The Cloud for Field Services
The Cloud : The Answer to a Better Field Service Management
When you think of industries using the latest technology, such as cloud computing, you may think of banking and finance, telecommunications or even online entertainment. But what about field service industries? ¹
Service businesses represent around 70% of the world's economy, and in 2017, only a third of the world's large service businesses used field service management solutions. ³ Therefore the market was ready for growth and to improve processes by investing in cloud computing. Recently, cloud computing has been having a much bigger impact on the worldwide, multi- billion pound field services sector with many more businesses investing in the cloud. ¹
There are many challenges for field services businesses, notably having to rely on real- time communication for rapid allocation and re-allocation of resources. Keeping track of where field service workers were was a difficulty, having to actively call in to update. It was difficult to re-assign tasks, to know if workers had run into problems, or if they had completed their assigned job ahead of schedule. ²
Cloud- based management systems help managers in the office organize the workforce and help field service contractors on the move to better manage workflows in one central place by automating aspects such as scheduling, quoting, invoicing and more. ¹
The fact that the cloud offers centralised data that’s accessible from anywhere is one of the biggest advantages, and is why the cloud has become so recently popular. Another reason is the reduced cost; cloud based solutions save money as they require little capital outlay for equipment and take up no space on company property, yet offers massive data storage and computing power. The cloud also spares companies expense and disruption from the need to update the software company-wide, as in most cases cloud- based software updates itself automatically at little or no charge to users. ¹
The cloud also saves you time consuming administration at the end of a job as all the data is real-time and technicians have the ability to work offline. There is also the possibility to gain valuable new insights about your businesses and customers with cloud-based software and a customer relationship management system. ³
Field service was an industry that was comparatively slow to join the information economy until recently. ³ Around the world, field service contractors such as plumbers, electricians, maintenance technicians and even security guards are now using cloud-based software to become more efficient and boost their business’s profitability. And better yet- this can all be achieved on a smartphone or a tablet.
Have you invested in cloud- based software? Contact us today to discover how we can help you improve your field service workflows.
