If your field service business runs from paper-based methods like binders and clipboards, it's time for a change. Review how you're running your operation and choose a field service management solution that will work for your specific needs.
Filling out paperwork and passing customers carbon copies is the way field services companies ran in the past. Today, you have a host of software options and field service management solutions available. These tools can help you manage and monitor your business, including customers, appointments, routes, fleet vehicles, technicians, inventory, accounting, and more. To streamline your field service-based business and enhance customer satisfaction, you'll need to implement such a system and use it to manage people and assets in real-time. Let's take a look at how.
Investing in Field Service Management Software and GPS Tracking that Work for Your Business in Real-Time
To avoid traffic jams and road hazards that make technicians late to appointments, you'll want to pick an FSM software that works in unison with GPS tracking for fleets. GPS tracking will allow you to monitor exactly where drivers are and will enable them to determine roughly how long it will take to get to their next appointment.
Research has shown that about 15 percent of customers will share what type of experience they had with your company with 15 or more people they know. This conclusion means that almost one-fifth of those you serve will tell others about any negative experience they had with your field services business — and that's only counting who shares it with 15 or more people! Imagine the impact this can have on your business when operational inefficiencies are causing service delays. Undoubtedly, your reputation will suffer.
GPS tracking is just one tool that can help to enhance customer opinion of your company, but it's the most effective way to ensure your technicians are meeting or exceeding their first-time fix rates (FTFRs) because it allows them to route and reroute to avoid traffic jams, road work, and accidents, ensuring they make their appointments on time.
You must also ensure that all technicians start each day prepared with all the inventory, equipment, and tools to complete each scheduled job. When technicians can fix every issue they face at each of their daily appointments, your business will enjoy a good reputation online and among customers and referrals.
The Basis for Success Is Good FSM Software
GPS tracking is essential, and you should invest in it for your fleet. But if you do not pair your GPS-enabled fleet with field service management software, GPS functionality will be seriously hampered. To this end, you will want to choose FSM software that meets all your day-to-day needs.
Regardless of the size of your operation, the Azuga field service management solution is one that will work for you. It offers every tool you need to manage and monitor operational efficiency, productivity, customer satisfaction, and other valuable business insights.
Technician Smart Devices Should Be Updated and Paired With FSM Software
To effectively use your new field service management software, you must have a team of technicians on the road with up-to-date technology at their side. Whether you choose to use smartphones, tablets, or other smart devices, they need to be current and enabled with the FSM software you use. This is the only way you can ensure that your technicians and drivers get the updates and notifications they need to get to their appointments on time.
Every one of your technicians should be able to see in real-time exactly which jobs have been added to their routes and which may have been canceled. They should also be able to take calls from customers who need direct access to available technicians. Finally, your technicians need smart mobile devices that will run daily diagnostics to ensure they are up-to-date and ready for the following day.
When each technician is assigned an updated smart device, they should be able to see your company's inventory in real-time. This access allows them to determine what they need and what they have immediately available. Shared inventory data will also help you avoid having your technicians return to the home office or warehouse in a panicked state between appointments.
As we move into 2021, field service management software is likely to develop additional advantages. Azuga will be there every step of the way, updating our current FSM software offerings, GPS fleet tracking, and other field service solutions for businesses both large and small. Regardless of your trade, customers are sure to enjoy more satisfaction when you streamline your field service operation with FSM software like Azuga.
