Written by When managing a field service business, there are many processes to think about. From scheduling customers to assigning technicians to a job, there are many hoops you need to jump through to have a successful and efficient business. And if you don’t have the right scheduling practices in place, it will be hard for you to keep employees, customers, and your company happy. So in order to have your business thrive and provide a fantastic work environment for your employees, there are a few best practices to keep in mind when it comes to scheduling. Keep reading to learn about 8 field service scheduling best practices that you should incorporate into your management process.
Stay Efficient and Accurate
Staying efficient and accurate is important in any business venture—and it sure is vital in the field service industry. But in order to stay as efficient as possible when it comes to scheduling, you’re going to need a method that helps you stay organized. Luckily, there are many types of field service software scheduling tools out there that provide companies with full visibility over their entire team’s schedule, including their location. But if you’re still scheduling manually with whiteboards or sticky notes, keeping doing that if it works for you. To succeed with this method, it’s important to stay tidy and organized. Sticky notes tend to get scattered throughout desks, so it’s best to keep things clean. This can help avoid any added stress or confusion when it comes to scheduling and business management as a whole.
Have a Solution for Recurring Jobs
In the home service industry, many services are recurring. From HVAC maintenance checkups to plumbing inspections, homeowners need these services every few months or so. That being said, it’s best to use software that has a recurring jobs feature. With the Recurring Jobs feature offered here at mHelpDesk, you can easily set up multiple jobs at once, and even schedule reminders so you and the customers will always stay in-the-know.
Always Stay Updated
In the field service industry, many things can change at any given moment. From customers canceling appointments to technicians dealing with truck issues, it’s important to stay updated with what’s happening. That being said, its best to choose field service software that provides live updating on the system. This ensures that the customers, technicians, and managers are always on the same page.
Focus on Saving Time
When searching for scheduling best practices for your field service business, you should have a few goals in mind. One of those top goals should be to save time. Just like with most things in life, time is money. The more time you waste, the more money goes down the drain. That being said, find scheduling software, employees, and other resources that help you save time and be more efficient in your business.
Understand Your Employees
When scheduling your field service jobs, it’s important to keep your technicians and other employees as your #1 priority. That not only means that you should pay them appropriately and not schedule them crazy hours, but it also means you should pay attention to their wants and needs. If they have a certain strength in your business, schedule them for jobs that use that strength. Keeping your employees happy will keep your customers happy.
Strategically Schedule
One way to save time and money and stay more efficient involves scheduling strategically. This means you should take the time to figure out where your technicians have jobs, what these jobs entail, and what time these jobs are scheduled. This will help you strategically plan who will go to what job and the routes they will take. Not only can this lead to fewer headaches for your techs, but it can also help you save on gas, time, and other valuable resources.
Send Reminders
Another tactic to use when scheduling involves sending reminders. These reminders can be for yourself, your technicians, and your customers. And especially if you’re scheduling maintenance appointments, chances are that these appointments are scheduled way far out in advance—and that means everyone will forget. The right scheduling software can help by sending out reminders.
Follow-Up With Techs
A successful, efficient business is only made possible with great communication. That being said, another best practice is to always follow up with your technicians. Was the customer happy with their service? Were there any issues? These questions are what you should be discussing with your techs after each and every service call.
Final Thoughts
By following the 8 best practices mentioned above, you can experience happier employees, happier customers, and a more efficient business. If you happen to be in the market for scheduling software that works for your specific needs, then mHelpDesk is here for you.
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Last modified: September 27, 2019
