Field Service Management Faces Challenges
Every day, field service management teams are facing challenges. It’s a balance of offering quality service while generating revenue for the business. And every day, these teams are facing challenges that could be solved by using field service software. However, the first thing they need to understand is what their pain points are and how they can be fixed.
Pain points can come from all sides of the business. And they all can directly contribute to the experience your customers have, the bottom line of your business, and the people working for you. It can be overwhelming to try and tackle every problem at once. But it just might be because you don’t have a field service software solution to help tackle the problems in the first place. Let’s look at some pain points in field service management and how field service software will handle them.
Schedule Adherence
Planning a proper schedule can mean everything to a field service management team. If you’re not delivering service to your customers on time, those customers are going to find someone who can. A well-maintained schedule will keep technicians productive, and customers satisfied. However, some field service management businesses allow their technicians to decide the schedule and show up to a job site whenever they arrive. The minutes wasted per day with this method can quickly eat away at any profit a field service business makes.
Take away one of the biggest pain points by introducing field service software with scheduling, routing and dispatch tools. Put all your scheduling information in one place so that multiple people can view changes to the schedule. More importantly, ditch any manual processes you had before and properly schedule your technicians time. This will:
- Improve technician productivity
- Reduce driving and idle time
- Increase technician utilization
- Increase revenue
Service managers can track the movements of their technicians, where they are in a service call and what route they are taking to better optimize their schedule. This allows for more movement when needed, in the case of an emergency call. And with all information in one portal, dispatchers have greater control, knowing that everyone sees the changes being made on the shared field service software system.
First-time Fix Rate
Field service management businesses need to strive for a high first-time fix rate. Technicians who have to leave a job site without finishing the job run the risk of the customer getting frustrated and going with someone else. Customers will start to think your technicians are coming unprepared and it’s only costing them more money in hours of labor. With customer expectations now set on getting it right the first time, technicians need more insight into the jobs they are about to do, so they can be fully prepared when they walk on the job site.
With field service software and field service mobile apps, technicians can now research the service history of equipment for the customer before coming to the job. They can see prior repair notes to help them diagnose a problem faster. And they can ensure they have the correct parts on hand before heading to the job site. This will reduce the number of times the technician has to leave the site. Dispatchers can also contribute by scheduling the technicians with the right skill set, certifications and knowledge of the customer in their initial dispatch by using selection and search tools.
Communication with Customers
Communicating with your customers is essential, but it’s also a massive pain point. Customers could be under preventative maintenance contracts, or you could be offering warranties on their equipment. Perhaps you’re in the middle of a project and they have questions. The problem is, they could be calling for any number of reasons and you need to have an answer. The last thing you want to do is play phone tag and seem like you are passing the buck on them. Or give them the “I don’t know” answer.
With all your information in one portal under a field service software, anyone can access a customer’s information and relay information. Information on work orders, contracts and the status of a project are housed in the same system. If they have invoicing problems and need clarification, your call center agents can relay the information they need and find it quickly. With an entire history of service kept in the field service software, field service management teams have the entire story of a customer at their fingertips.
Performance Management
There are a few ways to tell if you are running your business properly. One of them is through performance management. Field service management teams should be able to identify the strongest to the weakest members of their team. However, without the information and data available, it can be hard to tell who that is. Furthermore, each company has a different standard for what top performance is. Some care more about average work time, while others about first-time fix rates. Or simply, how much revenue the technician is generating.
To collect, analyze and deliver performance management reports, field service software allows managers to build custom reports and their own Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). They can track the performance of their technicians and make real-time business decisions because of it. Do you notice a technician is spending a lot more time driving than they should be? Address the situation quickly, rather than letting it progress for weeks or months more. But without a field service software to collect and generate those reports, you can be blind to the problems that are draining your business and possible leaking revenue.
Scaling Your Field Service Business
For small to mid-sized field service operations, one of the main challenges is resource allocation. As the business grows, managing and assigning the right technicians to various service requests becomes increasingly complex. Balancing the workload and ensuring efficient scheduling becomes crucial to meet customer expectations. Additionally, limited financial resources can make it difficult to invest in advanced technology and tools that can optimize operations and enhance productivity. Scaling may also require expanding into new geographical areas, which can present logistical and operational challenges such as finding local talent, establishing a new customer base, and adapting to regional regulations. Choosing a field service management software for small to mid-sized business is a great way to help you maintain efficiency.
On the other hand, enterprise-sized field service operations face challenges related to coordination and standardization. With a large number of technicians and service teams spread across different regions, maintaining consistent service quality and ensuring standardized processes can be demanding. Effective communication and collaboration become essential, along with implementing centralized systems for tracking and managing field operations. Scaling an enterprise-sized operation may involve integrating multiple existing systems and technologies, which can be complex and time-consuming. Moreover, change management becomes critical to facilitate smooth transitions and ensure that all teams are aligned with the new scale of operations. Fieldpoint is positioned to help large to enterprise businesses with their field service management needs.
Field Service Management Needs Field Service Software
These pain points can difficult to deal with for some field service management teams. It’s a challenge to address them all, while also trying to provide effective service to your customers. It’s ideally why field service software should be used as a tool to address them all, while also helping to effectively deliver service. Field service software enhances your ability to do perform service well while closing the gaps in pain points that may be slowing your business down.