Dispatchers have one of the most challenging jobs in a field service organization. How do you get technicians from one job site to the next while lowering expenses, meeting response times, and increasing the number of service calls in a day? It’s a challenge for every field service team, however, Fieldpoint has developed a resource routing tool as part of their field service management software to meet that challenge.
This dynamic dispatching tool is giving dispatchers real-time data from the field and an eye on their technicians’ movements. From within the field service dispatch software, dispatchers can make critical decisions with all the right information. They get technicians from job site to job site, reduce the miles technicians drive, the gas they use, and the wear and tear on their vehicles—all while taking on more service calls to increase revenue.
Let’s look into the main functions of Fieldpoint’s resource routing tool and see how our field service dispatch software can empower your dispatchers.
Technician and Appointment Location
Knowing where your technicians are while in the field can be challenging, especially when you need to make fast dispatch decisions. Which technician is located nearest to a service call? Whose route is already crossing another service call location? Dispatchers ask these questions daily and would love a tool that gives them real-time information on technician locations.
With Fieldpoint’s field service dispatch software, technicians can be selected from the resource menu and are plotted on the map. Get the home location of your technician or their live location as they move from call to call. When you are trying to dispatch a technician for a new service call, see the location of the service call, along with all available technicians, to make the right choice.
If the technician has appointments already scheduled, see their current route path based on the order of appointments. This visual display tells you where they are, where they are going and how long it will take to complete the day’s appointments.
The same happens with unscheduled appointments as they are plotted on the map with the visual resource routing tool. Quickly assign them to a technician’s schedule for the day by adding appointment details. Their route will automatically change to include the added work order, and optimization can be completed to reduce drive times.
Route Optimization
When we talk about reducing gas, miles and travel time, we’re talking about route optimization. Fieldpoint’s field service dispatch software will show you the best possible route to take with the optimize trip tool. The optimization tool will build a route based on the shortest travel time and miles. Rather than having technicians travel across a city multiple times in a day, have them stop at the nearest appointment.
Optimization is an integral part of Fieldpoint’s field service dispatch software and is a growing trend in the field service industry. With rising fuel costs, shorter routes mean less fuel burned. It also saves on vehicle maintenance and time spent moving from appointment to appointment. Optimized routes free up time for your technician to take on additional service calls. This is the core reason optimization has become such a growing trend, as profit margins are getting slimmer and field service organizations need to take on more calls to grow revenue.
Fieldpoint’s resource routing tool allows you to see the best route your technicians can take. It also allows you to make changes to the order of appointments to meet service level agreements, or in the case of emergency calls. Plan a route that works best for your technician and your customers. Keep your technicians working on repairs, rather than wasting time in their vehicle driving. Coupled with the Fieldpoint mobile app, reduced administration and driving times will free up time to add in additional appointments and grow revenue.
Reassign Appointments
In the case of emergency appointments, dispatchers need to be able to reassign service calls quickly to meet the demand. That might mean moving one or more appointments from one technician to another. This needs to be done quickly, and with Fieldpoint’s resource routing tool, it can be done from the visual display. With a simple click on the appointment, it can be reassigned from one technician to another. The reassigned appointment can then be added to the technician’s schedule and optimized route. This frees up the original technician to take on the emergency call.
With the visual tools showing the location of each technician, the routes they are taking, and the appointments they have scheduled, dispatchers have all the information they need to make quick decisions. Find the nearest technician or route to a service call and reassign appointments quickly.
This is also useful when using the same workforce for break/fix repairs as you do for project installation work. Reassign a technician to a project and have their appointments reassigned to other technicians. This allows you to utilize your workforce for any type of work you need to be completed. Whether it’s a break/fix repair, a preventative maintenance call or a project, quickly reassign technician appointments to meet the demand of your service department.
Resource Routing as Part of Field Service Dispatch Software
Put your people in the position you want them to be in, doing the jobs you need them to do. With Fieldpoint’s resource routing tool, give your dispatchers all the information they need straight from the field to make critical scheduling decisions. Monitor the actions of your technicians, their locations, and their route, and constantly make changes to optimize their routes to fit your needs.
With a field service dispatch software and field service mobile app, you’re getting real-time data from the field. Navigate through dispatching challenges and improve the communication between dispatchers and technicians with a dynamic dispatch tool. Reduce expenses related to travel and increase the opportunity to add additional appointments by optimizing routes. With Fieldpoint’s field service dispatch software, take control of dispatching and scheduling.