Field service isn’t easy.
So, it makes sense that managing it is no walk in the park either.
Hi!
I’m Kyle, and today we’re gonna talk about five common challenges with field service
management and more importantly, how to handle them.
For more info on this topic, visit our website at technologyadvice.com for our list of the
best field service management tools available today.
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Accurate scheduling won’t just ensure your field operations run efficiently,
it will also result in higher customer satisfaction ratings due to techs showing up on time and
keeping visits brief.
But when it comes to the field service industry, there are many challenges presented by scheduling
alone.
You need to predict call time length, account for transit time,
prevent double booking,
make sure the assigned tech has the necessary expertise, and much more.
Unfortunately, field management scheduling is easier said than done, which is why many
field management offices use FSM software to automate certain aspects of scheduling
and help field workers coordinate with the back office.
You can see your workers’ locations, schedule and dispatch work orders, track hours and
job progress, and monitor incoming service requests with ease.
Tracking your workforce while they are in the field also means you can allocate work
orders faster and manage task distribution on a daily basis.
Each field service management solution offers its own unique set of features to assist with
scheduling techs.
For instance, the FSM software Jobber features a flexible and fast job scheduling interface,
a drag-and-drop calendar that is easy to navigate, and the ability to compare tech schedules
directly, so you don’t accidentally overschedule someone.
First-time fix rate refers to the percentage of issues that are resolved on the first technician
visit.
FTFR is an important metric because repeat visits eat into profits, exhaust field service
technicians, and frustrate customers who just want their service to work properly.
If your organization has been losing time and money on repeat visits, field service
management software might be able to help.
For an example, check out the FSM software Synchroteam, which offers the ability to filter
by skills, so you can assign technicians with the necessary expertise to specific jobs.
This will prevent you from having to schedule a second service call simply because the first
tech didn’t have the necessary skills or equipment.
Providing customers with quality service, bolstering the company’s reputation, and
leveraging resources efficiently aren’t the only issues that field service organizations
are facing.
Depending on the type of call, worker safety and liability can be a serious concern, especially
if technicians are visiting hazardous locations such as the top of a radio tower.
The central office or dispatch needs to stay in constant contact with their field workers
and have a process in place for handling emergencies.
If employees feel like their safety is not being properly protected, they may eventually
leave their jobs.
And if enough people quit, that will have a huge impact on your service organization.
A backlog of work orders will pile up, frustrating customers and burning out the remaining techs.
You will also have to spend additional funds to hire and train new service technicians,
further impacting your bottom line.
One solution is to use a field service operations tool that provides a “check-in” feature
for field workers.
Basically, the field team uses this function to notify dispatch of their arrival, and if
anything happens, dispatch can quickly see where the employee is or where they last worked.
Some FSM software such as Service Fusion even provide automatic GPS fleet tracking, so businesses
know where their techs are at all times.
Customer relationship management practices adopted by any organization have a huge impact
on the success of the business, and field service is no exception.
Retaining customers and gaining new ones requires clear communication, which is why keeping
customers in the loop about their service calls will have a positive impact on your
customer experience ratings.
If your truck is running late, if you have to cancel, or if you have to order a part
and come back on a different day, it helps to have a mechanism in place, so the service
provider can communicate that to the customer.
However, communication with customers can also present privacy concerns.
Ideally, customers’ private contact information should be shielded from field staff, and vice
versa, for the safety of both parties.
This can be hard to achieve without the help of a dedicated field service management platform
that is specifically designed with this concern in mind.
The solution, in this case, is to choose a software platform that integrates customer
relationship management with field service operations.
If you want to go the extra mile, a branded customer-facing app with a self-service portal
can reduce the number of calls and increase customer satisfaction.
For instance, the field service management software Workiz offers seamless online booking
in addition to a streamlined communication portal and call masking to protect the identity
of both customers and techs.
Every company needs precise and clear data to compare their performance against goals
and make decisions that move the business forward, and this is especially true for field
management organizations.
While manual methods, like spreadsheets, paper documents, and calculators, can provide analytics,
they require a mountain of manual data entry and research and are prone to human error.
Switching to the automated dashboard and reporting modules that are offered by many field service
apps can help decision-makers monitor trends and performance without adding hours of labor
to their already full schedule.
Plug-and-play reports are also a great way to analyze product demand and monitor the
growth of your customer base with minimal effort.
For instance, Skedulo offers a dedicated workforce analytics function to increase efficiency
and support evidence-based decisions.
When they face challenges, many field organizations focus on increasing their workforce, opening
additional contact centers, attracting new customers through multiple marketing channels,
and other solutions.
But, there’s no point in gaining more customers if you’re only going to lose them after
the first (or second, or third) service call.
Ultimately, implementing the right FSM software can help address a lot of these issues that
you’ll run into with field service management.
Whether it’s a huge enterprise level solution or something more suited for small to mid
sized businesses, there’s likely a tool for you.
To find that right tool, visit our website at technologyadvice.com for our free list
of the best FSM tools available today.