Why weigh your business down with manual processes, complicated spreadsheets, paper-based schedules and inefficient technician scheduling? These cumbersome practices can significantly reduce business productivity. Luckily there is a simple solution.

Field service software can easily transform hours of frustration into a few pleasurable clicks. Technicians are expensive resources but by identifying and addressing key areas of inefficiency within those resources, you can maximize your investment and productivity.

Choosing a CRM field service platform is not an easy task. We’re here to help! BrainSell is hosting a free webinar on Fieldmagic on Thursday, April 20th at 2 PM EDT. Register below.

Check out these 5 ways you can enhance productivity with field service software!

5 Ways to Improve Productivity in Field Service

1) Better job scheduling

Imagine how great it would be for your technicians to have their complete schedule in front of them through an easy-to-use mobile app. They wouldn’t need to call the office for their daily job assignments, but instead simply look at their smartphone. Among the many advantages, Fieldmagic software provides offline access for any low or no signal areas that the technicians may encounter, making access foolproof. In addition, technicians have access to all the job details without having to use a paper work order.

Technicians often spend excessive amounts of time traveling between jobs. Some could end up losing nearly half of their working hours due to inefficient job scheduling! The Fieldmagic mobile app leverages the navigation features of the smartphone so that the technician can use the most efficient path to get to the client site. Job management software helps you create an efficient job schedule that maximizes the time technicians spend working. You can group their job assignments so they handle all the work at a particular client site rather than having multiple technicians with similar skills attend the same site.

2) Technical time tracking

How do you know where your technicians are spending their time? Tracking time manually through spreadsheets or on paper, can cost unnecessary administrative overhead and inaccurate reporting. By streamlining the time tracking and billing process for technicians, you can clearly see the technician’s travel and job times, and schedules jobs around their personal time and sick leave. Tying these metrics into your business reporting can create a greater understanding of your own inefficiencies.

Think of it from a technician’s perspective. Tedious paperwork following an assignment to record everything from the materials they use to the time spent on each task, is laborious.  The mobile app speeds up this process by turning this formerly time-consuming task into something accomplished with a just a few taps on the smartphone. Material tracking and billing undergo a similar process, so your business can accurately evaluate your expenses for each job. Standard Operating Procedures & Checklists improve service consistency, so your clients get the same experience each time, and you can ensure that you’re compliant with all of the relevant standards for your industry.

3) Improved job management

How great would it be to improve tech visibility while combining visual job scheduling, geolocation, timesheets and powerful business reporting in a single platform? Perhaps you have a separate GPS tracking system from your Job Management System. Implementing job management software will help you keep track of exactly what’s going on without spending long hours poring over reports. Fieldmagic offers GPS tracking, drag-and-drop scheduling, time and materials logging through the mobile app and the power of a flexible CRM with powerful reporting to reach this goal.

The capacity of visual job scheduling becomes apparent very quickly in certain situations.  For example, when a technician calls out of work at the last minute, changing schedules or accounts is a snap.  Under a manual system, these situations are cumbersome, involving many calls and much confusion. When you put powerful field service software in place, however, you’ll be able to handle everything with a few clicks.

Another advantage is that Geolocation services work directly through the technician’s smartphone, so investing in expensive equipment for your fleet is not necessary. Everything is built in and updates are in real-time. Clients receive accurate updates so they know the exact time to expect a field technician, rather than relying on verbal estimates.  Not only that, but the CRM functionality puts client and technician information right in front of you for quick reference.

You can stay in your field service management software and still access customer phone numbers and other important data as it’s immediately available within the Fieldmagic app. Accessing this essential data quickly frees up time for other work obligations.

4) Create job security

Creating job security for your team will help to drive efficiency. Your technicians will get the resources and support they need to do their jobs better. This in turn will increase their job satisfaction and level of commitment. In addition, clients will receive a better overall experience, and therefore are more likely to continue doing business with you. And lastly, your company will achieve a sustainable growth strategy that brings success to everyone involved. The current global environment is tough with businesses looking to drive down costs.  Providing job security by ensuring that your business can compete in that environment is advantageous to all.

5) Eliminate inefficient practices

Most of time employees will do the right thing, but sometimes they do make poor decisions. For instance, your technicians running a personal errand during work hours. With geofencing you can identify and correct these inefficient practices. You can establish the best field technician practices that they can easily reference straight from their mobile app.

Expectations for field service workers can be designed to improve productivity. For example, instructions on acceptable times to take breaks, what to do in unexpected situations and how to provide the best client experience. This industry is a high-volume, low-margin environment – efficiency is the key to success. The best field service software streamlines your work processes and eliminates inefficiencies at all levels of your business. Maximize your ROI for one of your most expensive resources in your company. Take the first step on your path to greater productivity for your business by implementing this field service software system. Interested in learning more? Join us on Thursday, April 20th at 2 PM EDT for our webinar on Fieldmagic. Register here.