Field services like a cleaning business can upscale their operational efficiency by leveraging technologies like automation, IoT, AI, AR, and mobile technology. However, the adoption of technology for digital reform is not uniform among all the players. While some organizations have proactively got into action, here some organizations, especially the small-scale field service operators (FSOs) are yet to make the move. They are still managing their field operations using traditional manual ways or some other low-profile technologies.
FSOs should no more shy away from technology or digital transformation
It is difficult to identify one single reason why some businesses continue to function with their legacy techniques. Perhaps, they fail to realize their poor operational efficiency, because they somehow pull off their business operations. So, it is not that they face complete operational pause, had that been the case businesses would have been more proactive towards improving their operational efficiency. But, even if not technologically transformed, yet businesses' operations continue to function, although in a dragging way, so FSOs tend to procrastinate the urgency to improve their operational efficiency.
In the contemporary competitive market, is being functional sufficient enough for a business? Businesses that strive for rapid growth and willing to work towards must save themselves from being caught up in the labyrinth of legacy processes. Rather, they must explore tech-enabled solutions like cleaning business software and improve their operational efficiency and upscale their service & revenue capacity.
Five ways cleaning business software helps in improving operational efficiency?
Cleaning business software suites are ready-to-use customizable field service management tools. These software programs are usually SaaS solutions, and thus are easily scalable to best suit the needs of a cleaning business as its workforce, and customer base expands.
Designed to render end-to-end solutions for overwhelming the field operational challenges, these software suites function as a comprehensive CRM for cleaning companies. It is powered with automation capabilities, which make the managing of the mobile workforce extremely simple, and also workforce efficiency by enabling the team to become more productive in its job roles.
Explained below are a few tips or ways to leverage cleaning business software:
- Automate job scheduling and dispatching: Use the automation power of the cleaning scheduling software for smart and intelligent job scheduling. Before job scheduling, the manager can use the tool to filter the field agents based on criteria like service agents' availability on a particular date and considering their other appointments, location proximity to the job site, their skill sets, etc. This way scheduling conflict and overhead expenses on traveling can be avoided completely, and skill-based job scheduling also improves first-visit effectiveness by manyfold
- Invest in real-time cloud knowledge base: For a field service team to be efficient in their on-the-move job roles, it is essential to provide real-time access to the enterprise knowledge repository. Cleaning business software is cloud-based, thus it can be accessed by the serviceman from anywhere and anytime. They can use it to upload, download and collaborate upon data seamlessly. Be it information regarding a clients' service history, or the service quotes, or accessing tutorials, or checking the inventory stocks, using the software, the field serviceman can directly access all such information from any remote location without being dependent on others.
- Never neglect the importance of route planning: In field services, traveling is indispensable. If managed rightly, it can empower businesses to create a competitive edge in terms of quick turnaround time and timely delivery of service but if left under-managed then it can become a productivity leak and also lead to overhead expenses of fuel and gas. The serviceman can use the cleaning business software to identify the optimal routes to travel to their job sites, especially if they require visiting multiple destinations. The software real-time tracks the traffic and suggests the fastest and safest route to reach a destination avoiding all the detours.
- Get rid of manual jobs as much as possible: Another advantage of this kind of software suite is that it allows the servicemen to get rid of manual keeping of their activity logs. The software sends automated notifications and reminders regarding their job schedules, due dates for self-services like reimbursement claim dates, reporting, etc. It also helps them with automated field data recording across different touchpoints thus saving them from manual note-keeping using pen and paper.
- Run fair and transparent incentive plans: The smart analytics of the software provides clarity on the performance of each and every employee. Management can use this aspect to run a fair and transparent incentive plan so that the employee who deserves the reward does achieve it easily. This keeps the team motivated to perform better
Conclusion
Cleaning business software provides the field workforce the much-needed mobility. Besides, the automated features of the software take care of various mundane, repeated operations, and thus improve the operational efficiency of a business by giving it the bandwidth to focus on things that really matter.
