Field service management (FSM) is the process of coordinating field service operations in the “field”, or anywhere outside the organization’s property. Field service management software is often used to efficiently coordinate workers, equipment, service operations, work operations, and other company resources.
Field service refers to any line of work that occurs outside company property or the traditional office. Field service often requires dispatching workers or contractors to specific locations to perform necessary work for customers and clients.
For example, USPS mailmen and women who deliver mail to your mailbox every day can be considered field service workers, or the repairman or woman who comes to your house to service your home appliances is also considered a field service worker.
But the field service landscape is quickly changing and growing to include a variety of industries and employees who no longer work behind a desk. Field workers now comprise education, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and many other industries that weren’t traditionally in the mix.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, forced traditional office environments to change dramatically, forcing the expansion of the mobile workforce globally.
With this expansion, the global industry is expected to grow over 3X by the year 2026.
Field service management is the process of managing a business’s field service workforce.
It often includes processes like assigning and scheduling work orders (like service appointments or package deliveries), dispatching workers (telling field workers where to go and when), communicating with employees who are out in the field (to get updates, approvals, verifications, relay any unforeseen changes to the schedule, and even to communicate with customers), managing product inventories (for fast moving consumer goods [FMCG] deliveries), and collecting data from the field (tracking delivery times, the amount of deliveries or appointments made, delivery route efficiency information, and more).
As previously stated, there are so many moving parts of a field service workforce that management almost always relies on a combination of technology and manual work. Since manual work is often much less efficient than technology, a company will employ technological solutions, such as software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions to alleviate the difficulties and inefficiencies of manual work and streamline workforce operations.
Field service work is becoming increasingly more complex and because of it, field service management is becoming much more important. Here are a few examples of how the field service industry is evolving today:
The field service management process involves dispatching field workers to certain locations outside the company property to complete a certain number of tasks depending on what the company does.
Field managers are like conductors of an orchestra, who coordinate what has to be done, when it has to be done by, and by whom. Like an orchestra, there are an incredible amount of moving parts that need to be managed timely and efficiently.
This involves managing expected work timelines for employees and appointments to ensure work orders are completed on time for business efficiency.
Field service management coordinates dispatching, which is when a field service worker is sent into the field on a work assignment.
This is the process of creating, tracking, and executing work orders that are created by the business in response to client or customer needs. Work orders must be tracked from creation to completion to customer invoicing and payment confirmation.
This is the process of keeping track of any number of supplies or parts that are to be sold, used, or consumed.
This is the process of managing contracts that are agreed upon between the business and customers or clients to ensure that service level agreements (SLAs) are met.
Managing field workers and company data requires unique processes and tools. Each solution must be deployed to suit a particular set of needs for each individual business, and it must be anticipated that these needs will change over time.
To effectively manage their resources, companies employ field service solutions by integrating data from enterprise asset management systems with remote data from the field — aided by field workers who input the data using IoT devices and mobile devices — to more accurately and efficiently manage their resources and set themselves up for continued success.
By replacing manual tools and practices, companies can boost operational efficiency and employee productivity.
Empowering field workers to get the job done right requires advanced technology in the form of IoT and mobile applications that allow them to stay safe, maintain compliance standards, and complete work efficiently and effectively.
Businesses can simply make better business decisions when they employ software solutions to help collect, track and analyze important data. Having the right information sent to the right stakeholders gives business leaders the confidence to make the right decisions to improve and grow their business.
With the right data and insights, field service workers have everything they need to execute the right tasks at the right time and in the most effective and efficient manner possible.
Increasing the perceived value of your business is all about customer service and satisfaction, and making sure customers are up-to-date on any changes or difficulties is part of that process.
When field service workers aren’t bogged down with a bunch of boring, repetitive manual tasks, they can spend more time with customers and clients, which goes a long way to showing them you care.
When it comes to managing field service operations the modern way, organizations are turning to FSM software solutions to give themselves the advantage they need to stay ahead of the competition.
FSM software is designed to help managers, technicians, and other field workers process job orders, automate scheduling and dispatching, keep track of all goods, tasks, and services, streamline customer and employee communications, manage customer service contracts, collect payments, and more.
Field service tools are provided by a variety of software and solutions, but at the same time not all solutions are capable, dynamic, integrated, or advanced as others.
Organizations today are more dynamic than ever before, thanks in part to the tech solutions that help them drive their operations and keep them more competitive.
That said, competition runs as high as customer expectations — the more you can do as a business, the more customers expect you to deliver.
A well-functioning field service management operation is a well-oiled machine with the interplay of field service workers providing outstanding customer service when customers need them most. The result? Your customers get accustomed to such a high-level of service that it keeps them coming back for more.
This day in age, everyone has a mobile device and almost every digital tool and internet-connected device is built for a mobile-first experience: just download an app and get going!
It should be easy for field service workers and mobile teams to accomplish everything they need to do in a day’s work, so make sure your FSM solution is accessible and mobile friendly so your team doesn’t have to worry about obstacles slowing them down and setting the company back.
Whatever FSM system you use, it should be able to integrate with the apps and tools your team already relies on so you can hit the ground running from day one. A capable mobile FSM solution should be compatible with your customer relationship management (CRM) software, HR systems, IT systems, payroll systems, and other tools you need to manage your business.
Business visibility, remember? It’s super important. And it all used to be tracked manually on paper and the data wasn’t available until it was manually entered into the system — the next day or week… who really knew? On top of that, pending user error and user input errors, who knew how reliable the information was?
Today’s FSM tools input data automatically in real time, and you have instant access to it. With tools like B2Field, you have up-to-the-minute data you need when you need it and you can send it to the right stakeholders who can make the right decisions about their area of expertise.
Successful field service management systems aren’t the same for every industry or business so it’s important your FSM solution is custom-built to your businesses specific needs and that it can change with your business as you change and grow. Make sure you meet with your business stakeholders to ensure you agree on the custom tools you need most so your FSM system is built correctly from the start.
Since both topics are closely related, it’s important to discuss the key differences: physical assets vs. human services.
Field service management is the process of optimizing your business for physical products. For example, if you want to optimize the process of installation, maintenance, repair, or the deployment of physical products, a field service management solution is what you need.
Mobile workforce management is the process of optimizing the execution of your workers in the field: scheduling shifts, customer service interactions, and other human resources. If customers and employees are at the center of your productivity then you need a mobile workforce management solution.
If you want to learn more about mobile workforce management solutions, go to our MWM page.
Luckily for some businesses, customizable solutions like B2Field cater to both field service management and mobile workforce management needs.
The general challenge of field service management is the fact that it’s extremely complex due to all the moving parts that need to be managed simultaneously. Add unpredictable components to the equation and an already-difficult job just got ten times more difficult. Predicting things in an unpredictable environment every day is simply impossible.
Many industries face the challenge of attracting and retaining talent amidst a shrinking talent pool of skilled workers as well as increasing operational costs. Coupled with a lack of technology to manage complex assets, expanding service needs from customers who require quicker and better services, it can all seem like too much to handle.
Mobile service technicians face scheduling conflicts, the ability to access essential data they need to do their jobs, and frequent miscommunications about certain job tasks, which results in them having to make return trips.
Without the right tools, field service work is an operational nightmare. All the required scheduling, dispatching, monitoring, and iterating through unknown conditions requires a lot of facilitating, especially if all tasks are done manually. At the same time, organizations are not equipping their teams with the right tools.
That’s why organizations adopt field service management solutions to help automate some of the more complex components of the job so business leaders can go about managing the aspects of the job that need their attention. But the adoption rates of the field service management solutions that are necessary to solve some of these operational difficulties is low.
According to this study, only 48% of organizations that require field service management software are actually adopting field service management solutions.
On top of that, the organizations that do adopt these technologies, 45% of field technicians say the tools they use aren’t fast enough, and 38% of all service technicians say they can’t access all the information they need.
Finally, many organizations adopt many tools over time that aren’t compatible. For field service management to run smoothly, it’s critical for organizations to adopt integrated end-to-end solutions that cohere with the tools you already use and that they are customizable to the specific mission-critical needs of your business.
They need to be easy for your field teams to use and display dashboards that offer enterprise-wide visibility for stakeholders to view business resources to make up-to-the-minute decisions that are crucial to running a smooth operation.
That’s why organizations around the world are adopting field service management solutions like B2Field, which gives organizations the scheduling, dispatching, communitications, and reporting and analyzing capabilities field service businesses need to successfully manage their organizations and grow.
B2Field is custom-built to suit your specific company needs and it integrates seamlessly with your existing tools and CRM software so you can hit the ground running on day one.
When different teams can’t coordinate or communicate effectively with each other, the entire organization suffers from inefficiencies that can turn into much bigger issues. The same is true for technology. Field service management organizations rely on efficiency and they need innovative solutions that make their jobs easier.
Cloud-based FSM solutions like B2Field create new possibilities when it comes to managing multiple complex datasets across different areas of the business.
If gaps exist in the chain of knowledge, it decreases productivity by slowing response times, resulting in repeat visits that frustrate customers and ultimately cost the business money.
This is why organizations must opt for integrated, custom-built field service management solutions that allow organizations to operate leaner and increase customer satisfaction.
Automated and integrated field service management solutions allow companies to send data across the company and even straight to the customer. The entire process is logged into the system for reporting and analysis, all of which is instantly accessible on mobile or desktop devices.
For example, if your accounting team makes a change to an existing invoice, or your field technician makes a change to a service invoice (i.e. by responding to a customer need in the field in real-time), or maybe your purchasing department notes a surplus in expected inventory based on a missed delivery, the entire business can see these changes in real-time and react with confidence, allowing your teams to do more in less time.
As businesses grow to become more complex, they must preemptively prepare for such changes with technological field service solutions that will grow alongside their business.
The future of field service management will be about empowering field workers with connected, mission-critical tools, IoT devices such as smartpads and smartphones, so they can access their work anytime, anywhere, on any cloud.
Field service workers will increase their productivity through automation, mobile capabilities, AI-driven support. Not only can employees have access to these tools, but customers will have a certain level of access as well, allowing them to communicate with the teams that help them and provide feedback along the way.
Bank on artificial intelligence, IoT and cloud field service management technologies to pave the way for field service management solutions in the future.
If you’re looking to manage your field service operations for the modern world of work, you need field service management software that empowers your field reps with the right tools to get the job done right while doing it faster than ever before.
With field service management solutions like B2Field, field service organizations around the world are creating better, dynamic schedules faster, improving employee and customer communications, increasing productivity and efficiency, and business leaders are able to view the business data they need anytime, anywhere from one central location.
Want to learn more about how B2Field can help your field service company do more with less while equipping the business for the future of field work? Get in touch with one of our customer service representatives today.
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