The Visual South team frequently discusses the need for a foundation and process to ensure success when choosing enterprise systems. The same is true with field service management apps – if you have a plan, then it’s easy. If you don’t, then not so much. One way to hit that easy button is to learn how to select service management software as it will give you guidance on the steps to create a process and a plan.
Field service technicians are your most valuable revenue-producing assets. Applications that help them be the most efficient and productive should be provided, and an easy way to do that is to have optimized scheduling and dispatch functionality in your service management software system. The field techs can then get their daily schedules and appointments while on the road, creating an ease of communication and the best routes, so customer needs can be addressed as soon as possible.
Maximizing efficiency and ensuring first-time repair success is critical. Once field service techs have been dispatched, the goal is to complete the work as quickly and accurately as possible. A great field service mobile app to have is one that shows current unit configuration and history of work completed on that unit. For example, let’s say your tech is working on a pump that is under a service contract. The tech will be able to see previous work done, including break-fix and preventive maintenance activities. The tech will also be able to see the current parts on the pump, such as serialized parts and parts under warranty. The ability to know what has been done, previously addressed issues, and specific parts can lead to decreased troubleshooting time and speed up the replacement part ordering process. In short, a good mobile application will allow for maximum time usage, shortened repair time, better customer service, and improved mean-time to repair.
Get a single field service management system, such as Infor Service Management, that can address all aspects of the business from opportunity (CRM) to cash (accounting).
Another important app is one that allows for the tech to tell the service management system how long a service order took and what materials were used. These apps are great because a tech can use them to clock into the service order and issue materials from his service truck inventory or purchase those materials. As any Visual South team member will tell you, it is critical to tell the system what you did and what was used at the time of the activities -- not later when things are forgotten or memories fade.
There are several benefits of capturing labor and materials:
In summary, there are many field service management apps that can help your field techs operate more effectively, increase customer satisfaction, and make your company more competitive.
For complete information on how field service mobile apps and field service management software can positively affect your business, please visit the Infor Service Management page.
Visual South helps companies improve their service business. We are happy to set up a free consultation to provide guidance on managing your ERP evaluation. Please reach out to us for a free assessment.