Category: BigNews

IN THIS BLOG WE’LL TALK THROUGH HOW OTHER FIELD SERVICE BUSINESSES AVOID COMMON OPERATIONAL ISSUES.

When it comes to running a slick field service management operation, there are three key areas in which businesses trip up: process, communication, and not focusing on the customer.

These all have a direct impact on profits and so getting these things right should be on everyone’s 2023 wishlist.

Let’s dive straight into the 6 most common pitfalls… And, more importantly, how to dodge them going forward.

FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENT MISTAKE #1: LOW FIRST-TIME FIX RATES

Measuring first-time fixes is likely one of your top KPIs because it’s used to measure quality and productivity.

Jobs that aren’t complete when an engineer first attends, or when they go back to rectify an issue, are a leading cause for haemorrhaging money for most field service businesses.

Why? Because low first-time fixes direct engineers away from new business opportunities, cost money, lower productivity, and overall they don’t create a great impression for the customer.

Here’s how to fix this 👇

💡Top tip: Field service businesses that nimbly avoid this issue focus on customer intel – they know the precise job details and make sure they have everything they need for the job. Using a CRM software will ensure that your office staff have access to all of the job information for a customer… Make it cloud-based and your field service workforce can access it too. Better yet, if you use a fully integrated field service management software, teams can update each other at all times, wherever they are.

📕Want to learn more?  Read: Top 5 tips to improve cost efficiency in field service management

FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENT MISTAKE #2: LACKING ROBUST PLANNING

To achieve first-instance and first-time fixes, you need to be prepared. And this covers everything from inventory and stock control through to scheduling engineers to be at jobs as quickly as possible.

Put simply, not having the right tools or parts means the job won’t get fixed the first time around. Seems obvious, but this is largely overlooked by the majority of field service businesses.

The cause? Often, it’s because of a lack of customer intel or reduced technical understanding of other team members planning in jobs.

Again, the inconvenience of an unfinished job could have serious complications for the customer (e.g. going without utilities)… And at best, would require the customer needing to become available again due to a missing part, which can damage your reputation.

💡Top tip: Savvy field service businesses now prepare jobs on an individual basis. They look at the exact stock needed, any specialist knowledge required, and even the location in relation to other jobs on the schedule to optimise field workers’ time and routes. This can all be managed through a job planning tool so that everyone is on the same page.

📕Want to learn more?  Read: How does job management software actually save your field service business money?

FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENT MISTAKE #3: DIFFICULTY MONITORING OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE

Data is now deemed the most valuable asset in the world, according to The Economist. In fact, 76%¹ of businesses say it’s an integral part of forming their business strategy.

To sum up, accurate data and analytics on everything from customer information through to field visit reports and job sheets allow you to not only get the information you need, when you need it… It also allows you to track everything down to fuel used, miles travelled, overtime used, and more.

💡Top tip: With the right business intelligence tools, you can track every element of a job in a single platform. The end result? You can streamline operations, improve job profitability, AND increase customer satisfaction. 

📕Want to learn more?  Read: 5 job management challenges and how to overcome them.

FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENT MISTAKE #4: USING OLD-SCHOOL METHODS

The biggest cause of the first three top mistakes? Sticking to the way things have always been done.

Field service businesses that continue to lean on paper tickets, Excel spreadsheets, whiteboards and the likes, find it almost  impossible to avoid wasting effort and days of time fixing things, making it hard to compete in an increasingly digital world.

Plus, these manual methods leave businesses open to human error, slow invoicing and cash flow, and customer dissatisfaction.

Here’s just one example: A&S Newbuild Aftercare saw a boost in turnover of £5m in just two years after switching to digital operations. Find out how, right here.  

💡Top tip: Once a field service business says goodbye to old methods, every area of the business is easier to manage — from reducing manual processes through to real-time reporting. With a proper job management tool, being slow is no longer an issue that impacts competitive advantage. 

📕Want to learn more? Read: Moving from manual to automated job management

FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENT MISTAKE #5: POOR COMMUNICATION

There’s no doubt that poor communication across a field service business leads to bad coordination.

Keeping field service teams on the same track as back-office teams can be tricky, particularly if you’re using the old-school methods mentioned above that just don’t allow the two to easily update each other.

This has impacts on all areas of operations from job scheduling, planning in first-fixes or attending emergencies, all the way through to accounts as work cannot be invoiced until a report is filed saying the job is complete.

💡Top tip: This all changes with real-time updates on jobs, like live tracking of your field based teams. Automated texts and emails free your office staff from repeat process drudgery whilst actually improving your customer comms. Meanwhile, field workers can use a mobile device to access the job data they need and can then quickly file reports and get customer signatures on the job.

📕Want to learn more? Read: Going paperless: What does it really mean for field service management

FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENT MISTAKE #6: PUTTING THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE LAST

So we’ve already touched on customer experience briefly in the sections above. It’s easy to see why a customer focus is beneficial.

Yet, in so many industries — not just field services — this one can often get dropped towards the bottom of the priority list.

With the pressures on other KPIs like first-time fixes and other cost efficiency strategies, the impact of strong customer service on profits falls behind.

But, ultimately, boosting customer experiences bolsters profits and business growth.

Here’s just one example: Comlink Fire and Security increased their turnover by 298% by digitising internal business processes to improve customer service. Read more here.

💡Top tip: With a CRM built specifically for field service businesses, you can improve all areas of the customer experience from booking in the initial appointment through to providing self-service tools for them to book in, pay invoices and provide feedback. All this is automated with the right tool, so it’s quick and frees you up to focus on other work.

📕Want to learn more? Read: How to use CRM to improve the customer experience

KEY TAKEAWAY

As you’ve probably guessed, tech and going digital with field service operations is how businesses are supporting growth in 2023 and beyond. 

But before you go comparing software providers, we’ve one final takeaway for you.

⚠ Look out for an all-in-one job management software solution. And one built specifically for field service businesses. Reason being, if you choose different software solutions for each of these challenges, you’re leaving yourself open to gaps in service and profitability.

Why? Because the systems just don’t talk to each other or provide one single view of business operations. And teams continue to work in silo — which defeats the object.

If you’re ready to grow your business and profit margins, you’re probably ready for automated job scheduling. Why not jump straight in and book a one-on-one demo with our field service business specialists? We’ll show you exactly how our software can help you avoid these common mistakes to win you more work, reduce operations costs and satisfy customers.

Sources:

¹ Reea Global

Job cards play an essential role in day-to-day field service management, covering all the essential job information. 

Why?

Because without a job sheet to hand, work orders might be delayed, essential information is missed, and miscommunication between engineers and back office staff is rife. 

This is where digitising your job sheets comes in. 

By using digital solutions like job management software, you can create digital job cards at the click of a button, and ultimately improve the productivity of the whole team. 

But what is a digital job card? What are the benefits? We’ll cover this below. Plus, you’ll get a free copy of a best practice field service job card template.

Let’s get into it. 👇

What is a digital job card? (For field services)

Traditionally, job cards are paper-based. But like with any paper-based process, it’s prone to issues and human-error. On the other hand, a digital job card can be viewed, edited, and updated in real-time by any team member – including engineers and back-office staff. And you can even send a copy, instantly, to the customer too. 

What’s more, you can access them on a mobile device. Mobile job sheets are game changers for your field based team. Engineers can quickly take photos, take signatures, provide documents to customers and more. 

How do digital job sheets work?

Essentially, digital job sheets replace your paper-based job cards with a digital version – usually stored in the cloud via a job management software platform. 

It ensures all work is completed without any missing sheets or unreadable handwriting. It also means that any errors or problems in work can be acted on straight away. 

A system (like BigChange) would take your existing job sheet/cards and turn them into documents that are created and accessed online. And as the job is being completed, back office workers and customers are able to see real-time updates.

❌You might think sticking to paper-based job sheets is fine for now, but be wary of these key challenges. 

Challenges of using paper-based job cards

To put it bluntly, paper-based job cards are an accident waiting to happen. Notorious for sporting scribbled-out writing, oil marks, and spelling mistakes, they can be widely inconsistent and miss vital information. 

Key job details might be misread due to poor handwriting. Not to mention presenting an unprofessional look and feel for customers 

All of this adds up to a lot of headaches for back office workers. 

🔖Related: Going paperless: What does it really mean for field service management?

With this in mind, what does a good job card look like? 

What does a good digital job card template look like?

A good job sheet process gathers all the information (in one place) accurately, consistently, and in real-time. 

A typical digital or mobile job sheet includes: 

• Name of the job
• Company logo
• Date 
• Customer details
• Location of the job 
• Details of the job (images, description, notes, serial numbers)
• Quote/estimate for the job
• Paid/unpaid job 
• Cost of materials used
• Attachments such as images and documents 
• Engineer and client sign-off

In fact, it might look a little something like this job sheet template:

🔽You can download a job card PDF version of our job sheet template here.

Now that you know what one looks like, let’s get into the key benefits of digital job cards. 

Benefits of digitising job cards

Digital job cards have plenty of benefits. Here are a few of the most important:

• Real-time information: Job information is sent to the back-office in real-time, so they have true visibility of progress against the plan.

• Cloud-based: Create new jobs in the field, enabling you to respond quickly to customer requirements as they arise. You can even see on-site information in real-time. 

• Photo and signature capture: Easily capture proof of work, and capture signatures before, during, and after work.

• Documents on demand: Mobile workers can access documents, images, and diagrams in the field. 

• Win back more time: Save a huge chunk of admin time by entering information digitally rather than writing it all up.

• Reduce risk: Having a digital job card system limits risks, such as losing handwritten notes, and ensures all information is captured first time. 

• Mobile app: App users can view the history of jobs against any customer, with valuable insight at the tap of a screen. You can also take photos, scan barcodes, and more.

• Reduce waste: Automating manual processes like job cards has a positive impact on reducing waste and saving on paper.

• Maintain high standards: Ensure consistent service standards and protect your brand image with branded job cards. Plus, you can bill customers within minutes. 

In short, digital job cards are immediately available to the customer and act as a single source of truth if there are any queries regarding the job. And because they are permanently held on your CRM, they are always available as a key source of information you can search through any time. You can even attach an invoice to it before issuing it to the customer. 

In fact, one thing our clients love about digital job cards is that they help ensure engineers have all the information they need for each and every job:

“The engineers know in advance what their day looks like and they know they have the information they need to deal with each and every job. With BigChange, even the back-office staff know they have the tools they need to get the job done from scheduling to keeping the customers informed and managing cash flow.”

Adam Redgwick, Sales Director, Warmaway

Digitise job cards with BigChange

We hope this blog has convinced you of all the ways digital job cards will benefit your business. 

You can do all this and more with BigChange. The BigChange system automatically generates standard job cards, featuring data captured in the field. 

You can choose the information that will be displayed on the job cards and even personalise with your company logo, custom fields and branding. 

And even if you have an existing job card template, you can simply import it directly into BigChange’s job sheet software. Alternatively, BigChange offers a custom design service. 

Replace your traditional paper job sheets with digital versions

In the fast-paced field service industry, everything revolves around how quickly engineers, back-office staff, and other team members can get the job done, and get it done right. 

That’s why we expect 2023 to place even more emphasis on speed, accuracy, automation, and quality. 

To help you achieve just this, this blog looks at six ideas for your job management approach in 2023. 

But first, let’s look at what’s driving change. 👇

Why job management is set to change in 2023

There are two drivers prompting a need for immediate change in field service management:

• Changing customer expectations
• Economic challenges

Changing customer expectations

Across all industries, customer expectations are high. Field service businesses are no different:

• Customers now expect better communications. In fact, 75% of customers think that fast response times are the most important part of the customer experience.  

• They want jobs completed first time. When first-time fix rates drop below 70%, businesses notice a 10% deterioration in customer retention rates.

But those that do prioritise customer service actually enjoy 5.7 X more revenue than those that don’t.  

Economic challenges

The aftermath of the pandemic, heightened fuel costs, supply chain issues and sky-rocketing utility bills are just a few of the challenges facing businesses in 2023.

The bottom line? These challenges slow down operations, reduce cash flow, and severely impact profit margins.

While this may paint a doom and gloom picture, it can be an opportunity for growth too. 

In fact, the past 12 months have seen more field service management businesses innovating and accelerating the use of new ways of working than ever before.

Let’s dive into some examples of how.

6 ideas for your 2023 job management approach

Here are just a handful of ways that field service businesses are maximising operations and boosting customer experiences, that we expect to continue throughout 2023:

Job management idea #1: Improve time management

When managing a field service business, managing time properly is everything. After all, poor job scheduling can lead to poor customer experiences, damaged reputations, and lost clients.

What’s more, it impacts your profits. Low engineer productivity and available engineers not being assigned to jobs = missed income opportunities.

On the flip side, it’s not great for your engineers’ morale or job satisfaction if they become overloaded due to poor job management either.

Actionable tips: 

💡 Plan ahead. Think about jobs as a whole, not just the resourcing of them. For example: What parts or equipment will be needed? What are their lead times?

💡 And avoid using too many manual and paper-based processes in your day-to-day workflows.

Job management idea #2: Schedule routes more efficiently

With pump costs set to continue to be high in 2023, finding ways to reduce fuel costs will be key to cost savings. But also, it prepares field service businesses for meeting government requirements on reducing carbon footprint. 

Actionable tips:

💡 Go digital. A digital scheduling assistant can help get the right engineer, with the right skills, to the right place, by the right route, and streamline job management.

💡Monitor your team’s driving behaviour. With tools like BigChange, managers can set driving behaviour alerts and view driver data, in order to curb idling, speeding, and harsh acceleration.

Not only does this keep your people safe on the road, it also cuts fuel costs and emissions. For instance, driving at 55mph uses 25% less fuel than driving at 70mph.

Job management idea #3: Improve engineer and back-office communication 

With the majority of field service workers being out in the field, creating a collaborative work environment with healthy communication can be difficult. Yet immensely important. Your workers can only be as successful as the information they have access to. 

Actionable tips:

💡 Provide your team with field service management software that has real-time data to resolve any communication challenge in one fell swoop.

💡 Use a tool that plugs into accounting software so you can quickly invoice once a job is complete.

💡 Leverage a strong CRM system that’s mobile so that all customer interactions are stored in one place and everyone can quickly access them when speaking to a customer. 

Job management idea #4: Make use of the right software and tools

If you are in the field service management industry, one of the main causes of reduced performance could solely be the tools you are working with.

Actionable tips:

💡 Consider whether the software tools you use have the capacity and features you need to achieve your goals in 2023. You may need a more comprehensive platform as your business grows and changes. 

💡 If you’re using several tools, spreadsheets, and manual methods, consider switching to an all-in-one solution to manage every area of your field service business. If you’ve a range of tech-abilities within your business, it’s easier for people to learn and manage a single platform. 

Job management idea #5: Empower mobile engineers

Field service engineers are the face of your company. Their capabilities on the job are critical to make or break the customer experience. 

That’s why they need the right information, the right tools, and the right parts to do the job to a high standard, and the first time they attend the site. This is where digital solutions come in. 

Actionable tips: 

💡Job management software, mobile apps, and the right tablet are just some of the tools that simplify and speed engineers in the field – ensuring responsiveness, continuity of service, resolving issues sooner, and making them more productive and cost-effective.

💡 Be prepared to react on the go. These tools also allow you to make the most of opportunities when in the area, or to add additional jobs for the customer whilst on site, to maximise efficiency and ensure correct billing.

Job management idea #6: Consider planned preventative maintenance

Unplanned downtime can cost companies hundreds of thousands of pounds. That’s why it’s critical to ensure equipment functions at optimal performance levels, at all times. 

Here are ways field service businesses tackle vehicle maintenance but you could apply this approach to machinery and client systems — client maintenance may be essential for compliance and legal requirements so this is one you can’t ignore!

Actionable tips: 

💡 Engineers could complete daily vehicle checks and record results on their mobile or device. These reports help fleet managers spot problems before they become a major, costly problem or stop the vehicle being on the road, potentially putting engineers out of action.This prevents the need to hire vehicles or jobs need rescheduling.

💡 With some tools, you can also set alerts against any defects so that the fleet manager can immediately action them and keep the driver informed at the same time.

What’s more, it also reduces safety risk to your engineers. And can save on fuel costs. Did you know, tyres are responsible for around 20% of a vehicle’s fuel consumption?

Key takeaways

With these job management ideas, hopefully you can see exactly how you can improve operations, boost efficiency, and ultimately book in more customers. Of course, this all supports better cash flow and increased revenue.

💡Final tips

• Set time aside in the day to check job progress and team updates.
• Use a job management tool to track jobs, vehicles, and more.
• Update your website with any new testimonials and case studies. 
• Work with the most accurate and up-to-date information to make real-time decisions
• Listen to what workers are saying – get feedback from them on how processes can be improved.

Your next steps

Ready to take job management digital? If you’re in the market looking for a job management software solution to do all the heavy lifting, check out this blog first: Top 5 must-haves when choosing job management software.

Add BigChange to your shortlist. And see why hundreds of field service businesses choose us by booking a personalised demo right here.

NWCE Food Service Equipment is saving thousands of pounds a year, boosting engineer productivity, and reducing its environmental impact, having implemented a job management system from BigChange. Offering commercial catering equipment services across the UK, NWCE uses BigChange to intelligently schedule and create optimised routes for its team of around 60 field engineers.

With average savings of just over 30 miles, per van, per day, this equates to enormous annual savings, reduced travelling times and a decrease in Carbon Dioxide emissions. BigChange also provides the Bolton-based business with 24/7 visibility of its mobile workforce, automated stock management and a range of fleet management tools.   

“We had a system before BigChange, but it was slow and clunky,” commented Ben Odling, Managing Director of NWCE Food Service Equipment.

“BigChange is the complete opposite! It’s fast, it’s reactive, and it is there when you need it. With our promise not to let our customers down even when their equipment does, this directly relates to and supports our ethos and way of working.”Ben Odling, Manager Director of NWCE Food Service Equipment

NWCE Food Service Equipment offers a nationwide commercial catering service working with a diverse customer base which includes organisations and businesses from the health, retail, hospitality and education sectors. With a team of engineers, gas professionals and kitchen installers, NWCE services include 24-hour breakdown and repair, design and installation, equipment maintenance, and sales on a vast array of catering and refrigeration equipment found in commercial kitchens or catering environments. 

NWCE implemented the BigChange job management platform, which incorporates customer relationship management (CRM), job scheduling, live tracking, resource management, job finance and business intelligence, in 2019. The intelligent scheduling assistant, which uses real-time data to account for location, traffic information, job constraints and engineer type, combined with smart route planning, has contributed to an average saving of more than 30 miles per vehicle per day.

This equates to a reduction in travelling time of 3 ½ hours per engineer per week, boosting productivity by 10 per cent. It also means the business is limiting the environmental impact of its mobile operation with an annual reduction in vehicle emissions of 90 tonnes of CO2.

Engineers are further boosting efficiency with direct access to customer files, site service histories and equipment documentation using the BigChange app; this also helps NWCE keep their clients up to date on asset management and equipment spend. Customisable job sheets can be automatically shared with the back office, which is improving customer communications and service levels.

“Before BigChange, an engineer could be hanging around on-site waiting for paperwork to come through by email,” continued Odling. “For example, if a fryer was condemned, they would have to wait for someone in the office to dig out the right piece of paper for that specific unit, send it across for the engineer to fill out and return, and then put together a quote for a replacement. With BigChange, it’s literally a one-button process, and the customer has all the information they need to make a decision before they even know the extent of the problem.”

Other aspects of BigChange that are positively impacting on NWCEs bottom line include automated stock control, with real-time updates and trend analysis, which allows for just-in-time ordering and re-stocking and a reduction in expensive items sitting in a warehouse or in service vehicles. Fleet management tools, including daily vehicle checks and alerts for events such as MOTs, servicing and insurance renewals, are improving driver and vehicle performance, and real-time tracking allows NWCE to issue accurate arrival times and update customers of any delays.

“Since implementing BigChange, we have trebled the size of our employed workforce and, with the competitive edge that BigChange provides, I am confident we will continue to expand and evolve, and BigChange will support us at every step,” Odling concluded.Ben Odling, Managing Director of NWCE Food Service Equipment

BigChange has helped DBS, a specialist in the repair and maintenance of petroleum forecourt structures and retail sites, boost operational productivity by 20 per cent.  The job management system has also improved customer service, cut office administration work by half, and improved workforce health and safety. The complete job management platform links field workers to back-office staff with real-time tracking, scheduling and reporting.

DBS is a family-run business that has been trading since 2000. Based in Southampton, DBS is a leading forecourt maintenance service company, specialising in the nationwide construction, branding, repair and maintenance of all commercial, retail, agricultural and petrol forecourt structures. Working with brands such as BP, Shell and MFG, DBS offers a range of construction services, including steel erection and fabrication, signage, HIAB crane hire, roofing and cladding.

“Prior to BigChange, we relied on spreadsheets, paper files and a large wall-mounted map. We work all over mainland UK and would update the map manually each day, with magnets to show the current location of each gang and all our outstanding surveys and jobs. It was extremely time-consuming and left room for human error.”Emma Lamburne, Operations Manager at DBS.

“We considered other systems before choosing BigChange, but they were either too complicated or not fit for purpose. We have up to six teams available to work, 24/7, anywhere in the UK, in addition to our survey team,” she continued. “Between them, they can visit up to 40 sites a week, so being able to track and share live ETAs is really helpful. The scheduling function allows us to respond to emergency callouts whilst minimising disruption to planned works, and the HR features, including time sheets, holiday requests and staff training, have all been well received by our staff.”

Using the BigChange job management platform, which incorporates customer relationship management (CRM), job scheduling, live tracking, field resource management, job finance and business intelligence in one simple-to-use and easy-to-integrate platform, DBS manages virtually every aspect of its mobile operation. Quotations for proposed work and invoices for completed projects are automated as BigChange integrates with the company’s accounting software, and field engineers can digitally complete Risk Assessment and Method Statement (RAMS), saving time, paper and the potential for errors.

Real-time tracking allows back-office staff to keep customers up to speed, and automated scheduling has allowed the company to be flexible with working practices. Digital forms and photo libraries are helping engineers and surveyors to share condition reports and feedback, which in turn is helping DBS be proactive with maintenance programmes and responsive to client requests for information.

“BigChange saves us time and money on every aspect of the business, and the support has been outstanding.”Jacob Lamburne, Operations Director, DBS

“We’ve eliminated paper and all the administration dealing with it, and in the office, we’re certainly twice as productive. BigChange has also had a big impact on our field operations with better scheduling and resource allocation, improved communication and real-time reporting. It means we can do more jobs during the month, and I reckon we’re 20 per cent more productive now, and that has a big impact on the bottom line.”Jacob Lamburne, Operations Director, DBS

In this day and age, your customer experience can make or break your field service business.

In fact, companies that lead in customer experience outperform laggards by nearly 80%. Not to mention 84% of companies that work to improve their customer experience report an increase in their revenue.

One key tool that helps field service businesses improve customer experience is job tracking software.

In this blog, we’ll walk you through the different ways job tracking software can take your customer experience to the next level – starting with a quick definition. 

WHAT IS JOB TRACKING SOFTWARE?

Job tracking software is a versatile business tool. From time tracking to job tracking and vehicle tracking – it can be used to improve many things for field service management businesses.

For instance, you can see the status of each job from creation to completion. This makes it easy to keep both customers and managers informed of job progress. 

Here are just a handful of the benefits real businesses are seeing:

• 90% improvement in admin efficiency
• 70% boost in productivity
• 5 X more services carried out per month
• 15% reduction in transport costs

But one of the biggest benefits is the fact it can play a significant role in improving the overall customer experience. In fact, in just one example, a B2B business recorded a 25% boost in customer service rating due to quicker scheduling and faster call-out responses.

And for field service businesses like this one, live job tracking provides customers with alerts saying an engineer is on the way so that they don’t have to stay in and wait.

HOW JOB TRACKING DELIGHTS CUSTOMERS

We’ve touched on this briefly, but let’s delve into this more…

JOB TRACKING BENEFIT #1: EMPOWERS YOUR TEAM

This may seem backward, but businesses that win with their customer experience start with their employees. 

Job tracking software is designed to be easy to use. It allows multiple employees to log in and track job progress in real-time. In fact, jobs can be opened and edited at the click of a button.

Why’s this important? Ultimately, it means job status reports are up-to-date, allowing you to inform customers instantly so they don’t have to wait to receive documentation. And if there’s an issue, the nearest engineer can be redirected to a job (more on this later).

This is all made possible by using the right solution and mobile app. This is key to real-time updates, as it allows engineers to communicate on the move. BigChange’s mobile app, for example, maximises efficiency by connecting your back office and field engineers in one system.

JOB TRACKING BENEFIT #2: BOOSTS CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION

Today’s customers want transparency, timeliness, and constant communication. 

Job tracking software allows you to do just that. It keeps customers in the loop with automatic updates on job progress and arrival times. And the ease of automated communication boosts customer experiences and frees up your time to focus on service delivery.

Plus, with the back office having full visibility of a job’s status, it helps to eliminate errors. For example, an invoice won’t be sent to a customer in error when the job isn’t yet signed off (‘completed with issues’), or if your engineer was unable to gain access.  

JOB TRACKING BENEFIT #3: IMPROVES FIRST-TIME FIX RATES

The number one reason clients complain about services is that the engineer wasn’t able to resolve the issue on the first visit. 

It’s an all too common issue in field service businesses. 

Yet, with job management software, customers can add notes and attachments when requesting a job. If a fix is flagged at a later point, first-time fixes are even more likely because the engineer knows the make, model number, and issue, so they are likely to have the right parts.  

What’s more, using real-time data on parts in vans, engineer skills, and location, job tracking software can help you to assign the right team and equipment to the right site when issues do inevitably occur. 

While this is great for improving customer satisfaction, when a job gets completed on the first visit, you can reduce costs and do more jobs in a day. You can boost efficiencies for your business too.

JOB TRACKING BENEFIT #4: PROVIDES CUSTOMERS WITH INSTANT DOCUMENTS 

Once a field technician has completed a job, they can fill out all relevant information on their device, providing real-time updates on job cards (including warranties, images and test results).

Then when it comes to invoicing (if the job is complete), the accounts team can send the customer a digital invoice in seconds. Once invoiced, customers can then pay their invoice immediately using a range of convenient online options. 

Not only do online payment methods ensure that your business bills are settled quickly and on time, but customers will have a smoother experience in dealing with the company and be more inclined to use your services again.

JOB TRACKING BENEFIT #5: ALLOWS FOR RAPID RESPONSES

Essentially, job tracking allows businesses to respond rapidly. There are a number of reasons why job tracking can help with this:

• Availability of full customer history – This means you can send through site details and customer-specific information, such as health and safety regs, prior to arrival.
• Finding the nearest resource to go to a specific location – Integration with other platforms, such as What3words, allows engineers to even find unmapped sites – invaluable for new builds or companies delivering, say, port-a-loos to festivals. This also helps meet KPIs and SLAs.
• Preempting needs – To stay proactive, you can even use customer service history to detect when client equipment is due – for preventative maintenance, servicing, or upgrades. 

As a side note, a field service technician who is prepared instils more confidence in customers.

JOB TRACKING BENEFIT #6: GET INSTANT FEEDBACK

Even when customers are happy, there is always room for improvement. Fundamentally, this is what sets you apart from competitors and prompts growth.

This is where automation can help. For example, using automated survey requests allows you to ask customers to rate their experience immediately following a job. This is a much more efficient way to capture feedback than manual processes like emailing or calling. 

Once you have the feedback, you can digest it and make plans to improve service and customer experience. 

And if you don’t get many replies to requests for customer feedback, you can also use job tracking software to review business intelligence data and KPIs to gain valuable insights to improve service levels. 

Now that you know how job tracking delights customers, here is a case study of it in action.

Job tracking in action: Heatforce

Heating company, Heatforce, has used the latest job tracking software to boost its customer service rating by 25% in just six months.

Before implementing job tracking software, Heatforce was inundated with paper and with separate systems, it was proving increasingly difficult to manage operations, so they knew they needed to completely overhaul everything.

“With BigChange, office efficiency has already increased by 25%. In addition, improved job scheduling means fewer miles are being travelled, and productivity is up, especially as engineers don’t need to come to the office as often. We’ve also increased contract win rates thanks to the added capability BigChange gives us, and, despite the lockdown challenges of recent months, the system has actually enabled us to increase our profitability.”

For more on this, you can read more about how Heatforce boosted customer service here.

INVEST IN THE RIGHT JOB TRACKING TECHNOLOGY

By investing in the right all-in-one solution, your entire team can improve response time, reduce costs, and better satisfy customers. 

And to top it off – First-time fix rates will soar! 🚀

Ready to accelerate growth for your business? Book a free one-to-one demo here today to see how BigChange can help you improve efficiencies and customer experience.

Gas engineer software makes planning, tracking, and monitoring jobs a total breeze. 

With a range of features like job scheduling, real-time job tracking, and automated invoicing, job management software is a no-brainer for gas engineer businesses.

But because all tools aren’t built the same, it’s critical you choose the best software for your business.

In case you need convincing, an estimated 48% of field service businesses use job management software. Many of these are boosting growth by 35%. Additionally, businesses that invest in job management software boost productivity by 40% – and waste less money than businesses that don’t.

These stats are hard to ignore. 

With that in mind, let’s dive into how you can choose the best software for your business.

WHY GAS ENGINEER SOFTWARE IS A GROWTH MUST-HAVE

In short, gas engineer software gets rid of the headache caused by scattered and chaotic paper-based operations and replaces it with an all-in-one solution that has everything you need and is easy-to-use.

The end result? Unshackled from the burden of admin, you can free up your team to take on more jobs. You get paid faster and boost your cash flow by invoicing in seconds — not days or even weeks. And you can reduce operational spend by optimising travel routes, reducing fuel, and resource costs.

But don’t take our word for it. Take a look at this handful of real results:

• 90% improvement in admin time 
• 25% efficiency improvement
• 30% increase in productivity
• 25% boost in customer service ratings

So, how can you get results like this?

Ultimately, with the right job management software, you can:

Quickly find what you need, on-the-go:

✅ Access digital risk assessments, gas safety certificates, and COSHH sheets.

✅ Keep all contracts safe and in one place.

✅ Search and filter documents to instantly find what you need.

Update jobs in real-time:

✅ Storing everything on a secure cloud means your teams have full visibility of jobs.

✅ Optimise engineers’ time and instantly capture signatures, upload photos, and find full job details.

Keep customers satisfied:

✅ Send key date reminders to customers.

✅ Alerts ensure your teams never miss a deadline.

✅ Grow relationships by giving your teams a 360˚ view of every account.

Boost cash flow:

✅ Get paid faster by updating jobs and issuing invoices on-the-go (or by automating them).

✅ Only order the parts you need.

✅ Track engineers in real-time and divert them if there’s an issue.

✅ Intelligent reporting provides financial information, such as work-in-progress (WIP) reports and profitability forecasts.

Now we know why gas engineer software is a no-brainer, let’s take a look at the features to look out for when choosing gas engineer software. 

CHECKLIST: 6 BEST FEATURES FOR GAS ENGINEER SOFTWARE

You might have seen there are quite a few gas engineer software solutions out there. But not every solution is built the same. So let’s look at exactly what you need to gain streamlined operations and deliver superior customer experiences:

#1: IS IT AN ALL-IN-ONE JOB MANAGEMENT SOLUTION?

• Does it allow for easy job tracking, managing invoicing securely, and easily hold documents?
• Does it allow for live GPS tracking so that both you and your customers can see where engineers and parts are?
• Can all your team members access the solution for easy collaboration (with the option to prevent access to sensitive information)?

#2: DOES IT ALLOW ENGINEERS TO MAKE REAL-TIME JOB UPDATES VIA A MOBILE APP?

• Is there a mobile app for engineers to update jobs in real-time?
• Is the system user-friendly and visual?
• Can engineers access the safety documents they need and input new customer information, like the location of the gas meter and stopcock, while on-site? Or schedule themselves additional jobs when required?

#3: CAN IT EASILY AND SECURELY STORE GAS SAFETY DOCUMENTS?

• Does it provide an easily accessible digital library of COSHH certificates, essential health and safety documents, and more?
• Does it allow for easy completion of digital risk assessments and other compliance forms?
• Is the solution industry compliant?

#4: DOES IT PROVIDE AUTOMATION?

• Can it trigger alerts to notify engineers when new jobs arrive on their mobile device?
• Can it send customer reminders? 
• Can it send automated Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) reminders for jobs such as machine or boiler servicing and allow customers to book in their renewal?

#5: CAN IT STREAMLINE INVOICING?

• Does it enable you to issue an invoice and job sheet as soon as the job is complete?
• Can you send automated or batch invoicing directly through the software?
• Does it easily integrate with other systems like your accounting software to avoid double data entry?

#6: DOES IT GIVE YOU A 360-DEGREE VIEW OF YOUR CUSTOMER?

• Does it provide real-time engineer and job status updates?
• Can you view customer quotes and invoices?
• Can you view customer documents like signatures, gas safety certificates and photos?

👉In summary, the right solution for you is one that eliminates as many manual processes as possible from your day-to-day work, saving you precious time and effort. Determine which tasks you need automated and invest in a solution that can efficiently automate these features and much more. 

Psst. BigChange has all these features and more. Take a look here.

If you still need a little more convincing, here’s a real-life case study in action.

CASE STUDY: GAS ENGINEER SOFTWARE IN ACTION

Celsius plumbing and heating identified an opportunity to provide homeowners with the type of professional plumbing and heating service normally reserved for demanding ‘big contract’ commercial clients. 

The challenge was working out how to achieve the desired levels of service as a relatively small and new player in the market.

The solution

Moving away from the cumbersome paperwork that burdened businesses like Celsius, the company made the switch to digital working, leveraging cloud and mobile technology. This covered every step from engineer scheduling to completion — eliminating paperwork at all stages.  

The result?

Here’s what Celsius said:

• We used to average 6 jobs a day, but now we are doing 7 or 8, meaning that our engineers are often 30% more productive.
• Our service booking success rate increased from 20% to 90%.
• Customers love the system. It’s really easy to book a date and time online and with ETA notifications on the day they know when an engineer will arrive.

“In the office, the productivity gains are even greater. With a single, paperless system, BigChange has not just cut administrative work but, through automation, we have significantly reduced the customer calls we make. Saving all that wasted time – we are certainly 40% more efficient – it has in effect freed up two members of staff to focus on important things like customer service.”

FINAL TAKEAWAYS

As with any software solution, gas engineer software needs to be easy to use, accessible by all (and on-the-go) and with built-in features that take away the administrative burden of physical paperwork.

Otherwise, it defeats the object of having it: to drive efficiencies.

But to really drive growth, you need a solution that goes beyond that. With features like job tracking, real-time GPS tracking for engineers, automation and more — you can really start to drive cost reductions. This is everything from customer booking reminders, fuel cost reduction, and booking in more jobs, through to redirecting nearby engineers in a crisis.

The bottom line is the right software for gas engineers will pay for itself very quickly. Plus, it will improve customer experiences like never before.

Why Shacklocks, Celsius and Heatforce choose BigChange

Trusted by 130+ UK plumbing and heating businesses, BigChange’s paperless gas engineer software is specifically designed to enable business growth.

Say goodbye to chaos and hello to a boost in productivity 🚀

Our software for gas engineers gives plumbing and heating companies the power to do more, guarantees operational compliance and delivers winning customer experiences. (More on this in our brochure).

Ready to put BigChange to the test? Book a free demo here today to see how BigChange can help you grow stronger.