Field force managers are in a challenging position: collecting and utilizing as much information as possible while effectively managing their employees. With peak customer satisfaction being the endgame, proper field force management is the way to accomplish it. Enter field service management software.

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Field force management solutions are more robust than ever, giving managers and field technicians the tools to streamline operations and maximize productivity. Take a look below to find out more about the essential features and benefits of field force management software.

What This Article Covers

• What Is Field Force Management?
• Features and Benefits
  • Mobility
  • More Real-time Information and Automation
  • The Internet of Things (IoT)
  • Wearables and VR/AR
  • Third-party Integrations

What Is Field Force Management Software?

Field force management software, also known as field service management software, is a suite of tools that assists supervisors and dispatchers in managing technicians, equipment and other assets located off company property.

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Key Features and Benefits

Though each field force management software will have its own unique features and benefits, the ones mentioned below are commonly found on most platforms.

Mobility

From personal to professional lives, we can do almost everything we need to do through our mobile devices. And now that’s true for field force management, too.

Your workforce is already mobile; they’re field workers after all. But utilizing mobile-friendly field force management software helps you create a truly mobile workforce.

Mobile field force management streamlines work order management. Instead of getting a call from an employee telling them where to go next, your field workers can check a mobile app to find their next assignment, saving time and eliminating the need for dispatchers to call employees manually.

Mobile apps make it easy for technicians to access information in the field.

Rather than hauling around multiple devices, field workers can access all the information they need through one mobile device. Through this one device, data is stored and accessible by others via secure cloud servers.

Field force management tools also enable easier communication with customers. As your field workers finish an assignment, they can send an alert to the customer to let them know that they’re on their way. Or, workers can notify customers if they’re running behind schedule or delayed.

Customers value transparency and appreciate it when your workers give accurate, real-time information. In particular, they appreciate precise arrival times.

More Real-time Information and Automation

A byproduct of becoming more mobile is the ability to collect more real-time information than ever before. Whether this information is collected automatically or manually, field force management systems instantly gather all types of data.

A single piece of data can reveal all types of valuable business insights. For example, a technician inputs how long it took to complete a job, providing more accurate completion time estimates for future assignments. Although this process includes some manual input, information collection still happens in real time.

Today’s field force management apps are more intelligent, too. They can automate many of the more complicated tasks facing field force managers using field force automation (FFA). These systems are possible thanks to the real-time data they gather, but what makes them smart is what they do with that information.

Possibly the most crucial advancement in field force management, context-based assigning automatically dispatches your workforce to each new assignment. However, it doesn’t do so randomly. Location tracking allocates jobs based on where your workers are, their skill sets, the status of their current assignment and other factors.

Many programs allow users to see where their technicians are in real time by using GPS mapping.

Not only can field force management software adapt in real time, it can also help your business plan ahead. Many systems support predictive analytics through artificial intelligence (AI). With predictive analytics in hand, you can optimize field force scheduling. And with AI permeating so much of today’s technology, it isn’t too far away from becoming a staple of field force management.

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The Internet of Things (IoT)

Thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT), everything from your equipment to your vehicles and devices like wearable technology can collect data for your field force management software. We’ll dive deeper into wearable technology in a little bit, but for now, let’s look closer at IoT.

The Internet of Things refers to the interconnectivity of all types of devices around the world and the people that use them. These technological devices include cell phones, washing machines, watches and even large manufacturing equipment.

IoT allows data sharing between multiple devices or facilities, rather than just from two identical devices. With a projected 27 billion connected devices by 2025, IoT is already becoming the cornerstone of successful field force management.

IoT can also benefit maintenance software. It monitors devices, detects problems as they happen and notifies you whether the device needs to be fixed or replaced. Because IoT collects, compares and shares data in real time, customer service can be improved through communication, providing updates such as delivery status and delay notifications.

Wearables: VR/AR and More

As more and more businesses embrace a mobile field force, the use of wearable technology becomes increasingly popular. Some of the most common include smartwatches, smart clothing and head-mounted displays, or smart glasses, such as the Oculus Rift.

Due to wearable technology’s ability to guide less experienced technicians through a project, an expert is not necessarily needed, at least not in the field. Wearables can provide a technician with step-by-step instructions for specific tasks and allow for a real-time video call with an expert back at the office.

What is the difference between VR and AR? Essentially, virtual reality (VR) places an individual in a completely different reality, whereas augmented reality (AR) enhances what you see in your current environment.

Virtual and augmented reality devices give technicians unmatched tools and abilities. For example, an employee in the field can use a technician app to point a smartphone at a machine and get feedback regarding repair instructions, including highlighting what needs maintenance overtop the original image.

A specific headset or smart glasses can provide walkthroughs of different scenarios to help train and improve communication between a technician in the field and their supervisor. Without being physically on-site, a single supervisor can oversee numerous projects under service by less skilled or experienced technicians.

Technicians can wear specific headsets or utilize mobile devices that display instructions overtop what they are looking at, shown in this demo by ServiceMax.

Virtual and augmented reality are rewriting how businesses go about their normal processes while making them more productive at the same time. The global VR/AR market is heading toward a projected market value of $856.2 billion by 2031, with a CAGR of over 41%. Expect businesses to continue experimenting with VR/AR to discover new field force management strategies.

Third-party Integrations

Like all systems, integration is vital to field force management. Consolidating your information into one area provides a holistic view of your operation, helping you make intelligent, data-driven business decisions.

Two of the most common options are enterprise resource planning (ERP) integration, which centralizes a business’s various software, and business intelligence (BI) integration, which helps evaluate your workforce productivity and optimize your route planning.

Integrating with customer relationship management (CRM) solutions is one of the best strategies for improving your customer service. It provides field workers with the complete interaction history of your customers, so they can see what services they’ve used and know how best to interact with each customer.

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Challenges

As the last few years have shown, it’s essential to choose a field force solution that is flexible, scalable and adaptable. Today, field force management involves the automation of real-time data with the help of IoT and wearable technology to optimize your operations, boost productivity and increase customer satisfaction.

Are you looking for solutions to improve your field force management? If so, check out SelectHub’s software selection guide to help ensure you invest in the right platform for your company. Plus, take a look at some of the most popular options below:

• IFS Field Service Management
• Oracle Field Service Cloud
• Salesforce Field Service

Does your business use software to manage your field force? What field force management features do you find most beneficial? Let us know in the comments!