Posted by Many field service organizations use manual methods or spreadsheets to manage and dispatch their mobile workers, or they have silos and fragmented systems that don’t communicate with one another. While this system may sound feasible in the short-term, it may not support for scale and growth.
Field service work has evolved, and field technicians aren’t just servicing techs anymore. They play multiple roles from sales to customer service. If you can’t afford to waste time or compromise your tight resources on the unpredictability of legacy system, then a field service management tool is evolving to be a must have to cater to your organization’s end-to-end needs.
Ways and Means on how Field Service Operations have evolved
Automation and Integration
Manual scheduling and dispatch are error-prone and outworn. The time has come to lay back and let those machine learning algorithms do the work. Automation of workflows lets one circumvent problems caused by traffic, weather, etc. and the ability to prioritise work orders while taking field technician schedules and customer’s availability into consideration.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning
Artificial intelligence and machine learning empower machines to improve predictive maintenance. Embedded sensors and other tools allow manufacturers to track all their assets in real-time, with all alerts visible on a single screen. Comprehensive views give key indicators of machine performance, enabling dispatchers to create a service ticket with likely resolutions instantly.
Real-time Tracking
Customers do not like to deal with uncertainty while waiting for technician for hours long and regretting for the valuable time they have wasted on a poor service. Real-time tracking of field service technicians by both clients and dispatch managers is a boon. It lets customer to keep tabs on the exact location of the technician assigned, the estimated of arrival and any potential delays in case.
Smarter and more integrated workflow tools
In the past, companies struggled to aggregate information. They often overwhelm CEOs and managers with too much data and not enough insight. In contrast, advanced analytics allow companies to generate specific action steps down to the level of coaching individuals, following up with specific customers to address low customer satisfaction scores, or to sort through service-level-agreement misses.
Continuous Communication with the Customer
Gone are the days of looking up helpline numbers. Customers require 24/7 access on service updates through phone calls, emails, or online chats as they prefer. Keeping customers informed through a customer portal, let your customers log and assures they are updated on their service ticket’s status and progress, saving both customer reps and your customers a lot of time and frustration.
Much like smart phones, smart field service software solutions have evolved and now become the norm. The ever-evolving technology is making old practices redundant by the day to make sure that the business keeps up with the time and doesn’t get left behind!