Mobile technological advances are changing the face of companies and their field service employees. In the quest for improved customer service, better time management, effective planning and increased employee productivity as well as increased profits, companies are turning to mobile workforce management solutions. According to a survey conducted by the Aberdeen Group, 61 percent of Best-in-Class performers reported leveraging field service management applications.
See the opportunity? To achieve this high level of performance, companies need to take necessary action of moving away from manual paper-based scheduling andD increase investments in mobility. However, most companies don't know how to manage a mobile workforce.
Let’s talk about how to manage a mobile workforce and leveraging solutions to grow your business.
Before we dig into how to manage a mobile workforce, check out our visual infographic guide below.
Customer service has been dramatically altered with the changing landscape. What once consisted of 9-5pm, Monday through Friday availability and appointments scheduled through call centers has morphed into 24/7 service. Scheduling and assignments are made in real-time. Through the mobile applications management system, key decision-makers can view progress and provide support where needed or revamp scheduling as required. Customers no longer needing to take off work for the four-hour window when a technician may, or may not, arrive. Service calls are on time and performed in the time allotted due to constant communication between field service employees, other team members, and the office.
Issues are resolved, and your customer’s pain points are cleared up—exceeding your client’s expectations and leading to long-term loyalty. Long-term commitment to your brand and company is proving to be the key to increase revenues. Your probability of selling to a new prospect is just 5 to 20 percent, and these new customers cost 6 to 7 times more to acquire than keeping a current one.
A mobile workforce benefits from constant, responsive support whenever needed. Constant communication and automated status updates result in improved project timeline management leading to a lower cost-to-serve ratio. With management determining how best to use personnel through real-time, accurate project and scheduling information, a smooth flow materializes from customer contact through project completion. Connected mobile employees know they can reach out to anyone in the service-cycle, increasing productivity that was not available a few years ago.
The protocol of field workers heading into the office first thing in the morning to pick up their schedules, tools, and materials before heading off to their assigned tasks changed dramatically as mobile device capabilities exploded and cloud-based solutions became evident. Projects and material needs are updated in real-time, employees can contact colleagues for job-related support, and work orders are completed in record time. Employees who feel they are supported and engaged with the company result in customers who feel they have received the ultimate customer experience. According to Lee Resources, 80 percent of companies say they deliver “superior” customer service. However, only 8 percent of people think these same companies deliver “superior” customer service.
Since its debut in 2009, the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) to work revolution has exploded. According to ZDNet, 74 percent of organizations either already use or are planning to allow employees to BYOD. This trend reduces a company’s IT costs as well as allowing for constant communication. Increasing technological advances will find streaming-video for training purposes and onsite technical support as well as video calls between supervisors and the field workforce standard operating procedures.
Then why, according to Field Service Matters, are 52 percent of companies still using manual methods to handle field service? That trend is expected to decline through 2017 as organizations realize the potential afforded by a mobile workforce. In fact, 92 percent of executives “feel they must adapt service models to keep up with customers’ needs.”
The benefit extends beyond customer service and employee and project management. Workflow is streamlined. Touchscreens allow for signed contracts and quotes on site without the need for paper and customer information that is immediately stored. In a recent study, field service accounts receivables error averaged 53 percent among traditional companies. This number dropped to 14 percent among companies using cloud-based accounts receivables software. Increased bandwidth, advances in programming languages and data analytics have all made the mobile workforce and BYOD possible.
The field service management software industry has grown 12.6 percent annually from 2011 to 2016. The companies jumping onto the connected mobile workforce are the ones achieving a higher ROI than any other. Implementing a mobile workforce may seem like a major undertaking, but it is a relatively simple process that provides quick technology adoption. With the in-depth benefits it provides to your company’s workflow, there is really no reason not to.
5x Technology provides the training needed to quickly integrate mobile workforce management and take your company to the next level.
Download our complimentary solution-based SAP White Paper Thriving in the Digital Economy by Adapting to Digital Transformation, and learn more about how the right data connectivity and dashboard deployment can help manage business performance.