Into the Clouds:
Today, for any company that operates a field-based service it’s becoming critical to provide an exceptional experience to customers in order to remain competitive. This means having the right people and equipment on the job at the right time. Whether running an HVAC, telecom, courier, home healthcare or other deskless services, the day-to-day operations of a field service business involves a number of moving parts. This makes it challenging for management to accurately schedule jobs or know when an issue has arisen that will delay team members.
Cloud-connected asset tracking solutions that use real-time GPS location and IoT sensor technology are now helping field service businesses provide a better service to customers. In this post, we outline three ways CloudHawk’s asset tracking solution gives companies the edge over the competition:
One big way that an asset tracking solution addresses the challenges faced by field service businesses is by providing real-time visibility into the location of employees, fleet vehicles and equipment.
CloudHawk’s asset tracking solution consists of GPS tracker devices with IoT sensor technology, cloud-connectivity, and a web-based software portal. The GPS tracker devices are affixed to vehicles or equipment and transmit location and condition data to the software portal via the cloud. In the portal, customers can view the real-time location of all tracker devices on one screen, making it easy to keep tabs on where employees and assets are and make better scheduling decisions. If, for example, a technician is delayed at a customer’s home, management or dispatch can use the portal to identify where the next available technician is located and update the scheduling accordingly.
Additionally, instead of field service technicians having to spend valuable time coordinating the use of tools and equipment, they can simply check the portal to find the precise real-time location. This helps to ensure employees have the equipment they need for every job, reduces unnecessary drive times and helps to prevent equipment loss and theft.
CloudHawk’s asset tracking solution allows customers to integrate IoT sensor technology with their tracker devices so as to monitor and report on a number of conditions. This includes vehicle run time, driver behaviour, door status, and temperature. In the CloudHawk portal, customers can review this data in real-time or access customizable reports that give valuable insights on trends and patterns. These insights enable companies to identify inefficiencies and make changes that can improve cost savings. As an example, CloudHawk’s fuel and idle time reports can reveal unnecessary consumption and wait times so management can work with employees on scheduling and routing to reduce drive times and prevent idling for long periods. Another way that asset tracking helps companies save money is through predictive maintenance. By tracking vehicle run time, mileage thresholds and more, management can proactively schedule maintenance checks before expensive repairs are needed. With these metrics in hand, businesses can extend vehicle life cycles and save both time and money.
Keeping customers happy requires field service companies to spend a lot of time on customer support, clarifying ETAs and helping with any unexpected issues that arise. Nowadays, customers aren’t happy to be given an arrival window between 9 am and 5 pm, which would necessitate them waiting on site all day until someone arrives. Instead, there is a growing demand for accurate ETAs that limit the disruption to a person’s day. With traditional scheduling processes, field service businesses would often estimate the time a job would take and ballpark when technicians would get to the next job on that basis. The problem with this approach is that customers are often in the dark when jobs take longer than expected or an unforeseen issue arises that delays a technician’s arrival. Having an asset tracking solution in place, however, allows field service companies to quickly check the location of all employees in the portal and provide the customer with accurate status details. Plus, notifications can be set in the portal to alert management if issues arise so they can take quick action and get things back on track.
For businesses that provide a field-based service to customers, an asset tracking solution can help to improve operations and increase customer satisfaction. Real-time visibility from GPS tracking and IoT sensor technology enables management to track and monitor the status of employees, fleet vehicles and equipment, while data insights and customizable reports help identify areas inefficiencies that affect operations and costs. For your business, an asset tracking solution can help you keep projects on track and customers in the know.