As field service business owners we understand the significance of work orders that contain information needed to perform well on-field. If your goal revolves around improving customer experience and satisfaction, looking beyond the hassles of a manual work order system becomes a necessity. Taking technology’s help by using an efficient work order management system surely enables reducing costs, equipment downtime, and optimizing operations in addition to fulfilling your new business goals satisfactorily.
The digitalization of facilities across the globe allows enterprises to opt for preventive maintenance which makes placing service requests easier and even provides real-time updates. A study of more than 550 companies using maintenance management software showed that they observed approximately a 20% reduction in equipment downtime and material costs. With a wide variety of systems to choose from, there are some aspects of field service management software that you should prioritize for efficient performance.
Your work order management system needs to include the below mentioned must-have’s:
1. Enhancing Customer Experience Through Automation:
The presence of automated scheduling software for service technicians ensures that all the equipment is kept in operational order, service requests are not duplicated, and preventive maintenance programs are successfully implemented. It also guarantees that technicians receive task notifications to fix issues sooner, customers have 24/7 chatbot assistance and a section for self-service of petty issues. To improve the first-time fix rates, the software should analyze and employ a suitably experienced technician and equip them with all the necessary information about tools required, client history, etc. Software for service scheduling or field services scheduling accelerated business success by automating tasks for accelerating the process and also eliminates the scope of human error.
2. Team Communication:
Work order management system must enhance transparency among employees and field technicians. From tracking the real-time location of on-field technicians and status updates on open work orders for the superiors to keeping the customers in the loop, a work order management system should support cloud storage of data for effective and seamless communication. With all the updated information on their fingertips at all times, your workforce will find it easier to focus on the task at hand.
3. Proactive Maintenance Capabilities:
Preventive maintenance will allow your business to reduce downtime and receive accurate insights from sensors connected to field machinery. That allows technicians to gather information regarding any future mishaps so that they have enough time to rectify the problems beforehand. That dials down the system shut downtime and promote proactive maintenance of all the machines.
4. Inventory Management Capabilities:
Integrating maintenance work order software with inventory management software is a must if you wish to ensure that you have enough supplies on hand in case of emergencies. Your automated system should push updates regarding the supplies or parts that are in stock throughout the facilities with information when inventory levels are running low.
5. Generate Analytical Insights:
To gather valuable insights that will enhance your company’s performance your work order management software should track metrics and make real-time interventions. In addition to enabling a highly digitized operational facility, it will also increase efficiency, reduce equipment downtime, and even lower your costs. These analytical insights will help you track individual asset utilization, identify peak seasons to deploy the workforce according to the needs, keep an eye on open work orders, and even help you review your pricing to plan effective strategies.
6. Ensure Flexibility and Promote Agility:
The work order management software you choose to invest in should ensure effective delegation, progress monitoring, and documentation. The customised configuration of administrative settings will allow technicians to set up the work order as needed. It should equip them with a full range of templates, access rights, search filter specifications, etc. to improve productivity.
7. Payment Processing:
Yet another crucial aspect that an effective work order management system should cater to is tracking invoices throughout the entire work order life cycle including order creation, invoice submission, approval, and payment. It should gel well with your current financial technology to ease the work of the accounts department with virtual invoice payments to save processing costs, enable contractor payments, avoid human errors, and keep different departments in sync.
We all know that investing in a work order management system is worthwhile and has even become affordable over the years. Yet, for it to function as per your expectation and get you desired results, it is essential that you take it upon yourself to ensure that all these features are present.
Author Bio:
“Akhil Rajan is a Customer Success Specialist at Zuper, an intelligent workforce management platform for service-oriented businesses. Working with customers on a daily basis, he has a deep understanding of their needs and pain points and so he is able to contribute to the marketing strategies for Zuper with the content he writes. He writes on topics like how to increase workforce utilization, how to reduce the service turnaround time and increase workforce efficiency, customer adoption, cost reduction strategies, etc – to name a few. He is often found buried in books or playing chess in his free time.”
