Maintenance Service Management is a terminology that has evolved as one of the important customer services. It has been discussed in many industrial forums that automation in the maintenance service industry will boom the demand massively. Maintenance and repair services are offered primarily in large-scale industrial and commercial services. Often big industrial organizations have large budgets, operational capabilities, workforce, technical know-how, etc. Hence offering automated field maintenance services in large enterprises is easier than implementing automation in smaller companies.
Usually, small companies use manual applications for their field Management Services. These applications include spreadsheets for scheduling jobs, messenger services for intimation, reminder software, etc. Although these applications do the job, they are not a comprehensive solution as they extract information from different databases. For example, if a manager wants to schedule a job, he will enter data in the spreadsheet. This spreadsheet will then be shared with the service provider over WhatsApp. Although this process involves some amount of automation, there is huge manual intervention. To cut short, these applications are developed for personalized uses and have hardly any industry-specific features to help small companies with field automation services.
What are some of the Maintenance Services s to be offered for smaller companies?
Maintenance Management System software is considered a cost-effective solution for small businesses to automate their field services. Such software is effectively designed for field services and workforce management. It helps in various Field Management Services such as job scheduling, job matching with the right technicians, setting work reminders, job communication, using real-time data for invoice generation, and job monitoring. These applications efficiently resolve operational malfunctions at various levels, starting raising a service request to delivery and up to after-sales services.
Some of the key features of maintenance Management Services are as follows:
Job scheduling: Whenever there is a new service request, the manager must assign a service provider to fit the job. This task can be cumbersome at times. The software helps the manager by identifying the appropriately skilled service provider in proximity to the job request, thereby minimizing manual effort and reducing time.
Prompt communication: Once the job is scheduled, it has to be communicated to the service provider. This happens over the maintenance scheduling software, which sends an automatic notification to the service provider as a text message with all the job details, location, and customer history and information.
Route planning: To make sure the service provider reaches the job location on time, the software provides routes with the help of GPS. This automation to reach the job site helps the technicians avoid traffic congestion and reach the location without hassle. More importantly, the service manager easily tracks the live location of the service provider. This again helps in monitoring the performance of the service provider and also verifies fuel the job site, avoiding detours and traffic congestion. The service manager can remotely track the live location of the technician. Real-time tracking of technician’s location helps with performance assessment as well as for verifying the fuel reimbursement claims.
Mobile data access: Whenever there is a service request for a job, the service provider can instantly check the history of services provided, contracts, any pending invoices, etc. They can easily access the requestor’s database on their personal mobile phones while on the move and go prepared.
Invoicing and Billing: One of the most important features of maintenance management system software is hassle-free invoicing and billing. Billing cycles can be cumbersome and time-consuming. However, the automated billing and invoicing process can manage complete payment-related processes such as on-site invoice generation, receiving payments, payment history invoice records, etc.
Mobile offline support: The Maintenance management software also helps enterprises with a mobile application version. A technician with a mobile app will get all the access from the manager on their hand-held mobile phones and be connected with the managers. Again, the mobile application also needs to be facilitated with offline functionality as well. Any amount of data saved will automatically synchronize to the application when it is connected to the internet. Obviously, it is an advantage to be connected with the technicians over an application that will provide a transparent process with the managers and customers as well.
Conclusion
Small Enterprises can derive greater returns using automation in their business processes. Today there are various management applications to help small enterprises evolve in a short time. These applications include maintenance management system software, maintenance work order software, maintenance scheduling software, maintenance tracking software. Such software comes with collaborative packages and is user-friendly applications that help in saving time, reducing cost, minimizing scheduling hassle, client to service provider interface, and various other inbuilt features.
Maintenance management software comes with customized options and is a one-stop solution by which a business set up of any size can integrate automation in their field operations and enhance field workforce management.
