The keys to delivering the best possible field service outcomes is about dispatching the right person to the right place at the right time with the right tools, equipment and information to carry out their work. Those six things sit behind every measure of field service productivity.
If any one of those is missing, the chance of a successful outcome for the customer is reduced. And that leads to more costs for the customer and the field service team through second or subsequent visits to the site, more downtime and lost opportunity.
The intelligent application of technology can mitigate the risk of any of those elements being missed.
Field service management tools can ensure all the right information is captured in a central system. That information is more than just the particulars of the issue to be resolved. It can include the skills and qualifications of each member of the service team to ensure an appropriately qualified and experienced technician is dispatched to the job.
That person can be equipped with a manifest of the parts and tools they need to have to complete the task as well as schematics and directions on how to resolve the problem. They also need information about the site they are visiting to ensure that have the appropriate PPE and any other location-specific instructions.
It starts at dispatch
When a customer call or emails your contact centre, they will provide you with some information. But most of your corporate knowledge about that customer will reside in other systems such as finance for their payment history and a customer relationship management system for information about their contracts and service level agreements (SLAs). Having a system that pulls all that together enables your contact centre team to instantly see the customer’s history. This will enable them to have a better engagement and won’t need the customer to recite their history.
Armed with all the information in one place, the dispatcher can see which field service workers are available and have the requisite skills and tools to attend the job within the required SLA. The allocation process can even consider the parts carried in the technician’s vehicle so they have all the parts required to complete the job.
As the technicians are equipped with mobile devices that have location services activated, the dispatcher can see precisely where the right workers are.
Smart allocation and routing
As well as being able to allocate jobs to the right resources, technology can assist further by sorting jobs so travel time between tasks is minimised while taking into account SLAs. Optimising the sequence of jobs reduces fuel costs and increases productivity.
Right first-time resolution
When on site, field service workers need more than parts, tools and skills. They also need information such as maps of where specific equipment is at the client site as well schematics and technical documents so they can carry out repairs and maintenance routines in a safe and compliant manner. Having access to these tools ensures field agents they have all the information they need.
Technology can be a powerful enabler for field service productivity and can turn Service from a cost centre to a profitable business unit. Getting it right first-time also means a significant return on investment. Check out our ROI tool here.
Intelligent use of technology ensures every step of the field service process, from the moment the client makes contact through to issue resolution, is carried out perfectly the first time.
