Field Management Software: Benefits and Uses

When we think of businesses, you may be thinking about retail or large corporations with major office buildings where the work is carried out. However, the world of business is evolving and many service-based businesses offer services at the client’s home or a location chosen by the customer, as opposed to having the customer come to them.

With this in mind, there’s been an evolution in “field service management” in terms of helpful software to help make service-based businesses leaner and more efficient.

For those which find this concept new, this post will cover field service management and its challenges as well as the perfect solution you should consider. With this in mind, let’s get started.

What is field service management?

Before we define field service management, let’s first briefly explore what field service is.

This is generally a business that performs services for its customers that do not take place at the company’s office/location but rather at locations that are requested by the customer.

Examples of such field services include repairs, sales, customer support, inspections and others. Discover what Field Service Management (FSM) Software is all about and why your business can’t afford to overlook it.

How is field serviced managed?

Having covered what a field service business does, let’s explore how it is managed.

Generally, field service management is (FSM), as the name suggests, the management of work that takes place at the client’s chosen premises and the staff that is deployed to perform specific work there.

In essence, it is work carried out in the so-called “field”. Such “remote operations”, however, need to be optimised for quality and efficiency to streamline the business operations and ensure better performance and productivity.

As such, FSM has greatly benefited from the development of various software packages that automate the deployment and tracking of field service personnel. But beyond this, such software can also offer valuable information and data in real-time, helping to improve decision-making processes. This is done through apps and dashboards that are used by multiple people within an organisation.

Challenges of field service management

Several challenges exist in the field of FSM. Some of these are discussed in more detail below:

A complex marketplace: market complexity is often characterised by shrinking talent pools and underskilled workforces, rising operational costs and an absence of technology to manage “complex assets” and rising service needs.

Job management

Without the accurate technology at your fingertips, many field operators often struggle with conflicting schedules, miscommunication about job tasks and the need to make return trips.

Data unavailability

Having access to data in real time is a critical part of getting the job done right each time. However, sometimes lagging internet connections and repeat visits can lead to customer dissatisfaction and a poorer quality of service.

Tools that don’t “speak” to each other

Although many companies have in fact implemented numerous solutions to attempt to solve some of the above challenges, this has often resulted in incongruity between tools and solutions which are not cohesive and do not integrate with each other, making processes sluggish and slow.

Trouble with adaptation

Adopting FSM tools means taking time to train your technicians or service providers effectively but adaptation can be slow and can encounter resistance.

Customer feedback not used to its full potential

Although FSM tools and software have the potential to collect important, nay, critical feedback and insights from customers, sometimes this information gets “lost”. This means that valuable information is not used optimally, and this can affect the customer experience.

How is field management software used?

When implemented the right way and adopted across the entire company’s workforce, field service manager software like ServiceOS can be used in multiple ways.

These include managing contracts, customer self-service components, proper dispatch management, etc.

It also helps with managing inventory, more accurate and timely job scheduling, work order management and others.

What industries can benefit from field management software?

Although field management software can and is used by large corporations such as energy and utilities, oil and gas, manufacturing, transportation, construction, inspections, security technicians, telecommunications, consultations, customer support and others, smaller service and field-based businesses can and do benefit from it, too.

In particular, examples of such businesses that can use ServiceOS include:

The advantages of field service management software

Field team management software like ServiceOS – its implementation, adoption and use within a company – is essential for smaller businesses competing in increasingly competitive spaces. Here are just some of the advantages of FSM software and why you should definitely consider it for your business:

• It enables you to schedule job assignments and automate your workflow
• It enables live GPS location tracking of every team member and business vehicle
• The automation of payment and invoicing on-site can be supplemented by on-site price changes
• It enables improved and more efficient performance monitoring and thereby better productivity
• You can access schedules, manage jobs, add checklists and even upload photos of completed work for improved accountability

All these aspects together build up to create a more personalised customer service experience as they are better able to track a job’s progress while receiving reminders and notifications.

In addition, you can better manage your staff and entire workforce with much more meaningful data and greater levels of flexibility. The easy scheduling and ability to track teams in real time mean that you can analyse performance while increasing your business efficiency.

In conclusion

Field service management is a necessary part of doing business for those enterprises that go out in the “field” and perform the bulk of their work there. However, it can come with many challenges which may seem difficult to overcome at first. But with ServiceOS as your field management software, you’re covered from every angle.

Not only will job scheduling and management be easier, your entire workflow will be streamlined and optimised as well. Not to mention the fact that you can get real-time analytics and data to help you make more informed decisions that help the overall quality of service provision, improve the customer experience and help you boost your bottom line. Want to elevate your field management?

Book your completely free demo here.

We hope you found this post helpful! Let us know what you think in the comments section below if you have any questions.