The importance of optimized travel routes for today’s service businesses

For many service companies in North America, ensuring their field technicians always take the most efficient route for field service operations seems impossible sometimes. There are just too many factors to predict and control. Calculating the best possible fastest route from point A to point B, in terms of driving time and money savings, is extremely difficult without the right tools to help:

• Dispatchers choose the correct course
• Technicians get to the correct location on time
• Service managers oversee their mobile teams in real time

Productivity gains are crucial for business success. Field service management software automates route planning, so technicians have insight into the quickest way to reach customers on their mobile devices and get the most out of their day. 

Field service manager software also helps improve these processes, simplifies the allocation of field resources, saves hours of time on travel, and gives technicians peace of mind. All of this results in happier customers.

3 reasons your service company should optimize technician routes  

Because happy, successful field teams are good for business

Poorly planned travel routes are hard on your employees and your business. Excessively long distances between customer sites, appointment mix-ups, and delays frustrate customers and hinder your teams’ work efficiency. They diminish morale, but field team management software can reduce that.

Work life becomes easier and more enjoyable when travel times are improved for your technicians, inspectors, or auditors. They can avoid unnecessary travel. With service schedule software, their schedules are optimized for efficiency. And they have access to all of the information needed for smooth and successful service delivery. You’re effectively giving them the means to deliver the best possible customer experience for your customers when routes are tracked, managed, and optimized with field service route optimization in one place.

Because better quality service increases customer satisfaction

A service company that operates smoothly and efficiently attracts more customers. In fact, the importance of customer satisfaction is one of the top metrics for any company that delivers a service, in any industry. The quality a customer receives from your company determines the relationship they choose to have – whether they remain loyal, whether they decide to leave you, or whether they recommend your service to others.

One data-backed fact by HubSpot explains the importance of investing in customer service: Loyal customers will convince new ones to work with you free of charge.

However, it is important to remember that optimized routing is not just about successfully resolving customer problems. More efficient routes optimize field service and help you become more responsive to meet contractual commitments. Arriving on time every time and keeping customers informed on the status of the work are easy ways to gain loyalty. The best field service management software helps service companies in many industries, including HVAC, utilities, telecommunications, pest control, property management, etc., be more responsive and communicative by getting technicians there on time while sending notifications.

Because good field service management saves the company money

An interesting Aberdeen Group study shows that if a problem is not resolved during the first visit, 1.5 additional service calls are required, on average, to fix the problem. This means that, depending on your industry, the cost of resolving an issue can multiply from several hundred dollars to several thousand. FSM software that automates your business operations and work orders can help you keep costs under control.

Cloud-based, best-of-breed tools are key to increasing productivity

Service teams use best-of-breed software because it is effective. Leveraging the best field service management technology rather than sticking to an all-in-one solution makes your company more competitive.

When business processes are 100% cloud-based, employees can communicate more effectively in real time, access information anytime, and store work order documents safely forever. Technicians scattered all over the map need tools like Praxedo to help them do their jobs better.

Best-of-breed powers productivity. Administrators can save time by eliminating manual/double entry, and technicians can save a lot of drive time by not having to travel to and from the central office. Companies can maximize efficiency and enhance their competitive edge by adhering to field service management best practices and utilizing top field service management software.

Visibility into field operations

While it may not be obvious initially, using building maintenance software to move away from paper-based route management gives you the visibility needed to improve productivity through field service route optimization.

Gone are the days when double carbon forms were forgotten in the truck or lost between trips. When dispatchers power up the web version of the Praxedo solution, now enhanced with GPS Insight field service management, they can see every technician’s schedule. Technicians with GPS capabilities on their mobile devices allow dispatchers to pinpoint exactly where they are, at what time, and can verify timestamps to ensure work orders are being carried out on schedule with the help of field service work order software.

New insight into technician productivity is extremely valuable. Using field service technician management software, dispatchers can maximize the number of service calls each technician is assigned throughout the day. Emergency events can also be handled without a hitch when the technician with the correct skills to handle the job can be identified and sent with smart scheduling functionality at the touch of a button.

Artificial intelligence automatically optimizes schedules

Service companies that use Praxedo’s Smart Scheduler leverage artificial intelligence in field services. They use algorithms to plan the ideal travel route, considering factors such as customer requirements, location, and traffic information. More intelligent service scheduling also means being able to prevent or “predict” equipment breakdowns. Developing recurrent schedules for maintenance tasks at regular intervals prolongs equipment life and improves customer relationships.

Integration with enterprise systems enables automation

The ideal route optimization software integrates fully with your enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) solutions so you can take full advantage of automated information sharing through best-of-breed software that integrates smoothly with commonly used third-party systems such as Salesforce.com, Microsoft Dynamics, and SAP. Plugging in a specialized field service management solution allows data to flow easily from one application to another. With automated information flows, your field teams and customers enjoy better experiences. The creation and delivery of invoices can also be automated so you can bill a client right after the work is done, rather than waiting one week or even two. Speeding up the invoicing process ultimately gets you paid faster.