white paper_v4_AW SINGLES LOW RES

The Road to Revenue:
How Mobile Communication is Making
Field Service Companies More Profitable

Introduction
The road to profitability is paved with
good, fast customer service. “Do it fast,
do it on time, and do it right the first
time” is the mantra of successful service
companies. But if everything that field
service companies do is centered around
the service experience, why aren’t more
of them using mobile communications to
improve that experience?
In the field service industry,
communication is central to good service.
Even the repair itself is called a service
“call.” It’s the string of communication
that happens after that initial customer
call, however, that determines the
success of the service repair. Dispatchers
need to talk to field technicians, who
in turn need to talk to the customer,
followed by communications between the
technicians and their field office, and so
on throughout the day. Add a few gaps or
delays into that conversation, and service
companies can quickly get off schedule
or, worse, fail to get the product fixed on
the first visit. And fewer first-time fixes
(FTFs) lead to more productivity loss at
the customer site and, ultimately, more
revenue loss for the field service provider.
Mobile devices such as smartphones
and tablets increase our potential to
communicate and collaborate, but
can still fall victim to the same old
inefficiencies including missed calls,
unchecked emails and voicemails,
misplaced information and simple
miscommunication. In order to
be effective and efficient, mobile
communication and collaboration needs
to be embedded into the business
process in a way that is simple, reliable
and, most of all, truly mobile.
If everything
that field service
companies do is
centered around the
service experience,
why aren’t more of
them using mobile
communications
to improve that
experience?
01
The Road to Revenue:
How Mobile Communication Is Making
Field Service Companies More Profitable

Equip your mobile
workforce for
service greatness
As anyone in the field service industry
can tell you, excellent service is a
team effort. It takes co-ordination,
communication and collaboration
between a team of experts to make
a service call go right, from the
dispatchers in the main office to
the men and women in the field.
It only takes one weak link in the
chain—a subject-matter expert who
isn’t available to verify warranty
information during a service visit, for
example—to significantly reduce the
odds of fixing the problem on the first
visit. And studies show that firsttime
fixes have a direct correlation
to customer satisfaction; drop below
50% FTFs, and your customer
satisfaction will also be below 50%.
FieldAware understands the
importance of a strong team effort.
Our software and mobile apps help
thousands of field service companies
work together smarter by giving
dispatchers deeper visibility into
scheduling and repair status, and
field technicians instant access
to detailed work orders from any
location. With FieldAware Messenger,
we’ve added the power of Mitel
Networks’ embedded voice, text
and video communications to our
solution, leading to even better realtime
collaboration and exceptional
customer service.
For field service companies,
FieldAware Messenger is a game
changer. It brings together realtime
communication and mobile
information into a single solution that
connects customers, office workers
and field technicians into a simple,
seamless conversation.
FieldAware Messenger streamlines
the service experience. Technicians
don’t need to rely on dispatchers for
product and warranty information.
Everything they need to know—
customer records, work order details,
etc.—is a tap away on their mobile
device. As a result, dispatchers can
spend more time fielding customer
calls and reduce their call hold queue.
FieldAware Messenger ensures
everyone is on the same page.
Customers automatically receive an
SMS when a technician is assigned
to their repair and again shortly before
the technician arrives. This ensures
that the customer knows who is
arriving and when, so they can be
prepared when the technician arrives
at their business. And if technicians
need to reach out to a subject-matter
expert during the repair, FieldAware
Messenger’s presence detection
makes sure they connect to an
available expert in moments,
not minutes.
FieldAware Messenger is made
for the millennial future. As more
millennials enter the workforce,
customer service will need to adapt
to their preferences—and millennials
clearly prefer mobile devices for their
communications. With FieldAware
Messenger, they can choose to
communicate by voice, text or video,
and have everything organized in one
app, even as they move from one
mobile device to another.
Combining field awareness with
mobile unified communications has
a direct impact on a field service
organization’s profitability. It removes
delays and leads to quicker repairs,
which means an increase in FTFs and
faster service visits. And that, in turn,
leads to more revenue, as field service
companies now have a greater pool
of available technicians who can be
assigned to more projects per week.
In some cases, our customers have
seen an increase of 17% or more
in schedulable hours with
FieldAware Messenger.
www.fieldaware.com

Anatomy of a great service call
Here’s an example of how FieldAware Messenger changes the game for service
industries. Let’s say a customer wants to contact AAA Repair Services…
• Customer Bob Jones accesses
AAA’s branded customer portal
(powered by FieldAware) and
submits his order details.
• In seconds, the dispatcher
generates a new job, sets an
appointment and uses FieldAware
Messenger to send Bob his
appointment information.
• The dispatcher then sends a
service request directly to the
closest available technician
through their FieldAware
mobile application.
• When the technician is free, he
accepts the request and the
customer is notified via an SMS
from FieldAware that a technician
is on their way, along with the
approximate arrival time and
personal details (name, ID
number, etc.).
• When the technician arrives, Bob is
ready and the detailed work order is
available through FieldAware on the
technician’s smartphone.
• As the technician is working, he
notices that the product ID is only
partially visible. Unable to confirm
the product’s warranty status, he
calls a warranty expert in the home
office through FieldAware
Messenger, switches the call to
video and shows them the partially
visible ID. Together, they’re able to
fill in the missing information and
confirm the warranty’s validity,
allowing the technician to
move forward.
• 20 minutes later, the job is
completed and logged into
FieldAware as well as AAA’s ERP
and accounting systems. The
technician is ready for his next
assignment, with his presence
status on FieldAware Messenger
changed to “available.”
03
The Road to Revenue:
How Mobile Communication Is Making
Field Service Companies More Profitable

Deliver great
service on the
first visit
In life, they say, you don’t get a
second chance to make a first
impression. The same could be said
of service repairs. Get it right the first
time, and you’ve got a customer for
life. But if it takes two visits, it won’t
be too long before you’re looking for
new clients.
Your FTF rate is the most important
metric in your business, because
it’s the most important metric to
your customers. There are other
factors that determine customer
satisfaction, from courtesy to cost,
but fixing the problem is far and away
your customer’s chief concern. So
how do service companies elevate
their FTF rate? Through better
communication, collaboration
and information.
Communication with your customer
should be clear and constant. Telling
a customer that a technician will
arrive between 9:00 AM and 2:00
PM is a lot different than telling them
the technician will be there at 11:30
AM. With FieldAware Messenger,
service companies can automatically
notify a customer by SMS when
a technician has left for their job
and when they’re 15 minutes away.
That kind of communication sets
real expectations that the customer
can meet, so there’s less chance of
having a technician show up when
nobody’s available (an automatic
FTF eliminator) or waiting while the
customer prepares the job site.
Collaboration should happen in
real time. If technicians have to wait
for answers while they’re on the job
site, then customers have to wait
too. And while your customers are
waiting, they’re losing productivity
and potential revenue as people and
machinery are out of commission.
FieldAware Messenger promotes
real-time collaboration by embedding
presence and communications
into the FieldAware application.
Technicians can quickly see who
is available, reach out to them by
voice, text or even video, and get
the answers they need quickly, while
they’re on the site.
Information should also be readily
available. Technicians have a lot on
their plate and can’t be expected to
memorize the details and customer
information for each job. FieldAware
puts that information right at their
fingertips on their mobile device.
If a question arises- e.g., does the
manufacturer’s warranty cover a
specific scenario?- FieldAware
Messenger ensures the answer is
never more than a call, tap or
text away.
With convenient communication,
real-time collaboration and detailed
information at a glance, technicians
have a much better chance of fixing
the problem quickly and correctly,
the first time. With FieldAware
Messenger, you’re not just raising
the level of the conversation within
your company and between your
customers, you’re raising customers’
perception of your business:
• When you arrive at a fixed time,
on time, they see that you respect
their time;
• When you support your technicians
with live subject-matter experts,
they see your entire organization
supporting them;
• When you have all of the job
details and customer right in your
hands, they feel like they’ve put
their repair in their right hands too.
www.fieldaware.com

And never forget
that safety
comes first
Commercial service repair can be a
risky business, particularly when you’re
working with complex equipment in
the field. Your business and your field
technicians are keenly aware of these
dangers, and take extra precautions to
stay safe. Yet not every occupational
risk has a danger sign printed on it.
Texting while driving, for example,
is a safety risk. Admitting people
into your building without the proper
identification is another. Safety isn’t
something that starts when the repair
begins. It should be built into your
business process, from the moment a
service call is received.
Our customers have told us that
safety comes first for their employees
and their customers, and we got the
message. That’s why FieldAware
Messenger supports a safer work
environment through unique features
that you won’t find with other field
service solutions, such as:
as well. It’s a dangerous
combination that can lead to more
road accidents. One of our primary
goals in creating FieldAware
Messenger was to reduce the
amount of time that technicians
spent texting or talking and driving.
With automated alerts, technicians
no longer need to contact their
customers or dispatchers while
they’re on the road because
FieldAware handles the
communicationsfor them.
• Human Error Reduction - Writing
job information down in a hurry or
recalling it from a conversation can
lead to human error in a repair.
FieldAware provides instant access
to detailed work orders and
customer records from any mobile
device, so technicians always have
the right information on hand.
• Mobile Identity Protection – With
FieldAware Messenger, technicians
don’t need to communicate directly
with customers from their mobile
devices. This means that their
personal phone number remains
protected, which provides an extra
layer of security between your
employees’ personal identity and
their professional relationships.
• In-Field Tracking – Tracking
technicians in the field is critical not
only for scheduling purposes but also
for safety. FieldAware Messenger
alerts dispatchers when technicians
arrive at or leave a site, so dispatchers
can be proactive if a longer-than-usual
delay occurs.
Of course, there’s risk in every
business. Using hands-free, automated
communications and mobile access to
the right information can significantly
reduce that risk. With FieldAware
Messenger, you’re not only ensuring
the safety of your customers and
employees, but you’re also saving time.
Our customers have reported time
savings of 80 hours per week or more,
simply by reducing the amount of time
that dispatchers and technicians spend
together on the phone reviewing work
orders and delivering status updates.
And improving your productivity is
one of the best things you can do to
protect your business’ financial future.
• Technician ID - Once a field
technician is assigned to a repair,
FieldAware Messenger automatically
sends the customer an SMS or email
with key information including the
technician’s name and estimated
time of arrival. That way, customers
can give the technician the
necessary clearance to enter the job
site when they arrive.
• Automated Alerts – Field
technicians spend a lot of their day
on the road and, often, on the phone
l
05
The Road to Revenue:
How Mobile Communication Is Making
Field Service Companies More Profitable

Provide service excellence
with FieldAware Messenger
The service experience is the very essence of your business.
Get it right, and you’ll get more business. With FieldAware
Messenger, you can elevate your service experience, get more
business and get more done with the people and resources you
have today. Your business will benefit from:
• Better communication and
clearer expectations between
you and your customers
• Shorter service visits and
more first-time fixes
• Improved real-time collaboration
between SMEs and
field technicians
• Clear visibility into when jobs
are complete and technicians
are available
• Increased security on the
road and on the job
To learn more about our solutions
or to schedule a demo:
Call us on 800-935-0736
Email us at sales@fieldaware.com
Visit www.fieldaware.com/messenger
www.fieldaware.com

About
FieldAware
FieldAware are re-shaping the field service industry.
Our made-for mobile, cloud-based software was
designed from the ground up to provide ease of use
with incredible flexibility. This combination enables
field service organizations to enable their field
teams and deliver customer service excellence. Our
software was architected as a mobile platform, with
no incumbent legacy technologies.
To learn more about our solutions
or to schedule a demo:
Call us on 800-935-0736
Email us at sales@fieldaware.com
Visit www.fieldaware.com/messenger
Based on our founders’ intimate knowledge of the
unique needs of engineers and technicians in the field
– and the operational personnel and management
that support them – FieldAware is focused on
providing field service organizations, both large and
small, with:
• Intelligence about your Customers: So
you can increase revenue, expand into new
markets, differentiate your services and create
customer advocates.
• Intelligence about your Business: That enables
you to increase the productivity of your staff, use
company resources more efficiently, simplify your
business processes and “right size” your parts and
repair inventory.
We combine our software with the industry’s best
implementation, on-boarding and support services
enabling companies to take full and rapid advantage
of today’s mobile environment.