For a field service business, simple attention to how quickly to cater to your customers can improve customer satisfaction.
Today’s customers demand faster service, increased transparency, and seamless experiences — which is like always being on alert. Manually operating your business and being ‘always available’ is impossible, unless you automate it using dispatch software to do the work for you.
In this article, we will explore how to use dispatch software to obtain real-time visibility on your field service teams and technicians for error-free service delivery.
The role of real-time visibility and route adjustment in dispatching
Real-time visibility provides dispatchers with up-to-the-minute information about the location, status, and availability of field service technicians. This information is essential for making informed decisions and optimizing dispatch schedules.
Here are three key benefits of having a real-time visibility feature:
Reduction in job execution costs: knowing where your field service technicians are means you can dynamically adjust routes to avoid traffic or other delays. This translates to reducing fuel costs and time taken to reach job sites.
Increased job completion rates: With the ability to reroute technicians in real time, field service teams can accommodate more jobs within the same timeframe. This improves job completion rates and enhances service delivery efficiency.
Better utilization of technicians’ time: Real-time route adjustments ensure that technicians spend more time on productive tasks rather than being stuck in traffic or traveling long distances unnecessarily. This leads to better utilization of their time and skills.
How does adopting dispatch software help bring visibility into your operations?
To enable your field service business with real-time visibility, one has to adopt dispatch software. This helps in streamlining and automating scheduling and dispatching workflows – all in real-time.
1. GPS tracking and mapping of workers
Integrated GPS tracking provides real-time location data for all field service technicians. GPS tracking involves using the Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine the precise location of a device, like a smartphone carried by a field service technician.
Dispatchers can use this location information to monitor movements, predict arrival times, and make informed decisions about route adjustments.
For example, dispatch software can use advanced concepts like geofencing to create virtual boundaries around specific areas. When a technician enters or exits these boundaries, the system triggers alerts, enabling dispatchers to monitor compliance with predefined zones or routes.
2. Perform dynamic dispatching
Dynamic dispatching relies on the integration of real-time data from various sources, such as GPS tracking, customer feedback, and job updates. With this real-time data, dispatch software can dynamically adjust dispatch schedules based on the current conditions of the job.
For example, if a technician gets delayed, the software can reassign their pending jobs to other available technicians to avoid service disruptions. Or jobs can be prioritized based on urgency, customer SLAs, or other criteria. The algorithm ensures that high-priority tasks are assigned to the most suitable technicians promptly.
3. Field service mobile app access
Field service technicians can use mobile apps to receive real-time updates on their schedules, routes, and job details. They can document their work so that managers can supervise it remotely and guide any troubleshooting requested by workers.
For example, Zuper’s iOS and Android app ensures workers have the latest job information at their fingertips. During a service visit, a field service technician can use the app to document the work performed, capture photos of the equipment, and obtain the customer's signature.
4. Improved coordination for jobs
Real-time data allows for better coordination between dispatchers and field service technicians. Technicians receive instant updates about changes in their schedules or routes, reducing downtime and improving response times.
For example, if a customer has requested with rescheduling of their appointment, the same is conveyed instantly to the assigned worker as soon as it is placed.
5. Sharing and syncing of data
Dispatch software can also integrate with back-end systems such as CRM, ERP, finance or accounting software, etc. Here, it shares data in real-time with these other software so that everyone is on the same page. It centralizes all data and is accessible so that every team can coordinate and make better on-the-job decisions.
For example, customer service representatives can access up-to-date information about service requests, technician availability, and job status to promptly resolve customer inquiries.
Gain real-time visibility on your field service operations with dispatch software today
Zuper’s field service management software goes beyond GPS-enabled visibility to allow advanced features like geofencing and geo-tagging — book a demo to learn more.
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