A 2013 Forrester study titled “Technology Management In The Age Of The Customer” stated enterprises will primarily focus on how technology can be best leveraged to meet evolving customer expectations. It forecasts a 20-year business cycle in which organizations will reinvent themselves to serve increasingly powerful customers. Nearly a decade later, we can see enterprises trying to be agile with the new-age technology adoption to serve the customer.
Customers want quick and efficient service, especially from the field service industry. Therefore, empowering your technicians with robust field service management (FSM) software is crucial.
Let’s see how field force automation software can help your technicians perform their tasks effectively and improve customer satisfaction.
1) Improve First-time Fix Rate (FTFR)
Several times a technician visits a customer’s place to address a service request, and they are unable to fix the issue on the first visit. The reasons for a failed visit can be inadequate tools, lack of communication with the back office, and incorrect technician scheduling, among others.
A field service management software like Dista Service optimizes work orders. It intelligently allocates the right technician to the right service request by considering multiple business rules like skillset, availability, and proximity. With features like inventory management, the FSM software helps ensure technicians have what they need before addressing a service request.
A recent study showed that companies with an FTFR of over 70% achieved customer retention rates of 86%. Hence, it is vital to use the right FSM software to enhance the FTFR.
2) Speed Up Turnaround Time (TAT)
Turnaround time is the duration it takes to complete a service request from start to end. Organizations can improve and automate their workflows by leveraging a field force automation platform. Providing service technicians with faster access to customer information and task details via a field service app will also help boost the overall TAT. The app also offers step-by-step workflows and contextual intelligent nudges that help technicians complete their tasks effectively.
3) Technician Tracking
A comprehensive field service management app caters to all stakeholders in a field service organization – field executives, dispatchers, managers, and customers. A dedicated app helps dispatchers and managers get real-time visibility of technicians’ locations throughout the day. Meanwhile, the system also sends customers notifications about their requests’ status. It provides real-time information on technician details, location, and the estimated time of arrival (ETA) to customers to keep them informed and reduce their anxiety about their service requests.
4) Collect Customer Feedback
Collecting customer feedback is crucial after delivering a service request. Organizations can leverage feedback to find gaps and take action to improve their service. They also need to utilize surveys to garner reviews and learn about customer experience to further strengthen customer satisfaction. This helps boost retention and customer satisfaction (CSAT), thereby increasing the chances of getting more referrals.
Final Thoughts
A comprehensive field force management platform collects data from multiple sources, analyzes it, and generates visualizations to help business leaders find gaps and facilitate smoother field operations.
Dista Service specializes in automating workflows and makes field service management hassle-free. Want to learn more about our FSM platform? Get in touch with us for a quick demo.
