What Is Field Service Management And Why Is It Important?

Field service management (FSM) is a strategic approach to managing and organizing a company’s resources, including employees and equipment, to carry out work activities and operations outside of the company’s premises. FSM is highly beneficial for service field workers as it allows them to conduct their work efficiently and effectively, while also ensuring compliance with company policies. As a rapidly evolving field, companies must stay up to date with the advancements in field service technology to remain competitive and to keep up productivity as well as overall performance.

What are field services? 

The field services definition refers to the work related to installing, maintaining, and repairing products at customers’ locations rather than at the company’s property. The scope of these services is vast, for instance, performing maintenance on construction machinery at the specified location, or installing security systems at customer homes.

Field service practitioners usually have a well-developed technical background and may have specialized training in a particular area. They typically work closely with customers, generally being the only direct interaction that the customer will have with the company, making strong communication and customer service skills crucial for success in this role.

Field service definition

Field services meaning refers to the maintenance and repair of equipment or systems that are performed at the customer's location, rather than at a central repair facility.

What is field service management?

Enterprise field service management (FSM) entails the strategic supervision and optimization of field service workers, services, equipment, and operations to optimize the quality of service provided to customers.

FSM operations include scheduling and dispatching field service workers, inventory management, tracking and reporting on field service metrics, such as technician productivity and customer satisfaction, health and safety management for operations as well as billing and invoicing for field service work.

Why is field services management important?

Field service management is important because the efficiency of field workers can be greatly improved through the implementation of a field service management system as scheduling, dispatch, and other processes are optimized. 

This leads to increased output and decreased downtime, ultimately reducing costs and increasing profitability for the organization through field management services. Additionally, utilizing field service technology can help ensure prompt task completion, compliance with laws, regulations, industry standards, and improved safety for workers. 

Through effective field service management, organizations can improve the quality of service and support that they deliver, leading to increased customer satisfaction.

Benefits of field service management

Field service management plays a vital role in the effective operation of businesses by facilitating the coordination and management of field workers and their activities. The implementation of field service management strategies can result in a variety of benefits including, but not limited to:

Increased productivity and efficiency 

As field service management systems continue to evolve, the use of digital planners as opposed to paper planners is becoming increasingly prevalent. This shift towards field service technology brings about improvements in both operational efficiency and employee productivity as it automates processes and eliminates the need for manual systems.

Real-time visibility

The use of field service technology enables the collection, tracking, and analysis of important data such as job completion times, expenses, and field notes, which ultimately leads to more informed business decisions.

Reduced expenses 

Field technicians can easily access resources, communicate with their team, receive updates and schedules, and remote assistance all through a single platform. Administrative burdens are minimized for field service workers, allowing them to focus on their work.

Improved visibility

Improved efficiency in scheduling, dispatching, inventory management, and communication can significantly reduce overhead costs. With these lower costs, the company can offer more benefits to its employees, lower prices to its customers, and overall maintain healthier profit margins.

Optimal customer experience 

Field service management systems strive to guarantee that the correct employee is dispatched to the appropriate location at the designated time, allowing customers to know when to expect service. These systems also provide reporting capabilities to determine if workers are meeting customer expectations and addressing any concerns or delays in a timely manner.

Challenges of field service management

Miscommunication 

Field service workers may struggle to access necessary data and experience miscommunication about tasks, leading to decreased productivity due to increased return trips. Scheduling conflicts that arise can also result in incomplete tasks and dissatisfied customers. Utilizing field service management technology on phones and tablets can help to overcome these challenges. This technology allows workers to review maintenance histories, access detailed technical specifications, efficiently review work order information, process billing, and the ability to communicate in real-time, improving overall efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Ineffective Integration of Solutions

Over time, many companies have implemented various standalone solutions which do not interoperate, leading to inefficiencies in field service management. To remedy this, it is essential to adopt a cohesive field management system, end-to-end solution that is user-friendly for field teams while providing enterprise-wide visibility of the company resources through dashboards. This helps ensure the smooth running of field service management.

First-Time Fix Rate

First-time fix rate (FTFR) measures the percentage of issues that are solved on the first visit. Having a FTFR is crucial for reducing repeat visits, which in turn minimizes negative impact on profits, reduces exhaustion of field service workers and improves customer satisfaction. The application of a ield management system can help increase FTFR and improve workforce management by providing techs with complete service details before their arrival.

Field service industry applications

Field service management is the overseeing and coordination of activities, processes, and personnel involved in dispatching employees or contractors to customer locations for the purpose of installing, maintaining, or repairing equipment, systems or assets. This can involve monitoring and managing the resources and workforce that are required to carry out field service tasks, such as tracking and scheduling service requests, and ensuring that field service technicians have the necessary tools, training, and equipment to perform their work efficiently and effectively. 

Field service industries operations include: 

- Field service scheduling is the process of managing and planning the deployment of field service workers to customer locations to optimize resources and ensure efficient service.

- Field service dispatch management is the process of assigning field service technicians to service requests and ensuring efficient use of resources.

- Work order management is the process of managing and tracking service tasks, from request to completion.

- Inventory management is the process of tracking and managing stock levels, orders, and replenishment of goods and materials.

- Field service contract management is the process of managing service level agreements (SLA) with customers, including negotiation, tracking, monitoring, and renewals.

What is field service management software?

What is field service software? Field service management software is a specialized technology that is designed to assist the effective management of resources involved in FSM activities. Field service software basics intended to facilitate seamless communication, streamline job order processing, automate scheduling and dispatching, tracking of services, and promote general information sharing between field workers and back-office staff.

Final points

Field service management encompasses a wide range of sectors, and as the complexity of assets continues to increase, there is a need for more effective management of field service operations. Field service management software basics that consolidate all the necessary tools for service field workers can significantly enhance the development of a company.

By centralizing resources in this way, companies can optimize the productivity and proficiency of their field service operations. Overall, the importance of having well-managed field service operations cannot be overstated.

FAQs

What’s the difference between field service management and mobile workforce management?

Field service management focuses on the coordination and optimization of resources related to the maintenance and repair of goods, equipment, and facilities at customer sites. Whereas, mobile workforce management (MWM) facilitates service field workers with receiving schedules and updates required on the job and providing a streamlined means of communication.

What are the types of field service operations?

In the wide scope of field service applications, specific types of operations that a company engages in are dependent on the industry in which they operate. Some common types of field service operations include maintenance and repair of equipment, installation of new equipment, and inspections and testing of assets or facilities.

What is field service inventory management?

Field service inventory management is the systemization of managing and tracking inventory goods and materials that are used in field service operations. This is inclusive of procurement, storage, and distribution of spare parts, consumables, tools, and other necessary supplies required to support field service workers.