Table of Contents
Who is a field technician?
Regardless of their area of expertise, field technicians from all industries have almost the same function, namely to provide installation, maintenance and repair services for a device or machine. Technician is responsible for field operations, problem solving, repairs, and even providing machine training for clients at the specified location.
Technicians work in a company who provides services as their core business or as after sales service. Ranging from hardware providers, IT solutions, infrastructure, up to construction, with customers from B2C or B2B segments.
What duties and obligations do they have?
– Equipment installation: For most technology companies whose products are complex (for example security systems or air conditioning units), field technicians are required to install, test, and provide training to clients on the proper use of machines.
– Care/maintenance: Maintenance should be done regularly. For the automotive industry, this can be in the form of oil changes or tire rotations, or for other engine companies, it may be to replace filters or AC fuses.
– Carrying out repairs: For damaged goods, the technician must identify the root of the problem, repair, and order the replacement for the damaged part.
How is the service request workflow?
Technicians who work under the principal company will be directed to clients who need services. However, most companies still record client complaints manually, then new data is processed and sent to the supervisor to arrange the schedule for field technicians. After that, the supervisor will give assignments when the technician is still in the office or by phone and text.
How does this affect the quality of service?
Manual systems are very vulnerable to human errors such as miscommunication, which can result in technicians coming to the wrong client or carrying wrong tools. Supervisors can also schedule technicians with different skills.
With a manual system many things can slow down the service requests process. If the client is not satisfied with the service, the company can lose their client.
Is there a system for automating the scheduling of field technicians?
Advotics Workforce Management System helps supervisors to speed up the scheduling process by recommending the most appropriate technician for each task. Scheduling can be filtered by considering the type of technician’s skills, technician’s and clients’ location, to what tools the technician needs to bring to finish the task. Not only optimizing resources, Advotics solutions can also save supervisors time in getting real-time reports, optimizing communication with field workers who are doing repair services, and data collection of machines or assets located in the field. The Workforce Management System can digitize all the tasks of field technicians from case management, order spare parts, to asset data collection.1. Case Management in the Workforce Management System
Technicians will obtain all service task information through their mobile applications, including the location of the clients assigned to them. All required service request descriptions are neatly displayed in the application so that the technician can bring the right tools for each service request. Technicians who take turns or on rotation will no longer be a barrier. New technicians can easily take over the technician’s job because all the information they need can be accessed through the mobile application. If in the field additional issues arise that need to be addressed immediately, the technician can immediately submit a new service ticket and mark the ticket as “direct repair”. Thus, the documentation of technician activities becomes accurate and neat.
2. Ordering spare parts
Technicians can also use the “Sales Order” module to order spare parts that are needed when repairing. For example, when the air conditioner or freezer is being repaired, then turns out that the freon must also be replaced. Technicians can help clients by ordering it directly on the spot and from there, the company can directly invoice the new spare parts to the client afterwards.
3. Asset Management in the Workforce Management System
For companies that rent their goods to clients, tracking of goods will be more difficult especially if the assets are located in different branch office locations, or even leased and placed in various locations of clients and partners.
Centralized information systems can facilitate technicians, supervisors and management in tracking the movements and condition of assets. Now, the company can monitor all its equipment and its movements in the field. Assets can be transferred from the company office to the client, or from one client to another.
Read article: Asset Management for Technicians
