Handling field services is a daunting task if not appropriately managed. It involves coordinating different departments within your business, back-office employees, and external vendors. And that’s why field service management is crucial.
Article Contents
What Is Field Service Management?
Field service management is a system of managing, monitoring, and optimizing a company’s field resources. The level of effectiveness in field service management is key to delivering satisfactory customer service.
To achieve that, you must invest in modern tools such as field service management software. Though it’s an investment, the software has numerous benefits that prove it worthwhile.
Benefits of field service management software
1. Faster Completion Of Tasks
Field services aim to optimize service to make every minute count. You’ll spend hours scheduling or mapping out preferred routes manually. But with field service management software, you can modernize your task for faster completion.
Additionally, the software will provide you with all the data you need for invoicing in one location. That will reduce the time you take to complete activities such as invoicing.
2. Saves Money
FSM software reduces your paperwork and helps you manage orders. That reduces your operations costs, such as preparing, storing, and filling paper works.
Additionally, the software enables you to reduce travel expenses by optimizing your routes. The well-defined path will reduce the number of trips, saving fuel and servicing your fleet.
3. Improves Customer Satisfaction
It is not practical to succeed in field services without meeting customers’ expectations. To meet their expectations, you’ll need the right tools. With FSM software, you can harness all the information you need to ensure you satisfy your customers.
4. Boosts Productivity
Field service management software automates your process. You’ll have minimal stress filling out paperwork and updating inventories and data. That will create more time for your employees to perform their specific jobs. Such utilization of time will directly improve productivity and boost your dispatch cycle.
5. Remote Accessibility
The ability to work and manage your field activities from home is beneficial. You can’t move all your professional or administrative tasks to remote areas.
But to complete their tasks, the professionals will need to access information from workers in the field. Field service management software enables you to access data and information quickly.
Things To Consider When Choosing A Field Service Management Software
1. Your Business Needs
Field management software is a business investment, and you do not go in blindly. Before buying, consider your business need to identify how the software will help your operations. Explain the requirements to your software provider to ensure you get software that meets your business objectives.
2. Features of the software
Field service management software has varying features. Evaluate and identify the parts you need in your software. You’ll be looking for software that matches the features your need.
3. Compatibility
You’ll benefit from FSM software when compatible with your operating systems and team. Consider your team and incorporate their requirements and feedback when choosing the software.
4. Cost
When choosing FMS software, you should consider the price. The price will vary depending on the features you want and the size of your company.
Apart from the initial cost, it would help if you considered other costs such as training, set up fee, training, support, and maintenance. However, be ready to spend a little more on robust FSM software with quality features.
Components Of Field Service Management
1. Scheduling And Dispatch
You’ll have to schedule your workers for various field activities, such as delivery, quality testing, or installation. Scheduling and dispatching aim to ensure that your technician arrives at the site at the right time and with the right tools.
2. Route Planning And Tracking
Choosing the most efficient route to the client’s location is essential. It will save you time, fuel, and servicing expenses. With field service management software, automate route planning for optimal routes and track progress.
3. Inventory Management
A physical trip to check your inventories in multiple locations can be time-consuming. However, it helps you know tools’ availability and stock decisions. You can access this information on a centralized field service management software.
4. Reporting And Analytics
Knowing what’s working, what’s not, and the right actions to take leads to effective field services. You should ensure you have the right tool that gives your real-time information to take measures and analyses.
A field service management software provides your real-time reports and helps you analyze your field services.
Conclusion
The field service industry has undergone many transformations over the past years. One of the critical development is the use of field service management software.
Businesses can now plan, manage resources, and optimize and automate operations. If you’re in the field service business, the above guide will give you helpful insight to field service management.
