Businesses with teams who operate in the field, such as service engineers and telecoms installers, are consistently looking for ways to improve the processes and efficiencies for their remote workers. Many in this field are working closely with customers, some even in customers’ homes, so it’s important to get processes right.
Most field service jobs will require some form of reporting, whether a job completion report or a safety check report, it tends to come with the territory. When working in the field, filling in paperwork is not always ideal. Engineers may be working in challenging environments, such as outdoors or in an industrial plant. They may also be working in a customers home, and feel under pressure to get the job – and reporting – done as quickly as possible.
This is why using digital reporting, which is included in some of the better field service management tools, can be incredibly useful for field engineers. We’ve shared some of the specific benefits below of using digital forms as part of your field service software solution.
- You can access from anywhere
Digital forms and reports as part of field service management software can be accessed from anywhere – providing you have a mobile phone or a laptop. This means wherever the engineer may be on a job, they can have instant access, without having to take a long walk back to the van to pick up the paperwork.
2. They reduce errors
One of the biggest pains for businesses with manually completed forms and reports is errors. This can be due to a number of things, such as difficult to read handwriting and human error. In most cases, digital forms will allow for information to be entered using automated pre-loaded options, such as pulling the customers name in from the database, rather than the engineer having to remember which way they’ve chosen to spell their name.
3. They save time
Any engineer working in the field will tell you that one of the main benefits of digital forms is that they save time. An engineer can quickly and effortlessly whiz through a digital form, selecting options with the touch of a finger. Unlike manual forms, whereby the engineer must locate the paperwork, find a pen (that works!) and begin manually filling it all out. In some cases, the engineer will then have to return to the office to file the paperwork too – adding more time and cost.
4. The data is secure
This benefit of digital forms is often overlooked, but shouldn’t be. With GDPR and DPA being key concerns for businesses, ensuring customer information is kept secure is absolutely vital, and digital forms do just that.
Instead of manually filling out paperwork and leaving it sat in the van for days, digital forms allow the information to be transferred over an encrypted internet connection straight to the business systems where it is stored securely, with no risk of loss or theft, and the lengthy investigations which would have to follow.
