FLS - FAST LEAN SMART: FIELD SERVICE GLOSSARY
FIELD SERVICE GLOSSARY
This glossary is a list of terms and definitions related to dynamic field service scheduling and route planning, including terminology and abbreviations. These are the most common terms and are listed alphabetically, making it easy to find the meaning of key concepts.
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Absence: When a field technician is unavailable for work due to various reasons, such as illness, holiday/vacation, or personal leave. Absences can significantly impact field service operations as they disrupt the scheduling and dispatching of field workers, potentially leading to service delays, reduced customer satisfaction, and missed SLAs.
Asset Management: Tracking and maintaining company assets, like equipment or vehicles, to ensure optimal performance.
Automated Dispatching: The use of software to automatically assign field service jobs based on availability, location, and technician skill sets.
AI (Artificial Intelligence): The use of machine learning and algorithms to enhance tasks like predictive maintenance, scheduling, and customer interaction.
Appointment Scheduling: Planning orders such as technical service, customer service, and inspection visits.
Audit: A formal inspection or evaluation of field service activities, equipment, or processes to ensure compliance and efficiency.
Availability: The measurement of how often an asset is in a functional state and ready for use.
Backlog: A list of uncompleted work orders or service requests that are pending due to resource constraints or scheduling issues.
Back Office: Administrative roles and staff responsible for managing field service operations, including scheduling, invoicing, and reporting.
Break-Fix: A reactive service model where repairs are made only when equipment has failed or broken down, rather than proactive maintenance.
Business Intelligence (BI): Analytical processes and technologies used to interpret data and improve field service operations.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM): A system that helps businesses manage interactions with customers, track service requests, and ensure customer satisfaction.
Call Centre: A centralised operation where customer service agents handle service requests, schedule technicians, and troubleshoot issues.
Contract Management: The process of managing agreements between the service provider and customers, often involving SLAs (Service Level Agreements).
CO2 Production: The generation of carbon dioxide (CO2) which occurs through travel and field service activities.
Continuous Improvement: An ongoing effort to enhance field service operations through process refinements and performance monitoring.
Customer Portal: A self-service online platform that allows customers to request services, track appointment job progress, and rebook their appointments.
Calibration: Adjusting equipment to ensure it operates within specific standards or parameters.
Dispatching: Assigning and sending technicians to job sites based on job urgency, technician availability, and skill requirements.
Downtime: The period when a machine or piece of equipment is not operational due to repairs, maintenance, or failure.
Diagnostics: A process used to identify and troubleshoot issues with machinery or systems, often involving specialised tools or software.
Dynamic Scheduling: The use of real-time data to adjust technician schedules and optimise routes in response to changing field conditions in day/in shift.
ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival): A technician's predicted arrival time at a job site.
Equipment Lifecycle: The stages of an asset's life, from acquisition and installation to decommissioning and disposal.
Escalation: The process of moving an issue to a higher level of support or authority when it cannot be resolved at the initial level.
Excess Inventory: Stock that exceeds the required levels, leading to potential inefficiencies in storage and inventory costs.
Field Service Management (FSM): The practice of coordinating and optimising field service operations, including scheduling, dispatch, and resource allocation.
First-Time Fix Rate (FTFR): A KPI that measures the percentage of service requests resolved on the first visit by a technician.
Fleet Management: Managing a company's vehicles used for transporting technicians, tools, and equipment.
Failure Analysis: A process that examines the cause of equipment failures to prevent future occurrences.
Forecasting: Predicting future service demand based on historical data to optimise resource allocation and scheduling.
Field Service Engineer/Technician/Operative: A mobile worker responsible for maintaining equipment, compliance inspections, clinical services or welfare checks at customer locations.
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Geolocation: The process of identifying or estimating the real-world geographic location of a device, person, or object using various technologies. Intelligent scheduling relies on geocoding to include road type, road length; even whether the address is on the left or right-hand side of the road or crosses a body of water.
Geofencing: A technology that defines virtual boundaries using GPS and triggers alerts when field personnel enter or exit specified areas.
GPS Tracking: Real-time tracking of technicians' locations to improve route optimisation and customer communication.
Ground Support: Teams or resources dedicated to assisting field technicians with tools, parts, and information while they are in the field.
Help Desk: A service centre that provides customers with technical support and troubleshooting, often coordinating field service when needed.
Home on Time: Planning principle that prevents overtime and unnecessary travel with a focus on appointment end times, to include routes home.
Hot Swap: The practice of replacing defective equipment with functional replacements without causing significant downtime or disruption.
Inventory Management: The control and organisation of spare parts, tools, and materials required for field service operations.
IoT (Internet of Things): A network of connected devices and sensors used to monitor equipment remotely and enable predictive maintenance.
Incident Management: A process for managing unplanned events, such as equipment failures or service outages, to restore normal operations quickly.
Installation: The process of setting up and configuring equipment at the customer's site to ensure it functions properly.
Inspection: A formal evaluation of equipment or assets to identify potential issues, hazards, or maintenance needs.
Job Scheduling: Assigning and planning field service tasks for technicians including availability, proximity, and skills/expertise.
Just-in-Time Inventory: A strategy where parts and tools are ordered and delivered just before they are needed to minimise storage costs.
KPI (Key Performance Indicator): A measurable value used to gauge the effectiveness of field service operations, such as response time, first-time fix rate, or customer satisfaction.
Knowledge Base: Digitised repository of information, including troubleshooting guides and repair instructions, that technicians can access to resolve service issues.
Lean Maintenance: A method focused on minimising waste in maintenance activities and improving operational efficiency.
Location-Based Services: Technologies that track the real-time location of technicians and equipment for better routing and management.
Lone worker: An employee who performs tasks independently without direct supervision or close contact with colleagues. These workers often operate in remote or isolated locations, and their tasks may involve maintenance, repairs, inspections, or customer service. They may work in industries like utilities, telecommunications, and social services.
Logistics: The detailed coordination of resources, materials, and personnel required to complete field service operations.
Management Insights (MI): Data-driven observations, interpretations, and actionable recommendations that help field service organisations make informed decisions to improve their operations, performance, and strategy. These insights are derived from analysing a wide range of metrics and business activities, including operational efficiency, customer behavior, and workforce productivity.
Mobile Field Service: The use of mobile devices by field technicians to access work orders, update job status, and communicate with dispatchers in real time.
MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures): A metric used to predict how frequently equipment failures may occur over a given period.
MTTR (Mean Time to Repair): The average time it takes to complete a repair after a piece of equipment has failed.
Maintenance Schedule: A predefined plan that outlines regular service and maintenance activities for equipment.
Multi skilling: Training technicians to handle multiple types of tasks or equipment to increase flexibility in field service operations.
NPS (Net Promoter Score): A metric used to measure customer satisfaction and likelihood of recommending the service to others.
Non-Productive Time (NPT): Separate to idle time. Time during which field technicians are not actively working on a job, often due to travel or waiting for parts.
On-Site Support: Service provided directly at a customer's location, such as repairs, maintenance, or equipment installation.
Outage: A temporary loss of functionality or service, typically caused by equipment failure or maintenance.
Overtime: Hours worked by field technicians beyond their normal schedule, often required for emergency repairs or high service demand.
Parts Management: The process of tracking and controlling spare parts inventory to ensure availability for repairs.
PowerOpt Algorithm: Unique algorithm that maps the complex requirements of field service operations with real-time scheduling and embedded route planning.
Predictive Maintenance: Using data analytics and IoT to predict equipment failures and perform maintenance before problems occur.
Preventive Maintenance: Routine maintenance activities performed to prevent equipment failures and extend asset life.
Proactive Service: Anticipating customer needs or potential equipment issues and addressing them before they become problems.
Productivity: A measure of the efficiency of field service technicians, typically based on jobs completed per day or per hour.
Quality Assurance (QA): Processes designed to ensure that field service work meets defined standards and delivers customer satisfaction.
Queue Management: Managing a list of pending service requests and assigning them to technicians based on priority and availability.
Real-time: The capability of a scheduling and route planning system to process data and produce a response or output almost immediately, with minimal delay. This is essential in environments where delays can lead to inefficiency or failures.
Remote Monitoring: Using IoT devices and sensors to monitor equipment performance and diagnose issues without needing on-site inspections.
Response Time: The time taken for a technician to respond to a service request, often a key metric in SLAs.
Route Optimisation: The use of software to create the most efficient routes for field technicians, reducing travel time, CO2 and costs.
Root Cause Analysis: A process used to identify the underlying cause of equipment failure or service issues to prevent future occurrences.
Self-Service: A customer-facing solution that allows users to diagnose faults, submit service requests through modern intake options such as video upload, track job status, and access support resources independently.
Service History: A detailed record of all past services and maintenance performed on a particular piece of equipment or for a specific customer.
Service Technician: A skilled professional responsible for repairing, maintaining, and installing equipment at customer locations.
Servitisation: Business model trend away from the pure sale of a product towards the provision of additional contracted services.
SLA (Service Level Agreement): A contract between a service provider and a customer outlining expected service standards, such as response times and repair timelines.
SOR (Schedule of Rates): Standardised list that details the costs for various repair tasks, including labour, materials, and equipment usage. Used by contractors, field planners, and project managers to provide consistent resource allocation for repair and maintenance works. Typically customised for different sectors like building repairs, roadworks, or utilities. The SOR is essential for budgeting, quality control, and benchmarking against similar projects and is typically reviewed periodically to keep up with inflation and market forces.
Stock Management: The process of managing the quantity and availability of spare parts, tools, and materials needed for field service operations.
Ticketing System: A software tool that tracks customer service requests and job progress from initiation to completion.
Technician Utilisation: A measure of how effectively a field technician's time is being used, including time on-site and travel time.
Time to Resolution: The time it takes to complete a service request from the moment it is received to when the issue is resolved.
Tracking: Monitoring the location and status of field workers, assets, or inventory in real time.
Troubleshooting: The process of diagnosing and resolving problems in equipment or systems, often performed by field technicians.
Uptime: The amount of time that equipment or systems are operational and available for use.
Vehicle Tracking: The use of GPS and other technologies to monitor the location and movement of field service vehicles in real-time.
Workforce Optimisation: The use of software and data analytics to ensure that field workers are deployed efficiently to maximise productivity.
Workforce Planning: The process of forecasting and planning the resources needed to meet service demands, including staff, vehicles, and tools.
Work Order: A digitised ticket that outlines the tasks and resources required for a field service job.
Workflow Automation: The use of software to automate repetitive tasks and processes, such as scheduling, dispatching, and reporting.