Integrating Field Service to Improve ROI

Posted on March 26, 2017January 17, 2022 by Field Force Tracker

Field Service Industry is going through the big change. Field service software like Field Force Tracker are changing the software industry by their revolutionary features and low cost.

However, if you are moving from paper or spreadsheet based scheduling, you will be making a big change in the process. To make sure that you get the most benefits, this article will explain that.

Whether you are looking at developing your field service strategy or starting out, how do you choose the right solution with so many on offer today? How do you ensure that you get the most from your investment?

One thing you should look for is a solution which easily integrates with your current systems, as a field service solution which is easily integrated means a much faster return on your investment (ROI.)

Here we look at the reasons why:

Ease of integration extends what you already use

With an easily integrated field service solution you don’t need to think about changing your workflow systems. Extending the life of your current systems – accounting, HR, CRM or ERP – is all important so look at field service solutions which will leverage and expand their use. You want to maximize the investment you have made in your existing systems, to increase their value to you.

Seamless integration for a quick implementation

A solution which easily integrates helps with a smooth implementation and the implementation of any new technology needs to be as quick and straightforward as possible. A lengthy implementation process will defeat its objective. So being up and running in days, not months, should be the realistic goal – delivering a much faster ROI.

Ease of use means quicker adoption

Any new technology should be easy to use and field service solutions are no exception. Overly-complicated systems will be bypassed and worked around or ignored all together. When your field service solution is easy to use alongside existing systems, the adoption by workers is quicker and inevitably means a better ROI.

Integration efficiencies streamlines the workflow

An integrated field service solution means that the two-way flow of data and information is captured just once and in a consistent and efficient way. It means that no data is left unused or delayed while waiting on paperwork submissions or for collected information to be downloaded and an audit trail is in place reducing the chance of any lost or missing information. Once implemented, the two-way flow of information means that many tasks can be automated throughout the workflow.

Integration future proofs your investment

Any software needs to be agile and able to move with the next generation. Solutions which are quick to update and roll-out will mean the business keeps pace. Developments are moving fast and with an easy to integrate solution you are able to future-proof your requirements because of the flexibility it can bring. Upgrades, changes and adaptions can all be quickly and effectively made as your business needs change and develop.

Field Force Tracker simplifies field service management. The seamless integration of our field service solutions, speed of implementation and ease of use will mean you are up and running immediately, so your business doesn’t standstill.

About Field Force Tracker

Field Force Tracker (http://www.fieldforcetracker.com) is a leading global provider of its award winning mobile workforce solutions for service-based businesses of all sizes delivered as software-as-a-service (SaaS). Our solutions enable businesses of all sizes (from 1 user to 10,000 users) to meet the challenges associated with managing and running complex service operations. It helps in improving the productivity of their mobile workforce.

With Field Force Tracker, customers can create service schedule and route quickly, dispatch sooner, collect correct information at once in the field and invoice faster. The field service software makes it easy for users to eliminate waste, get more done in less time and be more profitable.

Field Force Tracker is a wholly owned unit of Rapidsoft Systems Inc. (http://www.rapidsoftsystems.com). Rapidsoft Systems, Inc. has its main office in Princeton, NJ, USA, a US R&D Center in Mercerville NJ, and sales, support and development offices in Palo Alto, CA, USA, Singapore, Dubai (UAE), Bombay, and Noida (India).

Efficient Scheduling For Field Service Management

Posted on March 25, 2017January 17, 2022 by Field Force Tracker

A field service office is a busy office. With dispatchers trying to keep track of jobs, calls and work schedule of each employee, there can be a quite chaotic environment. The old paper and blackboard method scheduling no longer can provide efficient scheduling for a busy office.

For managing a large work force or for saving time in scheduling jobs, you need an efficient job scheduling software like Field Force Tracker. Field Force Tracker with its powerful scheduling capabilities can make it easy to schedule jobs, change schedule and assign and reassign jobs with simple clicks. Mobile Users get notified right away.

Challenges of Job Scheduling

Working in field service you face some pretty unique challenges. Companies with a field service operation often cover a range of different areas of work. They may cover everything from design work to installation, repair, renovation and service work; meaning each day is different to the last and no two jobs are the same in a day. The work may be highly complex and require specific skills, parts or tools for the individual tasks. Workflows may have a number of dependencies, which need to be stuck to, to complete the job so crews have to work well together.

For many of these companies there is also a mix of planned and emergency work throughout the day. The emergency calls that come in obviously need to be managed and worked into the day’s schedule. It means changes to the planned work and it is often difficult to make instant decisions on what needs to be changed around or moved down the priority.

Changes may be needed as jobs overrun due to their complexity, customers not being available or traffic and weather conditions impacting on a technician’s schedule.

Given that many companies still rely on paper-based processes, to some extent, in managing their field service work these challenges becomes all the greater to manage.

This brings additional difficulty to making changes to schedules and dispatch, allocating work to technicians as those in the office may not be working with all the information they need. So, the use of paper-based processes can mean a huge amount of time and resource is taken up by making the schedules for the start of the day and then managing them as changes occur throughout the day.

For any field service company, total visibility of field technicians and their work is key for complete optimization of resources and effective service delivery.

Benefits of Field Service Software Dispatching

Here are ten ways that the right scheduling solution makes a difference. The right schedule and dispatch software –like Field Force Tracker:

Gives you fast, accurate scheduling and dispatch straight from the work order all in one easy application
Enables you to make changes to accommodate incoming work – all at the touch of a button
Provides great visibility of your teams, with maps to show where all your field workers are at any time
Allows you to find the nearest worker to a job and enables better route optimization to get them to the job in the quickest time
Takes into account service regions, worker skills and location
Allows for planned, emergency and in-day tasks to be dispatched to the right, skilled technicians and engineers
Allows you to schedule crews to specific jobs, while recording each individual’s time worked and different rates per crew member on the same job
Ensures field workers have accurate information and the correct parts and equipment
Gives you visibility of assets to assign them to jobs
Provides your field technicians with job information on their mobile device and delivers the back office with job status updates in real-time

Field Force Tracker allows you to schedule your resources easily and quickly and dispatch the job to the field instantly. Our leading field service solution can transform how you run your field operation and ensure that you can get the most out of all the resources you have.

To learn more about Field Force Tracker scheduling take a look at our scheduling and dispatch video.

To find out more about Field Force Tracker’s complete solution why not view our overview video or join our 30-minute webinar.

About Field Force Tracker

Field Service CRM for Service Management

Posted on March 10, 2017January 17, 2022 by Field Force Tracker

A business relies on its customers for its revenue. Therefore, customer relationship management (CRM) is the most important function for any business to survive. For a small business, the customer database can be maintained in spreadsheets, but for the large database, you need an efficient CRM system like Field Force Tracker.

With Field Force Tracker, you can maintain your customers, your past history, their service records, their installed equipment, their estimates, payments and invoices. Essentially you get he complete information at your finger tips.

Customer Relationship Management is Life Blood of an Organization

The key to growing any organization is in building strong and lasting relationships with customers. And in today’s fast-moving business world, how quickly you react to customer requests—from the initial touchpoint throughout the lifecycle of the relationship—ultimately determines the success of your company.

This is the Age of the Customer. Web-based technologies such as email, social media and a plethora of platforms and applications have changed the business landscape, providing more resources to communicate through and respond to customer needs. Those that create an ecosystem of customer-focused tools in their operations are able to better provide the level of service that’s required to keep customers happy and remain competitive.

A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform is one these tools. Coupled with Field Force Tracker’s field service management application, CRM provides the means to keep the business aligned on the needs to the customer through sharing up-to-the-minute information throughout the lifecycle of the customer.

Benefits of Using a Service CRM

Most mid-market and enterprise-level companies with field service teams have some form of CRM in place. These systems enable them to track customer contacts, sales and marketing interactions during the relationship.

Best-in-class CRM providers are leading the way to improve the capture of day-to-day customer interactions. In addition to companies using them to build leads and capitalize on pipeline opportunities, they are also discovering more ways to increase business revenue through them.

Through mobile technology and cloud computing, field service management applications have proven to boost the capabilities of CRMs. When a CRM is integrated with customer-facing field operations through Field Force Tracker on mobile devices, it also functions to collect critical field-related data that’s not captured through the contact center.

Improving Sales Process

CRMs help businesses increase sales productivity, leading to higher lead conversions and thus, increased revenue. The ability to instantly view and track customer data, including key contacts, activity history, interactions, and quotes can assist businesses in making faster decisions—using the most up-to-date information—and closing more deals.

Field engineers who have access to this information on their mobile devices can identify and close upsell opportunities while they are onsite. They can capitalize on the fact that an existing customer is 60-70% more likely to make additional purchases. This improves the average revenue per work order and offsets costs for customer retention.

Field Force Tracker stores work order information, PDFs, photos, videos, schematics, asset information and other data, and of course, field-generated customer history within the application. Through CRM integration, however, this field-based intel is added to the information collective and can be used to qualify customers for sales promotions. This enables a business to solicit their customers according to their needs and interests beyond the contact center and the field, improving the likelihood of additional revenue.

Managing Marketing Communication

No two customers are alike. It’s important to communicate across multiple channels to ensure that each person who comes into contact with a customer has the information they need to provide a personalized, quality experience. Fueled by one-on-one interaction with customer managers and field engineers, CRMs store the collective data businesses need to craft targeted messaging, programs and promotions that will resonate with their base.

They also provide automation of marketing processes across the entire customer lifecycle. Data from prospect and customer engagement can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of sales and marketing efforts. In addition, CRMs may also help companies to manage and monitor advertising and mentions across social media – a critical step in listening to customer feedback, gauging advocacy and understanding the influence a business has on its market.

CRM Integration with Mobile Field Service Management

The integration of CRM with field service management facilitates a system for nurturing of customers. In the field, the engineer is able to deliver a higher level of service by interacting from a better understanding of the customer’s history and their requests.

After a service call is completed, Field Force Tracker automatically syncs the information that has been collected in the field with the CRM in the service center. This creates immediate unity throughout all parts of the business regarding the interaction with the customer and the state of their assets.

This information in hand, a company can then choose to send an automated message to the customer thanking them for their business. They may also preschedule a follow-up for an on-site sale that the field engineer completed or for warranty support. This level of responsive, intuitive service improves productivity through streamlined data sharing, as well as delivers a better experience for the customer, thereby improving customer retention.

From an executive standpoint, the marriage between CRM and field service management produces up-to-the-minute visibility to make key business decisions related to the state of the customers. With the speed at which the business landscape is evolving, having access to this data throughout the full customer lifecycle positions business executives to make more strategic choices based off of facts.

Having insight into all facets of customer interaction enables companies to respond to customer requests with knowledge of what’s important to them. CRMs, especially when integrated with Field Force Tracker’s field service management, deliver the ability to understand customer behavior from the first touchpoint, through the pipeline and throughout their relationship with a business. This affords businesses the opportuntity to truly understand their customers, nurture those relationships and improve their bottom line.