Empower Your Field Service Technicians — No Matter Where They Are

Ask your field service technicians what they like most about their jobs, chances are good they will tell you, “Just get me in front of our equipment and let me do my thing!”

When you follow that question by asking your technicians what they like least, you will likely get a mixed set of answers. Some don’t like filling out hard-copy work orders to report their activities. Others don’t like having to call customers to keep them informed. Wasting time while driving to customer sites or finding out about a schedule change at the last minute are other big hassles.

Perhaps the biggest pain is going to a job site with the wrong parts or tools. Even worse, technicians despise discovering they don’t have the right skill set to address a customer’s issue. When problems like this arise, and they’re out there on their own, technicians don’t feel empowered to do their jobs effectively.

Mobile Technology Holds the Key

A major key to eliminating the things technicians like least and giving them more time in front of systems to “do their thing” is mobile technology. Mobile devices supported by a field service platform streamline communications and automate processes to reduce manual work. For example, technicians can gain access to their

schedules in real-time and receive notifications as changes occur.

Your technicians can also arrive fully-informed about customers and their equipment—with access to work order information, photos, building layouts, unit versions, repair and maintenance history, and other key information. They can also tap into the documentation of serialized equipment.

Technicians particularly appreciate how mobile technology handles real-time communications (via text, email or phone) so they don’t have to call customers or the home office with information on when they will arrive, expected completion times, and details of the work they completed. Mobile platforms take care of all this while providing technicians with easy-to-read and complete digital forms on their mobile devices.

Mobile field service platforms also automate the process to select the right technician for each job (based on skillset, availability and location) and identify the necessary parts and tools. Technicians can also use the mobile platform and cameras on their devices to communicate with other technicians when they need assistance. Not only is this a great way to support your field team no matter where they are working, it helps you capitalize on your resources.

Hiring skilled technicians can be difficult and not to mention costly. With mobile technology, you have the ability to connect your most knowledgeable employees with multiple technicians in the field to assist with troubleshooting and project specific questions. No matter the location, all employees have access to the information and resources they need to make sure the job is completed accurately.

Benefits of Mobile Platforms for Customers and the Home Office Too

All the benefits that mobile technology provides to your field services team come with complimentary benefits for your customers and your home office teams. Customers receive automated messaging so they always know the status of their service requests and receive a complete report on the work that was done. And with technicians arriving with the right skillset, parts, tools and knowledge of customer systems, your company will generate long-term loyalty—along with customers who keep coming back for more products and services.

Back in the office, dispatchers will appreciate how the geofencing feature of mobile platforms automatically logs technicians into jobs as they arrive at sites and when they depart. Dispatchers always know where every technician is, and the platform helps them set technician schedules and determine which technician to reassign when an emergency occurs.

Your accounting team will like how the mobile platform tracks the details of technician visits and links with your ERP platform to automatically bill the appropriate time and parts. With work orders completed quickly and uploaded automatically—while technicians are onsite—invoicing is accelerated, and customer service can immediately send surveys to get customer feedback.

Dynamics 365 for Field Service: Boost the Productivity of Field and Internal Teams

To empower field service technicians no matter where they are, many firms have turned to Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Field Service. Running in the cloud, the mobile platform integrates easily with all other Dynamics 365 applications, Office 365, and third-party ERP platforms.

With data flowing automatically across all applications, you can boost the productivity of your field and internal teams. That’s because it’s easier for everyone to work effectively as they eliminate switching between applications, which can cause confusion about the status of work orders. In addition, management will value the helpful dashboards in Dynamics 365 that provide insights to analyze service opportunities.

With the ability to deliver predictive and proactive services, you can improve customer satisfaction and resource productivity. And the advanced scheduling, resource optimization, and mobile enablement capabilities give your field services team more flexibility in responding to customer demands.

For more information on how Dynamics 365 for Field Service can empower your technicians to function more efficiently, contact Velosio today.