With the advent of technology, businesses now rely on software solutions to streamline the efficiency of core processes and provide utmost customer satisfaction. With the increased investment in this technology, this market is witnessing a year-over-year growth of above 10%.
Based on a global survey by Statista, revenue in the software market is forecasted to amount to USD$593.40 billion by 2022. It’s then projected to increase at an annual growth rate of 6.50% in the next few years, reaching a market value of USD$812.90 by 2027. Compared to other countries, the US is expected to generate most of the revenue in 2022, estimated to be about USD$297.10 billion.
One of the most popular software is the Field Management Software (FMS), explicitly built for field service companies with most of their operations outside the main office.
Therefore, if you own one, here are four ways this digital tool can benefit your service business:
1. It streamlines your business operations
Field management software can help you automate your day-to-day business obligations from a central system to improve efficiency, save time, and reduce operational costs. For instance, with an FMS tool like handyman software for estimating and scheduling, you can receive client requests, and schedule and assign tasks to qualified team members.
Also, with streamlined communications, you can share information-fueled guidelines about the job, track progress, and instantly resolve any issues that may arise on-site.
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Below are some benefits of operations automation:
- Facilitates better reporting: Field management software can integrate all available data and generate optimal reports for decision-making.
- Improves the productivity of workers in the field: Your technicians can instantly access valuable information like orders or agreements and work on them immediately.
- Ensures short turnarounds: You can keep track of important details like the time windows for customer orders allowing you to meet deadlines.
- Simplifies inventory management: Field management software provides a real-time view of all supply chain networks enabling you to optimize inventory.
- Increases accuracy: Automation eliminates any errors associated with manual or paper-based approaches.
- Saves money: For instance, by eliminating manual labor, such as in-person reporting, you can reduce recruitment and training costs.
Also, feature-rich field management software solutions like the one developed by Jobber enable you to send professional estimates to clients instantly, significantly increasing your chances of winning jobs. They can then be converted into invoices after purchase saving you time and therefore money in the process.
1. It facilitates route optimization
Sophisticated field management software with enhanced functionalities can be used for route planning and optimization in the following ways:
- It can centralize transportation planning for multiple routes by processing significant volumes of data without sacrificing speed and accuracy.
- Field management software allows mobile integration, so field agents like the drivers can exploit them on the roads to determine the most efficient routes.
- With live tracking tools, you can trace a vehicle’s and goods’ location to know whether it’s in the correct geo-location.
- Schedule multiple appointments for a single route. For example, if a driver needs to drop equipment in a particular region, you can schedule other pickups within the geographical range. It minimizes idle hours, travel time, and fuel lowering operational costs.
2. It boosts customer experience
As internet access and adoption keeps increasing daily, consumer behavior is also transforming. Data shows that online sales reached about USD$4.9 trillion as of 2021, and it’s projected to grow by 50% in the next quarters, amounting to USD$7.4 trillion by 2025.
It indicates that most consumers now spend most of their time living digital lives and mainly prefer brands with an online presence. On the same note, they have high expectations regarding the quality and speed of service online. For example, the responsiveness across the different digital channels.
Fortunately, by using field management software, you can transform customer experience in the following ways:
- Reduce wait times by optimizing order fulfillment. For instance, you can set customer appointment reminders to ensure every client is attended to.
- Provide real-time updates and notifications to clients, for instance, in case of anticipated delays.
- Offer all-time support by facilitating constant connection to field service.
- Share helpful information to improve first-time client experience.
4. It offers optimal data security
The software industry is witnessing rapid growth as businesses want to leverage cloud-based operations. Gartner forecasts that global end-user spending on cloud services will increase by 20.4% in 2022, reaching about USD$494.7 billion. It represents an increase from the USD$410.9 billion spending in 2021. Based on the reports, it’s projected to grow, amounting to USD$600 billion by 2023.
Even so, cloud migration comes with security risks, such as data loss due to attacks. Luckily, cloud-based field management software is built-in with robust security protocols to prevent breaches. This includes data encryption, strong passwords, and data backups. Therefore, you can protect clients’ confidential information and reduce downtime costs.
Conclusion
Technology has become an essential tool for doing business in this digital era. It’s especially necessary for busy field service companies that manage large-scale operations remotely. As a business owner, it can help you streamline your processes, optimize your routes, transform the customer experience, and secure your data. Therefore, you’d want to harness the power of technology to prepare your service business for unmatched growth.