Improving Your Operations with Field Service Management Software

Whether you have two or 200 employees, your business’ success depends on their hard work. Passionate, motivated team players are the difference between surviving and thriving. But in field service, your employees are often far from the office. So how do you know which employees are carrying their weight? 

Time cards and field reports can be one way of trying to find out. But paper forms take time to get back, and are limited in information. Field Service Management software with mobile apps can improve your internal visibility and ability to make strategic decisions faster. Continue reading this article to learn how mobile apps built for the field can help with features designed to improve your operations and workflows.

Improving Your Operations with Mobile Apps: 3 Key Features to Consider

Field service management software has many applications and use cases. One important reason for many companies to implement the technology is to improve the data they collect from the field. The idea is to enrich the information collected in the field and make it accessible to view from anywhere, in real-time. Here are three key features that help you gain more visibility into your field operations with software:

Feature #1: Time and date stamps

Let’s say your paper work order says the work took three hours, but what if the customer only remembers the work taking two hours? This puts you in an awkward position with your customer and employee. By going mobile you can create more accurate records of hours worked. Simply open up a work order or service report, and the time is automatically entered. The app can even calculate time worked based on clocking in and clocking out. Time and date stamps ensure better accuracy and fewer issues for both invoices and payroll. Mobile time cards help businesses spend less on tracking employees and more on their actual work.

Feature #2: Image Capture

Sometimes, the work you need to do is obvious. You need to fix a major water leak or install a heating system. But for some businesses, like pest control, the work can be less obvious. Or if your work is technical, like pool maintenance, text can be confusing to customers. For the office, text isn’t verifiable. Adding pictures can be incredibly helpful for your business and customers. With one click, a mobile app gives you a great visual. It’s easier to show termite damage with a photo than with words. Visuals makes it easy for both your office and customers to understand. Photos educate clients and build trust in your work and analysis. Your business enjoys visual confirmation that work is either needed or was performed.

Feature #3. Dispatch

Sending out job information to field employees can be a hassle. Either they have to drive to and from the office between jobs, wasting time and gas. Or, they have to constantly check their email or phone for job information. How can you be sure that they get it, and follow through on the work? A dispatch system improves communication and provides more oversight. Dispatch with GoCanvas for Field Service Management can also track the progress of these appointments. The dispatch feature will show when employees opened the dispatch, when they started filling out the work order, and when it was completed. Sharing job information becomes easier, and you know when the job is done in real time. 

Oversight is never perfect. However, mobile apps allow you to have a better understanding of field employees’ work — not only when and where employees work, but also what they did. Being available in real time also helps you make strategic decisions about your workforce and ensure you have the strongest and most effective team.

Contact GoCanvas if you are ready to see how field service management software can help you save time and money (both in the field and in the office). We can share more of the features that make GoCanvas both easy to use and customizable to fit your unique business needs.