Competitive advantage in the field service business often comes down to how well a company can meet its customers’ expectations. While this is true of business in general, it’s particularly relevant to field service. Your customers definitely have expectations of you. How quickly can your service technician show up? Will he or she be on time, and have the right parts? Will there be a hassle with paperwork and billing? Most importantly, will the field service technician fix the problem right away, so the business can get back up and running? For sure, they can leave you and go to your competitors if you are not meeting their expectations.
Delivering Great Field Service is Largely an Information Challenge
How can you meet, or hopefully exceed customer expectations in field service? Obviously, technical proficiency is critical. You have to be able to deliver the service that the customer expects. Almost everything else, though, is about managing information. Appointment scheduling and on-time arrival come from employees who have the software right tools and know how to use them. It involves communication. Having the right parts in the truck also comes from effective information management, e.g., knowing what kind of equipment the customer has, the likely repair work and so forth.
The “paperwork” of field service is now almost entirely a matter of data processing technology, too. The customer’s contract, the status of their bill, their past service history—that should all be contained in a field service management system. At least, you hope it is. This is where solutions like Acumatica Field Service Edition can make a big difference. It enables you to be on top of the complete field service operation.
How Acumatica Helps You Deliver Great Field Service
Acumatica, with its Field Service Edition, provides an embedded 360° view of field service as it relates to your entire organization. It keeps everyone on the same page and facilitates customer satisfaction. This occurs through the coordination of scheduling and service, inventory management and transportation/route tracking. It can also give all stakeholders mobile resources and agile communications for accessible, instant real-time data about field service operations.
Mobile field service apps, which are now standard with Acumatica Field Service Edition, are ideal for employees in the field as well as for staff who might be working remotely. Everyone gets the capacity to be connected to the latest account updates. The field service management process becomes seamless and agile, enabling technicians to quickly with service calls. The solution empowers personnel with answers, permissions, legal and compliance authorizations and the flexibility to make decisions based on shared data with pre-approved, built-in procedures.
Customer support takes on new meaning with a purpose-built application like Acumatica Field Service Edition. The software enables you to create a self-service portal where customers can get real-time access to information about their service orders. They don’t have to wait on hold at call centers. The platform connects all involved and keeps them updated in real time. These services make it easier to get answers from field service, delivery services, technical experts and management personnel directly involved with an order.
A further advantage to the Acumatica approach comes from its integrated, modular structure. The field service management software is no longer isolated from the rest of a company’s operational systems. Rather, field service now taps right into financial management software and sales order management. Users can immediately see, and work on, invoices, related sales order, procurement transactions and more. The processes from contract to fulfillment are built into the software. Costs and profits are clearly tracked and aggregated. There is no need for separate data spreadsheets or paper sign-offs, which are often misplaced—inevitably starting a negative domino effect affecting the team and the customer.
Get the eBook: Why Service-Driven Companies Thrive with Acumatica Cloud ERP
Running a mobile field service team is serious business. Why are there so few serious solutions to help you do it? For years, you’ve had to put up with aging legacy systems, simplistic accounting applications, and point solutions that leave you with data siloes across your organization. It is nearly impossible to make strategic business decisions that will keep your customers happy when technology works against you.
That’s why you should consider what Acumatica Field Service Edition can do for your business. Learn more in the new Why Service-Driven Companies Thrive with Acumatica Cloud ERP ebook including:
- Why the wrong technology stifles growth for service-driven organizations.
- How to maintain an “always-on” view of the health of your operations.
- Why one Acumatica customer said, “My dispatchers are thrilled to pieces.”
- How to manage mobile field service on a future-proof cloud platform.
- Three ways Acumatica can help you exceed customer expectations every time.
Click here to download now.
Get the Most Out of Your Field Service Team
Acumatica Field Service Edition gives you the ability to exceed customer expectations. It confers competitive advantage. To learn more about how Acumatica can help you improve your field services business, contact us for a demo and free consultation.
Additional Field Service Resources
Acumatica Cloud ERP: Field Service Case Studies