Field service businesses engage in remotely located jobs – which may mean more costs for inspections, travel, and fuel if operated manually. Hence, implementing remote monitoring solutions is critical to improve profitability and enable field service technicians to focus on project timelines.
Mobile technology plays an important role in implementing remote monitoring of field service technicians. Read more to understand how mobile-based remote monitoring works and how it increases field service technicians’ productivity.
Challenges in remote management of field service technicians
Remote work means being cut off from the main office when the field service business has not digitized its workforce management. Here’s how it impacts field service technicians:
- Accessing workload: absence of managers on the field means a lack of visibility on available resources required for job completion. This impacts resource allocation and can cause delays due to the non-availability of equipment, materials, etc.
- Monitoring productive time: there is no way for managers to know if field service workers are spending their hours in productive work. Surprise inspections increase travel costs, and do not help recover the wasted time.
- No remote troubleshooting: it is difficult to coordinate with workers in case of emergencies. There is a delay in response, where workers have to wait for expertise to reach the job site for help.
- Managing time offs: workers have to coordinate manually with the office for time-off requests. There is also a delay in replacing workers, thus further disrupting timelines.
- Customer experience: how does a company track workforce behavior? How to update clients about job progress? With no visibility, it becomes difficult to engage customers.
Advances in field service management software due to mobile technology integration
Here are some latest trends in field service management software coming from integration with mobile apps and devices:
- Real-time collaboration: file sharing features and drawing document management tools help managers remotely collaborate with workers on the job site.
- Geo-fencing: Zuper, a field service management app is GPS enabled, which allows it to implement Geo-fencing on your job site. It will notify you the moment your field service technician moves out of the site.
- Time tracking: helps know when your workers checked in and out of the job site, and thus work completed. It gets paid accordingly with accuracy.
- Offline access to the knowledge base: companies can draft and access documentation, equipment manuals, checklists, troubleshooting guides, protocols, etc for workers to quickly reference from mobile.
- Real-time information: share job updates, changes, customer reschedules, etc to ensure workers align with the project accordingly without delays.
How does mobile-based field service management software improve workforce productivity?
A field service management software with iOS and Android app access makes it easy to overcome remote monitoring challenges. Here’s how the above-mentioned features enable efficient business operations:
Real-time decision making
Real-time communication and collaboration tools help make quick decisions about on-ground work. For urgent issues, such tools help managers remotely instruct field service technicians on performing troubleshooting tasks to prevent further breakdowns.
Workforce training
For new joiners, it is necessary to ensure a supervisor is assigned to help them operate equipment and learn the workflows. The supervisor can remotely do so via video calling or they can provide necessary on-demand videos or resources that workers can refer to. Workers can also update the curriculum by submitting unusual reports or findings.
Managing administrative tasks
Workers can use the mobile app to update their timesheets, know if their timesheets are approved by the manager, request time-offs, and do other admin tasks. They need not visit the office for any grievances and can know the status of their office work remotely. Thus, workers and office teams can focus on getting work done than getting entangled in update calls. Mobile apps also provide offline access – which helps in remote locations where internet connectivity might be an issue.
Looking to integrate field service mobility for your operations?
Zuper’s field service management solutions include iOS and Android apps that keep your field service teams, office, and management in a healthy communication loop.
Book a demo to know more about how we can help increase your workforce productivity today.
