Drive Aftermarket Gains in Customer Experience, Field Efficiency, Parts and Service Revenue with Field Service Automation, in Unison with NetSuite ERP
The size of the after-market economy in the United States for parts and services has been pegged at over $1 trillion dollars per year, which if taken by itself, would be the 9th largest economy in the world. Beyond that, studies have consistently shown that parts and services in the after-market deliver more profitable revenue than the sale of original equipment that precedes them.
While product manufacturers, distributors and repair services organizations are often aware of the potential for their businesses to grow and differentiate with aftermarket parts and services, few appreciate the innumerable management and logistical complexities involved in capitalizing on their aftermarket potential.
Whether servicing solar panels, industrial machinery, coffee machines, generators, medical devices, security systems, furnaces, pumps or some other business-critical product, here are twelve ways that teaming NetSuite ERP with integrated field service management software can drive the customer experience, field efficiency and parts & service revenue gains NetSuite users seek in the aftermarket.
Deliver a Better Customer Experience
1. Faster Response Time
Service response ETA is one of the most critical components of success in customer experience for aftermarket services providers. Communicate and deliver within shorter ETA windows with a fully connected service team, from call to schedule and mobile technician.
2. Be More Proactive and Preventive, Less Reactive
Sure, reacting to emergency service calls helps keep the technicians busy, but increasing the mix of preventive maintenance (PM) service is more predictable, lucrative and customer-friendly in the long run. Tie together service contracts, pm service packages, scheduling, renewals and mobile to grow PM business.
3. Fix it on the First Visit
Few customer experiences as frustrating as the inability to resolve their issue on the first visit, particularly if it means downtime for a critical piece of equipment. Connect the call center and the field to equip technicians for optimal pre-visit preparedness and on-site effectiveness.
4. Close the Loop – Provide Instant Follow Up with Proof of Service
Make it simple – approve, sign off and receive a notice of confirmation. Customers are as eager to close the loop on work completed to their satisfaction as you are, so make it easy for them, and your service management and billing staff with proof of service.
Generate More Service and Parts Revenue, Improve Cashflow
5. Increase Field Team Capacity for Billable Time
How much more would one work order per day for each technician be worth? In field service, time is money, and turning more of your technicians’ time into revenue depends on how optimally the call center and dispatch team can align service technician supply with customer demand. Optimize technician utilization spent on revenue-generating tasks with integrated Service Pro for NetSuite call, scheduling and mobile app capabilities.
6. Accelerate Service to Cash Cycle
How quickly does your aftermarket services operation get paid for the work it performs? Probably not as quickly as you’d like. With field technicians logging their hours, parts used and tasks with Service Pro connected with NetSuite for ERP, customers can be invoiced more quickly and accurately, often same day or next day, which means you get paid faster.
7. Patch Spare Parts Revenue Leaks
Control inventory costs and reduce parts revenue leakage with NetSuite integrated inventory management for warehouse, van and technicians. Service Pro mobile raises visibility to spare parts field consumption, which helps service managers and inventory to stay on top of purchasing to ensure technicians always have the parts they need.
8. Activate Field Techs to Identify Parts, Service and Contracts Leads
Are your service technicians only collecting the bare-bones data in the field you need to bill the customer? Start taking advantage of the service technicians’ privileged position at the customer site to gather competitive, business development and other intelligence that can propel your service business forward.
Work Smarter as a Unified Field Service Team
10. Simplify SLA Compliance
Measuring activity for compliance against in-place customer service level agreements is not new, but it is often very difficult to manage. Provide SLA visibility to all team members, especially service technicians, to clearly set expectations and communicate implications for customer satisfaction and downstream revenue.
11. Schedule Like a Boss, Without all the Hassle
How do your schedulers, dispatchers and service managers in the call center access the information they need to make rapid, informed scheduling assignments? For most firms, it means chasing team members by phone, taking multiple members away from their work. Minimize the phone-based busy work by raising schedule visibility to key field work-in-process data like tech location, work status, skills and parts needed.
12. Stop Wasting Time Importing, Exporting and Reconciling Data
Spending too much time reconciling customer, asset, inventory, maintenance and financial data? Relieve aftermarket services personnel of this burden with a service operations application that works in unison with NetSuite.
Raise your Aftermarket Service Performance
Learn how your firm can win in the aftermarket with field service automation from Service Pro for NetSuite.
