Field service companies stand to benefit greatly by implementing the right technology in their organization.
A field service app should play a large role because your teams are already mobile. If your field techs are carrying around paper work orders, taking customer signatures on paper, and/or receiving job updates by phone call – there is much room for improvement.
Curious about the difference a custom field service app could make for your teams? Read on, we’ve compiled a list of 11 benefits of a custom field service app.
11 Benefits of a Custom Field Service App
1. Track the Location of Your Field Teams
You need to track the location of your field teams. Using the location tracking features of a smartphone in your field service app has a few different benefits.
First, you can monitor where your field team members are going during working hours. This will create accountability, and reduce or eliminate personal side trips that may not be approved.
Location tracking is also beneficial if you have an urgent service call come in during the day and need to see which team members are closest to the job site where a technician is needed.
2. Capture Customer Signatures Digitally
If you are going paperless, you’ll need to capture customer signatures digitally.
A custom field service app will enable your technicians to get customer signatures by asking the customer to sign the screen. Their signature is then uploaded instantly to the cloud along with the work order they’ve signed. No paper necessary.
3. A Custom App Enables Offline Access in Areas without Internet
Even if field team members are in remote areas (or large buildings) without access to the Internet, your custom field service app can be designed so it will continue to work.
Your field team will be able to view and enter job details no matter where they’re located. And, problems can be reported on the spot while the field service rep is still onsite…rather than waiting until they’re back in range where they may forget important details.
When your field service app detects internet connectivity the information they added will be uploaded.
4. Field Service Apps Consolidate Information
When a new field team or technician goes into a job, they need as much information as they can get. Giving your service technicians the means to detail their findings and results of a job makes it easier to work with a client going forward. Any promises made or problems encountered are readily available through your field service app to the next technician who services this client.
5. Field Service Apps Keep Everyone on the Same Page
One of the selling points of a field service app is that it syncs information to and from the field, ensuring your in-office teams have the same information as your field teams, and vice versa. Cloud sync is one of the keys to a successful field service app because it ensures that everyone has access to the same information.
6. Schedule Changes are Easier with a Field Service App
Schedules change – that’s the nature of field service. Whether a customer requests to change a date or cancel an appointment, you want your field team to get as much warning as possible.
With the ability to look at the current status of projects, dispatch will be able to coordinate should an issue arise. If a team finishes a project early, or if it looks like a project will run late, dispatch can see this without needing to pick up the phone and ask.
7. A Field Service App Enables Quicker Problem Resolutions
With a complete history at their fingertips through your field service app, team members are able to make better decisions in less time. Too often, technicians have to make snap decisions with little information. A field service app can ensure that all of the details they need are in one place so that those quick decisions are informed, not just quick.
8. Provide Excellent Customer Service
If a customer takes the time to provide details when they make a service request, the last thing they want is to be asked to repeat those details again and again. Your custom field service app makes it easy for field technicians to get right to work based on specifications your client provided.
If your company takes it a step further and provides your clients with a mobile application, they can use it to view status updates about their service call, view and pay invoices, make service requests, update service requests and even view timely updates of when they can expect their technician to arrive.
Exceptional customer service leads to repeat business and recommendations, without additional marketing.
9. A Field Service App Can Automate Tasks
Humans aren’t perfect. From not remembering precise instructions to missing pertinent information in a work order, manual errors are going to happen. You may not be able to get them down to zero, but you can significantly reduce them with automation.
Your field service app can automatically make calculations that are currently being done by the technicians and a calculator. Your custom mobile app can create reports, capture GPS coordinates, prompt the tech for more information, correct errors, prevent closing a work order if information (ex. customer signature) is missing, and so on.
This saves time on the spot, and saves time and money later when you avoid sending your tech back to the job site to get missed information
10. Send Quotes to Customers On the Spot
If you want to really impress your customers, having the ability to provide quotes on the spot is a big plus. Custom field service apps make this not only easy, but quick. With some customization, you can make sure that all pertinent information is included in the quote so that there are no surprises after you get the job.
11. Lawsuit Protection
Depending on your industry, you may need a way (void of tampering) to document that the job has been completed, when and by whom.
With a custom field service app you can automatically capture the time and GPS coordinates of the team member when they complete certain actions (such as taking a photo, getting a signature, recording data).
You then have documented proof of when and where the information was captured. Hand-written job notes do not provide this level of detail and may not be enough proof in the event of a lawsuit.
Do You Need a Custom Field Service App?
Is your company considering a custom field service app? If so we’d love to talk about the benefits of custom development and see if it’s the right fit for your organization. Reach out to start the conversation today.
Read more articles about field service apps.
