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When running a business that includes a field service department, there are a variety of challenges. The most obvious being the importance of keeping track of employees in the field, but it is also critical to have support for those employees, keep track of inventory and ensure that all equipment in the field is working properly. Not being able to do any one of these things can lead to profit killing costs and poor customer service.
For a mobile service management system to be successful, a company needs to ensure that there is field agent support available at all times, that there is a repair service available for emergencies and that inventory is tracked and kept available. If any of these things break down, a business ends up with a technician in the field unable to complete their tasks, delaying them to other jobs and causing other employees to be over booked.
One of the most important parts of successful mobile service management is the dispatch or support team that communicates with field service employees. These dispatch agents should have a basic understanding of what the field agents do to properly support them. Dispatch agents should be able to contact other departments and send other agents to provide assistance or bring equipment to field agents as needed.
Another critical part of ensuring that jobs are done quickly and well is to ensure that the equipment the technicians are using works properly, and that there is a system in place to deal with emergency repairs. This can include vehicle repair services for field employees whose trucks break down, but there also needs to be a system in place to deal with breakdowns that occur in field agent communication devices, such as tablets or smart phones.
Finally, there should always be an on call member of management to make decisions as needed for the field support team and the field employees themselves. Failing to have someone on call able to make choices or escalate issues as needed can cause a technician to be stuck at a job, or have to leave with the job incomplete.
It is critical for businesses to understand that simply keeping track of field employees is only the first step in ensuring a well run field service management system. By providing constant support for field employees and ensuring their equipment is serviced properly, it will keep these departments running smoothly.