Organizations with a service department that hits the road every day can no longer do without a smart and reliable field service application. In doing so, you pay attention to the application's functionalities, technology, reliability, usability and many more facets. It is not easy to choose the right solution for your mechanics, while it has a great impact on the performance of the company and your employees. Therefore, 3 important elements you should at least pay attention to.
1. Fast and efficient handling of work orders
Your technicians must focus on their primary task; providing service. The system should not hinder them in this or take up unnecessary time. Fast and efficient processing of work orders. Therefore, do not choose a separate application, but a field service solution that is fully integrated with your back office (ERP) and that provides you with information that is always correct and up-to-date. Clear navigation and simple data entry are also absolute must-haves to ensure that operations run quickly and error-free. Does something still go wrong somewhere? Don't burden the engineer with this, but have these 'loose ends' resolved by a central group of users in the background.
2. Flexibility in use and setup
The processes in your organization should be leading in how work is done, not the setup and (im)possibilities of the software. Go for a field service solution where you choose which device (or multiple devices) you send mechanics to work with. Make sure you can adapt the menu structure and workflows to your processes; no unnecessary buttons and intermediate steps. And preferably, you don't have to knock on the door of the software partner every time you need to adjust the setup; you can easily manage this yourself. Last but not least, technicians should not be limited in using the system when they are temporarily offline or have to deal with bad weather conditions. Therefore, choose a system with offline capabilities and possibly use a ruggedized device that can withstand a bump and splash of rain.
3. Real-time information for mechanics and office
With a real-time connection between the mobile field service application and the back office system, the data is always up-to-date. Convenient for both the mechanic and the planner. Mechanics see fully updated information on work orders to be executed and are immediately notified in case of schedule changes or newly assigned work orders. The service planner receives immediate feedback from engineers regarding the work they are performing and can respond quickly in case of emergency jobs.
The list of requirements to a mobile application for your mechanics in the field is many times longer than what is described above. But by paying attention to these 3 key principles, you'll be well on your way to running your service department efficiently and successfully.
Arend Jan Boersma is Senior Consultant at Dysel and a specialist in automating the (field) service department.
