Did you know that 76% of field service providers are struggling to achieve revenue growth?
That’s a scary number and paper-based processes for coordinating and performing daily field activities are a major reason behind the slow revenue growth
Thus, it has become important for organizations to replace manual processes with the right tools for improving field productivity and efficiency, thereby achieving constant revenue growth.
So, how can we eliminate paper-based processes and enable the field workforce to do more, better, and faster?
Automated field workflow is surely a great start.
In this article, we’re guiding organizations about field service workflow automation and how it is changing the game for the field workforce.
But, before moving forward let’s first understand what field workflow automation is.
What is Field Workflow Automation for Field Service Management?
Field workflow automation is the technology-enabled automation of complex and mission-critical field processes.
It enables organizations to streamline day-to-day processes, achieve digital transformation, increase service quality, and decrease costs.
In fact, reliable resorts cite that field service organizations can cut costs by up to 90%.
Field workflow automation typically consists of three main things, namely:
- Automates daily field operations
- Record and keep information at a centralized place.
- Eliminate the need for in-person communication through automated workflows and sharing real-time digital reports with relevant stakeholders.
Practical Examples of Field Service Workflow Automation
Field workflow automation has extensive applications across widespread industries. Here are some examples of the areas in which workflow automation benefits businesses.
1. Automated Report Generation
Companies that have employees on fields often face problems when it comes to reporting.
With field service workflow automation, companies can not only automate the reporting generation process but also send it to relevant stakeholders without needing manual intervention.
Moreover, companies can save these field reports in a centralized, secure place.
2. Approval Management
Most organizations have processes in place whereby field employees need to sign off on something before it moves to the next step, which in turn creates bottlenecks and delays the approval process.
Field workflow automation can be used to start the “automatic approval process” and move each ticket forward through the system.
Above are just a few examples of how field workflow automation can help your business. Field service workflow automation manages many different kinds of once manual tasks.
Moreover, from recording data to mobile phones to sending reports to relevant stakeholders, you can always find how automation can enhance your workflow.
Types of Field Workflow Automation
The above examples just highlight the surface level of what field service workflow automation can do. There are numerous types of ways to enlist automation to help your teams.
To put it, here are a few ways in which field workflow automation can be implemented:
- To gather mission-critical field data
- To automate repetitive tasks
- To integrate data sources and services
- To develop mobile apps that transform your business
Top 7 Reasons Why You Should Automate Field Processes
If you did not think field workflow automation could help you, you probably still would not be reading this. To explain in a better way how field workflow automation helps your organization, consider the following pointers.
1. Increased Employee Satisfaction and Output
Automating repetitive daily tasks reduce the burden of the workforce. It empowers the workforce to focus on tasks that are more important, challenging, intellectually stimulating and offer them a chance to feel like they are creating an impact on the organization.
This results in improved workforce satisfaction, higher productivity, and reduced turnover.
Field workflow automation software like Axonator is designed to augment human resources, rather than replace their essential place in the company.
2. Transparency Over Processes
It’s easy to get caught up in daily operations without ever taking a step back and looking at how they work.
Through field service workflow automation, you will clearly define, outline, and be able to analyze how current workflows happen and are managed to perform process improvement.
Not only does this offer insight to potentially improve the order of operations, but it can also serve as the training grounds for new employees.
3. Smooth Operations
Field workflow naturally streamlines processes and allows you to see the progress and current status of an operation. Therefore, it can help to prevent essential tasks from slipping through the cracks.
4. Save Time and Money
When things move along their path automatically, it will inherently save time and unneeded back and forth between parties. In turn, when operations are running efficiently, it will result in money saved.
5. Reduced Compliance Risk
All industries and businesses face regulations, especially those in finance. As such, digital software can help to reduce risks as they record audit trails and secure the history of operations that took place.
Workflow automation is also capable of producing reports and automatically updating dashboards for consistent oversight and regulatory compliance.
A no-code platform like Axonator can do just this. The platform has real-time dashboards that always monitor processes.
It also can send reports to chosen parties automatically and can quickly produce audit trails for regulators.
6. Minimize Human Error
When people have to take care of data entry and management, it can quickly get messy. There is a high chance of human error, which can increase as data increases. However, automation tools are designed to have very high accuracy rates, thereby reducing the opportunity for human error.
7. Digital Transformation
Digital transformation is no more a choice but a necessity in today’s innovating world. However, the shift to digital technologies isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
At times, this shift may feel challenging, but the implementation of the field process automation is another way to dive into a more technologically centered work environment.
If nothing else, it’s at least a step forward that will have a domino effect on productivity.
6 Ways Automated Field Service Workflows Changing How Field Workforce Work
Lets take look at eight ways how field service workflow automation is empowering the field workforce to effortlessly get the job done.
1. Effortless Field Data Collection and Eliminate Paperwork
Manual processes take a significant amount of time for conducting daily field tasks like data collection. Field workforce waste a significant chunk of their day when they have to fill out paper forms and bring them into the office.
Moreover, back-office staff then spends more time processing the document, entering the data into outdated systems, and creating paper-based invoices.
With field workflow automation solutions in hand, companies can digitize all field data collection and documentation processes. This empowers the field service workforce to fill out forms and checklists and send them to the office managers from their mobile phones. They can also add media-rich information like images, annotations, audios, GPS locations.
Consequently, field service engineers working from the office can spend more time working on projects and less time on processing documents & reports.
Across industries, businesses are increasingly adopting and expanding the use of automation to manage various types of processes. To see how automation can help your business prosper, get in touch with a field automation company such as Axonator.
2. Real-time Updates & Alerts to Track Tasks and Make Key Decisions
Field workflow automation empowers the field employees to send work updates in real-time, They can easily send daily information related to important tasks like inspection, preventive maintenance, etc. through work orders, e-mail updates, and alerts.
Field workflow automation ensures transparency and accountability in real-time at every step of the service process, ensuring efficiency and better outcomes.
3. Assign the Right Technician for Each Job and Connect the Team
Mobile apps coupled with workflow automation can significantly boost field service management efficiency.
Companies can use mobile apps to easily send the best technicians for the assignment based on real-time availability, location, skillset, and allows all field workforce to be connected to each other and to home office
This real-time communication creates a more accountable and informed team.
4. Streamlined Work Order Management
Field workflow automation takes work order management to the next level through automation and optimization. Companies can effortlessly automate the work order management landscape from creation to assignment to improve response & resolution time and reduce cost. It enables office members to fill, assign, and prioritize work order forms digitally
Companies can also flag the request for parts and equipment needed to perform daily activities like maintenance, and automatically alert respective managers that certain parts need to be ordered.
5. Easy Access to Field Service History
As all service records are centralized in a secure cloud-based environment, the field service employee can access this information easily.
Field companies can have a single view of all details associated with every service request that includes a quote, contract, repair, visit, date, time, location, and individuals, offering a comprehensive overview of the service lifecycle.
This ensures that any field team member will be able to step in on any project at any time or be able to answer any question a customer might have.
6. Automated Approval Management
Every field employee needs approval on something before the field employee moves forward with that particular task. Manual approval processes create bottlenecks and delay the approval process.
Field workflow automation can be used to start the approval process. Once a field employee submits an automated request, the ticket automatically routes to relevant stakeholders for the further approval process.
Conclusion
In this article, we have understood what field service workflow automation is and how it helps field service companies to improve productivity and efficiency.
However, field service organizations have always faced challenges automating their workflows.
That’s why we at Axonator developed a unique no-code platform-Axonator and strategy- ‘The Micro App Strategy’- to help organizations achieve field workflow automation in a record time.
If your organization is in need of assistance, you can e-mail us at [email protected] for more information, and we will do what we can to help your organization achieve great heights.
