Field service technicians, such as plumbers, drivers, on-site installation personnel, repair and maintenance staff, etc. tend to encounter a lot of moving parts in their work before the actual service delivery begins. Once customers place an appointment request, managers have to schedule the work order keeping in mind multiple factors, including location, cost, time, and skill match. And in the modern world, these optimization tasks no longer have to be performed manually. Service scheduling software can introduce several useful tools to make the process smoother and more satisfying for both the business and the clients. Let us explore this in some more detail.
How service scheduling software works
Suppose, home WiFi is one the services that your company provides. Now if a customer faces an internet snag, they will report the issue to your helpdesk. Upon seeing the request on their monitoring dashboard, your managerial or support team would assign the field task to an available technician. The worker will then receive all the details about the destination, service required, etc. After this, the customer issue would be on its way of getting resolved!
Also known as dispatch management, this process becomes convenient and result-oriented with three main features:
- Monitoring
With a service dispatch tool, managers can view all the assigned and pending tasks at a single place. They do not have to keep an eye on individual appointments, rather they can prioritize the work depending on urgency and proximity. Moreover, modern software solutions allow the identification of the right person for the job across different service groups.
- Routing
Since requests can be routed automatically to field staff, using service scheduling software lets your in-office teams focus on more complex matters. They don’t have to worry about performing repetitive tasks and go through coordination hassles every day. All they have to do is route incoming requests to a relevant person – and even that can be done across shifts, schedules, locations, and more.
- Tracking
The perks of the software don’t end at scheduling alone. Once your technicians have resolved an issue, you can view things like their punctuality, resolution time, customer satisfaction ratings, etc. These metrics help you gauge the performance of individual workers while also giving you a big-picture view of how things are going in the field.
Owing to the above-mentioned capabilities, 67 percent of field service managers are already investing in technology to improve business performance. That said, service management tools also make things easier for on-ground technicians. They not only gain from the streamlined workflows but also get more autonomy over their work. Here is a comprehensive view of the benefits.
Specific advantages for service technicians
- Viewing appointments on the go
Modern-day dispatch management solutions give you an exclusive app for the field staff, who can pull it up on a mobile device to access all kinds of information. Not only can your technicians view their assigned tasks for the day but also plan their schedules in a way that helps them maximize their efficiency.
Here is a demonstration of how the interface looks like.
As you can see, from the assigned service tasks along with the specific customer issue, everything is organized in one location for the concerned person to view.
- Reaching destinations in time
It is also possible for technicians to keep an eye on the customer’s location and previous interactions with the brand. This lends more context to their response to service requests, helping them prioritize urgent tasks, reach the site faster, and deliver superior experiences.
For instance, if a particular client is facing trouble with the washing machine they bought from your company, the service agent would be able to see where they are based, what their exact problem is, along with the date and time windows. These specifics will further nudge an appropriate response from your representative.
This scenario is definitely better than when the field staff has no idea about the customers’ exigencies and gets to know about their job only upon reaching the destination.
- Staying updated at all times
If there are any scheduling changes, technicians can be rest assured that they won’t have to waste their time in back-and-forth discussions with their managers. The app would automatically show them any task modifications or rescheduling that may have taken place. In case the schedulers do want to get in touch with the field persons for some clarifications, they can do so with the built-in messaging and call functionalities.
In this way, service scheduling software equips the on-site workforce with insights, flexibility, and unambiguity, improving their performance and benefitting the service business.
Earning a happy customer is better than acquiring a new customer in today’s competitive market environment. And empowering your team with tools that reduce their workload and take care of their needs can have a direct impact on how well they interact with your audience. This, in turn, translates into better monetary outcomes for the business. Research suggests that 84% of those who work on leveling up their customer service game experience a jump in revenue.
When your support teams have the right gear to serve the customers, they are able to satisfy, delight, and retain them, all the way helping themselves and the company.
The advantages do not end there, for loyal customers turn into brand advocates who tell others about your excellent service experience.
Future of service scheduling technologies
A brand’s relationship with the customer doesn’t cease when the purchase happens. It sometimes continues on in the form of installation and after-sales services like repair and maintenance. Almost every electronics business needs to make arrangements for such services.
In service-based industries, the buck relies purely on how good the work of the technician is. With the rise of on-demand home services, entrepreneurs have started catering to the market need with their business solutions. Today, there are several examples of apps that categorically offer cleaning, plumbing, and grooming services.
With this perspective, more and more enterprises are likely to adopt technologies with automation, collaboration, and scalable capabilities. In addition, this would translate into satisfied managers, field technicians, and customers.
The usefulness of service scheduling solutions coupled with the current market trends indicates a positive outlook for service management on the whole. The following graphic sums up the future scope.
With this, we have given you an overview of how service scheduling software works and how it helps field technicians improve their own performance and create business value. We also looked at how the technology is expected to gain more traction and currency in the coming years due to its multifarious merits.
