What is the Need for Digital Transformation in Field Service Business?

Digital transformation is transforming the way companies operate. Companies are now able to use technology to connect employees across geographies, streamline operations, and deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Field Service businesses are no exception. They too are adapting to digital transformation and leveraging it to streamline field service operations, improve their performance, increase revenue, and reduce costs.

In fact, according to Gartner Inc., nearly 90% of enterprises plan to invest in digital technologies in 2016.

In addition to customers demanding access to information and services anytime, anywhere, employees are expecting similar convenience. They want digital tools to help them perform better and increase productivity. Thus, digital transformation in field service industry has become a need of the hour.

The field service industry is undergoing a massive shift towards digitalization. More and more customers are choosing to interact digitally with businesses via mobile devices and online channels. This trend is creating opportunities for companies to improve efficiency and customer experience while reducing operational costs.

Let’s discover how digital transformation in field service business can help organizations with improved employee satisfaction, enhanced workforce management capabilities, and increased operational efficiency.

1. Mobility Fuels Agile Field Service

A recent survey conducted by Field Service News found that mobility fuels agile field service. In fact, 81% of respondents said they are accelerating their digital initiatives because of it.

The study also found that mobile devices and software can help field service workers become more efficient and collaborative. For example, a field service engineer can use a mobile device to access relevant information about a customer and service locations while on the road. Then, he or she can quickly enter data into a ticketing system to update a record. This makes it easier for field teams to provide accurate service documentation and resolve issues faster.

2. Workflow Automation

The digital transformation era has brought about many changes in how we live our lives. One such change is the way we interact with technology. This technological shift has led to a number of changes in the way people do things. It is possible to buy almost anything via mobile applications today.

However, one area where this shift hasn’t taken place is the way businesses operate. Although most organizations still rely on paper documents to manage their workflow processes, many businesses are looking into ways to make those processes more efficient. They are doing this because they realize that manual processes take up too much time and resources. As a result, they are looking for solutions that can help them automate certain parts of their workflow processes.

One such solution is workflow automation. Automation is the primary outcome of field service digital transformation. Workflow automation refers to software tools that allow you to automate repetitive tasks. These tools can save you time and money while improving your efficiency. Some examples include document management systems, email marketing platforms, CRM systems, project management tools, etc.

In addition to saving time and money, workflow automation also allows you to innovate. When you automate a process, you don’t have to worry about making mistakes. You just follow the steps laid out by the tool, and everything else happens automatically. This frees up your brainpower to focus on other important aspects of running your business.

Check our article on how digital transformation helps solar field service businesses. 

3. Eliminate Tedious Paperwork

Paperwork takes too much time and costs money. In fact, it’s one of the most expensive things you do every day. You spend hours each week filling out forms, faxing documents, printing reports, scanning images, and sending emails. And some of those forms require signatures, which adds even more work.

But there’s another way to handle paper. Paperless processes save time, reduce expenses, and make life easier for everyone involved. They’re especially useful for small businesses because they don’t involve the same overhead as larger organizations. Use service CRM software that offers extensive storage and neatly organizes data for quicker access at any time from any device.

4. Eliminate Data Errors

A data error happens when information is entered incorrectly into a database. A mistake could happen during entry or maintenance. Or it might occur because someone forgot to update the record.

The problem occurs when incorrect information is used without detection. This can cause problems later down the road, such as when double scheduling happens or when a customer gets billed for something he didn’t buy.

There are several ways to prevent mistakes like this. For example, you can use automated checks to make sure everything looks correct. You can set up alerts to notify you if there are changes to records. And you can add safeguards to prevent people from making changes to certain fields.

But even with these measures in place, some errors slip through. So what do you do about those?

One way to deal with them is to detect them early. That way, you can fix the issue before it causes harm. You want to find out what went wrong, figure out how to prevent it from happening again, and take steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

5. Prevent Document duplication

A recent survey found that nearly half of companies are experiencing issues related to document duplication. In fact, it’s one of the most common causes of lost productivity.

The problem occurs because people copy documents without thinking about what happens next. They don’t realize that each time they copy a file, they lose control over how that information gets used.

For example, if you send someone a spreadsheet, you want her to use it exactly as you did. But if she copies it, and then makes changes, those changes won’t automatically update the original. Instead, she’ll have to make another copy. And that’s just one small issue. If she sends multiple versions of the same document around, it becomes even harder to keep track of what everyone else does with the data.

That’s why it’s important to think about where you store your files, how you access them, and how you share them. By using the field service CRM tool, you prevent duplicates and reduce wasted time and improve collaboration.

6. Improve Employee Productivity

Employee engagement and productivity will improve dramatically if you implement a digital transformation, according to a recent survey conducted by Callbox.

In fact, nearly three-quarters of respondents reported that implementing digital transformation increased employee engagement.

This is because automation frees up employees’ precious time, allowing them to spend it doing things that matter most. Digital transformation in field service allows companies to automate repetitive tasks, freeing up employees’ time to focus on high-value activities.

The study found that 57% of respondents believe that automating calls increases employee productivity. Employees are able to focus on important projects while automated calls handle routine work. For example, a customer care representative could take incoming calls and route them to appropriate departments. They wouldn’t even have to look at the caller ID to know where to send the call.

7. Provide Efficient Customer Service

Customers and prospects expect to solve problems, make things easier, and enable them to reach their goals. This expectation is driving customer experience (CX), marketing, and sales teams to focus on how they can better serve customers and prospects.

Customer experience strategy is often seen as a luxury item. However, there is no denying that customer experience is critical to the future of your business.

In fact, according to Forrester Research, 86% of consumers say that poor customer experiences are among the reasons they switch brands. So, how do you create a successful customer experience strategy?

Clients want an easy way – whether it’s paying bills online, via mobile phone, or both – to do so without having to print out paper documents. This makes sense since most people don’t like printing anything anymore. But how does one go about providing such an experience?

Paperless invoices are becoming increasingly popular because they eliminate the possibility of human error. When you receive an invoice, there’s no chance of misfiling it or forgetting to send it due to busy schedules. Plus, you won’t have to worry about losing important information. You can even scan the document into your computer and use it as part of your accounting software.

Digital transformation is gaining popularity among businesses. They allow customers to access their account history and service history, view statements, make payments, and manage subscriptions. These tools save time and money, making it easier for companies to keep clients happy.

8. Save Time and Money

Field service digital transformation saves time and money because field service workers no longer need to spend hours manually entering data into spreadsheets. Instead, they can use software to automate processes such as scheduling jobs, tracking progress, and managing customer relationships. This allows them to focus on what matters most – delivering great service.

They also benefit from increased visibility into operations through real-time data analytics. Field Service Management (FSM) software allows field workers to complete tasks faster, quick service delivery, track work orders, and generate reports. This helps field service firms reduce downtime, increase productivity, increase response time to customer requests and reduce overhead costs.

9. Boost Customer Retention Rates

Customer service is key to retaining customers. In fact, according to a recent study conducted by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), customer satisfaction is one of the most important factors determining whether or not a consumer will recommend a brand to friends and family.

According to the ACSI, there are five main reasons why people don’t recommend brands to others. These include poor quality products/services, lack of trust, low levels of convenience, high prices, and poor customer service.

89% of customers want to see modern, on-demand technology applied to their field service technician scheduling, and nearly as many customers would be willing to pay a premium for it. (ReachOut, 2020)

Adopting digital solutions boost customer satisfaction levels and they stick to the brand thereby increasing the retention rate.

Adopt Unoservice Field Service Management Software

Business field service software tools and service management software are essential for every business organization. Unoservice FSM tool helps you manage your entire business operation including human resources, finance, sales, marketing, customer relations, operations, inventory control and much more. It enables you to automate processes, improve efficiency, reduce costs and increase productivity.

Try Unoservice for free to explore its features and functionality.

Frequently Asked Questions on Digital Transformation in Field Service Business