Getting your back office and field service teams to work cohesively can be hard. And very often, this disconnect between the two teams results in problems like miscalculated project completion time, untimely wage payment, erroneous labour cost estimation, faulty data being communicated from field to office, and a number of other issues. However, thanks to technological advancement, the development of software applications has helped bring about a seamless connection between back office and in-field operations.
With the rise of technologies like GPS, the possibilities have now grown exponentially. Back office personnel can track the in-field workforce and allot real-time assignments. Software applications can integrate work duration, location, client requirements and much more, onto a single platform.
The start and end times of the work assignment can be entered by the in-field staff. This can be verified by back-office personnel by geo-locating them and also through on-call confirmations by the client. The cost of labour can be calculated accurately to ensure wage costs are kept within budget. Also in construction companies, chart drawings and other technical detailing can be digitized. The information can be communicated to in-field engineers via the internet and laptop or mobile devices.
In cases where a client needs to make on-the-spot payments to your in-field staff, you can use smart software to generate electronic bills. These are then recorded in the systems of back office staff immediately, thereby eliminating discrepancies in payments. Archaic paperwork systems have become obsolete with the evolution of smart electronic devices. Electronic signatures of clients on touchscreen devices have fortified business operations when it comes to the in-field infrastructure. This ensures that there are no complications between the client and company when it comes to authorizing payments and getting confirmation from clients.
Software applications can act as catalysts for conducting market research for field service companies. Your in-field workforce can collect fresh information from the target audience, which is communicated in real time to the back office systems. Information coming in from the various in-field personnel is then integrated to create a database that can be used for market research by the back office staff. This way, the entire process is automated, which has helped drastically slash the time frames to complete market research.
When labour time is saved with automated control and clients are satisfied, there is scope for growth. Businesses opting for software integration of back-office operations and in-field activities have triumphed in roping in more business. The formula for better in-field and back office integration is using state-of-the-art technology and software applications. Also, companies need to constantly upgrade their applications to ensure they are using state-of-the-art technology.
So, update, upgrade and optimize: follow these three golden words to get your indoor and outdoor operations in perfect sync.
