A field service management software works to
ease and automate scheduling, optimization, and dispatch of different kinds of
services and goods (products or human resource) to the field. It involves
multiple (and sometimes simultaneous) scheduling and dispatching of goods and
people to different locations, thus minimizing costs while maintaining high
quality customer service. Just like any other optimization systems, field
service software and automation systems have their own pros and cons:
Advantages of Field Service Optimization and
Management Automation:
- Excellent customer service. Through FSA, field workers and technicians gain access to a customer's work history, as well as his or her preferences, which allows for the valuable service recommendations. When customers get this kind of personalized service, field workers are then seen as proactive and valuable partners.
- Faster revenue generation. When your field workers are able to quote rates, provide invoices and accept payment for the service on the spot, then cash flow becomes faster. Not only that, you also eliminate the tedious and time consuming shuffling around of paperwork from the field to the office and back, as transactions happen real time. Simply put, field service automation and management systems put the money right in your pocket faster.
- Interactive and optimized scheduling. With access to every field worker's itinerary and schedule, dispatchers in your back office can easily assign and adjust time slots so field men can quickly react to changing schedules. New jobs are quickly assigned even on the fly—which means more jobs can be fitted into a day of work. This way, more customers are served in less time.
- Accuracy. Automation also promotes accuracy, not only in scheduling and dispatching but in quoting estimates and collecting payments.
Disadvantages of Field Service Optimization
and Management Automation:
Cost is probably the main disadvantage of
automating field service optimization and management. Systems and software that
allow this kind of optimization often cost much, but the price you pay is
nothing compared to the productivity, accuracy, efficiency, and value that
these systems add to your business, especially when running a busy and in-demand
operation.
