Field service management is the art of managing a team of employees or service technicians that work in the field or outside of a traditional office setting. The most popular kind of occupations people think of when it comes to the field service industry are electricians, plumbers, general contractors, home heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) repairs, and glass installers. Field service employees are an extremely important part of any organization. In addition to being the backbone of a business, they are also the face of the organization—the first opinion someone gets about a company. In fact, more often than not, those one-on-one interactions with field service technicians are usually the only interaction a customer has with a company. And customer satisfaction is key to a company’s reputation. It’s important for field service technicians to be able to meet the needs of their customers by doing their job accurately and on time. That’s why businesses that employ field service technicians need to nail field service right.
It might sound easy. But it isn’t. Efficiently managing a team of field service technicians or on-the-go employees is one of the most complex tasks businesses face.
What Is Feld Service Management Software?
Before the digital age, field service management entailed tracking a sales team or on-the-go technicians with a spreadsheet or calendar. It was a time-consuming task that resulted in miscommunication, delays, and incomplete or even incorrect information. The move to electronic databases was certainly better than pen and paper, but it was still prone to human error. The mobile age has resulted in permanently connected devices and systems that can communicate with each other more easily. This led to the dawn of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business models that automate these tasks, through a cloud-based management platform. This sophisticated field service management technology delivers fast, efficient solutions to a mobile workforce, giving savvy businesses a huge edge over their competition. Some of the most common features of field service management software includes:
- Scheduling and work order management
- Mobile app interface
- Automated appointment reminders
- Vehicle/technician location tracking
- Route optimization and GPS navigation
- Job status updates
- Customer invoicing
- Time tracking and driver logs
- Real-time parts and inventory management
- Integrated invoicing/payment processing
- Field data collection
What Are the Benefits of FSM Software?
Field service management solutions can provide companies with several immediate and long-term benefits. Some of these include:Access to Real-Time Information One of the biggest advantages to using field service management software is having the ability to access information in real-time. This can include knowing the location of workers, inventory levels, customer history, billing information, order schedule, and time tracking. All of this data can help you make more informed, faster decisions for your business.Improved Workforce ManagementInvesting in field service management technology allows businesses to track, monitor, and assign resources more efficiently and effectively. Not only that, but it does it faster and more accurately than doing it manually, which improves the overall customer experience. Cost-EfficientUsing field service management software helps significantly reduce upfront costs. Using field service management technology also helps you make more informed, accurate decisions when it comes to the allocation of your business’ resources which leads to incremental improvements in overall cost efficiency. In the long-term, this helps your business maintain a steady profit margin and save on unnecessary expenses.Better Success RatesFor field service technicians to do their job, they need access to on-the-job trade tools, inventory levels, knowledge resources, and back-end-systems. Using a cloud-based field service management app gives them instant access to diagnostic tools, manuals, and schematics that helps them do their job right the first time. Accuracy and SecurityPaper-based field management reporting methods and electrical databases were prone to human error. And in some cases, the ability for fraudulent entries. Field management software automatically takes care of all of that. This real-time digital collection of data translates into improved accuracy and protects from possible audits.
TFP Canada, Helping Businesses Manage Field Service Technicians
Managing field service technicians is one of the most operationally complex tasks businesses face. That’s because it involves so many different variables, which, until the digital age, had to be logged, monitored, and controlled manually. Thanks to TFP Canada, powered by Taskflow Pro, those days are in the past. Taskflow Pro solves field management issues by providing businesses with an electronic workflow that can be used anywhere—from a computer, tablet, or any mobile device. This results in a faster, more efficient, and effect workforce, improved customer experience, and higher customer retention.Taskflow Pro is easy to install and use and was developed specifically with small- and medium-sized businesses in mind. And it’s perfect for the field service industry, allowing remotely deployed workers to provide live data and communications from the field immediately back to the office. Using the best technologies for web and mobile, Taskflow Pro helps businesses automate and streamline their organization’s complex business operations. In fact, Taskflow Pro is the only workflow management program a small business needs to run their entire organization.With Taskflow Pro, businesses can book services and schedule teams, manage inventory and assets, invoice customers, accept payments, review financials, and manage employees. On-the-go employees can create estimates and work orders electronically, monitor inventory from anywhere, produce real-time dashboards for an overview of the entire operations, and manage their entire business.Because Taskflow Pro is cloud-based, there is no need to buy expensive hardware, pay for unnecessary upkeep or internal IT systems, or buy costly service plans to build and maintain the system.Taskforce Pro is a complete office management system that lets you put your business on autopilot, anywhere, and everywhere, allowing you to do what you do best—grow your business.To learn more about TFP Canada and how our cloud-based enterprise resource software can help automate your business and reduce costs, contact us at (647) 612-3300 or by email at [email protected].
