Operating a green industry business in a densely populated urban setting can present a multitude of challenges. From travel and unpredictable traffic, to ensuring you have all the equipment needed on site, and keeping track of where your employees are at in their schedule. The use of field service software can alleviate some of the headaches that metropolitan companies encounter.
- Routing/Scheduling – The use of dispatch scheduling software can allow your company to effectively and efficiently put techs where they need to be without the hassle of cross town commutes. The ability to route techs from their homes can save hours of windshield time to and from the shop a week, as well as lower fuel costs and wear and tear on your vehicles.
- Parts Tracking – Not only does this feature allow techs to see what materials will be needed for a given day, it also lets techs add – in real time – what extra parts were needed to ensure nothing is missed when it comes time to bill. $6.00 here and $15.00 there adds up over a season, and if your company isn’t tracking parts well, you’re losing a lot of money.
On a recent visit with a Manhattan customer of ours I was told their techs take the subway to job sites. This made me realize how big of a deal parts tracking is! Their techs are able to see right away in the morning what parts they need to have on hand for each day. There is no truck to run back to if something is forgotten so they must be properly prepared or each job can turn into a nightmare.
- Customer Notes – Use of field service dispatch software to communicate property specifications from the office to the field and vice versa in real time gives your office the capability to plan ahead in order to cut down on wasted time and better serve your customers.
- Assessments – Custom assessments (checklists, surveys) can help guarantee that jobs are getting done to your standards and that nothing is slipping through the cracks. If a crew needs to be sent back out to an area they serviced the week before for one forgotten task, you’re wasting time and fuel.
- Billing – Billing with paper can be a pain, regardless of whether you’re in the big city or not. But if you’re using field service software, you’ll be able to send all of your billing data directly to QuickBooks. From there, you can email or mail your invoices to your customers – the same day if necessary. Not only will your cash flow improve, but you’ll also improve the accuracy of your invoices, which is vitally important in a big city full of competitors who would love to swoop in and steal your customers.
Success in life – from cellular biology to running a business – relies on the ability to adapt and remain highly efficient. If you’re not improving your ship every year, you can bet your ass that ship will eventually sink. No business is perfect, but if you want to maintain growth as a small business owner, you need to be doing what you can, where you can, to keep your ducks in a row.