7 Ways to Improve Field to Office Communication

How you communicate across the organization affects your ability to provide quality service. Make it easier by incorporating mobile, automated alerts, and data reports.

It’s important for service managers and company executives to stay informed and have access to quick answers in order to exceed customer expectations and stay ahead of the curve.
What if there was a way service companies could not only find answers to their business questions in easy to interpret charts and graphs, but also receive automated alerts about assets and company updates before they even know they want it?
No, not a fortune-teller. Connect your organization, improve jobsite communication among various roles and equipment, and set up automated alerts with a field service management application customized to your company’s needs.

Connecting the Dots

Mobile field service software creates automated alerts and connections across various roles and assets throughout the company. Here are some key connections that form when you have the right tools to ping alerts and standardize communication:

• 1. Rolling Assets to Service Company Database: Companies with fleet management technology can gain up-to-the-minute access to vehicle location to better connect and communicate with technicians in those vehicles. You can also monitor how well the vehicle’s functioning so you stay up on repairs and conserve resources to get the most out of each asset.

• 2. Technician to Technician: Gaining support and building on the expertise of co-workers is especially important in technical industries like field service, but it’s often difficult for technicians working miles apart to communicate.
  When your team is equipped with mobile devices and a field service application, they’re able to stay connected through document sharing and service history visibility. They can also see where other technicians are located and what parts they have so if they do need some help, they know who to call.

• 3. Scheduler to Technician: Automated dispatching and visual scheduler creates a two-way connection between schedulers and technicians. Schedulers can see technicians’ location, availability, skill set, access to parts, and more. This allows them to know the right person to schedule for each job, and technicians get automatic alerts about new work orders and their details directly from the scheduler.

• 4. Service Data to Managers: The information technicians collect in the field is instantly accessible to service managers planning how they can make better business decisions to improve productivity and maximize profitability. For example, a manager can sign up for alerts when service contracts aren’t making enough money so they can either raise the price or adjust the terms of the contract next time around.

• 5. Company to Customer: Not only can customers have access to their own service portal to gain insight into the operation of their equipment, service schedules, and other customizable information, they can also sign up for automated alerts which keep them informed of technician ETA, how long the service will take, and other equipment and service information.

• 6. Customer to Company: While it’s important for technicians to communicate easily with customers, the reverse is even more imperative. For example, you can use the data from customer survey inspection forms to create strategies to improve customer satisfaction. According to the Aberdeen Report, “Voice of the Customer:” “the Best-in-Class are 46% more likely to encourage customers to share feedback across multiple touch points.” Alerts, surveys, portals, and mobile allow service companies to gather and interpret customer feedback.
• 7. Service Company to 3rd Party Service Providers: It’s common for service companies to contract some of their service work on an as-needed basis. In order to contract successfully, organizations need access to scheduling information like availability and location, as well as the ability to connect through call portals. With advanced scheduling and service software, companies can hire 3rd party providers without worrying about blind spots or waste.

Communication is Key

Don’t underestimate the power of automated communication between the jobsite, back-office, customers, and assets. Get ahead of your competition and stay ahead with a field service application and build lasting relationships with customers and make communication easier for everyone.
If you want to extend your customer relationships and improve communication, request a demo of Service Pro today.