Growing businesses face a range of challenges. When a business grows, its challenges and operational complexity also grow. To overcome these challenges, and see better results, many field service businesses have started to adopt cloud-based solutions. Field service software is offering a wide range of benefits from streamlining work orders to collecting payments. Read more to know how a mobile app can simplify field service operations.
Improved communication
One of the most significant field service management challenges is communication between your field service team and back-office staff. Field techs and office staff need to talk anytime one of them needs to update the other about a service location or job. Calling back and forth is never efficient, thankfully there is a better way.
A mobile app integrated with your field service management software can help your teams connect, each being able to update job schedules and details in real-time. A technician in the field can log in to their mobile app and see what jobs are currently on their schedule and the services associated with them—customer information is there too.
From this mobile app, a field tech can update job statuses and have their changes reflected in your FSM software. Since these updates are now available in the FSM, the back-office team will have access to job notes, allowing them to respond more quickly and with relevant information when customers call in.
Visibility to the customer
Mobile apps offer customers a personalized booking experience and transparency of information. Booking an appointment is simple. By signing in using either Google or Facebook, an appointment can be scheduled from a mobile device. Booking this way will update your FSM software, saving time and avoiding double entry. Your back-office team will already have access to the booking, as the FSM software syncs with the mobile app, smoothing information exchange and guaranteeing a better customer experience.
Access to inventory and tools
Inventory management is an important part of field service management, without a proper sense of what is available it becomes much harder to assess what jobs you can resolve, and which ones you need to order parts for. The process of tracking and managing materials, equipment, parts, and other consumables will become more complex when technicians are unaware of what’s available in the inventory. If equipment is damaged at a job site, a field service technician can update its status via mobile app by scanning the barcode.
The mobile app provides a clear, concise overview of stock status from a single screen. Technicians are able to see complete details of company inventory including equipment name and whether or not it is currently available. Being able to view inventory in this way gives your field service team a birds-eye view of stock levels and allows them to plan their consumption accordingly.
Accurate calculation of estimates and invoices
Having to deal with numbers at a job site is something your technicians are familiar with. If they are providing a quote to customers, they may be relying on a separate software product to produce the estimate. But by choosing the right mobile app, you don’t need to rely on a separate piece of software. Estimates can be quickly generated by choosing offered services and the hours needed to complete the work.
‍Invoices can be generated just as easily. Once a job has been completed, and invoice can be produced on the fly, or a previously created estimate can be converted to an invoice with a single click. Data accuracy is easier to maintain and technicians’ productivity can be increased—all because you are using an end-to-end field service solution.
Track technician’s tasks and expenses
Having your technicians use a mobile app provides your business with an additional advantage. You are able to track productive hours and calculate labor expenses. Technicians will be able to clock in and out with the mobile app. Work activities can be assessed accurately, without taking slack time into account. This timesheet data will automatically sync with accounting and HR software allowing for easy calculation of labor costs.
Because each technician may have different hours, calculating billable time accurately can be difficult. But the high degree of accuracy provided by the FSM mobile app will help to address this. Calculating billable hours becomes much easier as well as providing field service managers valuable insights into the efficiency of their service team. Areas of improvement can quickly be identified all while reducing timesheet errors.
Simplified digital payments
Payments are made easier. After completion of service, an invoice link is sent directly to the customer, via SMS as well as email notification. Once initiated, the customer can sign digitally, thereby accepting the invoice. Collecting payment is also flexible. A field tech can receive payment either online or via credit card through and integrated payment gateway built into the mobile app. Payment can be captured seamlessly with a single tap!
Checklists on-the-go
If technicians have to fill out forms and paperwork at the end of every service call, things can get easily forgotten or lost. Checklists in the mobile app will assist with accountability and help people to complete all tasks on time, every time. Comprehensive lists make sure accurate data is collected on services rendered and parts used. Using mobile checklists allows you to track services end-to-end so you can take preventative or corrective care, as appropriate. Checklists make life better for everyone, the business, the technician, and the customer.
Summing up
Going forward, field service businesses need to upgrade themselves with mobile technology to utilize the maximum benefits of field service software. We can see that the benefits of having a mobile app are not restricted only to stakeholders but also to customers, technicians, and the back-office team. Working in tandem, they allow you to track customer data, and work items, and share information with staff remotely.
Streamline your whole service process by making inventory management easier than it has ever been. Help your managers stay on top of remote workers, and provide a more responsive customer experience. Get in touch with our experts to know more.
