement. And in all probability, your customers will love your service thanks to this advanced software solution.
Increased Responsiveness
The best part of having FSM software for your business is that you never miss another business opportunity. Your customers do not have to call you or visit your office anymore. They can directly ask for a quote or request a service. On the other hand, you immediately get notified and respond to their queries either by sending an estimate or scheduling an appointment. For this, you don’t have to be present at the office or have your computer on you. You can complete the job from any device, from anywhere, anytime.
Conclusion
To sum up, there are more reasons to love this smart digital solution than you can imagine. But more than the benefits this technological tool gives you, it is the competitive advantages that make the technology so popular. Simply put, you are missing out on a chock-full of features and functionalities that can take your business to the next level, and beyond that. So, if you are still using pen and paper for running your field service organization, it is time to step up to the plate and get FSM software for your company.
