30 Aug
One of the toughest jobs for any company is to manage the technicians on the field and to get all the service jobs to be done on time. The work involved in this is huge. There are service requests to be entered. The job must be scheduled after checking all the jobs that are pending and when they can schedule this order. They must also check which technician can be handed over this job so that it can be completed satisfactorily within the scheduled time.
While they were being managed manually there were many errors. There could be wrong entries and wrong scheduling. Some orders could be entered but the service not attended as there was no reminder. There could be unexpected developments in the field which also have to be accounted for. It was too much to be handled manually and this ended in many customers being left unsatisfied.
What Is Field Service Management Software?
At the simplest form, this software is meant to keep track of the various elements of field operation. It allows you to schedule jobs, assign them to different technicians on the field, track your vehicles, see the status of different jobs, allow customer interaction through the customer portal and keep the technicians in the loop through a mobile app. The software allows complete management of all activities on the field with relation to service to the customers.
The Field Service Management Softwarealso allows you to raise estimates and invoices to be sent to the customers. You can also integrate customer relationship management software to this for better interaction with the customers and knowing their transaction history. You can also manage products and their warranty information using the software. With the availability of cloud storage and good internet connectivity, the technicians on the field can access storage and pass on information to the customers.
The Impact of FSM on Customer Relationship
The best thing that the software brings about is the way in which the company interacts with the customers. As the information is available at all levels it allows all the employees to interact with the customers and give them the best experience. All the employees have access to the latest information through the software and this ensures that everyone gives the same information to the customers. This gives the customers is the reassurance that the company is on the job.
As the information is real-time the company can convey any unexpected delays to the customers. As the technicians are on the field there can be many situations that will delay the arrival of the technicians to a customer's premises. This can be immediately conveyed to the customers and the rescheduled timings can be informed. This will help to make the customer understand and accept the delay.
FSM Allows Better Management of Field Activities
Earlier the managers had a tough time managing all the various elements in the field service activity. Scheduling a job and assigning the same to a technician was difficult and there was a need to check various records for this. It took a lot of time for the company to respond to a customer's service request and give the correct schedule.
It was also not possible to monitor the status of the job With the field service management software, it takes only a few minutes to schedule a job and give to a technician and inform the customer about the schedule and who will be attending the job. Managers are also able to monitor the status of a job. They can offer real-time information to the technicians about any change made by a customer. The efficiency of both the manager and the technician has improved greatly as there are no delays and the time is used very beneficially.
Better Empowerment of Field Technician
The proliferation of mobile devices and the availability of the internet have helped to improve the usefulness of the software. With the field service management app and ERP Software Solutions, the technicians on the field can have all the information that they want. They can answer queries from the customers because they can access the data from anywhere. This has made the experience of the customers much better. Such interactions help improve the relationship with the company.
Technicians can now access all the information about the customers and their previous activity histories from the data storage. Customers don't have to wait long for the information and this helps the company to satisfy the customer in a better manner. Customers have also started to expect such an immediate response with the advancement in technology. They expect their company to use the most modern technology.
The FSM software allows you to use your resources intelligently. There is a reduction in cost as you can streamline your field activity and use the technicians to get maximum work done. The GPS feature in the app can help in route optimization. With intelligent scheduling of jobs, you can reduce fuel consumption and vehicle maintenance costs. All these savings can have a positive impact on your bottom line.