3 Reasons Your Field Service Operations May Be Lagging Behind

Field service operations can become exceptionally complex, relying on numerous processes, technologies, and professionals to operate as a finely tuned machine. As the saying goes, “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” This remains true of your field service operations, which rely on a complex chain of events and team members to bring a field service project through the project lifecycle to completion. If your field service team is struggling to keep up with the workload at hand, you’ve just identified a metaphorical weak link in your operations that can lead to decreased customer satisfaction and profitability. 

The challenges associated with field service operations vary widely, but many of them share a similar solution: the implementation of a field service management software for the optimization of core processes. Below, we have highlighted three of the most common process inefficiencies found in field service operations and highlighted solutions that can help ensure that your field service team is one of the strongest facets of your organization. 

Inefficient Field Service Scheduling 

Field service scheduling is a common challenge for field service organizations. Field technician schedules need to be optimized to reduce drive time and maximize technician productivity, and as plans change schedules need to be altered quickly and easily. If your organization doesn’t utilize a field service scheduling software, it’s possible that scheduling might be a source of inefficiency and frustration for both your scheduling and dispatch team and your field technicians. 

Field service scheduling software like FieldAware improves efficiency both in the office and in the field. Your dispatch and scheduling personnel will be equipped with an easy-to-use schedule builder, providing them with all of the information they need to produce the ideal schedule in one place. They’ll have access to calendar, list, and map views, allowing them to produce the optimal schedule for your field service technicians quickly and easily. The process can even be entirely automated thanks to FieldAware’s Smart Scheduler, which allows you to create optimized schedules with the click of a button. By creating optimized schedules, you can reduce field technician drive time and downtime, allowing them to spend more time performing the tasks that you pay them to do. Field service scheduling software is an excellent way to help bring your field service operations up to speed while reducing work order response times. 

Excessive Burden of Field Service Reporting and Time Tracking

In the same way that inefficient schedules can increase technician time waste, so can inefficient time tracking and reporting processes. Optimal field service operations require that your technicians spend as much time as possible performing the task they were hired to do, a formula that leaves no room for time wasted on tedious manual time tracking processes. If you are looking to reduce the time and effort invested in time tracking, then a field service time tracking software like FieldAware may be the ideal solution. 

FieldAware simplifies the time tracking process to just a couple of clicks on your technician's mobile device, allowing them to focus on completing the task at hand. FieldAware even allows you to leverage this data using field service reporting software. Our field service reporting software is easy to use and customizable to your needs, allowing you to gain a more in-depth understanding of your field operations. You can then utilize this information to optimize your scheduling and dispatch processes, resulting in even greater efficiency throughout your organization. 

Duplicate Field Service Processes Among Digital Platforms

Another cause of inefficiencies in field service companies can be found in the duplication of processes due to the utilization of multiple digital platforms that lack the ability to communicate with each other. Attempting to operate through multiple independent platforms can lead to a variety of problems. Excess time is invested in disseminating information as you are required to manually input data into each platform. This duplication of project information and communications opens the door to potential errors if the information is updated in one platform but not another. 

While the problems caused by using multiple different field service management tools can be complex, the solution is simple. A centralized, cloud based field service software like FieldAware negates the need for multiple platforms. FieldAware can function as a focal point for communication and information sharing in your field service operations, housing team schedules, project data, reporting forms, site schematics, and more. FieldAware is also equipped with a variety of extensions that will allow you to seamlessly integrate other vital tools that you may already be using, such as Netsuite, QuickBooks, Salesforce, Xero, and others. By investing in a comprehensive field service management software, you can avoid data siloes, eliminate redundancies, and streamline processes throughout the project lifecycle. To learn more about how FieldAware can strengthen your field service operations, schedule a free demo today.