Boost Service Delivery Productivity with Efficient Field Mangement System

Plumbing, construction management, technical, electrical, and CCTV installation companies are now using a Field Management System (FMS) and attesting to the effectiveness of this business gem in their field service businesses. As long your company involves field service jobs and have five or more driver, you need to consider incorporating an FMS to make things work. Pick and drop, delivery, and courier companies have been using field management systems and have found them effective. Not only have they been able monitor drivers, but they have been in a position to control and mitigate various situations for the brands’ overall benefits. It has worked wonders for many, and you can be part of the statistics attesting to its benefits in six months or less. With its great features, you can never make mistakes. Get rid of paperwork, digitalize your services, and see how far your profit margin expands with an FMS. But first, what is an FMS? What are its features and benefits? Here is your informant that answers these questions and more.

What Is a Field Management System?

An FMS is a tool that uses a mobile workforce to get rid of paperwork, manage end-to-end jobs in the divisions of a field service job, and oversee all field service operations in a business. Although it has always been associated with gigantic well-established businesses, FMS is now becoming effective and popular among businesses requiring field service and field service management. It is no wonder that electrical, technical, plumbing, CCTV installation, and just about any mid-size to large companies are using this systems and attesting to its benefits. It not only helps you boost communication and make it top-notch across the various divisions, but it helps you make everything near-perfect, widening your profit margin in no time.

Features of a Typical Field Service Management System

Here are some components or features of an FMS you can choose to have;

- Effective dispatches

- Order processing

- Invoice processing

- Quoting software

- Supplier relationship management (SRM) software

- Reporting and analytics

- Work order management

- Scheduling of work orders

- CRM software

- A mobile field service app used for all activities

Why Should You Consider Having an FMS in Your Field Service Jobs?

While an FMS may seem like an expensive investment in the initial process, its ultimate benefits outweigh the costs it takes to have it onboard. Six months down the line, you will confirm that it worked wonders for you, especially in the following areas;

i. Centralised Communication

A typical FMS will ensure the centralisation of information across the departments in field service contexts. All the team members can see any information updates through the mobile field service. As such, you need not send emails to individual members to update them on anything. What's more, the updates are available and visible in real-time, saving on time and resources that would be wasted in reaching out to individuals.

ii. Maximum coordination

If you want maximum coordination for your field service operations, you should consider having an FMS in the picture. Through the mobile workforce app and CRM software, a manager can communicate and coordinate with his subordinates in real-time. Yet, such coordination is what it takes to make decisions in real-time, especially when things are at stake.

iii. Good analytics and reporting

Good analytics and reporting are critical features of the FMS and happen to be a benefit as well. Using the supplier relationship management (SRM) software, field service managers can communicate with suppliers, negotiate terms, and report the results or agreements in real-time. Moreover, a typical FMS comes with several software field service managers take advantage of to forecast future situations with market changes. Through the 'What If' analytic feature, a manager can simulate various situations and see how the field service algorithms are affected.

iv. Efficiency

With maximum coordination and wonderful communication across the departments, nothing would stop a field service business from being efficient, which is why every effective business installs an FMS, even if it is just a basic one. When need be for real-time decisions, the system allows communication across the division, helping relay the information in a matter of moments.

v. Order dispatch

Handling orders manually is cumbersome and takes a lot of time. However, once a filed service business installs an FMS with great dispatch features, everything becomes easy all the way. Of course, there might be some technicalities on the way, characteristic of every system made by man; a typical FMS makes dispatching orders doable amidst all the challenges. The FMS software allows efficient orders, minimizing errors from occurring.

vi. Document management

Gone are the days when offices and departments would heap files and folders in the name of keeping records. Thankfully, digital transformation is now making things easy as it has eradicated the need for paperwork. Yet, you make things even more effective with an FMS. All systems in this category have adopted cloud-based storage that stores massive amounts of big data characteristic of sophisticated field service jobs and still allows access everywhere in real-time.

vii. Progress monitoring

One critical feature of any FMS is a calendar you can explore to plan what you want to be achieved by a specific time. Using the calendar, you can track your progress and see if you are actually up to anything or just chasing the wind. Besides, you can print the plan and have it placed at a point you can easily see it as you walk into the office. What's more, if you don't seem to meet your goals, the system allows you to use its models and simulate situations, allowing you to see how particular changes can affect field service operations.

viii. Widening profit margins

All the features and benefits discussed above help you maximize your field service business productivity, enhancing profit margins. Besides, using the FMS, you can use the Route Optimization feature to see ahead into traffic and use routes that minimize wastage. Yet, the more you can save, the more profit you can make.

My Field Service Is Small- Do I Need an FMS?

If you are making it in field service without a field management system, you might think that you don't need the system. Yet, however small your biz might be, you need an FMS to make things efficient and boost productivity. In fact, even if it means having something basic, do it to boost productivity and enhance profit margins. FMS are necessary as long as your business has more than 5 employees whose activities you need to make efficient.

Conclusion

A field management system is a tool that helps you manage end-to-end tasks and coordinate all field service operations. While it was initially associated with well-established businesses, small to medium biz are now incorporating it and attesting to its wonders. Install an FMS today and improve scheduling, dispatching, communication, invoice processing, and forecasting in your field service business.