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What is Field Service Management Software?

engineers-at-work-at-night-inspection
How can efficient Field Service Management benefit a business?
13th December 2017

Unless you work with with a mobile workforce or have a team of field staff under your control such as engineers, surveyors, or builders,  then the phrase probably sounds a little confusing.  It’s likely you’ll never heard much about it if you don’t manage mobile teams, or until the software system you use goes wrong! In this post we’ve included some information on exactly what service management software is, what it’s used for, and some of the latest features that are available on the market today.

Field Service Management

Field Service Management, or FSM, is the practice of managing mobile workers out in the field.  This could be engineers responding to repair work for telephone, broadband or tv lines, fire safety inspectors checking and surveying buildings, or even delivery drivers as they make parcel deliveries on their scheduled route.   Making sure that all field staff have a defined, efficient work schedule is imperative to effective mobile working.  FSM is the process of managing mobile teams to maximise efficiency and delivery.

Service Management Software

Service Management Software is the tool that holds this operation together.  At the heart of a mobile workforce, this software sits at the centre, holding all the information of booked jobs, appointments, customers, staff, timetables, billing, costs and scheduling to keep the mobile workforce running and the office team organised.  It’s absolutely essential to ensure the smooth running of any business which relies on staff out in the field, minimising downtime.

More than just scheduling software

Developments in technology across mobile apps and smartphones have meant that service management software has come a long way in recent years from the simple scheduling software it used to be.  Systems such as PREM can act as a full service package across an entire business to keep everything organised, simple, and efficient.  Just some of the latest features available include:

  • Recording digital signatures, directly from staff or customers in the field to sign off work or verify deliveries
  • Fully functioning mobile applications at all time, even when there’ no mobile signal at all – a common problem for staff underground  or in remote locations.
  • Geo-tagging of data, so that the exact GPS location is stored when a photo is taken.  Great for inspection photographs, to verify work has been completed or record issues in the field.
  • Tailor made reports for a business, completely replicating any companies internal forms within the system to ensure a perfect like for like paperless copy of all documentation.

If you’d like to know more about service management software, including what systems like PREM can do for you business to save you time and money, then please get in touch with our team today.  We also offer a free trial of our software, so you can make sure it’s right for you.