Top 3 Things to Look for In Field Service Software
By My Service Depot on Tuesday, January 17, 2017Look around. All over the world, industries move to streamline every aspect of their business as part of the changing digital landscape. Medical industries keep patient records in a digital database. Financial industries create apps to help them do their taxes. Restaurants use self-ordering kiosks to process orders. No matter where you look, service software helps businesses succeed. Well, guess what? The field service management industry is no different.
Of course, new technology carries its share of risks and pratfalls. Make sure the field service software you choose for your business addresses the following concerns:
Accessibility
The day to day travel of field service workers poses accessibility issues, especially when your team travels to a part of town that may not have wifi or cellular coverage. One of the most important factors to look for when choosing field service software for your company is accessibility. The software you choose should be fully functional both online and offline, allowing employees to access and input all necessary information on the job. Additionally, look for software that will automatically sync data once it reconnects to the internet. This way, your employees don’t need to worry about syncing the data themselves once a job ends. This will prevent loss of information and allow all company personnel to access the data as soon as possible.
Security
Regardless of the industry, cyber security marks a top concern. Field service employees frequently deal with their clients’ personal information, which is why it is important that the field management software you choose comes with secure encryption, especially when dealing with an industry where clients make payments on site. If your employees use their personal devices as work devices, it’s also important that the field service software used is able to separate personal information from company information to ensure that client information remains secure.
Usability
Field service software should help streamline business processes, not make them more complex. Accordingly, it is important your personnel be able to effectively and easily use the software you choose. First and foremost, the field app or software should be integrated with the company’s office software to enable ease of sharing information between field and office employees. The field service management software should feature a user-friendly interface with robust abilities to not only allow personnel to access important data but import data and information collected at work sites as well. It doesn’t make sense to invest in technology that your employees find difficult to use. On the same note, it doesn’t make sense to invest in software that does not integrate seamlessly with other programs or software your company may already use. For example, if your company uses QuickBooks to manage expenses, ensure the field service management software you choose will work with QuickBooks.
Although the built-in features on phones and tablets are becoming more robust, they cannot offer the accessibility and security dedicated field service software can. With technology continually improving, now is as good a time as any to go mobile and invest in a field service management software that can help every aspect of your business.