There was a time when having a global IT workforce meant managing and navigating a maze of third-party vendors. You may have had contracts with a range of different providers, each offering a specific menu of services in their respective regions. For most companies, that kind of field service platform was unwieldy, costly, and inefficient.
Of course, new technology has changed every aspect of business in recent years. Field service management is no exception. Field service management (FSM) software used to be primarily for scheduling contractors and providers. Today, though, it’s able to give you full autonomy and transparency into your IT field service so you can optimize your team’s talent, service, and efficiency.
However, FSM software is only worth what you put into it. Simply using software to manage your platform isn’t enough. You should have the right software for your needs, but you also have to use it effectively. That means leveraging the software’s features to achieve your most critical targets. Too many companies either have FSM software that isn’t robust enough for their needs or they don’t use the software to its full capabilities.
It’s possible that you may benefit from an FSM partner who can help you better manage your platform. They could implement software that better aligns with your objectives or help you optimize your results from your current platform.
Not sure if you need help? Below are a few signs that there could be areas of improvement in your field service platform. If these sound familiar, it may be time to talk to an FSM partner:
1. You’re missing your KPI targets
One of the key benefits of FSM software is that it gives you full transparency into your field service platform. You can see the results of your team’s work, how efficiently you’re operating, and whether you’re hitting key targets.
However, your FSM software won’t tell you why you’re not hitting your KPIs. You may see that certain jobs are taking more time than they should, but your software won’t tell you why. An FSM partner can leverage their experience to explain reasons why that KPI is off. Maybe you’re not using the software to hire the most skilled talent for the job. Maybe there’s something in the reporting for that task that is throwing off your results.
Scheduling and dispatch is just one example of an area in which robust software can improve the experience for your technicians.
You can’t take action to improve your process unless you know the root cause of the issue. It’s tough to identify the root cause if you don’t understand the inputs and variables that can affect your results. An FSM partner can help you interpret your data and take action. A good partner can also provide on-demand resources so that when demand flexes, you have a model to scale and support this effort.
2. You aren’t attracting or acquiring top talent
Talent is often the cure for a wide range of field service issues. From efficiency to cost to service, nearly any problem can be at least partially resolved through an improvement in talent. Field service management software is supposed to solve that problem by letting you source the top talent in any given region.
However, just because you can search for and source the best talent doesn’t mean you’ll always acquire that talent for your projects. Technicians and providers have their own priorities. If you aren’t in alignment with their needs, you may lose in the battle for skilled IT talent.
One way to attract top talent is to use your FSM software to meet the provider’s needs. For example, technicians live and die by their schedule. According to a recent study, 91 percent of field service businesses said that efficient and quick scheduling and dispatch processes were critical for them.
Do you use your FSM software to communicate rapidly with technicians? Do you send text notifications of dispatch changes? Or use software to deliver real-time updates?
Scheduling and dispatch is just one example of an area in which robust software can improve the experience for your technicians. If you offer an elevated work experience, you stand a better chance of acquiring top-tier talent.
3. You lack transparency about your field service costs
The whole point of having field service management software is to take back control of your field service operation. That means providing better service to your customers and operating in a more agile and lean manner. Ideally, you should be able to pinpoint areas of waste and excessive cost with a quick glance at your software.
That’s not always the case, however. You may generally know that your field service costs are too high, but not know why or where the excessive costs are coming from. Are you paying technicians too much? Are they spending too much time on jobs? Are there inefficiencies in your process?
A field service management partner can help you set up your software to provide more transparency and greater insight. They can also help you better understand the software’s outputs and how you can translate that information into action.
Field service management software has the power to transform and elevate your business. However, you have to use the right software, and use it the right way, to get the results you want. If you’re not getting the most possible out of your FSM software, now may be the time to work with an FSM software partner.
