1. Move toward real-time schedule assessment with service management software. Fully 74% of businesses are either aligning service supply and demand on a daily batch basis or not at all. Due to the dynamic nature of the service chain, it is imperative for companies to more frequently assess the cost-effectiveness of their service schedules.
2. Document all constraints that impact field service work order allocation, as part of an initial requirements definition exerciseDocument all constraints that impact field service work order allocation, as part of initial requirements definition exercise. This will lay the foundation for building an optimized solution that is aligned with your company’s unique business goals. As a starting point, consider constraints in these three categories:
• Technician-based constraints (e.g., skill sets, physical location, local geographic knowledge, preference for location and type of work)
• Environment-based constraints (e.g., road and weather conditions)
• Business-based constraints (e.g., marketing campaigns, SLA commitments, overtime restrictions, customer priorities, inventory, equipment, and vehicle availability) One European telecommunications company with 20 million customers found its requirements extremely complex, with multiple categories of asset type, technician aptitude, and geographic locale. The company opted for a real-time service optimization solution that allowed it to manage task interdependencies so the same technician could complete related jobs in the right order, with minimal waste and excess travel.
3. Take stock of your existing and soon planned technology investments. More than 30% of companies interviewed rely on spreadsheets to schedule service work orders. But without the aid of service management software that can automatically calculate optimal workload allocation based on predefined and prioritized constraints, real time service optimization is impossible.
Companies that have already deployed ERP, order management, CRM, or service management systems are well positioned to add service optimization functionality.
When evaluating optimization solution providers, organizations especially in the mid-market should be sure that full integration with existing systems is possible without unreasonable extensions to the implementation timeline or price hikes.
Mobility is an essential component of any service optimization solution to enable real-time communication with field technicians. Handheld wireless devices establish the dynamic link between service chain planning and execution. Companies should carefully weigh the costs associated with equipping their field forces with mobile devices and select service management software that delivers adequate functionality to the field and allows for rapid but cost-effective deployment and ongoing maintenance.