4 Considerations before implementing a mobile solution

Published: May 7, 2019

Mobile solutions are a significant driver in the service sector and job management technology market. This is due to their ability to take technician knowledge and performance to exciting new levels.

But, before you snap up the alleged 'next best thing' for your staff in the field, there's some things you should consider:

Does it integrate with your current systems or stand alone?

Integration with the systems already in use in a business is paramount in a mobile solution. A seamless flow of information will improve communication between office and field staff and encourage technicians to take more ownership of their work.

With a mobile solution, technicians should be able to see information like:

  • Up-to-date catalogue and parts pricing
  • Live schedules and job information
  • Stock allocations
  • Customer and site details

Access to these alone can improve data accuracy and the efficiency of various in-the-field workflows. It can make staff more knowledgeable and increase their confidence on the job.

Does it offer your technicians information they didn't have before?

Mobile solutions should provide comprehensive, up-to-date, information when it comes to parts, sites, schedules, catalogues, and more.

Technicians should have all the details they need to complete a job, as well as historical records of previous work carried out at a site and who performed it.

Access to this information enables field staff to provide a better experience for the customer, and develop a stronger relationship with them, leading to loyalty, repeat business and referrals in the long run.

Can it add to your business and improve workflows, or just maintain old ones?

Any mobile solution should be a step up from the processes used previously and bring in new levels of efficiency.

Consider these known workflow pain points for field staff:

  • Capturing different types of work, like travel vs labour
  • Recording customer approval for work completed
  • Providing customers with other opportunities to use your services i.e upselling

All of these are difficult to do because they require information that your staff cannot accurately provide based on memory and manual entry alone.

You need a solution that can give your team the information they need to manage their schedules, accurately record time, complete a job and close a deal.

Can field staff use it offline?

Online vs offline functionality is underestimated when considering mobile solutions. We're living in the age of the internet, when would staff ever be without it? The truth is, often.

Whether there's limited signal, a service provider down, or poor download rate, you need to ensure your mobile solution can work offline.

Technicians should still be able to access job and schedule data for the day, record their travel and work times and access business information on their device no matter the conditions - a poor internet connection is no excuse to a customer.

Mobile solutions for technicians are evolving, and it's important to take the time to consider what you are looking for in this constantly changing market. Now is the time to be asking yourself what you really want and need for your team, because your opinions are driving the market!

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