How Are Field Service Organizations Becoming More Competitive?

Blog, Field Service, HVAC, SMB

By:

Last updated May 4, 2023 at 5:25PM | Published on Feb 8, 2019 | Blog, Field Service, HVAC, SMB

Don’t think for a second that the field service industry is slowing down. The future continues to look bright across many different industries for service work with plenty of service calls are being made. With increased opportunities for service comes plenty of competition, as more field service organizations are entering the industry. And with field service management software, it’s becoming easier for new competitors to take control of your past business.

Recognizing the strengths of your competition can be a way to avoid losing customers, but also, it’s time you became more competitive yourself. No longer can field service organizations just maintain their status in their service space. They need to expand, cut costs, improve service delivery and become more efficient all-around.

Fortunately for service providers, there are many ways to become more competitive in their industry. All while lowering their costs and still providing the same great service they did before. Here is just a look at some of the ways to become more competitive.

Expand into New Markets with Subcontractors

Expansion is sometimes one of the only ways to increase you profit margins. But expansion can be expensive. There is infrastructure to set up, including offices and warehouses, new supply lines to maintain and of course, talented technicians need to be hired. It can be a huge undertaking for small to medium businesses if they want to grow into a new market, but there is a way to avoid high start up costs.

Turn to Subcontractors.

With many businesses wanting to enter new geographical markets, the fast way to do that is by hiring subcontractor labor. By using workforce management systems, field service providers can find skilled workers to complete service calls. These subcontractors can move into a market under your banner quickly and build a good reputation for you, without large overhead costs. With a field service dispatch software, you can dispatch subcontractors like you would your own in-house technicians. With subcontractor management tools, the on-boarding process and payment system is fast and automated.

Workforce management integrations, with systems such as WorkMarket and Service Channel, allow you to stay in your field service management software, but push your jobs to the open market. Subcontractors can quote a price, and you can take that quote all the way through to the end, without leaving your system.

Cut Costs and Expand Service with Subcontractors

Sticking with subcontractors, beyond expanding into a new market, they can help you expand into new service. And at the same time, cut costs in your own operation. By now, field service organizations understand their most experienced technicians are getting ready to retire. And the crop of new technicians isn’t growing as fast as the industry needs. However, just because one door is closing, doesn’t mean two others don’t open. With subcontractors, you not only cut the costs of full-time in-house technicians, but you can also add new skills.

Subcontractors only get paid for hours they work, so there is limited idle time, as they are paid form start to finish of the job. There is no idle time for subcontractors, which saves you money. Plenty of organizations have zero full-time employees and run their entire operation with subcontractors. It’s a way to pay for work, only when there is work.

Another benefit is that subcontractors bring new skills and more labor to your organization. Expansion isn’t just geographical, but also skill based. Your organization can begin to offer services you didn’t before with subcontractors that have special skillsets and certifications. When using a field service dispatch software, dispatchers can find the subcontractor with specific skills using the skill search. This ensures the right technician is heading to the job site. And it also opens new doors of revenue for your organization.

Become More Data Focused

The field service industry is heading towards a trend where big data is king. The more information everyone has, the better service delivery will be. That’s what’s making most field service organizations turn to field service management software. They need a system that can hold the mountains of information they collect every day. And more importantly, make that data useful in different ways.

For technicians in the field, service history is becoming an asset to them. With field service mobile apps, technicians can now check past service history on equipment for repair notes. They are getting detailed histories on equipment, without having to shuffle through piles of paper-based work orders. Now all information around service is stored in a field service management software and accessible in the field. This also includes:

  • Parts and inventory information
  • Service level agreements and contract information
  • Collaborative notes from other technicians
  • Details service history for pieces of equipment
  • Financial data for quoting

In the head office, data is now being turned into vital reports and analytics that are powering decision making abilities. Managers can use Business Intelligence reporting tools to turn the piles of data into meaningful data they can use. With customizable reports and analytics, all the data stored can be turned automatically into information that is important to the person who needs it. Service managers can see who their best technician is, their average travel times, and what type of service call they take the most. CEOs can check more financial data, like how much revenue they are billing off contracts, which technician earns the most money, and what is their greatest expenses each month.

With plenty of customizable options, the data being collected isn’t going to waste. And no longer is it taking weeks to turn into useful information, done manually or on a spreadsheet. Rather, it’s being done by an intelligent system that gives real-time information straight from the field.

Be More Competitive with Field Service Management Software

There are many ways to become more competitive in the field service industry. Many of them start with adding a field service management software to your team. The days of paper-based work orders, manual scheduling and late billing are long gone. It’s about speed and efficiency, and if you’re not up to the challenge, there is plenty of competition out there who are. Find out today how a field service management software can make you the envy of your competition and open up new markets at less cost for your service organization.