Field service management (FSM) can be a tricky business to run at the best times. And now that outside forces are making you work from your home, it’s even more critical that you’re able to function in a mobile environment that’s completely paperless while allowing you to remain connected to your workforce.
If you need to transform your office-based business quickly, you need a cloud-based solution that offers you instant access to manage, plan, schedule and track your mobile workforce.
In this article, we’re going to look at BigChange, an FSM company that’s enabling service companies to empower themselves and their employees and help their business respond to the Corona Virus.
Safety first with integrated risk assessments and method statements
Currently, we’re all trying to work in a turbulent time, and distancing ourselves from each other is a vital part of the fight against COVID-19. But what does this mean for service providers who need to send employees out into the field?
You can cut hazards by integrating risk assessments and method statements directly into your workflow, which can even block employees from access worksheets until fulfilling all requirements.
Some of the current risks and safety requirements include:
- Having hand-sanitizer available
- Questioning whether PPE protection needed to enter the work zone?
- Asking can your employees access the work zone while keeping to the recommended social distancing?
- Are your employees equipped with contactless ‘No Touch’ if someone needs to authorize the completion of their task?
By including the government’s guidance or regulations from your trade association, you can ensure your service team is remaining compliant and also keeping themselves out of harm’s way.
Send up-to-date work job information
Sending accurate instructions to your mobile workforce is critical if you want to ensure smooth operations, especially as you can’t provide briefings in person.
Sending key information via regular channels such as email, Whatsapp and SMS leaves you vulnerable to mistakes as it’s hard to keep data organized and important notifications may be missed.
Keep your service teams focused by turning their smartphones and tablets into dynamic work tools by using BigChange’s single platform.
It can give workers the information they need at the tap of a finger. They’ll be able to access schematics, job details, see essential manuals and view up to date instructions immediately.
Schedule work electronically
If you’re still using spreadsheets and physical whiteboards to plan and schedule your mobile teams, customer service reps, and salespeople, you’re going to face an uphill battle.
You’ll be much better off creating your schedules online. Not only can everyone see them in real-time, but if a new urgent task or hindrance occurs, you can easily find the right person to plug the gap or take on the new assignment.
Take it one step further with smarter scheduling. The automated assistant providers you with crucial information such as traffic info, project prerequisites, employee qualifications and vehicle type so you can assign the best person for the job. Respond faster and work with greater efficiency from your home office.
Centralize your job management system on the cloud
Without a centralized job management system in place, you’ll be relying on handling multiple databases and other systems. When running your business from home the more centralized your workflow the better. It means there’s less opportunity for things to go wrong, such as crashed databases or authorization issues – which always rears its head when working remotely.
With a cloud-based job management system, everything is kept securely on the cloud and with the right permissions can be accessed from anywhere, and with the correct privileges, be accessed by key-workers as well.
BigChange’s job management system also includes a built-in CRM database, meaning workers can log, create and deal with tickets in real-time, ensuring that nothing slips through your net.
Manage your cashflow with ease
When the business climate is so volatile, you need to have your finger on the pulse of your cashflow. As we mentioned before, by turning smartphones and tablets into work devices connected to your FSM hub, you can receive proof complete work onsite and synchronize it with your account software.
Create invoices instantly without the need to waste time filling out physical forms when you return to the office. BigChange also lets you keep up-to-date with your trade debtors, quotations, estimates, credit notes and purchase orders.
