Implementing Automation for a Plumbing Business: Practical Tips
According to IBIS World, the number of employees in the plumbing industry has surpassed half a million in the US alone. One of the growing trends in this market is process automation by means of specialized software that helps complete routine tasks faster and simpler.
One type of such software is field service management (FSM) tools that are specifically designed to ease the life of field service companies, including plumbing businesses. Let’s have a look at some common things to watch for when implementing such a system in your company.
Use FSM software to improve CX
More and more customers get used to personalized experiences and expect service providers to offer better value for the money. In terms of delivering plumbing services, this might involve better communication, fast turnaround and stable high quality. And while ensuring the impeccable customer experience is a comprehensive task demanding significant efforts from both office and field employees, using an FSM solution can serve as an aid.
For example, you can improve communication with customers by sending automated SMS notifications so that they always stay in the loop concerning the current status of their appointment. Additionally, you could speed up service delivery times by more efficient scheduling and task assignment aided by an FSM tool. Features like photo reports and checklists can help ensure the high quality of services and avoid missing any crucial steps by less experienced plumbers.
Enhance productivity with GPS tracking and smart scheduling
A study by McKinsey outlines that implementing field service automation can increase the employees’ performance by up to two times. With FSM software, field workers were able to complete an average of eight jobs per day compared to only 4.5 without it. How is that possible?
First off, time- and GPS-tracking features allow for greater visibility into field operations and improve plumbers’ productivity since they’ll have a good incentive to work better. Additionally, with an FSM app, dispatchers can optimize the scheduling process. For example, Planado visualizes the workers’ daily workload and job locations, so the manager can easily allocate tasks and optimize routes. Eventually, traveling takes less time, and more jobs can be completed per day.
Make sure the app’s interface is user-friendly
Plumbers powered with a specialized mobile app can solve clients’ issues more quickly and efficiently, which results in improved customer experience, better productivity and an increase in revenue. For example, an FSM app can assist field workers in plotting the best routes, following the guidelines, sending reports, etc.
However, the app shouldn’t become a frustrating factor for field workers — they need to fully realize its usefulness and be able to easily navigate the interface to complete the required operations. Besides, it should work well and fast even when the Internet connection is poor.
Shift from manual paperwork to autoreporting
Field workers are often loaded with paperwork they have to fill out manually after each job they complete. However, you could spare them from this burden by adopting an FSM solution with the function of automated or semi-automated reporting. This can save your employees a great deal of time, which results in greater productivity.
Another benefit of automatic reporting is that you can have full statistics on the completed jobs, average completion time and other parameters and easily access it in the form of diagrams or graphs. This feature can be extremely helpful when evaluating plumbers’ performance.
Integrate FSM software with your corporate systems
While FSM tools can perform really well for many tasks, they are for sure not the ultimate solution for your entire business operations. For example, it’s not specifically tailored to manage communication with customers or the company’s finances — but probably, you’re already using specialized software to handle these and other tasks.
Integrating different systems can power up your field service operations so that there’s no need for expensive and often excessive all-in-one ERP platforms. For example, FSM tools can be bundled with CRM solutions to enable the exchange of customer data between the two systems. So, when choosing FSM software, integration options are definitely something worth considering.
Final thoughts
Running a plumbing business is conjoined with a constant urge to optimize field operations and staff management. There are numerous benefits automation tools can bring in; however, one needs to carefully consider how exactly this is going to work before the implementation. Hopefully, our tips could shed some light on possible applications of FSM software.
