In its simplest form, field service management refers to the management of operations that do not take place on company property. The management of complex tasks like customer visits, product distribution network, equipment installation, and repair are all examples of this mobile operation. Planning the works, tracking the status, documenting the completion, and invoicing are also within the scope of field service management.
Difficulties predicting unexpected changes and taking control, communication failures, and misinformation are all bad guys that cause inefficiencies.
Field service management software is the technology developed to ease, simplify and systemize these processes. The field service management software also helps strengthen and make the most of these processes. Businesses need to use field service management tools to ensure that field service operations run efficiently and mobile resources are used most effectively.
Benefits of Field Service Software
Field service software automates the planning, assignment, and follow-up of projects. Thus, it prevents the time and data loss otherwise present in the paper-based work order process. In addition to the instantaneous monitoring of operations in the field, field service management also allows easy access to the details of past jobs.
Utilizing field service software is also very important for field sales teams. Knowing the customers' purchasing habits ensures the sales teams are prepared and reduces the likelihood of repeat trips between the warehouse and the customers. Sales representatives can quickly assess their customers' information, review notes from past visits, and analyze deals made. Thus, they are equipped with adequate information and can make more sales by strengthening their customer relations.
Field service software also makes it easy for companies working with a franchise system to optimize their service quality and comply with industry-specific regulations. An equipped field service software allows you to prepare customized detailed forms and organize your inspections. You can ensure that the forms are filled in at the correct units with location tracking and immediately intervene in situations that may pose a danger by associating automatic actions to the specific questions.
Many measurable improvements such as first-time repair rates, lead-to-customer conversion rates, and shortening of inspection times are easily monitored with the reporting and analysis capabilities of the field service software. The customizable dashboards allow you to track performance and monitor instant status, specific to individual departments, tasks, or regions. Each user has access to all the data they need preventing confusion and raising the motivation to achieve goals.
A Field Service Management Software Must-Have Features
Not every software is smart enough to track multiple jobs and tasks efficiently. And, many do not offer the ability to manage the service cycle end-to-end. The clutter you want to organize can be transformed into a new form, but process interruptions avert simplification.
The primary task of field service management software is to fully adapt to all departments and branches of your company and increase your control over processes. Here are the features to look for in a field service solution asides from making sure of its functionality.
Offline Work
Field services do not solely involve jobs in city centers. It often entails visiting warehouses and other locations. Finding a stable internet connection away from the settlement or in underground warehouses may be challenging. The instant and on-site completion of job entries or form fillings, and the sending of all data to the server as soon as an internet connection is established, are among the basic features of the solution.
Saving Photos, Videos, and Documents
Resources such as photos, videos, and documents; play a significant role in elaborating the description when creating or closing a job request, or filling out a form or questionnaire. Marking and annotating on the visuals makes it easier to understand given data.
And, sharing this data with the center in real-time accelerates the action.
Location Tracking
GPS tracking allows you to ensure that both closed and ongoing jobs are happening in the right place. With GPS tracking, you can quickly contact the closest employee to the target location who can then respond immediately and adjust the work plan.
Asset and Equipment Management
Failure of assets results in the disruption of many services and brings financial losses. Your mobile teams need complete and fast access to asset and equipment information to make the correct response in case of an asset failure. A field service solution with asset and equipment management features gives quick access to info on past repairs, warranty documents, and replaced parts.
With only a QR code, you get immediate access to all of these and can manage the situation.
Route Planning
The ability of job planning teams to make route planning while performing fieldwork assignments saves the company from additional time and resource expenditures. You can monitor and improve the effects of essential factors like break times, visit times, time on the road on performance.
Automatic Reporting
The data recorded by the field service workers are instantly reported and converted into meaningful information.
You can automate the sending of reports at the intervals you specify, thus regulating the data flow between field teams and the center while facilitating performance monitoring.
Field Service Software Applications for Different Industries
Construction
Companies in the construction industry need to ensure worker safety and complete structures within limited time frames while keeping equipment and product quality high. Striking a balance of meeting all these conditions while maximizing profit is the biggest challenge of the construction industry.
The field service management vehicle ensures that communications between the center, field workers, and subcontractors are regulated, workflow interruptions are prevented, and productivity increases. Yet, the benefits of mobile field service management software are not limited to these.
- Internal audits are carried out with customizable forms that comply with building inspection regulations.
- Work tracking, contract, progress payment, and invoicing processes of subcontractors are also easily managed.
- Control of the shipments of assets, equipment, and materials between the warehouse and the construction site is as well ensured.
- Expense tracking is made easy with cost assignment and account view.
Oil and Gas
In the evolving world, the oil and gas industry is one of the industries that need to adapt to technology quickly.
Operation and asset tracking are of great importance to companies. From the discovery of oil fields to the storage of oil and meeting with the customer, all should be done in a well-coordinated and efficient manner. In an organization using a field service management solution:
- The life cycle and book value of the assets are monitored.
- Job assignments are managed most efficiently, ensuring that the right employee is doing the right job.
- Breakages in the supply chain are prevented, the whole process is managed end-to-end.
- Service quality at customer touchpoints is optimized through audits and customer surveys.
- Thanks to instant information from the field, the response time is shortened and situations that may pose a risk are prevented.
Production
One of the industries where competition is fiercest is manufacturing. Any disruption to the production line can endanger the entire shipment, obscure timing and performance targets critical to efficiency. This, in turn, causes substantial financial losses. The digitization of the production and distribution process is no longer just a competitive factor, it has become a necessity. The partial digitizing of the process in many companies makes the difference between industry leaders and followers. A holistic and comprehensive field service management tool:
- Facilitates asset, equipment, and spare parts management and accelerates maintenance and repair works.
- Allows technicians to access the information, documents, and analysis they need easily.
- Ensures occupational safety of the operators working with cutting or crushing machines that emit high heat is increased.
- Sees to it that shipment timings are improved with GPS and route optimization.
Renewable energy
Although the wind and solar energy sectors are becoming more widespread, they still lag behind traditional energy producers in terms of budget. When overseeing all the maintenance and management operations of extensive facilities, a new tribune or panel typically needs to be added seamlessly to the process.
The field service management tool offers many benefits to this industry, especially where it is difficult to establish an internet connection and operate with a minimal number of mobile workers.
- Even when offline, the information needed for the job is easily accessible, and additional information can be added to the system for future use.
- By putting a time interval on works, automatic action is taken where need be, and risks are reduced.
- Workflow is automated and every new facility and asset is easily added to the system.
- With periodic inspections and instant information provided from the field, high-efficiency operation of assets is guaranteed.
For more detailed information on field service software, download the Field Service Management Software (FSM) Guide E-book.
Check out our MAINT and FIELD solutions or contact us to discover how you can increase efficiency and reduce costs to have the mentioned capabilities and much more.
