Can Field Service Software Help Manage Unexpected Technical Interventions?

How Field Service Software Aids Contingency Planning and Management

Unexpected failures, system crashes and other contingencies are part of any business. You cannot avert all of them, but you can plan how to cope with a mishap. Smart businesses conduct a thorough assessment to identify risks and adopt a contingency plan. The role of a field service software in contingency planning and managing unexpected technical interventions is extremely crucial.
Around 48% of companies use FSM software to streamline their field service activities. However, most companies do not know how a field service software can help during miserable business odds. Here’s how!

1. Brings Prompt Attention to Unexpected Hardware and Software Failure

Computing systems and peripheral electronic hardware can fail anytime. Erratic power supply causes voltage fluctuations that affect your business operations. An extended power outage or natural calamities such as a lightning strike, flood, or fire can damage your equipment.
In this scenario, IoT-enabled field management software can track real-time information from on-field deployments. It can trigger alerts whenever the readings deviate from the set thresholds. The software can track key parameters and consumables and predict when the equipment is going to run out of fuel, battery, or other essentials.
Timely alerts offered by the field service software allows technicians to pre-empt shutdowns, or make double-quick restorations. Alerts can also be sent to the customers to keep them in the loop.
The intelligent scheduling capabilities of the FSM suite assign the nearest technician to rush to the urgent task. At times, the available technician may not be competent enough to handle a complex case. An FSM suite with Augmented Reality capabilities allows the technician to engage with remote experts and fix the issue quickly.
Related Reading: 5 Ideas to Successfully Transform Your Field Service Business

2. Analytic Capabilities of FSM Preempts Emergencies

Modern field management suites come with advanced analytic capabilities. Analytics reveal trends related to contingencies and pin-points trouble spots. Using the insights, field service managers can take steps to remove the root cause and pre-empt such contingencies.
Not all contingency calls can be pre-empted. A smart scheduling system allocates time for unexpected calls when scheduling technicians’ work.
When deciding the time for contingency calls, scale trends to account for growth. For instance, if the number of clients increases from 100 to 200, the unplanned interventions would also double. A good suite factors in other changes which may distort such scale-ups. For instance, training, changes in installation methods, or new equipment can reduce contingencies.

Take a look through our video on how IoT and AI are driving field service innovation:

Video credit: Invideo

3. Data-based Trends Facilitate Root Cause Analysis

Insights from data-driven analytics change the unexpected contingencies into planned technical interventions. A comprehensive analysis of data facilitates decision-making related to the maintenance and upgrade of your resources.
Consider the case of an HVAC company. Maintenance data may reveal a spike in unplanned technical interventions during seasonal changes. The root cause is the system failing to transition from a warm climate to a cool climate and vice versa. As customers turn on cooling or heating systems for the first time in a season, they experience failures and call for emergency repair. Scheduling proactive servicing before the start of the season preempts such contingencies.
Likewise, mapping trends may unearth most unplanned requests being made on Mondays or at the start of the month. Even if the field service company cannot do anything to pre-empt such unfathomable trends, it could deploy more staff at such times.
Schedule off-days and leaves to less hectic times, and when viable, hire temporary hands. Likewise, stock up on repair inventory during expected peak times. The field service software allows planning for such sudden technical intervention.
Related Reading: 2020 Action Plan to Upgrade Your Field Service Business

4. FSM Offers Flexibility to Cater to Emergencies

The best field service management suite should be flexible and cater to unexpected events.
At times, managers override automatic scheduling and assign technicians to an emergency. An automated suite makes corresponding changes elsewhere. It triggers alerts to other stakeholders, and notify clients whose regular servicing may be postponed due to the emergency. The field management suite implements the pre-set elements of the contingency plan, such as notifying people assigned to handle specific situations, issues alerts to shut down systems in the event of a cyberattack, and more.
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”, says Benjamin Franklin, the renowned polymath. A robust field management suite prepares enterprises for the unplanned. It reduces service and equipment costs, raises employee morale, and improves customer satisfaction. It is always a smart move to forge a partnership with a software provider who can give continuous assistance with changing needs and upcoming technologies.
With ReachOut, we make achieving deadlines and managing complex activities simpler. Contact us today to know more about how ReachOut can help you attain better business results.