Field service management solutions are a great investment, not only for large fleet enterprises, but for smaller fleet-based businesses as well. Improving efficiency and effectiveness isn’t just for the big guys anymore. Any field service-based business that wants to optimize its use of resources, improve productivity, and satisfy its customers has a place for field service management solutions in its operation.
Improve Organization and Workflow
Efficient Scheduling and Dispatch
Field service management software can make scheduling more efficient while also optimizing assigned routes. One of the most essential tasks to a fleet business is to bring it up-to-date through the use of a fleet management system. This removes the need for pen-and-paper scheduling and reduces the likelihood of human error.
Routes are optimized while automatically accounting for distance, direction, and route conditions. Employees have access to detailed route directions and timelines. Schedule changes can be made in real-time, allowing your managers or administrators to prioritize client needs as they come in — no more phone calls back and forth from the office to the driver. And, no more idle time retrieving messages and updates and reformulating the route in the field. These processes can all be lengthy and time-consuming. Small businesses cannot afford the inefficiencies of the analog age, especially if they wish to remain competitive.
Match Technician Skills
A mismatch between job requirements and the technician’s skill set can result in wasted time, wasted resources, and unhappy clients. With today’s advanced field service management software, the skill management feature allows technicians to be matched with jobs based on their experience level. When schedules are made, this information is available to consider upfront. Getting skills appropriately matched the first time makes the overall process much more efficient. This means the customer will be more likely to be satisfied with the work done and the timeliness with which the job was completed.
Faster Customer Payment
With both mobile and cloud capabilities, fleet staff can access field service management software while in the field. Work orders can be updated as jobs are finished. Field staff can update inventory as they account for materials used. Time and distance getting to the site are automatically logged, and total time spent on the job is calculated accurately as the technician updates the work order as completed. With all the data now collected and entered, technicians can invoice clients as soon as the job is completed. In fact, the invoice can be automatically generated with the completion of the job too. Eliminating delays in invoicing can speed up payment time, which is vital to small businesses, whose owners often worry about the time to get paid and are less able to float accounts receivable.
Reduction of Field Expenditures
Field service management software now has incredible tracking capabilities. Aside from the route optimization we already looked at, tracking software can report behaviors in the field that can be addressed to improve efficiency and reduce costs. Hard driving behaviors, including quick accelerations, hard stops, and speeding, all have a negative impact on fuel expenses.
Addressing adverse driving behaviors can reduce fuel expenses and reduce the risk of accidents or citations. Inappropriate or unauthorized use of fleet vehicles and vehicle theft can also be detected utilizing field management software. Mitigating these potential costs and losses improves field operations and efficiency.
Improved Customer Satisfaction
Customer expectations are rising in the field service business arena. Having the right tools available to field businesses can help meet and exceed customer expectations in a fiercely competitive climate. With field service management software, technicians have a tool in their hands that helps customers stay informed and updated. Technicians can update customers if they get delayed, send notifications when they are on the way, and communicate service aftercare.
Technicians are more involved in the overall customer experience when they have job details and resources at their fingertips. They are more informed when office staff provides job details and even photos to ensure the customer’s specific requests and requirements are adhered to and met. All of this works together to improve the customer’s experience and increase satisfaction. It also increases the likelihood that the job is done satisfactorily on the first visit.
First visit completion is paramount to efficiency and positively impacts your bottom line.
Azuga’s specifically offers a small business field service management option with just your operation in mind. In order for FSM software to truly be viable for small businesses, it must be flexible, scalable, and customizable — Azuga’s Small Business GPS Fleet Tracking offers all of this and more. Azuga has a proven track record of helping businesses optimize their workflow and make their processes more efficient. Check out our Success Stories to learn more.
