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Ok, let's cut right to chase:
Field operations teams are busting at the seams right now.
Increasing customer demands. Shrinking talent pools. Legacy tech stacks. Regardless of industry…teams out-in-the-field are constantly being asked to do more with less.
Enough is enough.
Here's why technology is coming to save the day.
More tech-savvy field service businesses are streamlining service delivery management than ever before. Automated scheduling, mobile-first software, route optimisation… There's a suite of solutions that solve common frustrations faced by field teams today.
1. Why Field Operations Are Swamped
2. How Technology Can Help
3. Smart Scheduling & Dispatch Software
4. Mobile-First Tools For Field Workers
5. Syncing Systems Together
Why Field Operations Are Swamped
Before jumping into how tech is swooping in to save field service teams everywhere, let's talk about the problems they're facing.
Although field service has always been a complicated industry… There are some unique challenges teams face today.
First up: skill-based worker shortages.
Talent shortages are wreaking havoc on field service teams. Aging service technicians aren't being replaced by younger generations like they used to be. The teams that are left behind are expected to do more with less.
Companies with strong service delivery management tools in place are seeing results over 50% higher retention for field service engineers.
Not only are teams struggling to find skilled workers. They're expected to do more with them.
According to research from Salesforce, 74% of mobile workers think customer expectations are higher now than they've ever been.
Customers want faster service. They want more visibility into their work orders. And they want issues resolved on the first visit.
It sounds simple enough. If your technician walks into a customer's house without the correct part… the job isn't going to get done. Now you've wasted hours of time, lost money, and irritated your customer.
Which leads to technology.
How Technology Helps with Field Service Challenges
Guess what's solving all these problems?
Technology.
There's a reason why software sales for field service management are higher than they've ever been. Companies are finally waking up to the benefits that technology can provide for their field teams. According to Field Nation's research, 56% of organisations report difficulties meeting customer expectations. The companies closing that gap are investing in smarter technology.
From automating repetitive admin tasks to connecting office teams with remote workers. Field service businesses are discovering operations can run smoother than ever by implementing a technology stack that supports their needs.
Here are just a few ways smart technology can improve service delivery management.
Field service software automates redundant administration tasks. This allows technicians to do more service work and less paperwork.
Service management technology puts all information teams need in one place. From customer history to inventory stock levels. Teams have instant access to everything they need to do their jobs successfully.
Mobile-first technology allows teams to communicate in real-time. Office teams can send messages to remote workers. Field technicians can update work orders while on the job.
Do you know what's happening because of these improvements?
Busy office managers are spending more time with customers keeping them… and losing fewer customers to competitors.
Smart Scheduling & Dispatch Software
Did you know that faulty scheduling is one of the leading causes of wasted time in field service?
Wrong bookings send your technicians to jobs they aren't qualified to do. Which means those jobs will have to be re-booked. Something else will be pushed back. Everyone loses.
Smart scheduling software uses automated logic and historical data from past jobs to recommend the best technician for each job. Positional data from mobile devices allow teams to assign jobs to the closest qualified worker.
Fixing broken scheduling could increase your first-time fix rate by leaps and bounds.
The average first-time fix rate across the industry hovers around 75-80%. Not great.
Your first-time fix rate should be higher than that.
Consider this: every time a service technician visits a customer and fails to complete their job. Your business loses anywhere from $200 - $300. Between truck rolls, technician wages, and lost productivity.
If your scheduling and dispatching is broken you're losing money.
Smart software can fix that.
Automated smart scheduling software ties into mobile inventory management so technicians are sent to jobs they have the right parts for. Final checks can be done before technicians even leave the office.
Ensuring technicians have the skills, knowledge, time, and materials to complete each job comes down to smart scheduling and dispatching software.
Mobile-First Tools For Field Service Technicians
Here's a trend that often goes unnoticed…
Mobile technology is single-handedly changing the game for field service.
By equipping teams with powerful mobile tools, businesses are streamlining how their technicians operate while on-the-go.
Mobile service delivery management allows technicians to:
- Review job details and customer history before arriving on-site
- Capture data and update work orders in real-time
- Send messages to office managers and other technicians
- Access turn-by-turn navigation to each of their jobs
Route optimisation reduces how far technicians have to travel between jobs by an average of 15-20%.
When you consider how many hours technicians spend in their trucks each day. That added time compounds into a huge productivity boost.
What's more? Mobile technologies also improve data entry accuracy.
Paperwork is a huge source of lost productivity in field service. Too much time is spent decoding techs handwriting and entering data twice.
When technicians capture data at the point of service using mobile devices. Business owners have access to more accurate information (leading to better decisions). And technicians can spend more time doing what they actually got into this business to do: service their customers.
While individual tools can offer immense value. When you sync them together is where things get really interesting.
Here's an example:
1. The smart scheduler assigns the job to the best available technician based on their skills and current location.
2. The technician receives job details on their mobile device. Including whatever parts they'll need from the warehouse.
3. The technician is given an optimised route to the customer's house.
4. The technician completes the job and uploads any data needed to finish the work order.
No missed visits. No miscommunications. No wasted time doing admin while you could be out servicing customers.
It's time field service businesses stopped looking at tech as individual problems. And started streamlining how they work together.
Wrapping Up
Field service technology is solving some of the biggest industry pain-points.
Whether it's eliminating wasted time between jobs with route optimisation. Giving your technicians the tools they need to do their job via mobile technology. Or streamlining how your scheduling software communicates with other systems.
There's a tech solution for every headache your team is experiencing.
To summarize:
1. Smart scheduling software helps assign the right tech to the right job.
2. Mobile technology puts information at your technicians fingertips.
3. Route optimisation keeps your technicians on the road and out of the truck.
4. Connect your tech-tools together for a seamless operation.
The future of service delivery management is here. And businesses that take advantage of it will deliver the best service, retain more customers, and build the strongest field service businesses.
