Mbile Field Service A Case Study
Table f Cntents Intrductin The ROI f Mbile Field Service Summary f Mbile Field Service Benefits Imprved Prductivty and Efficiency Simplified Operatins Enhanced Custmer Experience A Case Study : ICF Abut ICF The Business Challenge The Slutin The End Results Cnclusin
Intrductin In recent years, smartphnes and ther mbile devices have becme ubiquitus business tls, letting peple cmmunicate and cllabrate freely frm wherever they are. Starting ff with vice, vide, email and web access, tday s mbile slutins are nw prviding even greater value, letting emplyees cnnect with cre back-end business systems. Of all the industries ut there, the ne that that clearly stands t benefit frm mbile slutins are field service rganizatins, whse wrkers by definitin are almst 100% mbile. It desn t take lng fr mst cmpanies t see a significant ROI (return n investment) n mbile field slutins, frm increasing sales t imprving custmer service t simply cmpleting the tasks at hand faster and mre efficiently. It is prjected that the enterprise mbile applicatins market will nearly duble frm $31 billin in 2012 t $61 billin in 2018 (Surce: Strategic Analytics), mving frm fairly standard hrizntal slutins t highly specialized applicatins that meet a specific industry r business need....frm increasing sales t imprving custmer service t simply cmpleting the tasks at hand faster and mre efficiently.
MOBILE CONQUERS THE ENTERPRISE Recent survey highlights the grwing interest in acessing enterprise systems via mbile devices ALL INDUSTRIES... 58% Industry Specific Apps % f respndents indictaing already deplyed ALL DEPARTMENTS... 52% Line f Business Apps % f respndents indicating deplyment f finance, HR, CRM, & Field Service ALL ROLES... 54% Mbile Investment Drivers % f respndents indicating executives need t access critical business infrmatin COURTESY OF THE HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
The ROI f Mbile Field Service
Fr custmer-facing cmpanies, respnsiveness is their mst critical perfrmance metric, as they are judged based slely n the effectiveness and efficiency f the service visit. Accrding t the Aberdeen Grup, service cmpanies wh were defined as Best in Class exhibited the fllwing traits: 89% first-time fix rate (71% fr All Others) 78% wrkfrce utilizatin (64% fr All Others) and 11.4% increase in wrk prductivity ver the previus 12 mnths 92% cmpliance with a stated respnse time (72% fr All Others) With a mbile strategy in place, field technicians will have immediate access t critical real-time infrmatin such as changes in tasks r time, inventry levels, lcatin details, knwledge sharing and ther imprtant data. Likewise, managers, schedulers and dispatchers will knw exactly wh and where each resurce is, in rder t ptimize the scheduling and executin f the wrkfrce. Added tgether, all f this dramatically affects custmer satisfactin and prfitability.
MOBILE FIELD SERVICE BENEFITS 90 % first cntact reslutin / first-time fix emplyees 51 % ROI within tw years 15 % 15 % service prfitability gain (ver last 12 mnths) wrkfrce prductivity gain (ver last 12 mnths) - SWIFT MEAP
Summary f Mbile Field Service Benefits
Imprved Prductivity and Effciency Immediate access t imprtant back ffice systems including CRM, ERP, HR, time management, inventry, cntacts, knwledge base, etc. Imprved data cllectin with features such as ge tagging, cameras, barcde scanning, and digital custmer signatures Advanced GPS functinality that can priritize and srt tasks based n distance and ther parameters Ability t quickly create, edit, review and anntate wrk rders Wrk prcesses are cnverged int a single device Simplified Operatins Map views and real-time lcatin f all technicians and appintments, with drag & drp t transfer r change peple and events Wrk rder management can be filtered by skills, status, inventry, availability and lcatin Timely and accurate invicing, time sheets, task cmpletin, etc. Increased data accuracy and analytics t ensure cmpliance with field service prcesses and best practices Enhanced Custmer Experience Prmptly reslved issues / Increase in first time fix rate Prvides visibility int custmer and wrk rder histry and delivery schedules Real-time tracking and alerts fr hme service visits
Accrding t the American Custmer Satisfactin Index (ASCI), each 1% imprvement in satisfactin amng utility custmers is wrth a 4.6% increase in market value grwth. (Surce: ASCI)
A Case Study : ICF mprtal designed and develped a field service slutin fr ICF that digitized an utdated, paper-based business prcess, prviding a mbile app that allwed fr cllectin and centralizatin f digital infrmatin while ut in the field. ABOUT ICF INTERNATIONAL ICF Internatinal is a business management cnsulting firm that prvides prfessinal services and technlgy slutins in Energy, Envirnment, Health, Scial, Financial and Gvernment markets In the Energy sectr, ICF helps bth public and private-sectr clients develp energy strategies and sustainable prgrams including within the Pwer Market A majr glbal cncern tday is reducing pwer cnsumptin, and ICF alng with its partners are lking t implement prgrams that help peple make infrmed chices when purchasing HVAC (Heating, Ventilatin, Air Cnditining) equipment An innvative new prgram which ffers rebates fr the purchase f high efficiency systems was intrduced t encurage bth residential and business custmers t participate in pwer reductin prgrams
THE BUSINESS CHALLENGE Errr-prne manual data cllectin (paper and pen) was being used ut in the field by technicians t cllect rebate and ther infrmatin The paper frms were then being mailed t a cllectin center, which were pened and manually entered int a database (anther ptential pint f errr Centralized management f the verall prgram was difficult if nt impssible, due t an un-integrated backend that resulted in sils f data ICF and partners were lking t autmate the prcess, starting with the prvisin f a mbile app that culd be used ut in the field t cllect and centralize digital infrmatin fr the energy rebate prgram, as well as additinal imprtant data There were a number f imprtant factrs that needed t be cnsidered when develping the mbile applicatin fr the field technicians, including: Reduced data entry The use f barcdes, pre-ppulated fields, images and vides, getagging and ther features were desired in rder t reduce errrprne data entry as much as pssible Single handed perfrmance HVAC equipment is ften difficult t reach, s it was imprtant that the technicians were able t manage data entry n the mbile device with ne hand Lack f cverage As the technicians are ften in attics and basements, the app needed t be able t wrk in ffline mde and aut sync when cverage returned
THE SOLUTION A new mbile frnt-end was develped fr ICF in rder t facilitate mre efficient data cllectin in the field, while als serving t integrate and centralize previusly disparate backend systems The first step was the develpment f a mbile app fr ios and Andrid smartphnes and tablets, with the UI (user interface) and UX (user experience) being the mst imprtant elements f the prject Regardless f the mbile technlgy that underpins the slutin, the human factr/ease f use f the app is always cnsidered the mst critical t the success f the slutin In additin t the mbile field app, a web cnsle was develped in rder t prvide administratrs with the ability t manage all data/ activities f multiple different cntractrs and their technicians END RESULT ICF mdernized and mbilized an imprtant business prcess that allwed them t better serve their clients in the pwer market An intuitive and secure app that wrks n bth cnnected and ffline devices vastly imprved the speed and accuracy f data cllectin ut in the field Prgram administratrs gained instant clud-based access t critical infrmatin in rder t mre efficiently manage, track and reprt n prgram elements
Cnclusin Almst all field service rganizatins are the primary pint f cntact fr custmers (internal and external) and thus respnsiveness is cnsidered a key driver t business success. Mbile slutins ffer tremendus pprtunities, bth fr the field wrker wh relies n access t real-time infrmatin and updates t get the jb dne quickly and efficiently, and fr the manager wh needs immediate access t bth human and data resurces in rder t make real-time business decisins. Service prviders need t quickly lck in the skills and strategies they need t expand their mbile self-care cmpetencies, in rder t maintain cmpetitive parity in ur fast-changing digital, scial and mbile wrld.
Cntact Us www.mprtal.cm /mprtalinc /mprtalinc @mprtal yutube.cm/watchmprtal t. +1 703.852.9600 e. inf@mprtal.cm