7 Ways an Enterprise Service Management Software Boosts Service Business Growth

Field service is booming! But enterprises can take advantage of the good time only if they are productive. Time is finite, and the availability of skilled technicians is scarce. An enterprise service management software enables optimal use of resources.

1. Fast and Efficient Responsiveness

In today’s competitive marketplace, only businesses that respond to customers fast clinch the deal. An enterprise service management software captures customer requests and raises quotes automatically. Manual processes are time-consuming, resource-intensive, and error-prone. Making changes becomes difficult as well. By the time the process is complete, the customer may already have signed a contract with a competitor.

ReachOut’s enterprise field service management software improves the resilience of the business. The suite auto-generates quotes, based on the information provided by the customer.

Powerful APIs ensure a smooth flow of data from the CRM and other sources. It becomes easy to add accurate material, labor, and overhead costs to the estimates.

Customers may change any variable and get revised quotes fast. They may try out various options, and zero in on the mix best suited to their budget and requirements.

On confirmation of the quote, the suite generates a work order. Prompt, automated notifications keep every stakeholder in the loop.

2. Automated Scheduling

The profitability and the very survival of a field service firm depend on effective scheduling and dispatching. Scheduling the right technician for a job reduces wait times and improves job execution rates. The spillover benefits include improved technician utilization rates.

A good enterprise field service management software ensures customers do not have to wait long for order fulfillment. It improves first-time fix rates. These measures improve customer satisfaction. Happy customers remain loyal and give favorable reviews and referrals.

ReachOut enterprise field service management software automates scheduling. The software creates jobs from work orders and assigns them to the nearest eligible technician. The intelligent algorithm shortlists technicians with the requisite skill-sets for a job. It also considers other factors, such as holidays, leaves schedules, and pending work orders. It then assigns the work order to the nearest available and eligible technician.

The field service ecosystem is dynamic. Technicians may call in sick. The customer may modify or cancel the work order suddenly. An exigency at one place may force reassigning downstream jobs. COVID-19 shutdowns may force postponements. All such eventualities force major changes to the schedule. ReachOut’s automated system reschedules jobs and shifts based on such exigencies. Prompt notifications keep the customer, technician, and supervisors up-to-date.

ReachOut’s advanced work order features allow adding multiple field agents to a job. Managers may also set tasks for individual team members. They may view the team workload on a simple calendar, and change work assignments, depending on the priority of each job.

3. Optimal Dispatching

In today’s competitive business environment, margins are razor-thin. Profits come through internal efficiencies and cutting costs. Dispatching is one of the major cost centers of field service. Optimal dispatching reduces costs and allows quoting competitive rates.

ReachOut enterprise field service management software enables optimal dispatching. The suite tracks real-time GPS-based traffic information. Technicians may follow their app and drive to their job location through the best routes. The shorter route to a location need not always be the best. Traffic congestion, toll roads, road blockages, and other issues may make a longer route viable.

Driving through the best routes offers advantages, such as:

Faster turnaround times, enabling technicians to handle more customers per day. Asset utilization ratios also improve.
Improvement in technician productivity levels. They spend less time on the road, and more time servicing clients. This has a spill-over effect on better job morale, reducing turnover.
Shorter job execution lead times and on-time arrival, which improve customer satisfaction.

4. Better Operational Control

Supervisors often find it hard to enforce control over field agents, owing to the spread-out nature of field operations. Field technicians are often on their own.

An enterprise service management software enables field agents to perform tasks as per instructions. They check into the site, upload images of work progress and completion, fill out forms, and generate invoices. The managers and back-office team may access such documents instantly, or when the technician comes online. They may make timely interventions to set right any errors. The software eliminates confusion caused by illegible handwriting and unclear instructions. Such issues plague manual field service processes.

ReachOut field service management software offers:

Real-time visibility into team activities. GPS-enabled field agent apps and trucks offer real-time location. Customers who track agent location get an accurate ETA and get assured help is on the way.
Pipeline view that provides managers with an overview of active jobs. Simple and neat dashboards integrate information and eliminate confusion.
Automated data transfers among databases, and reconciliation of photos.
Top-notch infrastructure without third-party involvement. Regular, encrypted backups and adherence to industry best practices ensure a high level of data safety. Clients own their data.

5. High-Quality Work Output

Enterprise service management software improves the quality of work. These promote internal efficiency and add to the competitiveness of the business.

ReachOut enterprise field service management software is a handy companion for field agents. They get:

A simplified dashboard to view all assigned jobs. Visual indicators make it easy to identify high-priority and urgent jobs. Improved insights allow field technicians to plan their routine better and stay organized.
Reminders on upcoming assignments and notification of changes.
Access to work order, CRM data, and other relevant information to proceed to the work site equipped with complete information.
Mobile optimized forms that simplify data entry. Field agents may capture and upload photos, annotate records, and send them to the relevant stakeholders instantly.
Ability to connect with their client or supervisors, to seek clarifications. They may even connect with an expert technician elsewhere, to resolve doubts, and finish the work without scheduling a revisit.

6. Seamless Audits and Inspections

Audits and inspections are an integral part of field service. These functions are integral to ensuring work quality and compliance. But these are also cost-centers.

ReachOut enterprise service management software streamlines audit and inspection workflows.

Supervisors may manage inspections through an integrated dashboard.

The forms marketplace offers several pre-built templates and predefined checklists curated by experts. These checklists cover most eventualities in field service jobs.

Enterprises may also convert their branded paper forms into the digital mode, and continue to fill forms by hand using Apple Pencil. The transitions to digital forms become seamless and disruption-free.

7. Prompt Invoicing and Payment Collection

The health of any business depends on good cash flows. Healthy cash flow depends on prompt invoicing and timely collection of payments.

ReachOut eliminates tedious paperwork and automates manual processes related to invoicing and accounts. With ReachOut enterprise field service management software, the field technician checks out and submits the job on work completion. They may email the job report to the customer, attaching photos taken as proof. Geolocation and GPS data verify work hours. They may also collect customer signatures.

The system generates invoices instantly. API connectors enable the free flow of data from accounting, inventory, and quote software, to collect details of rates, and spares used.

The suite integrates with PayPal and other payment collection portals. Technicians may collect payments on the spot.

The system exports the invoice to the accounts suite, sparing a ton of manual data entry for the back-office staff. Technician payroll also automates.

ReachOut enterprise service management software is accessible anywhere in the world, using any browser. Used the right way, it saves money and enables doing more with fewer resources. It becomes a valuable source of competitive advantage. Why not try out the ReachOut enterprise service management software today for free?

Digitize your field service operations from scheduling to invoicing with ReachOut. Connect your technicians with the companion mobile app to execute jobs and reduce paperwork in the field. Try ReachOut now and give your customers the fast and quality service they deserve.

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Sachin Krishna

Sachin works as a part of the digital marketing team at ReachOut Suite. He believes in a healthy and resourceful web and does his own little contributions for the purpose by creating and disseminating innovative and quality content.