The modern field service management systems, like Field Force Tracker, are sophisticated software systems. They can help you manage your services in a better way, save time and improve productivity.
They include a lot of functionality unlike the older systems which were just only an appointment holder. In this article, we are going to explain some features and terms related to the field service management. Don’t worry if you don’t know all of the terms: I am going to explain them for you. Here is a glossary of the top ten words and phrases that are frequently used in field service management.
The most important task of field service management software is to allow you to optimize your field service resources. We want the best person to handle a job. We also want to minimize our field service cost. What else do we want? We also want to make the best use of our resources so that every technician has useful jobs to do matching his skill sets.
So, how do we do that? – You use sophisticated and smart field service software like Field Force Tracker.
Field Service Management
Field service management is the practice of organizing, scheduling, and routing mobile employees. This is critical to the success of businesses in a wide variety of industries and typically includes a dispatch or call center as well as a field workforce. Field service management is used by companies of all sizes, from smaller organizations with ten mobile employees to large companies with tens of thousands of staff providing services all across the globe every day.
Field Technician or Field Engineer
A mobile employee, referred to as a technician in some industries, is a member of an organization’s mobile workforce. These staffers perform services in the field – at customers’ homes, places of business, or in isolated areas far from population centers. These services are wide-ranging, and can include:
- Delivery
- Service and repairs
- Safety and security
- Installation
- Maintenance
The mobile workforce collectively refers to an organization’s mobile employees. Mobile workforce sizes and types vary greatly between industries and specific companies. For example, some businesses employ only their own field staff while others rely completely on subcontractors. Many rely on a hybrid model, comprised of both direct and third-party mobile employees. One common theme that impacts all mobile workforces is the need to effectively schedule appointments and plan routes so that customers receive the best service possible.
Cloud Based Software
Cloud computing refers to a method of storing information on remote servers that are accessed through the Internet. When data is stored in the cloud, it can be accessed by any authorized user who has an internet connection. This makes the information globally accessible. The opposite of cloud computing is storing data locally on a personal machine or an in-house server.
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Software as a Service, or SaaS, is a model of accessing software via the cloud. All of the data and capabilities of the software are stored in the cloud. Users access the programs and information through the Internet. Simply, SaaS is cloud-based software. It provides an alternative to storing information on individual machines or local servers.
Integrated Accounting
Most field service software can do some sort of scheduling but only some software are smart to deal with sophisticated rules of accounting and billing and scheduling. Good field service software like Field Force Tracker includes a very tight integration of accounting with the work order management. It means that most information in a work order is transferred to accounting or invoicing module.
This ensures that no customer us under billed and thus maximizing your income and profits.
