Field service refers to the management of a company's resources employed at or en-route to the clients’ property. This could include locating vehicles, managing worker activity, scheduling and dispatching work, and more. Field service management is an important competitive advantage for companies that need to manage installation, service, or repairs of systems or equipment.
In this modern age of technology, the field service industry faces many challenges, such as:
- Schedule Adherence- Customers expect your company to deliver the products and services they pay for, and your company relies on its employees to meet these expectations. That means it’s important that field workers maintain their assigned schedules, even while away from the office.
- Fix Rate- One of the most costly expenses for field service organizations is ‘rework’ – having to make a return visit to a customer’s location due to lack of information. Sending the wrong person, with the wrong tools, at the wrong time, to the wrong place doesn’t help any organization.
- Communication- Customers like to stay in the loop about their service calls. If your truck is running late, if you have to cancel, or if you have to order a part and come back on a different day, it helps to have a mechanism in place that extends visibility to the customer.
- Performance Management- Every company needs precise and clear data to compare their performance against goals and make decisions that move the business forward. Reports are a great way to analyze product demand and monitor the growth of your customer base.
- Reactive Readiness- The fifth challenge that field service organizations face is the ability to recognize a technological shift and implement a more proactive service management style. Technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) empower predictive maintenance and help field service organizations avoid equipment downtime.
The good news is that the right technology system can solve all of these challenges.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Field Service Industry
Dynamics 365 Field Service is a powerful addition to the , bringing amazing benefits for field service management. Here are a few of the features that solve the top challenges of the field service industry:
- Get the Best Technician – Matches the skillset of the technician against the requirements of the work order.
- Balanced Workloads – Identifies and organizes available resources by category to intelligently balance workloads and resources.
- Optimized Schedules – Decreases driving time between jobs by creating a schedule with geography, customer preference, availability, and SLA’s in mind.
- Work Order Management – Creates work orders directly from a case, customer portal, email, or directly from your CRM and track against SLAs, entitlements, and invoicing. It also allows the technician to take photos of the completed work, get customer sign-off, and even collect payment.
- On-time Appointment – Ensures technicians reach the spot on time using turn by turn direction.
- Service Contracts – CRM service contracts help you maintain warranty and entitlement information organization-wide.
- Case History – Gives a 360 degree customer preference and order history. You can achieve complete organizational alignment with Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, and Field Service teams for customer records.
- Asset and Equipment Management – Manages all equipment components for complete visibility into warranty and service agreements, total revenue and related costs, and audit history.
- Analytics- With one central repository of information, key analytics and KPIs are at your fingertips for proactive decision making.
- Drive operational efficiency with IoT – Enhances your service experience by proactively detecting, troubleshooting, and resolving issues, so a technician is dispatched only when necessary.
Every industry has challenges, but the right systems can solve those challenges and increase your productivity.
If you are interested in evaluating Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service , at 877-600-2253 or crminfo@crowe.com.
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By Uma Kaliaperumal and Ryan Plourde, Crowe, a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Gold Partner
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