Turning technicians into super technicians with field service management software

Managing technician mobility is one of the field service management challenges for every service company. Unexpected events and emergencies happen all the time, adding complexity that makes field service schedule creation and monitoring extremely difficult and inefficient.

Today’s customers are increasingly demanding. They want the highest possible quality of service and committed appointment times. Extended wait times and site visits that don’t result in repairs are no longer acceptable. The bar is high for field service managers and field technicians. The days of paper, piles of invoices, service boards filled with index cards, and illegible Excel spreadsheets are over!

The key is to adopt field service management software that allows you to move to paperless processes for the complete service lifecycle, from assessing customer requests to validating the completed service call at the end of the process. To give you an idea of what’s possible, here’s a quick overview of what is field service management software and how field service management software makes life easier for field service professionals.

Choose cloud-based field service management software

Adopting a cloud-based field service management software solution really helps to improve the efficiency of your teams in the field. With this type of field service management solution, field service managers can use a centralized web interface to see the big picture for all technician activities. They can assign new service calls in a more logical way, easily monitor technicians’ activities and progress, and deliver all of the information and forms technicians need for each service call directly to their mobile field service management application.

Cloud-based field service management software provides easy access to all of the information required for each stage in the service process. Because the field technician mobile app offers online/offline capabilities, technicians can work in areas with no Wi-Fi coverage, knowing their mobile application will automatically synchronize with the cloud-based software as soon as they regain network access. This ensures that field service dispatchers instantly receive information from the field.

In addition, using cloud-based field service management software allows the service manager to provide all of the data technicians need to successfully complete the service call in advance:

• Customer information (address, on-site contact name and details, site access information, etc.)
• Task list
• Optimal travel routes
• Spare parts to have on hand

Because the FSM software is in the cloud, business managers and technicians can communicate and collaborate more effectively, using efficient field service management tools such as the web and instant messaging applications on mobile devices to stay in touch. These interactions have immediate benefits because they streamline the management of the entire service lifecycle to ensure better customer service. 

For example, the Praxedo Share FSM software allows field technicians to use their field service mobile app to send photos or videos of equipment to experts at the service center who can help them complete their tasks. Technicians and experts can collaborate, using shared text and drawings to annotate and mark up photos so technicians can successfully resolve customer issues on their first visit.

Give maintenance technicians a mobile app

According to an infographic developed by the Technology Advice website, giving maintenance technicians a mobile device can significantly improve their field service productivity and increase their first-time fix rate, a metric that’s key to ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction. According to the infographic, in the United States:

• 66% of service companies use a mobile application connected to field service management software
• 80% of technicians use a tablet or smartphone to carry out service calls

American service companies started giving technicians mobile devices for good reasons. The results confirm it: higher efficiency for technicians in the field and increased customer satisfaction. Having access to field service mobile applications greatly simplifies and accelerates technicians’ daily work because they can remotely:

• Assess the tasks to be performed
• Check on spare parts inventories on the spare parts inventory management software feature
• Respond in real time to alerts and emergencies sent by the service center
• Allow customers to sign and pay on their mobile devices
• Ask customer to complete satisfaction questionnaires as soon as the job is complete

In effect, a mobile field service management application makes it easy to solve most of the problems service technicians face in the field.

Training Field Technicians for Modern Tools

Adopting advanced software and mobile applications is only effective if field technicians are trained to use them. A successful strategy requires training, which will equip technicians to make the most of the technology.

1. Comprehensive Onboarding Programs

Design a structured onboarding process with hands-on training sessions, tutorials, and a user manual. This will ensure that technicians are familiar with the tool functionalities, i.e., receiving job data, accessing customer data, using route optimization features, and communicating with the service manager instantly.

2. Continuous Learning Opportunities

Hold regular workshops and online training modules to keep technicians up to date on new features and practices. Technicians are part of a continuous learning program to keep them engaged and increase their confidence in using evolving technologies. According to a study conducted by LinkedIn “94% of employees say that they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career development”.

3. Simulation-Based Learning

Simulation-based training mimics real-world scenarios that allow technicians to use the tool safely in controlled conditions. This approach allows technicians to develop problem-solving skills and decreases errors in the field.

4. Emphasizing Mobile App Usage

Since mobile apps are the main part of modern service solutions, it is necessary to teach technicians how to navigate the app’s interface, use offline features, and share information with the central team.

5. Improvement Gathering Feedback

Encourage technicians to give input on the quality of training and training content and the usability of tools. This two-way communication ensures that training programs are practical and address technicians’ real challenges.

Service companies can prioritize training to empower their technicians to work more efficiently, reduce errors, and enhance customer satisfaction. A well-trained technician is a more productive employee and a brand ambassador, going a long way in building the company’s reputation.

Choose intelligent scheduling

One of the main difficulties for service professionals is trying to develop and follow increasingly complex field service schedules as the numbers of technicians and service calls grow. To break through these barriers and improve organization and efficiency, service technician scheduling must be moved from paper-based processes to FSM software that’s customized for the company’s needs.

Without the assistance of software, scheduling assignments based on technician skills and locations, travel time estimates, customer timetables, and a variety of other parameters very quickly becomes impossible to master.

Field service management software that includes a field service route optimization module, such as Praxedo’s SmartScheduler, is the ideal solution. This type of field service management solution uses an artificial intelligence engine to optimize complex field service schedules in just a few seconds, making it the perfect field service management tool for service companies trying to manage large volumes of service activities. They can save the huge amounts of time required to continuously update schedules while minimizing technicians’ travel requirements. And they can deliver better quality of service to improve customer satisfaction — the ultimate benefit. 

It’s clear that any service company looking to maintain its competitive edge in today’s world must empower its technicians with superior capabilities, greater independence, and improved intelligence in the field. Switching to field service management software is key to achieving these requirements. It’s no longer optional. It has become mandatory.