Leaders in the field service space have already fully adapted their organization to use a mobile field service software with a field service mobile app to complete work orders. By now, it’s no secret that technicians are completing their work orders on their mobile devices, as opposed to putting pen to paper and manually filling out work orders. Those manual processes take up much needed time, can include errors or missed information, and take time to get back to the head office for processes.
With work orders being so important to a field service organization’s ability to deliver service, it’s only proper that mobile field service software is making it easier for those work orders to get to the field and for the technicians to fill them out and return them, so that they can be turned into invoices.
But there is a world beyond work orders, and despite them being so important to field service operations, they are not the only reason field service organizations are turning to mobile field service software and empowering their technicians with field service mobile apps in the field. For some organizations, it’s their mission to make their entire workforce a mobile one, and mobility is allowing technicians the ability to offer next level services which are improving the customer experience.
Mobility Means Field Workforce Engagement
Technicians can often feel forgotten out in the field. The detachment from their home office and relying too often on email communications means technicians are feeling abandoned in the field without a direct line back to the office. Field service technicians need to feel part of the team, and with the fast pace of today’s service industry, technicians need the tools to be able to support their own service work, as well as the objectives of the organization. Mobile apps give technicians a constant link back to the head office, and the ability to access service history, parts and inventory on their terms, as opposed to waiting for someone email them back with their request.
It also allows for multi-generational communication, as newly hired technicians can use the service history of older, perhaps retired, service technicians to see the details of past service requests to help them complete a service call. It turns the service technician into a service team, as notes and history put in by one technician will serve to benefit another technician in the future. By keeping technicians engaged in the field, service organizations are more likely to retain their services long term, in a world where hire skilled and qualified technicians is becoming increasing difficult.
React to Sales Opportunities with Field Service Mobile App
While a technician is completing their work orders, new work may present itself. Sales opportunities can come at any moment and not having the right tools can mean those opportunities will slip through your fingers. You don’t want your technicians to have to rely on a sales team to quote customers for further repairs or additional service, when they can have the ability to offer a quote on the spot, using their field service mobile app.
With a built-in quoting module, technicians can produce a fast quote in the field and have it sent straight to the customer, and just as quickly have it turned into a work order, or attached to their currently open one, to add additional services. Technicians are the front lines of every field service operation and while selling may not be their favorite thing to do, it’s a critical part if growth and expansion of an organization, especially when they are already on site and engaging with the customer. Technicians can also do their part by taking photos, notes and noting requirements on larger projects that will give their sales team a detailed look at the customer’s current situation, making it easier for them to produce a quote for the customer and further the sales opportunity.
Use Mobile Field Service Software for Safety Reasons
Safety is a critical part of every field service business, regardless of the type of equipment they are working on. Certain work environments offer unique safety concerns, as well as medical and heavy industry equipment, which means technicians need to follow proper procedure to stay safe on the job site. A way to prompt safety on the job site is through checklists which offer technicians procedure-based steps to follow, ensuring they remain safe on the job site. With required fields, checklists can be built with safety in mind, requiring a technician to respond to a checklist question before moving on to the next, which can keep them safe.
Coupled with a heighten employee engagement, mobile apps are helping to keep technician safer, as they are being more engaged with images, training and a managed workflow that keeps them out of harm’s way and alert to what is happening during a repair.
Mobility Heading Towards the Future
There is more to a mobile workforce than just work orders, and with constant changes in technology coming to the field service space, field service mobile apps and mobile field service software are more important than ever. Internet of Things (IoT) sensor technology is growing in use, as is Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, which are being used on the mobile app to help technicians in the field complete repairs, without having to call their office or for additional assistance from another technician, which will speed up repair times.
With the future of field service being a mobile one, it’s worth looking beyond simple work orders and data collection on a mobile app to see what mobile field service software can offer your organization in the future. As mobile devices become a greater part of our society, they will take an even large hold on the field service space. And with that, mobile planning and objectives will become even more defined as field service organizations start to utilize the power of a mobile field service software and the field service mobile app.