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I n field service and technical field service, scheduling is particularly difficult. Many variables come into play, from travel times to appointment cancellations to emergency assignments at short notice. Workforce management software offers companies the opportunity to deploy their resources according to demand and at optimal cost.

In this post we'll introduce the basic terms and industry standards to assist your move towards supported and fully automated field workforce management, through software.

WHAT IS WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE?

Workforce management stands for a holistic approach to flexible, demand-oriented staff deployment. It determines staffing (field resource) needs, it optimises staffing structure and capacity planning, and it ensures efficient personnel management and smart time management. Workforce management software is a collective term for solutions that help companies with staff scheduling to meet appointments and SLAs. It includes tools that ensure that the right employees are in the right place at the right time to achieve maximum productivity.

AIMS OF WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

The main purpose of workforce management software is to make relevant key data visible and to optimise scheduling. Thus, the implementation of workforce management software results in numerous advantages for field staff and service:

• Optimisation of efficiency and productivity
• Flexible adaptation to changes in workflow
• Better use of existing capacity
• Reduction of labour costs
• Transparency in work decisions
• Target accuracy in staff deployment
• Creation of demand forecasts

Another positive effect: companies that improve working time planning and work organisation often record higher employee satisfaction and motivation. After all, in field service and technical service, time and route planning is particularly important. Good planning ensures that your employees do not experience any idle windows and can finish their work on time.

A purpose-built solution for this area makes sense, ensuring optimal scheduling and deployment/dispatch and effectively reducing unproductive time.

ADVANTAGES OF SOFTWARE FOR FIELD SERVICE AND TECHNICIANS

A company's workforce is often its largest cost. In the absence of a reliable management system, many work orders (appointments) result in overlapping driving routes and tours, unnecessarily long tours as well as increased labour costs. Unrecorded times lead to wastage.

To avoid these negative impacts, companies are turning to innovative workforce management technologies that are scalable, responsive and meet the needs of dispatch, field and service workers. AI-powered calculations work in the background, considering dozens of factors and truly assisting with decisions based on the exact, and often unique outcomes required.

The big advantage is that with the help of scheduling and route planning solutions, companies can ensure that every worker is deployed where they are really needed and deliver results. Daily, weekly, and seasonal planning is demand-oriented and flexible, which increases productivity.

Ultimately, workforce management software is a technology that simplifies workforce scheduling and improves the performance and satisfaction of customers and employees alike.