What are the Benefits of Automated Field Service Scheduling

Even if a schedule is meticulously planned, unexpected and last-minute changes can occur. These risks can be reduced while increasing efficiencies with automated software solutions.

Fremont, CA: Few businesses can survive in today's field service environment without effective time, cost, as well as resource management. Despite this, a startling 52 percent of field service companies still coordinate work and perform functions by hand. Adopting dynamic, automated scheduling software can free up time to focus on team development and revenue maximization. In this blog, we will discuss the advantages of utilizing automated field service scheduling tools and the pain points that they eliminate.

Management of Unanticipated Changes

Even if a schedule is meticulously planned, unexpected and last-minute changes can occur. These risks can be reduced while increasing efficiencies with automated software solutions. When changes occur, re-optimisation occurs in real-time, providing both the employee and the customer with an immediate update, even down to a specific time slot for an engineer's arrival. With 89 percent of customers preferring a "Uber-like" service for tracking technician arrivals, it's a service that will delight customers while also increasing brand perception.

Using Graphical User Interfaces (GUI's)

GUIs are a popular way for the field service industry to manage resources, not least because they are a quick and easy way to deal with large amounts of data. Team managers can use Microsoft Dynamics 365 to view each technician's day, jobs, and skill set, as well as a map view for both staff and call-out locations. More than 75 percent of field service organizations with more than 50 users are expected to deploy mobile apps that go beyond streamlined data collection and add capabilities that help technicians succeed by 2020. These field workers can benefit from a mobile app that displays the location and fastest route, customer assets, and service history of the equipment that requires attention.