Keeping track of deadlines, paperwork, and staff can be difficult, especially if your company is managing multiple projects at once. Luckily, there are now plenty of tools to help you track valuable data as well as scale your business.
Field service management (FSM) platforms are particularly valuable for global managed service providers (MSPs) and IT services companies that manage a contingent workforce. These tools improve transparency — not only for MSPs but also technicians and clients. They also capture information like scheduling, order management, and dispatching, among other capabilities. Let’s look at six benefits that FSM platforms offer.
6 Reasons to Use a Field Service Management Platform
1. Optimization of Resources
As a managed service provider, it’s important to know where your technicians are at all times. This knowledge can help ensure everyone is where they’re supposed to be, and conserve resources if an additional service request appears throughout the day. You can use your technicians’ locations to understand who is closest to this new request and then send them to get the job done, thus saving time and resources.
2. Improved Efficiency
Field service management platforms can also increase efficiency on the job site. Technicians can use the tool to access the customer’s service history and contact information as well as review any applicable warranty information or contractual commitments. It can also house tool calibration readings and other necessary on-the-job checks.
Many FSM platforms also have a mobile interface, making it easy for techs to access this information while traveling between job sites. This feature can save technicians time and ensure they provide top-quality service to your clients.
3. Real-Time Documentation
By capturing data in real-time, FSM platforms act as a layer of security for your technicians. The platform can confirm their arrival time, job status, and time for task completion. This gives you and your technicians additional documentation in the case of a customer complaint or discrepancy.
4. Equipment Tracking & Inventory Management
If you’ve ever had a technician about to leave for a job realize they don’t have all of the parts they need, this will be especially good news. Some FSM platforms can track inventory since they receive information about parts used in each job. You can also track the location of your equipment to ensure it’s being used when and where it should be used.
5. Streamline Workflows
Your technicians should be focused on completing high-quality installations and retail IT deployments rather than worrying about what paperwork they need to complete next. That’s where FSM platforms come into play.
With this tool, you can standardize workflows and even eliminate printed paperwork. You can also increase the speed of invoicing since all of the relevant data (time spent, materials used, etc.) is collected in the platform. Additionally, the software stores warranty information and other relevant discounts or special pricing, so it can create invoices quickly.
6. Enhanced Communication — Internally & Externally
Field service management platforms can help you and your field service workers communicate with clients more smoothly. With all of their information in one place, it’s easy to stay informed about the customer, their situation, and the project, which, in turn, improves professionalism. It can also help you communicate more easily with your technicians in the field by providing an additional way to send messages that can, again, be stored in a particular job.
Thanks to the above capabilities, field service management platforms can transform the way you do business and vastly improve the quality of service you and your technicians provide. If you’re ready to implement one of these platforms but aren’t sure where to start, Kinettix has helped global managed service providers leverage their software to the fullest. We will work with you to implement, integrate, and enable FSM platforms in your environment, so you can extract the full power and benefits of the tool. Contact us to schedule a consultation.
