We’ve all been victims of the service window. That time slot in which a service technician says they will arrive to complete a repair, yet it could be anywhere between the times of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. So, you wait and get frustrated as the hours pass, waiting for a technician to arrive. It’s a frustrating experience for a customer, which reflects negatively on the company’s reputation. However, by utilizing field service software, the process can be automated in many ways, which ultimately makes for a happier customer.
Field service automation is all about taking that six-hour gap and giving the customer a more precise time in which the technician will arrive, making for a more pleasant customer experience. Behind the scenes, however, it’s a dramatic shift for any company to take, one that will result in not just better customer service, but also an improved bottom line, better tracking, and insight into the technician’s day-to-day activities.
It’s not just about being able to give your customers an hour time slot in which your technician will arrive, but also being able to better schedule your technicians so that they are completing more calls. To do that, field service software offers three features that will automate the process and provide greater insight.
Mobility (mobile app)
A field service mobile app can drastically cut down on time a technician needs between jobs, closing that window where a customer is waiting. With all their daily tasks sent directly to their mobile device, technicians don’t have to go back to the office to receive new orders, or pick up checklists, parts, and materials, as the checklist would be uploaded to their device, and their inventory parts could be picked up at the beginning of the day, ensuring a greater success rate of first-time fixes.
This field service automation means less communication, either in person or over the phone, with dispatch, and more time for the technician to be on the road getting to the next call, ensuring they meet the time slot they arranged with the customer.
Scheduling and Planning
Dispatching through field service software such as Fieldpoint allows for the use of the scheduling calendar, which can show every technician in the company and what their daily schedule is. It removes overbooking and overlapping of jobs, and coupled with the mobility automation, a new technician could be scheduled for a new repair, with all available information and checklists applied to the job sent straight to their mobile device, should the original technician be stuck at another call.
Better oversight of the entire company’s technician schedule helps to close the customer’s waiting window and allows dispatch to match the right technician to the right job, no matter what the circumstance.
Location insight
Large waiting windows can be caused by increased travel time. Some things are simply out of the technician’s hands, such as traffic on a highway or road closures. But it’s also inefficient for a technician.