As profit margins shrink, it’s getting harder to generate revenue. And job management bottlenecks are often the reason why jobs can be costly and slow. Instead of fighting against market conditions, all that a field service manager needs is a sense of curiosity and the right tools to save the day. 🚀
So if things aren’t running quite as well as they could, maybe it’s time to review your current processes, discover where the clogs are, and find some workable solutions.
In this article, we’ll quickly go through the common bottlenecks within job management – and how to overcome them using a proactive approach.
Let’s get into it.
Common types of bottlenecks
Put simply, a bottleneck in job management usually occurs in one of two ways: either your systems are falling down, or there’s a disconnect between field and office-based teams. These can be both short-term bottlenecks or long-term.
This may include things like:
- Paper-based systems/processes
- Double-keying information into multiple places
- Fieldworker/office worker disconnect
- Invoicing delays
- And much more.
Think about the last time a job was delayed. Maybe you were waiting on parts from another van, or trying to juggle quotes and invoicing between front-line workers and the back office? As a result, you can’t fit as many jobs in a day, and staff morale dips too.
Moreover, the impact of long-term bottlenecks is greater than short ones. In fact, according to Databox, 52% agree that long-term bottlenecks in business have the greatest impact on growth.
So with all this in mind, let’s take a look at how you can work smarter, not harder, to keep the job management engine running. 💪
Work smarter to keep the job management engine running
Whether it’s due to an influx of jobs, due to a fall down in communication, or simply one of your everyday business processes, field service bottlenecks can damage your company’s productivity, profits, and performance. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Here are some ways to keep the job management engine running:
Ditch the paperwork 🗑️
“Digital transformation” is this year’s headline. Yet, while industries are transforming at different rates, one thing remains true: When it comes to field service management, this one is still stuck in the paper lane.
And every field management business can agree on this too: paper-based processes can be an absolute nightmare. Whether it's paper job cards, job sheets, or T-cards - paper-based processes are probably the biggest bottleneck. This is where going digital with cloud-based job management software can simplify and solve.
Take this example on GetApp:
Streamline operations 🚄
Today, all field service businesses want to increase uptime, reduce operational costs, and boost productivity. However, clunky operational processes can be a major reason why operations fall down.
Streamlined operations can have an immediate impact on the speed at which field service jobs are billed to clients. So, look for solutions that will streamline operations from job scheduling to the tracking of engineers, and even invoicing.
Like in this example on GetApp:
Give field workers a mobile app 📲
We’ve briefly touched on this… Waiting for field-based workers to return paperwork to the office can cause a snag in your process.
And this is where mobile apps come in. A mobile app boosts productivity, enabling you to do more jobs first time with stock, equipment, and parts all available to view while on site.
Here’s how:
Connect tools to avoid double-keying and duplicate work ‼️
Duplicate work doesn’t just slow down the process, it also causes friction and frustration between team members and between different teams across the business. There’s also multiple logins to remember, ongoing training, and wasted time resolving data errors.
The solution? Integrate your tools into an all-in-one platform to only key in information once.
Take this example:
Improve communication 💬
As your business grows, communication starts to bottleneck. And when you can’t run like a well-oiled machine, you can’t serve as many customers as you might like to. The result? Your revenue and profits dip.
This is why having your entire team on the same page is key. Basically, it eliminates hiccups in communication.
Here’s how:
Assign the right engineer to the right job ✅
As your business scales, jobs increase and they need to be assigned to the right engineer – according to skill and the location of the customer. With a paperless approach to plan, manage, schedule and track your mobile workforce, you can change the daily routine for your entire team.
Incoming calls are scheduled to the perfect available engineer, which meets the job requirements automatically. Next, jobs are received instantly on a tablet, and your technicians have all the information needed to deliver fantastic service – with no delays.
They can also view a customer's previous job history and upload file attachments, such as sales orders, invoices and floor plans at any time. Plus, your back office is connected in real-time too so everyone is on the same page.
Here’s another example:
👉 In summary, as much as we’d like to prevent them altogether, bottlenecks happen. But as we’ve seen, with the right tools, you can keep them to a minimum and prevent this from impacting revenue and profits.
Job management and technology fit perfectly together, and field services have innovated as the SaaS industry has matured.
Today’s solutions are simple to use – you don’t need to be a tech whizz – yet they’re highly sophisticated and able to automate and streamline operations quickly and efficiently.
It’s great to see how seriously many field services businesses treat innovation. It’s not just overcoming bottlenecks and boosting productivity – it’s customer experience, revenue, and team morale.
Overcome bottlenecks with BigChange
Growth is easier to come by when you already have a head start. It feels great to get more done in a day with less stress. In fact, it’s the main thing that keeps field service teams happy.
Whatever type of bottleneck you’re dealing with, you can ‘unclog’ it with the right tools. The best tech forces you to hone your processes and keep up with the good work.
At the same time, it’s crucial to monitor and revise processes through continuous improvement whenever and wherever you can. With a proactive approach, you’ll keep your workflows running clear so you can focus on building value for your customers.
Did you know? BigChange helps field service businesses to tackle bottlenecks with tools like job scheduling, tracking, and automated invoicing. Plus, you can quickly allocate jobs and receive notifications when a job is complete to automate invoicing.
Some people even say it’s life-changing:
Are you ready to optimise operations and improve efficiency and visibility to avoid bottlenecks in your business? Get started with a demo today.
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