The Benefits of GPS Tracking for Field Service Businesses
GPS tracking technology has emerged as a turning point for field service businesses, providing several benefits that boost productivity, optimize resource allocation, boost customer happiness, and streamline overall operations. We will explore how GPS tracking can revolutionize your field service business with valuable insights and actionable strategies to stay ahead of the competition and drive success in this blog. Let’s dive in!
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What is Field Service Management?
Field service management refers to any work done at a client location rather than on the company premises. Field service comprises an agile & mobile workforce whose services have extended into sectors like hospitality, healthcare, and education.
The healthcare system, for instance, needs field service management, from maintaining correct and current medical information to deploying medical personnel for in-home care. It helps the maintenance of medical devices by managing assets, logging and assigning tasks, tracking device histories, checking code compliance, and generating the necessary forms and documents.
Challenges Faced by the Field Service Industry
Dependency on multiple components and factors makes the field service industry challenging. Any negligence could cause losses concerning client satisfaction and reputation. Following are some of the common challenges faced by the field service industry.
Scheduling
Staying on schedule reflects on the integrity of any organization. Schedule conflicts have a domino effect and seriously harm companies. Online spreadsheets and calendars can exacerbate the problem because they require frequent manual updating, sometimes in many locations, which leaves room for double-entry mistakes.
Route Planning
Route planning is an essential task; a well-planned route will be advantageous to all parties. However, manually planned routes do not consider factors like traffic patterns or technician’s location. Missed appointments, delayed services, and increased travel costs, to mention a few consequences, are caused by poor or erroneous route preparations.
Cost
Operational expenses can swiftly damage a company’s bottom line. If not controlled, you will splurge money for technicians to travel too far or do less work than necessary. Doing things right the first time rather than again visiting the customer should be the guiding principle. When a customer issue cannot be resolved, at the initial visit due to a lack of expertise or resources, they are understandably upset.
Advantages of GPS Tracking for Field Service Businesses
Most field service management systems offer GPS tracking for business owners and remote employees, with remarkable operational and financial advantages.
When field service companies use GPS tracking software, their mobile workers’ punctuality will inevitably improve. Following are some of the benefits in detail:
Improvement in Estimated Time of Arrivals (ETAs)
Planning enables planning your technician’s day according to how close together each job is, resulting in technicians not wasting time driving back and forth across town. With GPS tracking, any delayed schedules can be communicated to the client by an automated text message or email, informing them that help is on the way. Your customers will be happier thanks to accurate ETAs and better customer service, and happier customers are more likely to remain loyal and recommend your company to their friends, which increases sales for your company.
Real-time Routing
Real-time routing displays the best routes between destinations, using real-time traffic updates, much like any consumer navigation system. GPS-enabled dispatching helps identify which remote worker is appropriate for the job in situations where your team must respond to unexpected work based on closeness to the precinct, experience of the person, and available equipment.
Decrease Fuel Costs
GPS tracking systems also provide features for monitoring vehicles. It enables you to keep track of important driving information like braking and acceleration, average speed, and idle time. Additionally, by utilizing GPS technology, employers may ensure that staff members aren’t using company vehicles for purposes unrelated to their jobs. Using the available data, you can hold your drivers accountable and create metrics to encourage fuel-efficient driving practices. Any savings in fuel costs free up capital that can be used to expand your company’s operations or boost profits.
Tracking Reimbursements
For a field service company, implementing a GPS time tracking program can effectively eliminate automated tracking and substantially reduce timesheet errors. Some employees may tend to inflate their trip details and associated costs for client visits to meet their targets. However, with the GPS tracking system providing accurate information on fuel consumption and mileage for each employee, this issue can be addressed and resolved. As a result, no employee can exploit trip reimbursements unfairly. By adopting this approach, you can ensure that you are only compensating your employees for legitimate expenses.
Security & Asset Protection
GPS tracking increases the security of the protection of your goods. Awareness of the status of goods enables you to keep them safe during shipment.
Reduces Paperwork
Since GPS monitoring automatically tracks time, there is no longer a need to fill out manual timesheets. By utilizing time tracking technology, your business can decrease timesheet errors such as time rounding, lost or damaged timesheets, and timesheets that are difficult to read or unreadable. For improving accuracy and efficiency, you can also cut back on paperwork and streamline the payroll process.
Field Service Businesses That Benefit from GPS Tracking
Some Common Field Service Industries using GPS:
Utility Services
Utility services are of paramount importance in every society. Utility businesses must, among other things, provide service, minimize outages, maintain massive equipment and networks, oversee big teams of personnel, and adhere to regulations. They also need to maintain and upgrade both public and private facilities. These businesses deal with numerous difficulties regularly. GPS tracking has many advantages for utility firms like tracking assets and employees in real-time, reducing fuel costs, improving driver safety, and increasing customer satisfaction
Healthcare
The use of GPS tracking in the healthcare sector can boost emergency response times, resource management, and patient care. GPS monitoring can track the whereabouts of healthcare workers to ensure that health aides arrive during emergencies. It can also be used, for locating medical equipment, for quick deployment. Ambulance services can employ GPS monitoring to optimize routes and speed up response times in emergency circumstances, potentially saving lives.
Retail Business
GPS tracking is advantageous for retail businesses since it manages your supply chain and looks after your assets. They can also employ tracking to estimate client delivery and improve the purchasing experience. By tracking the flow of goods from suppliers to distribution centers and retail outlets, there will be optimization of inventory and lower transportation costs.
Hospitality
GPS tracking can ensure fast and effective guest service. Hotels and resorts can utilize GPS technology to track the whereabouts and condition of their fleet of vehicles. It can increase operational effectiveness, boost customer service, and streamline communication in the hospitality sector. GPS tracking can be used to track employee attendance and performance, which can assist managers uphold service standards.
Construction Services
GPS tracking can help project managers track the movements of people, tools, and vehicles using available location data, thereby, resulting in effective resource management and deliveries. GPS tracking helps reduce downtime and increase productivity, enhancing team collaboration and communication. It also helps protect your valuable assets like expensive machinery by keeping track of their usage and location.
Transport & Logistics
GPS tracking helps businesses track the whereabouts of vehicles, spot issues, and implement cost-cutting measures like lowering fuel usage and cutting down on idle time. GPS tracking aids in enhancing fleet management, optimizing routing, and improving operational effectiveness. It helps in knowing the daily activities and well-being of your fleet drivers.
You can plan routes more effectively after considering factors like road conditions and traffic, increasing productivity and satisfaction for all parties. The system can also support maintaining regulatory compliance, such as adherence to standards governing the hours of service for commercial drivers.
Why GPS Tracking is Crucial for Field Service Businesses?
For field service businesses, managing a fleet of vehicles and technicians can be a daunting task. Without the right tools, it can be difficult to keep track of where your vehicles are, which technicians are available, and what jobs they are working on. This is where GPS tracking comes in. By providing real-time location data, GPS tracking can help field service businesses streamline their operations, improve customer service, and increase profitability. In this part of the article, we’ll take a closer look at the disadvantages of not using GPS tracking in field service businesses. We have explored the benefits of implementing this technology above.
Repeated Deferment
Your technicians constantly keep customers waiting due to getting lost, taking detours, getting trapped in traffic, and inefficient scheduling.
Spiralling Fuel Costs
It will be tough to regulate fuel usage and costs if your employees take unpredictable routes or have poor driving habits, resulting in losses.
Operational Inefficiency
Lack of these operational procedures results in field inefficiencies that will harm the client experience and ultimately cost your company money.
Struggle to Survive
You won’t be able to supply satisfied customers and compete with other service providers if you can’t manage all of your field assets efficiently.
Working with a trustworthy GPS service provider is crucial to succeed in the field service industry. Matrack is the market leader in providing GPS solutions for all fleet requirements. With features like an arrival tracking system, dispatch manager system, and Blink roadside assistance for emergency responsive services, Matrack stands tall amongst the GPS market space contenders.
Conclusion
Technology plays a critical role in every business. Accepting & implementing GPS tracking for a field service business is a necessity. It will not only help monitor your assets but also ease and improve the lives of the mobile workforce. The discipline & accountability of adopting GPS tracking will help you reap the benefits of growth in the long run.
