Solid communication is key

A solid communication system capable of transmitting quality data is necessary for any business operating with a medium to large team of field technicians and a fleet of service vehicles. With the stabilisation of improved technology over the last 10 years, mobility software is now able to take advantage of these developments to the benefit of companies and their customers.

The rollout of field service mobility software frees staff from the counter and allows them to engage more with the customer whilst retaining the ability to record and look up information. Customers reap these benefits immediately in terms of securing the item and placing a deposit, signing on glass, accessing service history information and receiving rental contracts via email. Stuart Dean, head of IT at Kennards Hire, believes, “The role of mobile devices will transform, even revolutionise, the way we transact with our customers.”

The starting point for properly measuring whether your business is making the best use of its mobile personnel and fleet is accurate data. This constant and systematic flow of quality data information can be used to generate analysis reports of response times, downtime and service types. It can also expedite accurate and meaningful work reports, showing percentage on labour recovered on internal and external service jobs as well as percentage on non-service job activities.

Baseplan Software’s latest FSM offering handles preventative maintenance schedules and job dispatch. It allows technicians to process all aspects of service and repairs, giving full access to parts availability, upcoming service requests and back-to-base service communications — all over the air.

Mobility can be a big win — not only for the rental company, but also for the staff and, more importantly, the customer. The role of the software provider is to embrace new technologies as they come to market and to evaluate them from the perspective of adding value or reducing cost for their customers. These technologies then need to be embedded and interfaced within software to provide the best user experience such that the technology becomes a natural part of the process and not a roadblock. Only modern software can accommodate the new technologies without compromise.

In the future, technology will become more and more seamless and will anticipate our needs. Devices get smaller and simpler in function but more complex in capability. The future of technology lies where you are using it without even knowing it, as it has become a natural extension of the human form.

Andrew Satterley is CEO – APAC & EMEA, Baseplan Software Group. He has an impressive and proven track record of 30+ years filling senior management roles. His drive and tenacity has seen him named Executive of the Year by Stanford Who’s Who twice.