The success of field service businesses largely depends on effective job scheduling and dispatching.
My uncle is an owner of an industrial equipment business. For years, they have been doing most of their operations manually; like scheduling and dispatching orders, assigning works, etc. Manual task planning methods include using whiteboards, spreadsheets, or paper scheduling. As a business student, I wanted some hands-on experience and decided to help my uncle with his business during my summer break. I had always been concerned about the challenges of his manual methods, so I introduced him to Custella, a field service management software to automate his business and streamline his work. I essentially wanted to ensure that his employees are planned for and dispatched as efficiently as possible. Industrial equipment businesses should strive to increase overall productivity and minimize machine downtime. They engage in a variety of activities that call for field service software to be more effective. Later, he exclaimed how positively the change had affected the business and the sales were higher, and on top of that told me how proud he was of me. A big achievement for me indeed!
Whiteboards, diaries, and post-it notes are no longer used to assign field employees to jobs and schedule their arrival. It's important to have a thorough knowledge of the talents, workload, availability, and location of field employees before assigning them to a task. The frequency of job requests, last-minute job adjustments, and effectively assigning their team members to a job create difficulties and challenges for field service organizations. Scheduling and dispatch software streamlines the process of allocating work by automating it so that you don't have to do it by hand.
The problem is trickier if your business still manages most of its operations on paper. You may benefit significantly from dispatch scheduling software in this situation because it gives you the tools you need to manage your field service workers, clients, and other tasks. Most team leaders are aware that to schedule field services successfully, they must evaluate jobs and skills equally. A successful job scheduling plan combines "on-the-field experience" with the "know-how” of utilizing the correct tools.
Here's how an integrated service management software can help schedule and dispatch tasks in field service businesses:
Real-time location mapping: You can get a real-time view of the task locations of all agents in a team. A field service management software like Custella can organize tasks for you individually. It incorporates HERE Maps and Google Maps to offer real-time location routing information. With a single click, field service agents can view their schedules for the day. With the help of this feature, the system may alert field agents to jobs and orders that are close to where they are right now. This helps you save a lot of time, money, and effort. The map automatically refreshes its ETA if traffic or accidents cause any modifications to the routes.
Assigning jobs: It can be challenging to keep track of employees and their areas of expertise. You can assign jobs according to the expertise and location of your field employees on the software.
Route planning: You can get a real-time view of the routes traveled by the agents so that you can see errors before approving mileage claims. Staff may occasionally deviate from the Custella-provided route plan. They can choose a quicker path and then ask the company for more money than they are owed. You can examine the precise route followed by staff using Custella's real-time feature, compare it to the planned route, and determine the appropriate mileage claim value.
Job tracking: Job tracking is another key duty in dispatching. It's not only about assigning jobs to employees and dispatching them; you also need to keep track of the employee and know how the task is progressing. Custella makes it possible to gain real-time access to the employee's service in the field. The app that technicians are provided with, allows them to accept or reject a service order that has been issued to them from any location. They can update their job status, log their working hours, and update their whereabouts.
Inventory management: You must be worried about your inventory with such big amounts of equipment in circulation. By giving inventory reports and alerts when things are running low on stock, Custella can assist you in managing your inventory by allowing you to purchase replacements in advance. You can create virtual warehouses and manage them as well. Custella gives you the ability to manage your assets by scanning product barcodes and keeping track of all the assets owned by your business.
It is obvious that using field service management software has helped my uncle’s company significantly in increasing capacity, efficiency, and workplace visibility. If you want to have the full visibility of your business, your next step should be adopting field service management software. Take maximum advantage of your resources and expand your field service business.
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