Field service business operations are often remotely managed such that the workers face customers directly on their own. This lack of visibility of on-ground operations leads to loopholes in delivering exceptional customer service and dependence on field service technicians’ capabilities. This is the reason many field service businesses have to invest in additional manpower just for supervision – leading to increased business expenses.
By simply adopting field service management software, it is possible to obtain field service operations visibility to manage the mobile workforce remotely – read more to learn how.
What is field service management software?
Field service management software helps you streamline and automate manual tasks involved in delivering field service to your customers. Such tools reduce human errors and the time required to execute tasks across marketing, sales, scheduling, dispatching, routing, inventory management, customer service, and much more.
FSM software combines many features across CRM, billing, operations, project management, and more in a single tool. Here are five key features that enable mobile workforce management:
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Automated worker dispatching: FSM software can assign jobs to the right worker based on their proximity to the job site, skills, availability, past customer feedback, and more parameters. It will automatically adjust worker’s calendars to help them finish more jobs at the same time.
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GPS location intelligence: helps optimize routes toward the job site to save travel time. GPS helps track the real-time location of workers which can be shared with customers for accurate estimated arrival times.
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Digital timesheets: using the FSM mobile app, workers can punch their time-in and time-out instantly using biometrics. It also helps manage time-off requests.
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Geo-fencing: helps track worker movements within the job site to ensure accountability, determine productive hours spent, and calculate compensations accordingly.
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Digital documentation: helps access resources like equipment manuals, standard operating procedures, invoices, service sheets, and much more instantly on the FSM mobile app.
How does adopting FSM software streamline mobile workforce management tasks?
Here are five key ways in which FSM software enables your field service business to handle the workforce effectively:
Better visibility and coordination
FSM software provides real-time visibility into the location and status of field service technicians. This ensures better coordination and allows for quick responses to changes in schedules or urgent service requests. Also, managers can track their movements and job status, to allocate resources efficiently.
Real-time communication and updates
In case of emergencies, workers can simply video call supervisors for assistance. This eliminates the need for managers to travel to job sites for training or troubleshooting. Workers can also share real-time information about job progress via a dashboard to update customers and managers. This reduces misunderstandings and enhances overall collaboration between workers, managers, and customers.
Fair compensation based on productive hours
An important area of workforce management is adherence to local labor laws to provide fair compensation to recruited workers. FSM software determines the time spent – including breaks and overtime hours to accurately determine compensation. Such features also help maintain transparency with workers and managers can align accountability initiatives to improve workforce productivity.
Employee training and assistance
FSM software helps train employees by making resources and documentation available 24 by 7. If Your FSM software is integrated with AR/VR technologies, it is possible to train workers in safe spaces on how to safely navigate hazardous situations. Such realistic training improves first-time fix rates and reduces occupational hazard chances.
Data security via selective access to information
Robust security features in FSM software ensure the protection of sensitive data related to remote workers and field service operations. For example, it is possible to provide limited access to documentation or design workflows to maintain a hierarchy of information sharing. This addresses cybersecurity concerns associated with managing a mobile and remote workforce.
Want to improve workforce management and reduce chaos? – we can help
With efficient mobile workforce management, field service businesses can improve service delivery and reduce unnecessary expenses associated with manual management.
Zuper’s field service management solutions cater to many challenges of effectively managing workers on the ground. Check out our comprehensive workforce management features which enable your field service business with the latest GPS, AI, and data analytics technologies for workforce management – book a demo today.
