White Paper

15 Things to Consider
When Choosing a
Field Service Solution

Coresystems AG
www.coresystems.net
White Paper: 15 Things to Consider When Choosing a Field Service Solution

Content
Executive Summary 3

1. Range of Ordering Options 4

2. Job Planning 4

3. Offline Mobile 4

4. Adaptable Checklists 4

5. Capture Data and More 4

6. Cloud Synchronization to Your ERP 5

7. Digital Reports and Signatures 5

8. Synched Processes for Cash Flow Improvements 5

9. Internet of Things 6

10. Big Data 6

11. Your Customers’ Business Goals 6

12. Team Collaboration 6

13. Business Innovations 7

14. Creating Loyal Customers 7

15. Differentiate Yourself from Competition 7

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White Paper: 15 Things to Consider When Choosing a Field Service Solution

15 Things to Consider When Choosing

a Field Service Solution
For the Field Service Executives, COOs and CMOs of large organizations that provide
customer field service management.

Executive Summary
Field service teams are getting a lot of attention, taking on a critical new role as man-
agement notices they can generate significant new revenue. Companies across a wide
variety of industries and regions are consequently investing in field service as a way
to boost their businesses’ bottom line and increase customer loyalty. A common
strategy is to implement an automation software solution that promises to help trans-
form a traditional engineering department into a marketing-led profit center.
There are many things to consider when investing in field service automation soft-
ware which may not be obvious at first. You probably need to get more efficient at
planning service calls and you should try to get engineers working on more jobs, but
what about the impact on your customers, your business model, your competitors, or
the next technology to come along?
Here, we have collected fifteen different things to consider when making an invest-
ment in a field service automation solution. It covers not only which practical features
to look out for to give an immediate impact, but also which ones will help you inno-
vate, retain customers, and integrate new ideas.

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 White Paper: 15 Things to Consider When Choosing a Field Service Solution

1
Range of Ordering Options
How easy are you to do business with, honestly? Do customers always have to speak
to someone or have the hassle of signing and scanning a paper form? The ways to or-
der products and services is growing every day and customers know that. Many auto-
mation solutions enable online ordering, but not all give an instant confirmation, with
resources automatically identified and allocated. Also, desktop isn’t always enough
– field service solutions have to come with a mobile app, and others can accept and
confirm orders instantly from monitoring devices in the Internet of Things – no hu-
mans involved!

2
Job Planning
Planning the resources needed for a service job can be a headache, not to mention
costly, in terms of administrative hours. For large jobs, you should choose a field ser-
vice software solution that will combine all the information needed as well as the re-
sources required. Details of site-specific requirements, previous jobs, and custom
installations can take days to retrieve from offline archives, but seconds if they’re
accessible online.
Working out the resources needed for a job can also take time, so choose a solution
that knows which materials, tools, and engineering skills are needed for each job on
each piece of equipment. This way, allocating resources becomes simple.

3
Offline Mobile
Many field service software solutions let technicians access some basic data about the
job from their mobile device, e.g. the location, contact person and the piece of equip-
ment to be serviced. However, it’s much more useful and efficient if the technician
can download all the information and data they need onto an app, making it all avail-
able instantly and offline, even when there is no mobile data signal. Their calendars
can automatically synchronize with changes in their allocated site visits along with
details about site specific restrictions, tasks lists, equipment manuals, and much
more.

4
Adaptable Checklists
Your technicians probably have years of experience and outstanding expertise, but
customers are also impressed by consistency and up-to-date knowledge. Pre-defined
checklists help techs deliver high quality service by ensuring every little task is com-
pleted. These tasks might otherwise be overlooked if the tech was working without a
mobile field service solution. Preparation is everything though, so make sure that the
checklists can be easily updated back at the office when equipment is upgraded, regu-
lations are changed or new products are released. Checklists should also be distribut-
ed digitally, ideally by automatic download to mobile devices.

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 White Paper: 15 Things to Consider When Choosing a Field Service Solution

5
Capture Data and More
Technicians have a lot to do when delivering a service on-site, but just as important as
maintaining the machinery is recording the state it is in and what work has been
done. How many hours has it been running? How many production cycles? Running
temperatures, wear and tear, or consumables used are important questions to keep in
mind. In addition, businesses need to keep a record of job details such as expenses,
hours worked, and parts used. This must be done as efficiently as possible. A pa-
per-based system doesn’t cut it – the engineer should be able to enter all this informa-
tion directly into the mobile app. More than that, since all mobile devices have camer-
as now, engineers should be able to take pictures and even record video.

6
Time-stamped before and after shots can prove that work was needed and completed.

Cloud Synchronization to Your ERP

Mobile devices are great and you can get more efficient by downloading information
directly onto them, but they really come into their own when the communication is
two-way. All the data that your technicians collect is even more valuable when it is
saved back to the cloud and your ERP system. Once it is securely synchronized, it is
not only safe from loss due to a damaged phone, but it is available as a history log for
reference on future jobs.

7
Digital Reports and Signatures
Very few people like writing reports, and technicians are no exception. The last thing
on their mind when a job is finished is writing it up. However, if they’ve been record-
ing all the necessary data on their mobile device as they’ve been working, then the
app should be able to write reports automatically, saving huge amounts of time over a
working week. In addition, the reports’ contents and formatting will be consistent
across jobs and technicians will be properly branded.
An automatically prepared report can be presented to the client immediately so any
queries can be addressed and approval given. Since everything is happening digitally
now, so can signatures for formal approval. The client should be able to add a signa-
ture directly into the app. The approval can be synched back into the ERP system and
the job marked as completed before the technician has reached the next customer.

8
Synched Processes for Cash Flow Improvements
The benefits of a field service solution can reach far beyond immediate increases in
productivity. When the data used by technicians on site and the admin staff in the
office is synchronized, the business also benefits. For example, it’s not unusual in a
manual system for the whole routine-- from job completion to invoice generation-- to
take several weeks. This introduces the chance for errors, client challenges, and for-
gotten details, all leading to delayed or contested payment. However, if everything is
in sync, then the whole process can happen in a couple days. An automated report is
immediately signed by the client and sent back digitally to the office. Then the draft
invoice is instantly generated and can be checked by a human and dispatched. Pay-
ments can arrive weeks earlier.

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 White Paper: 15 Things to Consider When Choosing a Field Service Solution

9
Internet of Things
The next wave of the Internet revolution has started and it’s called the Internet of
Things (IoT). You need to make sure you’re on it before your competitors. Companies
who see themselves as primarily ‘product’ suppliers are going to find their customers
expecting higher levels of customer service as devices become directly connected
back home, meaning manufacturers should take more responsibility.
To make sure you don’t miss out on this trend, choose a field service solution that not
only can link up to IoT connected devices, but also lets them work for your business.
If your equipment develops a fault and ‘calls home,’ then the software should auto-
matically create a service call. If the equipment is used more than the average usage
time, then the system should forecast when the next maintenance service should be

10
performed.

Big Data
The other big tech revolution hitting all industries is ‘Big Data.’ Instead of using sur-
veys or random samples to forecast product behavior, the ability to collect real-time
data from the actual equipment deployed and then base decisions on this information
now exists. For example, by aggregating the lifecycle and usage data across all instal-
lations, the product development team can make optimizations that increase longevi-
ty and reduce overall costs. For instance, they may see that particular components
wear out faster under certain circumstances, or that some components can safely be
replaced with cheaper alternatives.
Data can be collected in various ways, so your field service software should enable
this. Technicians on site are already prompted to collect information for the job re-
port, so why not get them to collect other data, such as how machines are running,
too? Not only can IoT connected devices send back alerts, but also regular collections
of data.

11
Your Customers’ Business Goals
Do you consider your customers’ businesses when preparing for a job? It’s not just
about getting in and out of their worksite as quickly as possible, but actually planning
things around their business and their goals. If a production manager sees you are
going out of your way to help meet his/her targets, then you’ll be asked back. Your
software solution needs to automatically supply details during the planning phase so
you can schedule work around major production times, or plan for preventative main-
tenance in quiet periods so there isn’t a failure that’s nearing a deadline.

12
Team Collaboration
If you have to maintain and repair large pieces of equipment, then maybe having one
technician on the job isn’t enough. In some heavy industries, a single maintenance job
can utilize over 100 technicians for several weeks. In that case, your field service soft-
ware must be able to handle complexity. Ensure that you will be able to keep track of
all the resources and skilled individuals involved, including team leaders.

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 White Paper: 15 Things to Consider When Choosing a Field Service Solution

13
Business Innovations
Why implement a valuable new field service solution and don’t tap into new opportu-
nities? If your field service software doesn’t give you the tools to open up new busi-
ness areas and revenue streams, then you’re missing the point. With the right tools,
your field service team can transform into a valuable profit center that has a massive
impact on revenues, customer perception and brand value. Your field service solution
should allow you to create profitable business models around standardized services,
maintenance contracts and Service Level Agreements.

14
Creating Loyal Customers
While it’s great to standardize your services, customers like to feel they’re unique.
Make sure that it’s easy to customize services to each individual client’s requirements
when planning a service job and ensure the instructions are given to technicians in
the regular way. You should also be able to incorporate new techniques such as mobile
apps and IoT devices that allow you to create imaginative new ways to interact with
customers and even tie in directly to their business models. The more time you put in
your relationship with your customers, the more likely they are to stick with you.

15
Differentiate Yourself from Competition
Investing in a new field service solution should push you ahead of your competitors
both in the services you can deliver and in the market’s perception of you. If the soft-
ware is easy to use and is adopted quickly by staff, every time it’s used there will be
incremental improvements to job planning, process efficiencies, big data gathering,
client customizations and technician productivity. Pretty soon, the whole system will
be so adapted to individual customer needs that competitors will find it next to im-
possible to replace you.

About Coresystems
Coresystems is a leading provider of mobile and cloud-based field service and
workforce management software for mid-sized and large enterprises’ field service
organizations. Since Coresystems’ founding in 2006, more than 190,000 users
across the world have utilized Coresystems’ innovative, real-time field service
management software to improve their business and field service processes. Core-
Coresystems systems has also pioneered “crowd service” – which allows customers to leverage
CH: +41 56 500 22 44 an Uber-like platform to find available field service technicians in real-time. Core-
DE: +49 761 887 95 777 systems is headquartered in Switzerland with international offices in San Francis-
USA: +1 (415) 887-1944 co, Miami, Berlin, Freiburg, Shanghai, São Paulo and London.
www.coresystems.net

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