As a field service software owner, I have heard and received a lot of calls from customers asking what types of devices they will needin the field. iPhone or Droid? Laptop or tablet? Printers or not?
But the questions I feel I don’t hear enough are what are the best devices and technology for my office to run the service scheduling software? The office is the core structure of almost any small business. You need a good system in place to ensure that your office and the software they are running can be as efficient as possible.
So what is the best office technology for your service scheduling software?
Server
You will want a “home base” for your company. A place that stores all of the company data that everyone in the office can handle. That is where a server comes in handy.
Granted, a server may not be a necessity for every company, especially those that only have one in-office person. However, if you ever plan to grow, a server is a good idea. This will allow company information to be stored in one place, making it possible for everyone in the office to have access to the information.
Backups
We cannot stress the importance of backups enough. Having (and properly running) a backup can save your company so much stress and heartache in the future.
We had a customer last year who had what we call a “horror” story. Their office building somehow became victim to a fire. Once the fire started, the sprinkler systems turned on, dousing everything in the office. This included computers, phones, field devices, etc. Even worse? They had no backups of their information. Our company had a backup of theirs from a few years ago, which helped to some extent, but wasn’t enough. They had lost years of data in one night.
In reality, you should have two types of backups: cloud-based and an actual backup device. The cloud-based stores all of your information up in the interwebs where no natural or physical force can destroy it. This protects you from robbers, fires, flooding, or an angry employee looking to get back at the company. The actual backup device is a second insurance of sorts. It can keep your information safe and make it available in case your internet goes down or for some reason your cloud-based backup provider crashes.
Multiple Screens
This is one a lot of people don’t think of, but cannot imagine living without once they have it. You know the saying “two heads are better than one”? Well two screens are better than one as well.
Two screens provide optimum efficiency and productivity. With one screen, you constantly needto close or cover up one page to view another. And if you need both to complete a task, this could be taking a lot longer than is necessary.
Invest in a second screen for all of your in office employees. Their productivity should go up due to the ease of accessing all of the information they need at once, rather than one at a time. You may even discover you need more screens and have three like some of the support guys in my office.
Your office needs a strong base for their service scheduling software. If they are running on crappy equipment or don’t have the tools necessary to be efficient, it can cause a lot of headaches. Take another look at your processes and see where adjustments can be made.
Thinking of buying new technology to help your office staff out? Check out our Quick and Dirty Technology Checklist to ensure your business isn’t hampered by any unexpected technological failures.
