Starting a new year often means leaving the past behind and making a fresh start. It’s a goof moment to think about everything you’ve learnt during the last twelve months, and apply that knowledge and expertise to the next twelve months. As a result of these considerations, one usually comes up with a bunch of New Year Resolutions: this is going to be the year I’ll quit smoking, I’ll go to the gym, I’ll spend more time with my kids, I’ll learn a new language…
Just as most of us make these traditional resolutions at this time of the year for ourselves, it’s also a good idea to apply the same consideration to your field service company. Think about your business’s trajectory over the last year, and envision the place where you’d like to be by the end of this year. Set new challenges for your company, and keep on growing to offer better services, reach a larger group of customers and of course, increase your benefits. But, how could you do that? How can you implement all necessary changes in your field service company to achieve all your goals for 2018?
Self-criticism in field service
As in any other project aimed at improvement, the first step you need to take to make your field service company grow more in 2018 is a bit of self-criticism. And believe me: glancing over the company’s processes is not enough. You need to take it seriously! If you really want to thrive, that is. Analyze in detail all the steps included in all workflows, both inside the company itself and also in relation with your customers and suppliers.
Here are some basic points you should be reviewing in this self-examination. No cheating allowed!
Improved logistics
Logistics is probably one of the most dreadful challenges all field service companies must face. Simple logistics is easy, but when you need to move around technicians, equipment, paperwork and information about customers – and do it in an efficient way – things can get really complicated.
A good example: you need to make sure your technicians always use the most optimized routes when they’re out in the field completing jobs. Finding a mistake in route tracing with the help of software can help you save a lot of money in fuel, and also allows you to offer a better customer service.
The paper mess
Another big challenge in field service companies is paper. Or, should I say the resistance to stop using paper. Because believe it or not, there are still many businesses which prefer not to enjoy the benefits of digitalization, out of laziness, tradition or simple excuses such as “we’ve been using it like forever, and it’s worked fine up to now”.
If your field service company is one of them, 2018 is the right moment to change. Yes, I know it’ll be hard. Yes, I know it’ll take some time to get used to it. But the long-term benefits really make up for it.
Using the right software, you’ll be able to create job orders, share customer information, check equipment stock, create invoices and be on top of all what’s going on in your company… with just a couple of clicks.
Clear accounting
Company accounting can give you a real headache if it’s not managed properly… and when we talk about field service companies, the headache can quickly turn into a throbbing migraine! Because these companies deal not only with basic expenses such as employee salaries or rent, but also with a bunch of additional expenses such as fuel, equipment, vehicles, training, suppliers and so on.
This is why it is so important to have a robust, reliable software tool to manage accounting in your field service company, and avoid all possible fuss. And of course, stop using paper forever.
The all-in-one solution
So, in the end, what do you need to start this new year on a good foot and achieve all goals you set? An all-in-one solution capable of solving any of the issues we’ve mentioned so far. And an excellent alternative is Synchroteam.
Synchroteam lets you create the most time and money-efficient routes for your technicians, manage your entire field service company’s workflow in a 100% digital environment, and optimize all accounting processes in no time at all.
But hey, don’t just take my word for granted. Go ahead and try the free Synchroteam demo for 14 days, and you’ll see for yourself.
Oh, and Happy 2018!
