The field service management industry is highly competitive, and customers are demanding more from technicians across all spaces. Expectations are higher and even the smallest mistake can cost you a client, so field service companies are having to find every way possible to keep their customers happy, while also keeping their profits high.
Revenue growth has been a challenge for field service organizations, as the Technology Services Industry Association reported that in 2016, 76% of field service organizations are struggling with positive gains in their revenue. That number lowered slightly to 73% in 2017, but growth is still a top concern for many in the field service management industry as we head towards 2018.
With companies embracing new field service software, new opportunities have opened, and technicians have become more efficient and have grown profit margins. But with plenty of room still to grow, there is still many areas of untapped potential that can develop to increase revenue and keep customers satisfied. Here are some ways field service software can help.
On-time Scheduling
On-time SchedulingKeeping customers happy is the best way to increase revenue, as customers are less likely to seek out alternatives if their services are efficient and, most importantly, on time. Field service automation software has many scheduling tools that can ensure that appointments aren’t missed, while also giving the customer a better time window of when the technician will be available.
Calendar tools allow dispatchers to select the right technician, in the right location, for any type of job that needs to be completed. Whether it’s a break and fix call, or a scheduled preventative maintenance inspection, field service software can make the dispatching of a technician more efficient, as all the appointments and work orders scheduled would be visible in one portal. Knowing where all your technicians geographically are, and what other appointments they have already scheduled, makes it easy to slide in emergency repairs without the need for much communication.
Coupled with a mobile field service app, a new appointment can be sent directly to a technician’s mobile device, with all required instructions, tasks and needed checklists, while also helping to route the technician to the next appointment with GPS mapping.
With a companywide view of each technician’s schedule all in one portal, dispatchers can schedule more calls, optimize routes to get technicians to their next appointment faster, and ultimately, satisfy the customer with quick
Increase Workforce
The only way to increase your profits may be to increase the number of service calls you perform. But additional service calls may not be an option with your current workforce, and adding additional full-time technicians could be expensive. However, field service software can make working with subcontractors simple and easy through integrations with third-party vendors.
Manage and monitor all third-party vendors inside your field service software, without the need to reenter data in multiple systems through integrations. Much like your regular employees, push job tasks, checklists, and information to subcontractors and get all the required photos, information, and signatures needed to close out work orders quickly, so customers can be billed and the subcontractor can be paid.
By adding subcontractors to your workforce, you can expand your business not just in the number of calls you take, but also geographically to new areas and begin to expand without the need to set up offices, administrative positions or hire full-time workers.
Eye on Your Revenue
Keeping an eye on your own revenue might be the strongest way to see it improve. But just looking a graph of revenue month by month might not tell you the information you need to know, or what areas of the business that need to be improved.
In field service software, Business Intelligence dashboards can offer that quick glance at the profit margins and revenue, but also be customized to generate reports based on performance indicators that are unique to your business. Each department can generate data that is important to them. A service manager may want to see how many calls they are getting in a certain month over a five-year period to understand slow stretches, while a sales manager may want to see their top-selling equipment.
With analytical reporting that is all customizable, field service organizations can get a better view of their own business, where their revenue is coming from, and what areas need to be focused on.
With field service software solutions, available, growth in revenue can come from many different areas, but all stream from one software. Combined, customers are happier and more informed, organizations can expand into new markets, and get a better scale of their overall business performance, all within one software.