The Best Customer Service: Great Field Solutions

field solutions

Field service is integral to many different types of business. While most management decisions are made in an office space, it is the people out interacting with customers that give people their main perception of a company.

What is field service? Field service refers to the deployment of a company’s resources at — or en route to — the property of clients or customers, rather than on the company’s property.

Traditionally, this has led to a few problems for certain industries, as it has caused a sort of disconnect between the company and its field agents, and subsequently its customers. In having employees meet customers in their homes, as opposed to a store or office, there is also a certain amount of trust or intimacy involved that can raise the standards that people have, for which they hold the entire company responsible.

Perhaps it is this disconnect that has made it especially tough for field service providers. Just this year, 76 percent of field service providers reported that they are struggling to achieve revenue growth.

field service and revenue growth
In recent years, the development of cloud integrated field solutions has helped to ease this problem, bridging the gap between companies, field agents, and customers. These kinds of solutions facilitate communication between these three identities, and make sure that every interaction is not only fully traceable, but meets up to the company’s best standards.
 
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What Features Should Your Business Look for in Field Solutions?

“Field solutions” is a broad term and simply having some form of field solutions app is probably not going to be enough to improve field service on its own. Let’s go over some of the key features of a good field solutions system, and the benefits of each one.

Mobile Functionality.

Full mobile capabilities are a bare minimum for a field solution. The field solution mobile app will be field agents’ right hand while they are working. The benefits are numerous:

  • Field techs have access to all of the requisite tools on their phone or tablet.
  • They are able to look up relevant customer or product information on the go.
  • It looks more professional to the customer.
  • It provides a more convenient and thorough service for the customer.
  • Enables agents to cut down on visit time and therefore get more work done.
  • All apps and data will be synced through the cloud for better record-keeping.
  • Messages can easily be sent to agents from the base of operations.

Cloud based.

Along with mobile capabilities, it is essential that the field solution is cloud based. This will make sure that the network of field technicians will be fully connected and in sync with one another. Cloud capabilities mean that there is no expensive hardware or software to install, the solution will be usable right out of the box, and all data is synced, up to date, and available from anywhere. Furthermore, cloud based field solutions apps are more secure, as they are hosted by a third party software specialist, and they should fully integrate with internal software.

Scheduling and work order management.

Your field solutions app should also provide tools for scheduling and work order management. This allows for more efficient scheduling, which in turn ensures that customers are seen sooner, and there are no clashes or double bookings. You should also be able to easily track all appointments on a massive scale and send and receive updates in real time.

Enterprise level.

The best field solutions will work for every size of business, but it is important to make sure that yours is capable of handling large amounts of data. Even if it is not important right now, it will be as your company grows. Furthermore, it should fully integrate with all of existing programs that your business uses.
switching field service providers

What Salesforce Can Offer for Customer Service Field Solutions.

More than 64 percent of consumers have switched providers in at least one industry due to poor customer service. This makes it crucial that your field service solutions are nothing but the very best. Salesforce’s customer service software allows for an all-encompassing field solution that connects customer service and field work to ensure that no customers are lost in communication. Among others, here are some of the main features that make Salesforce better than other systems:

  • Create work orders faster.

    • Because work orders are integrated with accounts, contacts, assets, cases, and entitlements, they are able to be created much faster, without having to do so much manual work.

  • Schedule and assign work.

    • Scheduling tools allow you to instantly book service appointments with the best agent for the job, using Agent Console or a Customer Community.  

  • Optimise jobs and employees in the field.

    • The dispatcher console provides a complete view of all resources and scheduled appointments, meaning there will be greater efficiency and fewer conflicts.

  • Manage jobs from any mobile device.

    • The Field Service Lightning mobile app brings the full power of on-site job management to your mobile workforce. Agents need only log in on their device from wherever they are, and they are good to go.

When field agents are not fully linked into the customer service process through mobile field solutions, the subsequent disconnect makes for bad customer service. Companies are not able to hold certain agents accountable for their customer interactions, and customers are not able to receive satisfactory resolutions to their issues. Around 68 percent of 18 to 34-year-old customers have stopped doing business with a brand as a result of a single poor customer service experience. These customers are going to be around for a long time, and so the future success of your business depends upon keeping them happy.

When you use solutions from Salesforce, you are able to use each one seamlessly with others to create a 360 degree profile of each customer, helping you to understand them better. To find out more about how you could improve your business today, contact Salesforce or schedule a free trial to see the results for yourself.

 
 
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