Many entrepreneurs know that incomplete or inaccurate information can impact their company’s resource scheduling processes and competence levels in a negative manner. Fortunately, technological advancements in the form of field service management software solutions have made dealing with such issues a lot easier. Today, service delivery complications can be minimized and customer satisfaction increased with the help of a suitable, well-implemented field service management software solution. Unfortunately, the availability of various options has made evaluating these applications much harder. To help you pick the most suitable option, here are 9 must-have features:
1. Dynamic scheduling
The ability to respond dynamically is important. Field service delivery software solutions should balance arising complaints against critical issues effectively to ensure the best possible scheduling and usage of resources. With correct routing, companies can also reduce the distance involved in executing a series of service requests, minimizing operational costs.
2. Support paperless billing
Besides being more eco-friendly, paperless billing can mean lower administrative overheads, reduced running costs, and less time spent waiting for clients to pay.
3. Ticket management
If all the data developed from the systematic analysis of service delivery was to be tapered, it would most likely come down to Time-To-Resolution (TTR). Ticket management focuses on the time it takes to resolve raised complaints, also known as TTR.
4. Cloud-hosting
To ensure effective field service delivery, only software solutions that can be accessed from the field should be used. Cloud-based software solutions offer superior availability and accessibility levels, making them much more reliable than their counterparts.
5. Support for third-party services
In the field service management industry, many companies may have to outsource some of the services occasionally. Keeping track of the progress becomes even more important in such cases. Similarly, the contractors will need access to all the relevant information and resources.
6. Geo-location
Service delivery technicians, for instance, will often log the time of arrival and duration of the visit for billing purposes. Companies in the field service delivery industry should, therefore, take full advantage of the higher levels of accessibility brought on by smartphones. Since GPS makes it possible to automate the process of capturing this kind of information, accuracy can be assured.
7. Mobility
Software solutions need to be optimized for mobile use so that users can access data from mobile devices via responsive or native web applications. Mobile optimization can help improve communication by enabling field technicians to provide real-time data.
8. Inventory management
The ability to track resource availability and usage is important for billing and cost control purposes. Thanks to advanced inventory management tools and features, the information gathered can help reduce costs.
9. Resource allocation
Optimization on several levels is necessary for effective field service delivery. Assigning jobs to technicians with the right skills for the issues involved can increase first-time resolution and customer satisfaction rates while reducing service delivery costs.
