FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENT

The green light on the road to success

Demanding customers continue to drive the need for field service management

Satisfying customers in field service is less about the type of service, and more about the results of that service and how fast you deliver them

A field service management platform—optimized by AI, machine learning, and data science—streamlines field service management and creates operational and cost efficiencies

Organizations can operate field service as a profit center when they optimize their resources: people and technology

Key Takeaways

FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENT

on the road to success

THE CUSTOMER: THE DRIVING FORCEEmpowered by technology that makes their lives easier, today’s consumers are more demanding of field service providers than ever. They want more than just a service—they want results from that service. And in a connected world, consumers know that fueling the speed of service should not be a roadblock to them getting what they want and when they want it.

80%of consumers say a

company responding immediately when

they reach out for help influences their loyalty

– Forbes4XA customer is 4 times more likely to defect to a competitor if the problem is service-

related than price- or product-related

– Bain & Company

THE POWER OF FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENTWhen it comes to satisfying demanding customers, field service providers can’t slow down or stop—they can only GO.

And that’s why field service management—the ability of an organization to optimize resources to efficiently and cost-effectively meet service commitments—is so critical. Field service management is less about the type of service, and more about the results and how fast you deliver them to satisfy customer demand—all while minimizing costs and generating revenue.

Field service management is complex and incorporates:

• Demand Forecasting: Predicting future customer demand using historical data and other information

• Capacity Planning: Determining the amount of field resources, time, and skills required to meet projected demand

• Scheduling & Dispatch: Using intelligent automation to make sure the right technician with the right skills, parts, and tools is assigned the right job at the right time

• Workforce Mobility: Ensuring that the field service team can communicate and share data in real time

• Customer Engagement: Enriching customer interaction with real-time, two-way communication via web or mobile browser

• Service Analytics: Measuring the right key performance indicators (KPI) for real-time and long-term decision making

Effective field service management combines these capabilities together on a field service solution platform—optimized by artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science—to create a clear map for delivering exceptional customer experience both efficiently and cost-effectively.

$2.03Gartner estimates that revenue from packaged

FSM cloud subscriptions, software licenses, and

maintenance – not including services – amounted to $2.03 billion during the 12 months

ending in June 2018, up approximately 18% from 2017

DEMAND FORECASTINGAccurate forecasting of service demand can improve business performance and enable organizations to enhance customer satisfaction, increase SLA compliance, and manage service costs and resource utilization. Demand forecasting applies predictive intelligent automation to historical volume and performance data to produce a highly accurate workload forecast. This takes the guesswork out of predicting service requirements, so organizations can be confident in the results as they move on to the more tactical steps of capacity planning and scheduling and dispatch.

CAPACITY PLANNINGDemand and availability of resources fluctuate in field service for many reasons—storm recovery, seasonal variability, vacations, or even a marketing campaign. When it comes to capacity planning, it’s not enough to just have the right number of workers. Field service organizations need a balance of the right number of people, with the right equipment, skills, and parts available in the right place at the right time. Driven by analytics, capacity planning enables organizations to make informed decisions during scheduling and dispatch, so there are always enough resources to address the high priority work. Service delivery can then be predictable, customers can receive a consistent experience, and operational costs can be minimized.

SCHEDULING & DISPATCHDemanding customers require sophistication in scheduling and dispatch. This is why real-time optimized scheduling is so important. Fueled by artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science, optimized scheduling incorporates variables that can impact delivery of service, including predictive travel time, live traffic updates, and predicted job duration. Optimized scheduling enables organizations to schedule and dispatch the right technician with the right skills to the right job at the right time to the right location, and makes automatic adjustments if issues arise―all in real time. Optimized scheduling provides measurable benefits, including improved efficiency, consistent SLA compliance, and enhanced customer satisfaction through speed of service delivery and real-time communication.

OPTIMIZED SCHEDULING ENABLES ORGANIZATIONS TO

SCHEDULE AND DISPATCH THE RIGHT TECHNICIAN WITH

THE RIGHT SKILLS TO THE RIGHT JOB AT THE RIGHT

TIME TO THE RIGHT LOCATION, AND MAKES AUTOMATIC

ADJUSTMENTS IF ISSUES ARISE―ALL IN REAL TIME.

WORKFORCE MOBILITYWorkforce mobility is not simply a two-way street with dispatchers assigning jobs to the field and receiving status updates from technicians. Mobility connects the entire field service team in real time, providing full visibility. With mobility, field service technicians can get the right information about the job, the customer, the asset history, complementary products and services, and even others in the field who can assist when needed. Mobility improves productivity and communication, reduces operational costs, and maximizes customer experience before, during, and after the job.

SERVICE ANALYTICSThe ability to measure the right KPIs is critical to real-time and long-term decision making. Field service analytics, driven by intelligence and automation, delivers strategic value by providing role-specific KPI metrics. Users can choose the data that is most relevant to their business role to help differentiate service and identify areas for improvement. With a constant stream of operational performance business intelligence, decision makers have the right data at the right time to make the right decisions that drive service excellence.

CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENTToday’s customer wants transparency, timeliness, and constant communication. Customer engagement enriches interactions with customers with real-time communications at their convenience via web or mobile browser. Customers can set up service calls, receive notifications on estimated arrival times, reschedule appointments, see the mobile worker’s location, provide additional information to the service provider, and give feedback immediately following the service experience—all in real time. Customer engagement enhances communication between service providers and customers, improving both customer service and the efficiency of service delivery.

FIELD SERVICE AS A PROFIT CENTERIn addition to satisfying demanding customers, field service management enables organizations to operate service as a profit center by reducing costs and generating revenue. Organizations can do this by optimizing their resources: people and technology.

FIELD SERVICE TECHNICIANS AS MARKETERS AND SELLERSField technicians are experts in an organization’s products and brand. They interact in person with customers and are viewed as knowledgeable as soon as they arrive to a job, because they have the skills and the tools to solve the issue at hand. From the customer’s perspective, the field technician can be trusted—especially if the problem is fully solved right away the first time.

Delivering quality service can lead to improved customer loyalty and higher long-term profits and puts the field technician in the position of marketer and seller to start recommending and cross-selling complementary services and products. Field technicians who are cross trained to identify sales opportunities can generate revenue during a customer visit. This is more cost-effective than training a new seller. Technicians also need to be skilled in field service management software to access and understand customer history, SLAs, and other important information, including content on additional products and services—to quickly capitalize on opportunities in the field.

In a benchmark study by Strategies for Growth SM, 65% of UK/Europe respondent organizations currently operate service as an independent profit center - Field Service News

Increasing customer retention rates by 5% increases profits by 25% to 95% - Harvard Business Review

LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGYInvesting in a field service management solution—fueled by Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, and data science—enables organizations to reduce operational costs through the real-time optimization of demand forecasting, capacity planning, scheduling and dispatch, and workforce mobility. With real-time optimization of operations, field service organizations can develop a forward-thinking, data-driven business strategy. Taking a proactive, informed approach to field service management, rather than a reactional one, enables organizations to maximize resources—increasing efficiency and productivity, reducing operational costs, and boosting return on investment.

GET GOING WITH FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENT Field service management, the ability of an organization to optimize resources to meet service commitments, is an important differentiator for long-term success in field service. With customer demands at an all-time high, organizations must have the right field service management solution in place to rapidly deliver results while minimizing operational costs and generating revenue.

Give field service management the green light today and start seeing the benefits.

DATA

MACHINE LEARNING

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

ClickSoftware is a global leader in field service management solutions, delivering value through improved efficiency, effectiveness, and enhanced customer experiences. ClickSoftware blends unparalleled industry expertise and state-of-the-art computer science to deliver meaningful, measurable business value—optimizing critical business processes and delighting customers. Click Field Service Edge arms field service leaders with the smartest technologies and best practices from around the globe to deliver real-world results, real-time recommendations, and real operational intelligence.

For more information, please visit www.clicksoftware.com