white paper_v4_AW SINGLES LOW RES
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
The Road to Revenue:<br />
How Mobile Communication is Making<br />
Field Service Companies More Profitable
Introduction<br />
The road to profitability is paved with<br />
good, fast customer service. “Do it fast,<br />
do it on time, and do it right the first<br />
time” is the mantra of successful service<br />
companies. But if everything that field<br />
service companies do is centered around<br />
the service experience, why aren’t more<br />
of them using mobile communications to<br />
improve that experience?<br />
In the field service industry,<br />
communication is central to good service.<br />
Even the repair itself is called a service<br />
“call.” It’s the string of communication<br />
that happens after that initial customer<br />
call, however, that determines the<br />
success of the service repair. Dispatchers<br />
need to talk to field technicians, who<br />
in turn need to talk to the customer,<br />
followed by communications between the<br />
technicians and their field office, and so<br />
on throughout the day. Add a few gaps or<br />
delays into that conversation, and service<br />
companies can quickly get off schedule<br />
or, worse, fail to get the product fixed on<br />
the first visit. And fewer first-time fixes<br />
(FTFs) lead to more productivity loss at<br />
the customer site and, ultimately, more<br />
revenue loss for the field service provider.<br />
Mobile devices such as smartphones<br />
and tablets increase our potential to<br />
communicate and collaborate, but<br />
can still fall victim to the same old<br />
inefficiencies including missed calls,<br />
unchecked emails and voicemails,<br />
misplaced information and simple<br />
miscommunication. In order to<br />
be effective and efficient, mobile<br />
communication and collaboration needs<br />
to be embedded into the business<br />
process in a way that is simple, reliable<br />
and, most of all, truly mobile.<br />
If everything<br />
that field service<br />
companies do is<br />
centered around the<br />
service experience,<br />
why aren’t more of<br />
them using mobile<br />
communications<br />
to improve that<br />
experience?<br />
01<br />
The Road to Revenue:<br />
How Mobile Communication Is Making<br />
Field Service Companies More Profitable
Equip your mobile<br />
workforce for<br />
service greatness<br />
As anyone in the field service industry<br />
can tell you, excellent service is a<br />
team effort. It takes co-ordination,<br />
communication and collaboration<br />
between a team of experts to make<br />
a service call go right, from the<br />
dispatchers in the main office to<br />
the men and women in the field.<br />
It only takes one weak link in the<br />
chain—a subject-matter expert who<br />
isn’t available to verify warranty<br />
information during a service visit, for<br />
example—to significantly reduce the<br />
odds of fixing the problem on the first<br />
visit. And studies show that firsttime<br />
fixes have a direct correlation<br />
to customer satisfaction; drop below<br />
50% FTFs, and your customer<br />
satisfaction will also be below 50%.<br />
FieldAware understands the<br />
importance of a strong team effort.<br />
Our software and mobile apps help<br />
thousands of field service companies<br />
work together smarter by giving<br />
dispatchers deeper visibility into<br />
scheduling and repair status, and<br />
field technicians instant access<br />
to detailed work orders from any<br />
location. With FieldAware Messenger,<br />
we’ve added the power of Mitel<br />
Networks’ embedded voice, text<br />
and video communications to our<br />
solution, leading to even better realtime<br />
collaboration and exceptional<br />
customer service.<br />
For field service companies,<br />
FieldAware Messenger is a game<br />
changer. It brings together realtime<br />
communication and mobile<br />
information into a single solution that<br />
connects customers, office workers<br />
and field technicians into a simple,<br />
seamless conversation.<br />
FieldAware Messenger streamlines<br />
the service experience. Technicians<br />
don’t need to rely on dispatchers for<br />
product and warranty information.<br />
Everything they need to know—<br />
customer records, work order details,<br />
etc.—is a tap away on their mobile<br />
device. As a result, dispatchers can<br />
spend more time fielding customer<br />
calls and reduce their call hold queue.<br />
FieldAware Messenger ensures<br />
everyone is on the same page.<br />
Customers automatically receive an<br />
SMS when a technician is assigned<br />
to their repair and again shortly before<br />
the technician arrives. This ensures<br />
that the customer knows who is<br />
arriving and when, so they can be<br />
prepared when the technician arrives<br />
at their business. And if technicians<br />
need to reach out to a subject-matter<br />
expert during the repair, FieldAware<br />
Messenger’s presence detection<br />
makes sure they connect to an<br />
available expert in moments,<br />
not minutes.<br />
FieldAware Messenger is made<br />
for the millennial future. As more<br />
millennials enter the workforce,<br />
customer service will need to adapt<br />
to their preferences—and millennials<br />
clearly prefer mobile devices for their<br />
communications. With FieldAware<br />
Messenger, they can choose to<br />
communicate by voice, text or video,<br />
and have everything organized in one<br />
app, even as they move from one<br />
mobile device to another.<br />
Combining field awareness with<br />
mobile unified communications has<br />
a direct impact on a field service<br />
organization’s profitability. It removes<br />
delays and leads to quicker repairs,<br />
which means an increase in FTFs and<br />
faster service visits. And that, in turn,<br />
leads to more revenue, as field service<br />
companies now have a greater pool<br />
of available technicians who can be<br />
assigned to more projects per week.<br />
In some cases, our customers have<br />
seen an increase of 17% or more<br />
in schedulable hours with<br />
FieldAware Messenger.<br />
www.fieldaware.com
Anatomy of a great service call<br />
Here’s an example of how FieldAware Messenger changes the game for service<br />
industries. Let’s say a customer wants to contact AAA Repair Services…<br />
• Customer Bob Jones accesses<br />
AAA’s branded customer portal<br />
(powered by FieldAware) and<br />
submits his order details.<br />
• In seconds, the dispatcher<br />
generates a new job, sets an<br />
appointment and uses FieldAware<br />
Messenger to send Bob his<br />
appointment information.<br />
• The dispatcher then sends a<br />
service request directly to the<br />
closest available technician<br />
through their FieldAware<br />
mobile application.<br />
• When the technician is free, he<br />
accepts the request and the<br />
customer is notified via an SMS<br />
from FieldAware that a technician<br />
is on their way, along with the<br />
approximate arrival time and<br />
personal details (name, ID<br />
number, etc.).<br />
• When the technician arrives, Bob is<br />
ready and the detailed work order is<br />
available through FieldAware on the<br />
technician’s smartphone.<br />
• As the technician is working, he<br />
notices that the product ID is only<br />
partially visible. Unable to confirm<br />
the product’s warranty status, he<br />
calls a warranty expert in the home<br />
office through FieldAware<br />
Messenger, switches the call to<br />
video and shows them the partially<br />
visible ID. Together, they’re able to<br />
fill in the missing information and<br />
confirm the warranty’s validity,<br />
allowing the technician to<br />
move forward.<br />
• 20 minutes later, the job is<br />
completed and logged into<br />
FieldAware as well as AAA’s ERP<br />
and accounting systems. The<br />
technician is ready for his next<br />
assignment, with his presence<br />
status on FieldAware Messenger<br />
changed to “available.”<br />
03<br />
The Road to Revenue:<br />
How Mobile Communication Is Making<br />
Field Service Companies More Profitable
Deliver great<br />
service on the<br />
first visit<br />
In life, they say, you don’t get a<br />
second chance to make a first<br />
impression. The same could be said<br />
of service repairs. Get it right the first<br />
time, and you’ve got a customer for<br />
life. But if it takes two visits, it won’t<br />
be too long before you’re looking for<br />
new clients.<br />
Your FTF rate is the most important<br />
metric in your business, because<br />
it’s the most important metric to<br />
your customers. There are other<br />
factors that determine customer<br />
satisfaction, from courtesy to cost,<br />
but fixing the problem is far and away<br />
your customer’s chief concern. So<br />
how do service companies elevate<br />
their FTF rate? Through better<br />
communication, collaboration<br />
and information.<br />
Communication with your customer<br />
should be clear and constant. Telling<br />
a customer that a technician will<br />
arrive between 9:00 AM and 2:00<br />
PM is a lot different than telling them<br />
the technician will be there at 11:30<br />
AM. With FieldAware Messenger,<br />
service companies can automatically<br />
notify a customer by SMS when<br />
a technician has left for their job<br />
and when they’re 15 minutes away.<br />
That kind of communication sets<br />
real expectations that the customer<br />
can meet, so there’s less chance of<br />
having a technician show up when<br />
nobody’s available (an automatic<br />
FTF eliminator) or waiting while the<br />
customer prepares the job site.<br />
Collaboration should happen in<br />
real time. If technicians have to wait<br />
for answers while they’re on the job<br />
site, then customers have to wait<br />
too. And while your customers are<br />
waiting, they’re losing productivity<br />
and potential revenue as people and<br />
machinery are out of commission.<br />
FieldAware Messenger promotes<br />
real-time collaboration by embedding<br />
presence and communications<br />
into the FieldAware application.<br />
Technicians can quickly see who<br />
is available, reach out to them by<br />
voice, text or even video, and get<br />
the answers they need quickly, while<br />
they’re on the site.<br />
Information should also be readily<br />
available. Technicians have a lot on<br />
their plate and can’t be expected to<br />
memorize the details and customer<br />
information for each job. FieldAware<br />
puts that information right at their<br />
fingertips on their mobile device.<br />
If a question arises- e.g., does the<br />
manufacturer’s warranty cover a<br />
specific scenario?- FieldAware<br />
Messenger ensures the answer is<br />
never more than a call, tap or<br />
text away.<br />
With convenient communication,<br />
real-time collaboration and detailed<br />
information at a glance, technicians<br />
have a much better chance of fixing<br />
the problem quickly and correctly,<br />
the first time. With FieldAware<br />
Messenger, you’re not just raising<br />
the level of the conversation within<br />
your company and between your<br />
customers, you’re raising customers’<br />
perception of your business:<br />
• When you arrive at a fixed time,<br />
on time, they see that you respect<br />
their time;<br />
• When you support your technicians<br />
with live subject-matter experts,<br />
they see your entire organization<br />
supporting them;<br />
• When you have all of the job<br />
details and customer right in your<br />
hands, they feel like they’ve put<br />
their repair in their right hands too.<br />
www.fieldaware.com
And never forget<br />
that safety<br />
comes first<br />
Commercial service repair can be a<br />
risky business, particularly when you’re<br />
working with complex equipment in<br />
the field. Your business and your field<br />
technicians are keenly aware of these<br />
dangers, and take extra precautions to<br />
stay safe. Yet not every occupational<br />
risk has a danger sign printed on it.<br />
Texting while driving, for example,<br />
is a safety risk. Admitting people<br />
into your building without the proper<br />
identification is another. Safety isn’t<br />
something that starts when the repair<br />
begins. It should be built into your<br />
business process, from the moment a<br />
service call is received.<br />
Our customers have told us that<br />
safety comes first for their employees<br />
and their customers, and we got the<br />
message. That’s why FieldAware<br />
Messenger supports a safer work<br />
environment through unique features<br />
that you won’t find with other field<br />
service solutions, such as:<br />
as well. It’s a dangerous<br />
combination that can lead to more<br />
road accidents. One of our primary<br />
goals in creating FieldAware<br />
Messenger was to reduce the<br />
amount of time that technicians<br />
spent texting or talking and driving.<br />
With automated alerts, technicians<br />
no longer need to contact their<br />
customers or dispatchers while<br />
they’re on the road because<br />
FieldAware handles the<br />
communicationsfor them.<br />
• Human Error Reduction - Writing<br />
job information down in a hurry or<br />
recalling it from a conversation can<br />
lead to human error in a repair.<br />
FieldAware provides instant access<br />
to detailed work orders and<br />
customer records from any mobile<br />
device, so technicians always have<br />
the right information on hand.<br />
• Mobile Identity Protection – With<br />
FieldAware Messenger, technicians<br />
don’t need to communicate directly<br />
with customers from their mobile<br />
devices. This means that their<br />
personal phone number remains<br />
protected, which provides an extra<br />
layer of security between your<br />
employees’ personal identity and<br />
their professional relationships.<br />
• In-Field Tracking – Tracking<br />
technicians in the field is critical not<br />
only for scheduling purposes but also<br />
for safety. FieldAware Messenger<br />
alerts dispatchers when technicians<br />
arrive at or leave a site, so dispatchers<br />
can be proactive if a longer-than-usual<br />
delay occurs.<br />
Of course, there’s risk in every<br />
business. Using hands-free, automated<br />
communications and mobile access to<br />
the right information can significantly<br />
reduce that risk. With FieldAware<br />
Messenger, you’re not only ensuring<br />
the safety of your customers and<br />
employees, but you’re also saving time.<br />
Our customers have reported time<br />
savings of 80 hours per week or more,<br />
simply by reducing the amount of time<br />
that dispatchers and technicians spend<br />
together on the phone reviewing work<br />
orders and delivering status updates.<br />
And improving your productivity is<br />
one of the best things you can do to<br />
protect your business’ financial future.<br />
• Technician ID - Once a field<br />
technician is assigned to a repair,<br />
FieldAware Messenger automatically<br />
sends the customer an SMS or email<br />
with key information including the<br />
technician’s name and estimated<br />
time of arrival. That way, customers<br />
can give the technician the<br />
necessary clearance to enter the job<br />
site when they arrive.<br />
• Automated Alerts – Field<br />
technicians spend a lot of their day<br />
on the road and, often, on the phone<br />
l<br />
05<br />
The Road to Revenue:<br />
How Mobile Communication Is Making<br />
Field Service Companies More Profitable
Provide service excellence<br />
with FieldAware Messenger<br />
The service experience is the very essence of your business.<br />
Get it right, and you’ll get more business. With FieldAware<br />
Messenger, you can elevate your service experience, get more<br />
business and get more done with the people and resources you<br />
have today. Your business will benefit from:<br />
• Better communication and<br />
clearer expectations between<br />
you and your customers<br />
• Shorter service visits and<br />
more first-time fixes<br />
• Improved real-time collaboration<br />
between SMEs and<br />
field technicians<br />
• Clear visibility into when jobs<br />
are complete and technicians<br />
are available<br />
• Increased security on the<br />
road and on the job<br />
To learn more about our solutions<br />
or to schedule a demo:<br />
Call us on 800-935-0736<br />
Email us at sales@fieldaware.com<br />
Visit www.fieldaware.com/messenger<br />
www.fieldaware.com
About<br />
FieldAware<br />
FieldAware are re-shaping the field service industry.<br />
Our made-for mobile, cloud-based software was<br />
designed from the ground up to provide ease of use<br />
with incredible flexibility. This combination enables<br />
field service organizations to enable their field<br />
teams and deliver customer service excellence. Our<br />
software was architected as a mobile platform, with<br />
no incumbent legacy technologies.<br />
To learn more about our solutions<br />
or to schedule a demo:<br />
Call us on 800-935-0736<br />
Email us at sales@fieldaware.com<br />
Visit www.fieldaware.com/messenger<br />
Based on our founders’ intimate knowledge of the<br />
unique needs of engineers and technicians in the field<br />
– and the operational personnel and management<br />
that support them – FieldAware is focused on<br />
providing field service organizations, both large and<br />
small, with:<br />
• Intelligence about your Customers: So<br />
you can increase revenue, expand into new<br />
markets, differentiate your services and create<br />
customer advocates.<br />
• Intelligence about your Business: That enables<br />
you to increase the productivity of your staff, use<br />
company resources more efficiently, simplify your<br />
business processes and “right size” your parts and<br />
repair inventory.<br />
We combine our software with the industry’s best<br />
implementation, on-boarding and support services<br />
enabling companies to take full and rapid advantage<br />
of today’s mobile environment.