The times they are a changin’ with little certainty as to when things will return to normal. But that does not mean essential work, specifically field service work, ceases. There are some industries that literally keep the lights on, enable critical supply chains to continue turning out goods, and ensure the grid is sustainable under unprecedented load.
Today, more than any other point in the digital age, software becomes fundamental to ensuring continuity of business operations across practically every industry, and every type of business, anywhere in the world.
In times such as these, the challenge is how to effectively navigate economic downturns, protect your workers and maintain social distancing while managing field operations. When remote workforces become even more remote, field service software can help service industries stay afloat or, in many cases, come out the other side stronger.
If you need to keep your mobile field workforce engaged and on track, here are a few reasons why adopting mobile field service software should be a top priority today.
#1: Stay Connected with Real-Time Collaboration in the Field
Communicate, communicate, communicate. If you take nothing else away from this article it should be this: The best way to keep your field workforce engaged is through the use of real-time collaboration tools. 
Below are a few key features we suggest to help everyone stay connected from operations to the field:
- Enable field workers and operations managers to collaborate via voice or video calls
- Provide the ability to conduct one-on-one or team/group conversations
- Quickly reference work orders, assets or customer information within conversations
The key to effective communication and collaboration is making it as easy as possible for your workers. That means they use one field service mobile app, not two or three or four, which subsequently means the capabilities must be available directly in the app.
#2: Save Money, Cut Costs and Increase Revenue Streams
Many industries experience seasonality or are affected by downturns in the market. At the same time, field service business operations are renowned for their operational inefficiencies. Turning to field service software as means for cost savings, both direct and indirect, is a reality with the right solution in place.
It’s easy to overlook indirect, hidden costs of field service operations that can be improved with field service software, including:
- Productivity savings by reducing repetitive tasks
- Utilizing route optimization to save on fuel costs
- Realizing revenue for unbilled labor or equipment and materials via inventory management
- Increasing existing or open up new revenue streams, including making it easier to capture upsells, referrals, or partnership opportunities
- Completing more jobs per day through automated scheduling and dispatching
One of our oil and gas customers automated their time-consuming corporate payroll process. What used to take three days now takes one person, who works remotely, only 30 minutes.
With so many ways to realize revenue gains while decreasing costs, many businesses turn to field service management software.
#3: Cloud-Based Software Delivery to Get Field Operations Up and Running Quickly
There is no better time like the present to adopt cloud-based field service automation software. You are probably familiar with the now ubiquitous Cloud.
Without any hardware constraints or on-premises infrastructure considerations, delivering field service software that is built in the cloud has too many advantages to list here. That said, there are a few notable benefits to choosing a cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) provider like Field Squared.
- Field service software is implemented remotely: We don’t need to be in the same room to get field operations managers and teams up and running.
- Converting paper forms into digital mobile forms doesn’t require any human interaction: When you have an industry leading mobile forms builder, all we need is a copy of your existing form and we convert it to a digital version.
- Mobile app can be used completely remotely: The entire point of field service software is to enable field worker mobility, including 100% offline use when connectivity is non-existent, dispatching field workers to jobs, and everything in between.
Ensuring field service operations experience no disruption is one of the underlying reasons we built Field Squared as a cloud-based field service software. It’s also a benefit to businesses that don’t have the time to deal with cumbersome mobile apps. With us, it’s a smooth process.
These are just a few key reasons why adopting mobile field service software should be a top priority today. During even more challenging times, the opportunity calls for quickly adjusting field service work to a new normal. How will you respond?
Do you need help managing your field workforce remotely? Sign up for a demo today.
