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5 Mistakes to Avoid While choosing a Field Service Management Software

Have you asked yourself lately, ‘Why having a Smart Field Service Management Software is Important?’ If yes, we have got you covered with all the necessary information. Managing all field activities, a service workforce, and customers’ expectations while sustaining profitability can be demanding for field service organizations. However, having a comprehensive Field Service Management platform (FSM) to automate field service processes can be a great relief. If that caught your attention, and you are considering taking the leap to field service digitalization, the first step is to identify and jot down the ongoing pain points. We have lined up some common problems prominently experienced by field service businesses. Have a look:

  • Technicians struggle to execute work orders with utmost efficiency due to inadequate access to work order details, equipment knowledge, product-relevant information, instructions, and no historical equipment service data. 
  • Keeping track of each work order and technician availability becomes overwhelming and time-consuming because of the dependency on paper-based processes or limited legacy systems, making planning significantly inefficient.
  • Unable to communicate effectively with customers, seamlessly coordinate activities internally, automatically capture project costs, and generate billing invoices.
  • Having difficulty keeping track of each technician’s location and/or work status, causes delays in services.
  • Others include not keeping ROI in check, getting input from the frontline, and completing business requirements on time.
Third-Party Workforce Management

 A few service providers were early adopters of mobile technology. However, many field service enterprises have yet to embrace the new norm and are still stuck using inefficient and obsolete methodologies. Those who have implemented more recent field service management software do not fully utilize its capability due to poorly designed workflows. If the points mentioned above relate to your field service business, it’s time to look for reliable and value-driven software. However, before proceeding to buy an FSM software solution, below are some mistakes to avoid :

Mistakes of FSM Software
  • Mistake #1 – Not Offering Flexibility
    When purchasing field-service software, avoid buying software that isn’t mobile-optimized and doesn’t offer the utmost flexibility. The software should keep technicians on top of their ever-changing schedules and give them real-time access to job details, such as  service requests, customer and asset information, job-specific instructions and documentation, spare parts availability, historical service data, and warranty details. Besides, some software doesn’t allow field technicians to manage several tasks, such as documenting their work, managing their parts inventory, taking before and after photos or videos, capturing customer signature digitally, etc., online or offline. So, survey thoroughly and don’t let false promises impede your business growth.
  • Mistake #2 – Overlooking Timekeeping Feature
    Another important FSM software feature that buyers overlook is  timekeeping. Field personnel’s work schedules vary based on customer needs and job complexity, often requiring long hours and overnight travel. Timekeeping is not limited to just reporting hours worked, and it often includes travel time, overtime, and per diem. Replacing an inefficient and manual timekeeping process with one that offers a great deal of automation, saves substantial administrative time. So, consider buying software that assists in capturing each technicians’ working hours and automatically applying overtime and per diem. Furthermore, select a system that offers flexibility in reporting hours worked by technicians and crews on jobs and at customers sites. Easy retrieval of data is valuable for many reasons including solving repeat problems and projecting resource requirements for future jobs.
  • Mistake #3 – Job Costing Seems Extraneous
    Field service management software is futile unless it offers a job costing solution. For instance, the construction industry spreads across a wide range of segments. Regardless of whether they are field management, field crews, land developers, utility operators and services providers, or builders, they often struggle with ongoing challenges, such as productivity tracking, job cost reporting, field communication, connectivity, coordination, and more. To ensure the utmost efficiency from software, think about software that allows you to manage and address such challenges effectively.
  • Mistake #4 – Inspection & Tasks Checklist
    Some software doesn’t include the inspection and tasks checklist feature, which plays an essential role for field personnel who want to perform the inspection thoroughly. The feature allows configuring  templates for inspection-specific jobs, offering custom checklists with the drag-and-drop builder, collecting digital signatures, capturing pictures, achieving better compliance with standards, taking notes in offline and online mode, etc. So, while purchasing software, make sure you don’t commit a mistake to avoid adding this feature to your cart.
  • Mistake #5 – Data Analytics & Reporting
    Did you know that conducting proper data analysis helps B2B software buyers know their business pulse? However, despite knowing their pulse, many business enterprises ignore this feature and later on regret it. Remember, data analytics and reporting software can help businesses convert collected information into actionable and meaningful decisions. Besides, it helps create customized reports, provides access to historical records, and gives precise past performance details, which is essential for predictive services and forecasting job costs.
Mobile Field Service App

The Gist

There’s a big difference between ‘Must Have’ and ‘Nice to Have.’ As said above, look for the one that best fits your business requirements and then make a choice. No idea of where to get started? How about going with an idea of FieldEquip, the best and most flexible digital field service solution? The software can be customized to keep up with your ongoing business needs. If you need further assistance to know more about the software, we recommend contacting our experts right away. They will help you take your business to the next level with the proper guidance.

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