Field Service Software for Beginners

Posted by Datacapturesolutions on February 6th, 2014

All businesses and corporations need a competitive edge to realize success. If your business relies largely on field tasks such as mobile sales and delivery, warehouse, logistics, surveys, inspections, facilities and asset management, and tradesman or repair and maintenance services, then you need a reliable field service software and system. It can help you manage scheduling, optimization, and dispatch of services and all other data and information that your on-the-field (out of the office) workers, agents, and staff need to carry out tasks. Field service management helps you minimize costs, reduce errors, and in turn improve your overall customer service and satisfaction rates.

Data Capture Solutions provides you with an efficient system that can truly help streamline your mobile and field operations, giving your field engineers, managers, staff, and crew a convenient, fast, and accurate means of collecting, sending, and retrieving information on the fly. This way data, logistics, and diagnostics are quickly accessible for better organization and results tracking.

Field service management systems benefits companies that manage installations, service visits, and system repairs the most, but they prove to be useful in businesses that require service chain optimization as well. With industry challenges like high demand and expectations from customers, service commoditization, real-time communication, analytic and service data management, and pricing, along with logistics and transportation-related issues like the ever-rising fuel prices and vehicle maintenance costs, no business will survive without deploying a proper field service management solution.

When looking for an appropriate FSM solution for your business/company, keep in mind these critical areas of optimization:

1. Customer management – Look for a service or a software that includes account management, selling, and technical support capabilities, along with a customer portal for more efficient customer service.
2. End-to-end phase management – Your FSM software should also give you control over each part or segment of operations.
3. Workforce optimization – Go for a system that allows efficient and organized task management and dispatching.
4. Mobility – Look for mobile integration for easy tracking of jobs and tasks.
5. Calendar – For better organization, choose a service or software that employs a well designed calendar display for easier management of tasks and specific work management details that can be made accessible to all—employees, teams, and management/administrators, alike.

New to Field Service Management? Here are some software and system features that you should look for in an optimized business solution:

1. Service order dispatch (manual or automated)
2. Inventory and fleet tracking
3. Straightforward customer and asset data collection/capturing process
4. Customer and asset record/data access
5. Remote updating of work status
6. On the spot generation of service orders and notifications; and
7. Backend system or third party system integration

About The Author:

This article is written by Sam Waters, who is associated with Data Capture Solutions. Data Capture Solutions (UK) Ltd believes in providing solutions that are robust, powerful yet cost effective. Our aim is to make mobile working affordable for organisations of all sizes. We are solution providers in the true sense of the word with expertise within all areas of enterprise mobility from mobile hardware, software, security, communication and integration.