Integration Is The Secret Of Success
The use of disparate systems – and even paper records – for service management applications ought to be a thing of the past with the new wave of thought on providing service excellence while at the same time saving money on operational costs. Users require centralised service management solutions that are tailored to meet their requirements and these should be easy to implement. These solutions should be based on standard packages that utilise a standard operating platform, which makes integration with back office systems easy, as well as giving the flexibility for development. Moreover, by centralising these systems around a single database, businesses gain real time accuracy and eradicate silos of dated information built up within different departments. This makes customer service easier as well as underpinning the smooth running of the organisation.
All kinds of systems – enterprise resource planning, CRM (customer relationship management) and contact management – are used to provide a central information repository. To enable these centralised back office systems to reach out to the field, additional applications are required. The best of these have been developed specifically from the ground up and provide both ease of use and ready integration between each other and the back office.
Individual systems, however, present a host of issues. It’s not that standalone systems are a bad thing per se, but when faced with integrating data between each of them and de duping information then the problems begin. Much better that a service management solution be developed that can pull together the functions and information necessary to run a successful service business. This presents the end users – the field service team – with a single information tool, which speeds up data input for them and accurate communication from the office.
There is a strong argument that, with new technology, users should be able to deploy an optimised solution that will provide seamless management of dynamic scheduling, recording and communicating changes, stock, procedures and reporting, without logging in and out of umpteen screens. Furthermore, such a solution will allow field service personnel to utilise the latest GPRS handheld computers and PDAs to replace constant telephone calls and clipboards. This will enable the people in the field to access their job schedules, interrogate stock information, locate assistance, etc, all on the screen of the handheld.
Some companies have gone to integrators and have purchased bespoke systems to help automate the mobile workforce. However, this route is not recommended as these bespoke developments can prove problematic and costly.
There are alternatives to bespoke system development and integration using service management software that runs on handheld computers and PDAs and integrates easily with the back office system to deliver a fully tailored, fully integrated solution. These present the user with a unified solution that can handle all the operational and data issues that forward thinking service management organisations require.
In addition, solutions need to integrate with other systems such as vehicle tracking, to deliver the combined power of a coherent service management tool with fleet management. The additional benefit of adding vehicle tracking is the ability to utilise real-time alarms, barred zones, exception reports, and other live telematics based reporting.
The importance of specifying standardised solutions is central to effective implementation as it means that a company’s investment in technology today will allow future development without having to go back to the drawing board. A look at some of the applications and benefits of integrated service management solutions shows that companies have everything to gain.
Vp Group is a leading equipment hire organisation that has implemented an integrated real time mobile service management solution. The PDA based solution is delivering significant benefits to Groundforce’s Survey Technology and Piletec divisions, by reducing administration costs and improving the ability to resolve customer queries immediately.
Groundforce uses the integrated solution to manage the hire and service of specialist surveying and piling equipment to civil engineering and construction companies. The innovative service and hire management systems run on PDAs and fully integrate with Groundforce’s G42 hire package. Since implementing the solution, Piletec has dramatically reduced administration, paper based document management and telephone calls. In addition, the company has the advantage of proof of delivery by capturing and transmitting customer signatures directly back to the back office system in real time.
PDAs make light work of allocating jobs to field staff. There are three specific job types managed by the system: deliveries, collections and on site servicing. These jobs are sent directly to the PDAs, with accurate details and instructions remedying any need to use paper notes or make several phone calls. In practice, jobs can be transmitted immediately to appropriate staff as soon as a contract is entered onto the system. This real time activity helps to maintain Groundforce’s delivery of exceptional technology while underpinning excellent customer service.
“When we set out to automate our Survey Technology and Piletec divisions we had specific aims in mind. We wanted to stop all unnecessary, unproductive branch administration and capture customer signatures for proof of delivery. We have achieved this with fantastic results. In the past we measured an average of 11 days to resolve proof of delivery queries, due to the administration required to locate and distribute paperwork; now we can resolve these problems immediately to everyone’s satisfaction,” Tony Bastin, IT Development Manager, Vp Group.
Another mobile service management user is Tyrefix UK. This organisation is saving £30,000 a year through the implementation of mobile field service management. As well as reducing costs, the solution is also improving customer service and increasing operating efficiencies. The integrated solution facilitates the recording and management of detailed job specific information, the capture and reference of photographic evidence and a fully transparent and automated accounting system.
“With around 80 field engineers completing an average of 1,000 call outs per day it is essential that we maintain accurate service records and accounts for every job and every customer. X-Service enables fast and efficient data capture in the field, recording and referencing of additional service information, such as photographic evidence, and automatic integration with our electronic accounting system,” said Chris Dale, Administration Director of Tyrefix UK. “We have improved the service we provide, increased the efficiency of our operation and achieved ongoing savings in excess of £30,000 per annum.”
For each job general service information is recorded on a handheld device, including arrival time, time on site and departure time. Job specific information is also captured such as vehicle type, repair details, replacement part information and customer signature. If required photographic evidence can be captured, to support an insurance claim for example. This is automatically referenced to the specific job, and the system automatically transmits all captured information to a central management system for the electronic production of invoices and other documentation.
Using an advanced vehicle management service Tyrefix hopes to achieve additional improvements in both service delivery and customer care. “We hope to further improve both staff and fuel optimisation,” continued Dale. “[The system] will also help us to manage contract specific timeframes and provide detailed information for Key Performance Indicator monitoring.”
In another application, field service engineers are able to respond within three hours to customer call outs. This paperless scheduling solution manages the planned maintenance and installations jobs as well as for rapid reactive response to emergencies. Integrated with vehicle tracking, it enables the service engineering firm to allocate the nearest engineer to deal with the call out.
The operations office allocates jobs to engineers directly to their GPRS enabled handhelds. The field service team also tracks the service vehicles and can quickly pinpoint the nearest available engineer for rapid response to emergencies. All of this is achieved with total accuracy and without the need for paper records. Using the handhelds, engineers simply log job details onto the system and the records are updated automatically in real time without keying in information or the need for paper documentation.
In addition the field service manager, who also performs service engineering, can use his handheld to see where each member of the team is at any time, regardless of his own location. This has reduced the number of phone calls both he and the service centre make to the staff as they know exactly where each service team member is at any time and can monitor the exact time taken on each job. The integrated mobile system delivers easy access to accurate real time information on the mobile device and enables the team to get their jobs done quickly and efficiently.
The above examples clearly show that there is much to gain from implementing fully integrated real time solutions that link the back office to customer facing personnel. Such solutions should provide immediate benefits both in terms of reducing costs and improving service delivery. The importance of standardised solutions that integrate seamlessly with management information systems to present a unified service management solution is paramount. Such solutions reduce service management costs and make it possible to get more work done in less time because of better scheduling and reporting of jobs, and the seamless integration with back-end systems ensures all data is accurate and up to date. These solutions are 21st century service management solutions and not the systems hack of the last century.
