Reduce HVAC Technicians’ Time
Scheduling, dispatching, and routing are critical processes in field service. Once you schedule tasks and include traffic details on the route, it becomes easy for technicians to spend less time on the road. Traveling can consume a considerable part of working hours, not to mention fuel costs. Furthermore, staying on the road for a long time can be exhausting, increasing stress and risks of accidents. This can demotivate your field workers, which impacts their productivity. Traditional route planning has proved ineffective in saving time and fuel consumption. Workers would have to go to the office to know the tasks assigned for the day. They would also need to drive to and from to pick up spare parts. Today, things have become streamlined, thanks to field service management software. You do not have a chance to reduce the time spent on the road through optimal route planning. Here is how to do it.
Table of Contents
Use Mobile Apps
Instead of having technicians show up at the office every morning, you can eliminate this by relaying information through mobile apps. Allow your employees to use a mobile app to get real-time details about a task. They can use the app to check service calls for the day and the rest of the week, making dispatching easier. Some mobile apps can help technicians know the road sections with a lot of traffic. That way, they can avoid using that route. Learning about field service dispatch software and commercial HVAC terminology will also play a vital role in informing technicians more about the tasks ahead.
Ditch Spreadsheets for Digital Scheduling
Since digital scheduling, there has been significant progress in how service companies schedule tasks. Traditional spreadsheet scheduling is prone to errors that could lead to much time spent on the road. However, field service management software has made planning easier and more accurate. It optimizes routes and allows rescheduling based on circumstances. With software, you can reschedule service calls, adjust schedules and reassign tasks with a few clicks. That way, you don’t need to travel to the job site to communicate the changes.
Improve Management of Spare Parts
Optimizing spare parts management can also reduce time spent on the road. The software gives all the information about the service, including the parts required. Even if technicians don’t have the spare parts, they can find them at the nearest locations without driving to the service center.
Implement Augmented Reality for Remote Working
Technologies like augmented reality have also eliminated the need for technicians to make unnecessary trips to the office. This is because they have the technical manuals and drawings to use on the job right on their devices. With AR, technicians can gather information on procedures and equipment health. Furthermore, this technology allows remote collaboration. Technicians can video call to get help resolving a problem or get in touch with others.
Conclusion
These are vital things you can do to reduce the time field technicians spend on the road. With proper route planning, spare parts management, and scheduling, you can easily streamline processes for business growth.