At one point, cloud computing was a minor tool to use. However, today, cloud service providers are everywhere, as it offers flexibility beyond what can be accomplished in a traditional setting. You only need to think of the amount of storage space, servers, IT personnel and security features for in-house hosted infrastructure.
According to Field Service News, 77% of companies are still using an on-premises field service solution. This limits the insight managers have across the entire business, which could be achieved by using some form of a cloud system. Let’s look at what a cloud-based field service management software offers for the future. Especially as the Software-as-a-Service model continues to evolve.
Keeps the focus on the core business
When adding some form of field service management software, you don’t want to be dealing with maintaining that very complex system across your entire business. Especially when on-premises, that system can be on multiple servers and computers. Unless you have an IT department that is fully capable of repairing that system, if the system goes down, the vendor would need to be brought in to complete on-site maintenance.
Whereas, a cloud-based field service management system is maintained by the third-party host in the cloud. And, those using the software don’t have to maintain it, freeing up time to focus on other things. According to CNBC, enterprise software is the fastest growing area of technology investment. And worldwide IT spending will reach $4 trillion in 2019. So, by reducing the need to maintain this system, field service businesses can start to reduce the overhead of their IT department in maintaining that system if it’s in the cloud.
Field Service Management Software updates automatically
One of the most troubling aspects of using on-premises-based software is that upgrading is difficult and expensive. The latest version requires someone to update every system in the office. That’s costly, both in employee time and software expenses. However, cloud-based field service management software enables the vendor to complete upgrades themselves to the entire software without the need to upgrade single machines or servers.
This also means providers don’t have to continue maintaining multiple versions of the software. Instead, they continue to work with one cloud solution and maintain and upgrade that software. One update for one software is a lot more cost-effective and keeps your business always running the latest version of the field service management software.
Eliminating infrastructure dependence
When purchasing an on-premise software, your IT department will have to meet many specifications. Do they have the server space, the Internet capacity and bandwidth, and other hardware specifications? And how large is the IT department? Can they themselves support a field service management software? Plus, when a new software goes in, they have to become experts in that software, as they are required to make repairs unless they want to call in the vendor.
Since cloud-based field service management software is maintained in the cloud, the requirements are not as many. Often it is the vendor who is maintaining the cloud server on which the field service management software is hosted. When issues come up, they will take care of the problems, including upgrades and downtimes. That means you need less IT capacity to deploy and maintain a field service software, and you are no longer depending on your own capabilities to increase your hardware and other performance-related specifications.
Big Data Optimization
The bread and butter of why cloud-based field service management software is the future is because of the reach it has across the entire business. It collects all the Big Data from every aspect of the business and stores it in one system. When you are putting everything into one system, you can utilize analytics to find patterns, and have machine learning. It’s much easier to implement Big Data collection and processing in a cloud-based system. That’s because it’s all in a single system, rather than multiple systems speaking to a central location.
If you have dispatchers, warehouse personnel, and technicians in the field all using the same software, you need information coming to and from an all-in-one platform. That means the technician in the field, the dispatcher in the back office, and the warehouse manager are all using the same software at the same time. That way, you get real information transfers and the ability to run analytic collection in real-time, giving you more visibility into your business than any on-premises software could provide.
Time to take it to the cloud
Fieldpoint’s cloud-based field service management software can be installed on-site, but it’s still a cloud-based system that is available to your entire workforce from any location, at any time. It’s not a software dedicated to a single machine. It’s a field service software that is available on any machine. Whether you are on a tablet in an airport, in the back office, or in the field, Fieldpoint’s cloud-based field service management software gives you access to your entire business. And that is the future of field service management, as delivered by cloud-based software solutions.