Field Service Management 101: Everything You Need to Know About Managing Field Operations

We all know that in today’s world, customer experience is everything. In fact, 48% of customers have switched brands for better customer service, and 94% say good customer service makes them more likely to repeat purchase.

But if your business relies on field service teams, this presents a unique challenge: you’re not the one directly interacting with your customers—your technicians and your service partners are. They’re the ones who make up your field service teams and are the ones truly managing those relationships.

This doesn’t just affect customer loyalty; it also impacts your bottom line. In the field service industry, a whopping 82% of organizations depend on their mobile field service teams to upsell their products and services.

Plus, your field service team (whether it’s an internal or partner network of technicians) are stakeholders in their own right. They are relying on you for the proper training, guidance, and ongoing access to information to execute their jobs properly. If this isn’t happening and they’re instead dealing with the frustration of being out in the field unable to complete a job, you’re at risk of both internal team member and service partner churn. (Or, at the very least, those service partner techs might be more inclined to recommend competitor products.)

So, here's the million dollar question: Are you arming your field service team with the tools, tech, and knowledge needed to make both theirs and the customer experience as positive as possible while increasing their first time fix rate? Do your field service managers have what they need to streamline operational costs and drive efficiency? 

If not, you end up with an unequipped, frustrated field service team and you lose the faith of your customer.  

To help you both decipher and improve on your answer to that question, we're covering:

• What is Field Service Management?
• Key Benefits of Effective Field Service Management
• The Challenges of Field Service Management

Then, we're going to dive into some actionable ways to build and maintain a successful field service operation. We're diving into:

• How to Improve Your Field Service Management Process
• Choosing the Right Field Service Management Software

Let's get started!

What is Field Service Management?

Field service management (FSM) is all about overseeing the operations of technicians and service personnel working at customer sites. While it's primarily focused on service managers and technicians, FSM is far from a single task—it's a broad term that covers several key components, each essential to keeping things running smoothly.

• Work order management: Efficient work order management is essential, as many field technicians spend a significant amount of their day on paperwork—73%, to be exact. Streamlining this process can help reduce administrative burdens and allow techs to focus more on their core tasks.
• Scheduling: Effective scheduling ensures that the right technician is sent to the right job at the right time. It’s about optimizing routes and balancing workloads to enhance productivity and reduce downtime.
• Dispatching: This involves sending technicians to job sites based on their skills, location, and availability. Good dispatching ensures that service requests are handled promptly and reduces the risk of errors or delays.
• Inventory management: Keeping track of parts and equipment is critical for field operations. Effective inventory management ensures that technicians have the right tools and parts on hand, minimizing delays caused by out-of-stock items.
• Reporting: Accurate reporting helps track performance, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions. It provides insights into job completion times, technician efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

The evolution of FSM methods

Like most other business operations, mobile workforce management has significantly transformed over the years as the rise of has replaced traditional, manual processes with savvy field service software solutions.

Traditional FSM methods: The paper-based era

In the beginning, FSM relied heavily on manual processes and paper-based systems. Work orders, field service scheduling, and inventory management were all handled through physical documents and face-to-face or phone communication. Field service technicians often received their assignments at the start of the day, with little flexibility or real-time updates once they were in the field. Reporting was done manually, with technicians filling out paperwork that would later be input into systems by administrative staff.

Key challenges:

• Lack of real-time information: Technicians had no access to real-time data or updates while in the field, which made it difficult to adjust to changes or new information.
• High error rates: Manual data entry and paper-based systems increased the likelihood of errors, from incorrect inventory counts to missed appointments.
• Limited scalability: As organizations grew, the limitations of paper-based systems became more apparent, leading to operational bottlenecks.

The shift to digital: The introduction of field service management software solutions

As technology advanced, field service software solutions became more prevalent. Early field service management technology had fairly basic but important functionality that directly solved for some of the pain points brought about by manual operations. Digital work orders and electronic scheduling reduced reliance on paper and increased efficiency. Companies saw better organization in their mobile workforce management and record-keeping became more accurate.

Key challenges:

• Siloed processes: While helpful, these field service management solutions solved for specific pain points rather than optimizing entire processes. They were often standalone systems that lacked integration with other business processes.

Modern FSM: The era of integrated, technology-driven solutions

Today, FSM has evolved into a fully integrated, technology-driven ecosystem. Modern FSM platforms leverage advanced technologies such as cloud computing, mobile applications, IoT (Internet of Things), and AI (Artificial Intelligence) to provide real-time data, automated processes, and comprehensive analytics.

Benefits of Effective Field Service Management:

Effective field service operations go a long way, impacting a company's bottom line. Here's how.

Increased efficiency and productivity

With access to a well-implemented FSM system, field service workers are able to get more done and increase their time fix rates. Better scheduling, job management functionality, and access to real-time assistance and information helps field workers to complete tasks quicker and with fewer errors. Should something go wrong, the problem can be quickly remedied, as field technicians are able to submit work orders or order parts inventory on the go.

Enhanced customer satisfaction

All of this directly impacts customer satisfaction. Streamlined operations and improved time fix rates mean that customers receive faster and more reliable service. Real-time data collection and mobile access allow service providers to manage customer expectations better, leading to higher customer satisfaction and improved customer experience.

Cost savings

Effective FSM reduces operational costs through optimized scheduling, minimizing unnecessary travel, and reducing downtime for field workers. By managing work orders and parts inventory more effectively, companies can reduce waste and lower the overall cost of service operations.

Better data management

Good data hygiene is crucial across field service businesses — from tracking ROI to monitoring field technician performances to crafting training or incentive programs. For instance, accurate data allows you to measure how well your field techs are performing, pinpoint areas where they might need more training, and adjust your incentive programs based on their achievements. It also helps in tracking ROI by showing you which parts of your operations are yielding the best returns and where you might need to make changes. 

Challenges in Field Service Management

Unfortunately, there are some pretty common challenges that can detract from these key benefits. They can arise from things like fragmented processes or lackluster FSM software.

• Communication breakdowns: Outdated FSM systems often lack real-time communication capabilities, leading to misunderstandings, missed updates, and delays. This can cause technicians to arrive at job sites unprepared or with incorrect information.
• Poor resource management: Inefficient FSM processes might lead to overbooking technicians, underutilizing available resources, or failing to track parts inventory accurately. This results in longer job completion times, increased costs, and technician frustration.
• Lack of real-time information: Without modern FSM tools, businesses struggle to provide technicians with up-to-date job details, such as changes in customer availability or updated instructions. This can lead to delays, repeat visits, and customer dissatisfaction.

When these issues arise, the entire field service operation slows down, leading to a backlog of work and increased operational costs. The resulting inconsistencies in service delivery can lead to unhappy customers, who may choose to take their business elsewhere.

How to Improve Your Field Service Management Process

Luckily, these are all surmountable challenges. Businesses can enhance their field services operations and improve mobile field service job management by adopting the latest technologies, integrating mobile solutions, and automating workflows.

Choosing the right field service management software

This is where choosing the right tool becomes paramount. For example, Atheer tackle pain points with:

Digital workflows: With Atheer, you can create detailed, adjustable job checklists for field techs, complete with step-by-step instructions, data capture points, images, videos, and required sign-offs. Logic flows allow managers to customize the order of steps based on real-time outcomes, ensuring every task is tailored to the job at hand.

Remote assistance: Atheer uses augmented reality to enable senior techs to guide field technicians through complex tasks. It's done via video chat, overlaying their hands on equipment, annotating images, and controlling video elements like lighting. These sessions can then be turned into training materials.

Content library and AI integration: You can upload documents and materials to a centralized Atheer content library. Atheer’s AI organizes relevant steps and images into workflows, reads barcodes, and surfaces crucial product information, ensuring techs have immediate access to the latest and most accurate data.

Comprehensive job management: Within the Atheer portal, you can track job completion in detail, including time spent, data captured, and required sign-offs. This information is automatically compiled into reports and dashboards, providing insights to improve compliance, safety standards, and overall efficiency.

Real-time information: On the field tech's portal interface, manufacturers can also push updates and new training to technicians, customizing the platform to their specific needs. Reporting dashboards provide visibility into job details, helping to refine training and processes based on real-time data and technician performance.

Read: A leading oil field services company reduced service time by 25% and administrative tasks from 40% to less than 10% using Atheer’s digital workflows and remote assistance capabilities, achieving ROI within just 4-5 months.

However, it's important to note that while there are plenty of tools out, not many actually include all of the functionality listed above. Instead, they frequently focus on one aspect of FSM management.

This might work for companies looking to solve an isolated, specific problem. But if you're looking for an end to end solution, an all-encompassing tool like Atheer is your best bet:

This becomes especially crucial when you consider the complexity and error that's introduced when trying to patchwork individual solutions together to ultimately solve for a larger functional issue.

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It’s clear that investing in effective field service management is not just beneficial but essential. When you do, you end up with a technician network that feels supported, prepared, and informed. You reduce the frustration field service workers might feel when they’re unable to complete a job due to lack of on-sight assistance or information. You also end up with more satisfied customers, reducing churn and increasing your upselling margins. Jobs get done quicker, the time fix rate each tech increases, your service partners feel supported, and your bottom line reflects that. 

So, it’s crucial to make sure that you’re investing in a way that truly sets yourself up for success and an improved customer experience. Traditional and fledgling digital field service management tools aren’t going to give you the full end-to-end solution that you need. And they definitely won’t give you a competitive edge over competitors.   By equipping your team with the right tools and technologies, like Atheer, you can streamline operations, boost efficiency, and ensure that every customer interaction is as positive as possible. 

Don’t just take our word for it — to discover how Atheer can transform your field service operations, enhance customer satisfaction, and drive bottom-line results, request a demo today.

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