The Importance Of Automation In The Field Service Industry

The rise of automation in the service industry has helped improve the efficiency and reliability of manufacturing and maintenance processes.

This has resulted in the implementation of automation in fields like asset management, which has made life much easier for small-to-medium size businesses.

However, many organizations still use spreadsheets and paper-based workflows to manage their in-field assets. It is high time companies started using field service management tools to track their day-to-day logistics and maintenance. Tasks such as time-tracking and inventory management are much less time-consuming, which frees up resources to spend on actual productive work. Here are some ways in which field service management tools have helped automate asset management and preventative maintenance schedules.

Pre-programmed Workflows

Field service management software lets you creating a customized or pre-programmed workflow. This means technicians no longer have to memorize complex troubleshooting steps or carry around lengthy instruction manuals on service calls. You can design a workflow that provides detailed instructions through easy to use content such as instructional videos or interactive schematics. Further, some field management service providers can implement a central management system that will allow your lead technicians to modify instructions on the fly, so the on-call technician is better equipped to solve the problem. Furthermore, the next time a different technician faces the same problem, they can solve the problem quicker.

Preventative Maintenance

To stay ahead in the field asset management game, you need to use the right tools to turn a reactionary workforce to one that actively plans maintenance schedules. Get your operations guys to set up preventative maintenance schedules by keeping a track of attributes like technical specifications, warranty, and product lifecycle. Some assets may also require monitoring of additional automation like pressure, voltage, flow, and heat. However, once you effectively implement efficient preventative maintenance rules, you will start to see fewer reports of asset failures and an overall improved efficiency.

Data Entry

Ask any field technician what their biggest complaint is, and chances are they’ll talk about some tedious data entry task. However, many field service management apps use automated data entry tools that can be accessed via a mobile app and syncs data with a centralised system. This process saves time and also eliminates the chance of manual data entry errors.

Dynamic Scheduling

While it is important to have a planned maintenance schedule, the task of rescheduling jobs is often unavoidable and sometimes even necessary. For instance, the right technician may be busy on another job or the required parts can be out of stock. Some free job management software apps have dynamic scheduling tools that automatically reassign jobs to an available time slot or to a different technician by analysing factors like technician availability, job priority, skillset, and proximity. These apps can also be used to tackle rectification tasks that can suddenly crop up when technicians are in the middle of completing a particularly difficult task.

Ultimately, it is important to have an efficient field asset management solution that can maximise customer satisfaction. As technology continues to improve, asset management and field service maintenance companies will continue to implement better automated processes in the future.

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