How to Become a Pro Contractor Using A Field Service Mobile App

While Artificial Intelligence continues to make strides, the demand for proficient contractors remains steadfast. In various field service domains such as HVAC, lawn care, pest control, fire and safety, electronics, and more, the need for skilled technicians remains paramount. Nevertheless, the journey for field service contractors is not without its hurdles. This blog will take you through some of the top challenges faced by field contractors and how FSM software can help them improve work efficiency. 

Top Challenges Of Field Contractors

If your company manages a mobile workforce, you will be familiar with the challenges that come along with it. Sub-optimal scheduling, delayed jobs, miscommunications, and inefficient workflows occur daily. These challenges have intensified in today’s fast-paced and competitive business environment. Competitors lurk around, and one wrong move or even a few minutes of delay can lead to customer dissatisfaction and loss of business. Margins have become razor-thin. Without conscious efficiency improvement, the contractors face huge inefficiencies and revenue loss. 

1. Inefficient scheduling and dispatching 

Manual scheduling, dispatching, and coordination lead to delays, errors, and inefficiencies. Schedulers often struggle to assign qualified field agents for the task at hand. Last-minute changes lead to delays and impact other assigned jobs. All these degrade the customer experience and increase operational costs. Difficulty in tracking inventory causes delays and makes resource allocation inefficient.

Field service management software automates scheduling and optimizes routes to overcome these challenges. 

2. Lack of visibility and limited communication options

Managers sitting in their offices have limited control over what takes place in the field. Limited visibility and connection often cause miscommunication. Difficulty tracking work progress and time lags in responding cause delays.

The field service mobile app enables real-time communication between agents and the office. 

3. Extensive paperwork

Relying on paper-based documentation for work orders, invoices, and reports often causes errors. Some crucial information may slip through the cracks. Worse, technicians spend time on paperwork when they could be serving another client. Improper data collection and analysis lead to information blocks. This, in turn, leads to poor decision-making and inefficient operations.

Field service mobile apps offer electronic checklists and forms and dynamic reports. These options reduce paperwork, improve accuracy, and speed up the process. 

The Indispensability Of Field Service Mobile App 

Best-in-class field service management software comes with companion field service mobile apps. These apps play a transformative role in enabling efficiency improvements and delivering growth. Efficiency, customer satisfaction, and service quality improve.

1. Improved scheduling and dispatching

One of the biggest impacts of field service management software is to improve scheduling and dispatching. 

Calendar views and easy job assignment enables efficient scheduling and dispatching. 

The algorithm matches jobs with technicians qualified for such jobs. It assigns work after considering shift hours, off days, and leaves, to reduce overtime and cramped schedules. 

Technology integrations speed up the work process, reduce customer wait time, and improve operational efficiencies. Integration with inventory management syncs scheduling with parts availability. Integration with maps guides the field agents through the best routes. 

2. Streamlined workflow

The field service mobile app streamlines workflows and enhances productivity for contractors. 

Contractors upload forms and checklists for field agents to follow. Such forms and checklists enable:

• Compliance checklists 
• Structuring workflows and routing the field agent’s progress. 
• Making audits and inspections seamless 
• Custom reports and electronic data gathering improve speed and accuracy.

3. Real-time data access and communication 

Field service mobile apps enable real-time data access and communication from the job site. Agents can access work orders, service history, and instruction manuals. They do not have to waste time seeking clarification or making estimates. 

Integrated communication channels offer timely notifications and reminders. Field agents remain up-to-date on upcoming schedules and schedule changes. They can access client details and service history and seek remote experts’ guidance to perform difficult tasks. 

Live tracking options allow managers to track field agents in real-time and intervene to support these agents if they see any lag.

Coordination improves, and the process becomes transparent. Managers can exercise greater control over operations. 

Identifying The Right Field Service Mobile App 

Here are the must-have features to look for in a good field service mobile app.

• Work management functionalities: Field agents can manage on-site scheduling, work estimates, checklists, and other functionality. For instance, they can change the work order depending on the situation at the work site. 
• Integrated dispatching capabilities: Dispatchers guide field agents through the best routes. The smartphone apps integrate maps to enable the same. 
• Tracking: The app leverages the smartphone GPS to make the location of field workers in real-time explicit. This provides accurate ETAs and enables route optimization.
• Job information: Field technicians can access instructions and other information to work better. 
• Offline mode: Field agents can access data and complete tasks offline in remote areas without internet connectivity. The apps sync to the central server when back online. 
• Communication tools: In-app messaging, calls, and notifications enable seamless communication.
• Electronic forms and checklists: Field agents can download forms and checklists to do their jobs. These forms allow electronic data gathering, including appending images and videos. Field agents can complete and submit digital forms to reduce paperwork and improve data accuracy. These forms and checklists also standardize and streamline audits and inspections.
• Billing and payments: Option to generate invoices and process payments
• Time tracking: Records work hours and breaks to streamline payroll and manage overtime. Geofencing tracks location as well. 

An intuitive and easy-to-use interface is the icing on the cake and improves field agent productivity. The best mobile apps for field service are also customizable to suit specific enterprise needs.

How Reachout Fits The Bill

ReachOut is a popular field service management software with robust companion mobile apps. The app offers all the features and functionality needed for streamlined and seamless operations. Integrated dashboards offer schedules, inventory, and other insights to get the job done. 

ReachOut offers robust systems to generate quotes and create work orders. A ticketing system enables end-to-end tracking of open work orders. Greater control improves quality and timely work execution. 

The companion field service mobile app offers a list of the current jobs, with the option to drill down for details and manage the job. Field agents get their schedules and to-do lists at their fingertips. Color-coded labels show the job status. The inbuilt ticketing management system integrates customer information. Agents can organize their work better, and productivity improves.

A slew of powerful functionality allows agents to get work done effortlessly. They do not have to waste time gathering information or logging in to different portals to execute commands. The inventory component allows returning items through the app. GPS tracking capabilities allow supervisors to track and support the field agent in real-time. 

Route optimization helps agents reach their work site through the best routes. The best routes are the fastest and most cost-efficient, not always the shortest ones. On-time arrival rates improve, and customer wait times are reduced. 

Field agents can download styled or standard digital forms or custom checklists and collect data. The dynamic report functionality automates summary reports, audit trails, and time logs. Users may also create and send custom reports with ease. The image capture feature allows agents to capture images on the job. They can append such images to reports or record before-after status as proof of work. Real-time generation of reports saves valuable time. 

Integrated invoicing allows field agents to generate invoices as soon as work is complete and collect payments. Integration with external apps such as Quickbook and Xeno automate back office processing. Tracking tasks and expenses becomes easy and accurate. Contractors can also reduce overhead costs.

A robust backend with redundant backups and encryption offers easy scalability and high security. Contractors can customize the features based on their specific needs.

Learn more on how ReachOut Suite Mobile App can empower your field contractors to do more. Request a Free Demo Now!