Field service management (FSM) software is an application that allows a business to coordinate their operations via mobile devices. This can include scheduling appointments and orders, invoicing, logging timesheets, tracking employee locations and updating job statuses. Because of its capabilities to be used specifically in the field, FSM software has become especially popular in industries where work is perform almost exclusively out of office. These industries include plumbing, contracting, appliance repair, and telecommunications just to name a few. If your business does not use FSM applications, it is an option to be considered and some of the benefits of doing so are described below.
1. Efficiency
The use of field service management software has proven to be a valuable tool for businesses that adopt it by increasing efficiency significantly. Drag and drop features allow for dispatchers and management to easily assign jobs to workers complete with details such as job description, tools needed, address, and best route to reach the location. Automatic schedule reminders will alert your workers to jobs scheduled and guarantee that they will attend on time. FSM applications also help employees as they do not have to return to the office after a job is completed to pick up another order or submit invoices. These tasks can be done with ease in the application.
2. Cost effective
FSM software will definitely save your business money. The ability of the application to compose schedules eliminates the need for employees to continuously return to the office for instructions, reducing fuel costs and wear and tear on company vehicles. This will also free up a significant amount of time, allowing for more jobs to be completed during the day which will earn your company more money. FSM software has every worker’s schedule listed in it, allowing for workload to be spread fairly and evenly, removing the needs to pay anyone overtime due to a heavier workload. Errors caused by manual data entry will be removed as the software is capable of recording and storing job data, hour logs, and invoices to ensure that the customer was fairly charged for service and the employee receives the right amount of pay for hours worked.
3. Customer satisfaction
Not only does FSM directly benefit businesses but the customers that hire them as well. As stated the application sends out reminders of job appointments based on employee schedules ensuring that they are on time and preventing workers from failing to show up to complete the work. The reminder will also prompt the employee to call the customer reminding them of the appointment and confirming they are home so the job can be completed. Accurate invoices composed by the FSM application will allow for a breakdown of all the work the employee completed and provides an amount owing that is correct.
4. Increased productivity
As mentioned FSM software removes the obligations of workers to keep attending headquarters to pick up new work orders. This allows them to remain in the field and quickly get to a new job once a job is assigned through the application which leads to more jobs being completed in a regular workday. The software also offers real time information such as an employee’s current location and addresses of people that have called for service, enabling dispatchers and management to match a location with the closest employee available. FSM applications give employees detailed information about what the job entails based on information given by the customer. This guarantees that the employee has the correct tools for the job and will indeed fix the problem specified, eliminating the need to return for follow-up appointments because the issue was not fixed in the first place.
