Before we begin, there is one essential thing you need to keep in mind. All the information available online about Field Service Management (FSM) is usually discussed in two contexts:
1. Field Service Management as a practice or program businesses use to manage employees who work on the field and organize their tasks.
2. Field Service Management software tools used by companies to manage and organize on-field activities.
This blog, for the most part, will be centred on the first context – which is comprehensive and informs everything you need to know about FSM in 2023. Further, we will also touch up on the field service management software tools, providing a valuable overview of the same. So, let’s dive in.
What is Field Service?
Field service can be understood as any kind of work that is carried out by employees of a company outside the office property.
Take for example, a company selling Air Conditioner (AC). After the customer makes a purchase, the AC technician goes to the customer’s home to install the AC. This process is known as field service and the technician is a field service executive.
Some of the common industry jobs connected to field service include:
- Sales
- Repair and Maintenance
- Inspection and Installation
- Shipping and Delivery
Who are the commonly known field service executives? Well, they are all around you.
- Maintenance Technicians
- Home Healthcare Professionals
- Cleaning Personnel
- Salespeople
- Service Engineers
- Support Agents
- Contractors
Common Field Service Challenges
Field service is regarded as a chaotic part of a business. Why? Simply because the possibility of managing, communicating and interacting with technicians and on-field workers is difficult.
And imagine if you have thousands, if not lakhs of on-field service executives working for your business throughout India.
Here are some of the most common field service challenges faced by businesses:
- Technicians making multiple visits to solve a customer problem causing unwanted delays in addressing issues
- Lack of field operation visibility
- Lack of useful data
- Unplanned downtime due to miscommunication and scheduling problem
- Unsatisfied customers constantly complaining about the field services
- Administration problems
- Billing and invoicing concerns
- Frequent human errors
- Low productivity and efficiency
In 2023, customers have become more demanding. Business organisations, more than ever, need to be on top of their game. 24X7 customer support and convenience are paramount for business success.
Thus, businesses need to be on their toes to provide excellent field services. This is where partnering with a leading and trusted field services company like Calibehr can help businesses achieve positive outcomes.
This directly leads to the obvious question – what is field service management and what are its features? Find out the answers in the next sections.
What is Field Service Management (FSM)?
Field service management is the process by which a business keeps track of the day-to-day activities of offsite employees. Plus, it takes care of services, operations and equipment to ensure superior customer experience.
Global market research firm, Allied Market Research, recently reported the following stats on field service management:
- The global field service management market is predicted to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 19% during the 2021-2023 period and will reach approximately 30 billion dollars market value by 2031.
Business organisations have now realized the vital role field service management plays in providing excellent customer service, helping on-field workers, streamlining operations and achieving business goals.
Read on to learn more about field service management; its features, and many benefits.
Essential Features of Field Service Management
Tracking Time
Time is of great essence for any business. The tracking system helps large organisations to know their technicians and on-field worker’s location. The tracking system also makes sure that the work is carried out as per the allotted timeslot and that efficiency is maintained.
Communication
Lack of proper communication between clients, company and technician slows down the work and attracts a bad reputation. With effective field service management, information sharing is done quickly and seamlessly.
Task Management & Scheduling
Developing proper schedules and delegating tasks is crucial for workers to make effective plans and execute tasks productively. Business managers can take control of scheduling and optimize it with field service management. In addition, FSM helps workers to simplify procedures and better coordinate with others.
Inventory Management
Inventory is one of the biggest headaches for companies. This is because it is difficult to keep track of on-field workers accessing the tools and other resources. The absence of tools can cause unwanted delays in executing tasks. Field service companies can solve this problem with a PAN-India network of field service experts.
Reporting
Advanced FSM systems help in reporting. Additionally, it enables companies as well as on-field executives to gain a comprehensive view and valuable insights such as job completion rate, time taken, cost and overall offsite performance.
What does FSM Software do?
A field service management software tool helps in modernizing field service management operations. It provides a one-stop platform for companies to do the following:
- Allocating Tasks
- Employee Communication
- Inventory Management
- Data Collection
- Reporting
Field service executives also can log into such platforms and find all the relevant information at one place in real-time. Mobile apps go one step ahead and make the process simpler, effective and mightily productive.
Benefits of Field Service Management
Productivity and Efficiency
The field service management system increases the productivity and efficiency of the process and consequently the workforce. How? The on-field workers follow the standard operating procedure laid down in the system that will ends by reporting to the concerned authority. Customer experience also gets a powerful boost when the company and workforce productivity increases.
Cost Reduction
A fully functional and effective field service management can reduce the overhead expenses of the company. This is possible due to efficient tracking of schedules, inventory, resources and clear communication.
Transparency
Transparency is a two-way road for on-field workers and business management. The company needs to keep track of the work performed by the workers, the time taken and if the task is a success or not. On the other hand, employees also need to view what are the business expectations and how much work is in the pipeline. FSM system makes the process transparent.
Calibehr is one of the leading business solutions providers, offering PAN-India field service management to clients for more than four decades. To know the complete range of services, contact us today.
