It's early morning, and at Jones Heating, a busy day looms with numerous boiler installations lined up across the city.
Engineer Emma gears up her van and heads to the first location, anticipating that everything needed for the job, including the boiler and necessary parts, are ready.
But upon arrival, she discovers there's no new boiler. A series of frustrated calls to the office reveals a mix-up: the unit was ordered but hasn't arrived yet. Emma breaks this news to the homeowners, who had taken the day off in anticipation of their new boiler.
Understandably upset about the inconvenience, they reach out to Jones Heating's manager, expressing their dissatisfaction and consider cancelling the job.
Sadly, this scenario is all too familiar in field service companies that depend on manual methods for scheduling and job management. Why? Because a lack of real-time job tracking often leads to oversights, resulting in wasted resources and dissatisfied customers. And this was all avoidable as implementing integrated job tracking and scheduling systems could have alerted Jones Heating about the delivery delay of the boiler unit.
But what exactly are these technologies, and why are they so crucial? Let’s break it down… 👇
What is job scheduling? Quick definition 🔍
Job scheduling is all about getting things sorted in advance. It's about figuring out who's doing what in your field service team, when they're doing it, and making sure they have what they need to get the job done right.
Here's the nitty-gritty:
📊Building daily or weekly schedules for field teams: This involves arranging jobs in a logical order, accounting for travel time, evenly distributing workload, and considering standard hours versus overtime.
🛠Allocating jobs based on multiple factors: Like the geographical areas technicians cover, their skills, availability, equipment they carry, and their proximity to the job site. The goal is to make the most efficient use of available resources.
🤚Managing customer expectations: For example, by offering specific appointment slots or at least estimated arrival times and job durations. This helps customers plan their day around the service call.
The big thing with job scheduling is that you're planning things out ahead of time instead of just winging it. This way, your field service business can line everything up nicely based on the resources you've got. Setting up a schedule means everyone, including your customers, knows what to expect.
Traffic snarls, tricky jobs, and other surprises can mess with the best-laid plans. And that's why it's super handy to mix in some real-time tracking with your scheduling. It helps you stay on top of things and keep everything rolling smoothly.
What is job tracking? Quick definition 🔍
Job tracking involves keeping tabs on the status, progress, and completion of field service tasks – as they happen. And it does this automatically. This means as soon as an engineer updates a job, it triggers updates and next steps. It takes the onerous processes out of field service management. 👍
Modern field service management systems like these typically require software. This enhances transparency and allows you to regularly update jobs – regardless of time and location.
Here’s how:
📍GPS: To monitor van locations, identifying the nearest technicians to upcoming jobs for more efficient scheduling and routing.
🕚Technicians clocking in and out using smartphone/tablet apps: Which accurately record time spent on-site. This data is vital for future quotes and assessing the profitability of products/services.
📲Field engineers updating job stages: For example, "En route", "On site", "Diagnostics complete", or "Repair in progress". These updates enable office staff to monitor progress and communicate with customers.
📄Digital documentation: Completing jobs and processing paperwork digitally, through mobile devices, which are then automatically updated in the back-end system. This ensures a prompt and accurate record of work performed.
The crux of job tracking is that it’s essentially end-to-end job management, whereas job scheduling is exactly what it says – it plots out jobs.
Plus, job tracking gives the ability to provide real-time insights and actionable information on field service operations. Moving away from manual methods – like paper job sheets and whiteboards – technology streamlines the gathering of essential tracking data. This proves invaluable in enabling better coordination between office and field teams.
The key differences: Job scheduling vs job tracking
While these capabilities sound similar, there are some important distinctions to keep in mind:
These differences highlight why pairing job scheduling with job tracking is a winning strategy.
Essentially, a tight schedule, fine-tuned by smart algorithms, gets your field service off to a great start. And then job tracking keeps you in the know, helping you fine-tune and get better all the time.
Why understanding the difference matters
Field service ops are getting more complex by the day. So, it's super important for businesses to get their heads around the different roles of job scheduling and job tracking:
✅It stops the same job from being done twice. Everyone knows what's up and what needs doing next, rather than stepping on each other's toes.
✅You get way better at using what you've got. Scheduling sorts stuff out from the get-go, while tracking lets you switch things up based on what's actually happening on the ground.
✅Scheduling gives you a solid game plan, but tracking keeps you nimble for those curveballs and last-minute changes.
✅Tracking lets you see the whole journey of a job, making sure both your office crew and field team are on the same page, which means everyone knows who's doing what.
If these differences aren’t front and centre, you might find yourself stuck in the old ways of doing things. Engineers might not know which job to jump on first. Office staff can end up in the dark, making it tough to keep customers clued in. And the small stuff? It just gets lost in the mix.
Understanding what job tracking and scheduling are all about can really turn things around for field service businesses. Smooth operations mean hitting deadlines, cutting costs, keeping customers happy, and at the end of the day, it's all good for the business’s bottom line.
Integrating job scheduling and job tracking
Job scheduling and tracking work better together. Why? Because integrating these capabilities opens the door to streamlined operations and improved efficiency. 👇
Scheduling makes sure you're using your resources in the smartest way, while job tracking keeps you clued in with up-to-the-minute updates on jobs. When these two link up, they make magic happen. You can tweak things on the fly to stay on course and keep your customers smiling. Like if a job's dragging on, the schedule quickly shifts to stop any knock-on delays. This teamwork is the secret sauce for staying coordinated and on top of your game.
Where tech comes in: Your integration sidekick
The right software makes this duo even stronger. It brings together smart scheduling and real-time tracking in one neat package:
- Live updates on job progress mean you can make scheduling decisions based on the freshest info.
- Handy automation features rejig plans using the latest tracking details, giving managers a break.
- Mobile apps let your field team keep things updated and check their schedules no matter where they are.
- Customisation means the system fits your business's unique needs and the way you work.
The bottom line? When scheduling and tracking are in sync, it's a total game-changer for field service companies. This combo not only ramps up how efficiently you operate through real-time teamwork but also lifts customer experiences by being super responsive. A software solution that wraps these features up into one custom-fit package can seriously boost your field service game. When scheduling and tracking work hand in hand, your team's rock it, and your customers leave happy.
Rounding it up: Why job scheduling and job tracking boost profits
When you take a good look at job scheduling and job tracking, it's pretty obvious they each play their own special role in field service businesses.
Scheduling is your key to planning smart and setting up the right expectations. On the other hand, tracking is all about giving you a real-time look at what's going down on the job.
Scheduling puts everything in order, sure, but tracking is where you get to keep an eye on things and find ways to do better. Just using one without the other? That's like trying to drive with one eye closed - you're gonna miss stuff like late jobs, wasted opportunities, and productivity slipping through your fingers.
But when you mix tracking and scheduling tech, those problems start to disappear and you can say hello to smoother operations and greater profit margins.
Your next steps. 📘Learn more about job tracking and job scheduling in the blogs below:
