The Real Cost of Running a Paper-Based Field Service Company

February 12, 2018
Elevators, General, HVAC
3 min read

Many of the processes involved in the field service industry can be time-consuming, redundant and labor intensive for both office staff and field technicians. Paper-based processes and manual systems don’t have a place in today’s fast-paced, on-demand world where customers are expecting immediate results. Field service management software offers streamlined ways to manage the process in which quotes, work orders, time-sheets and billing are completed, without large administrative hours needed to input data. Processing and transmitting data on paper is not only slow and inefficient, but is also costly for the company and their customers. Paper also presents a high-risk for human error and illegibility, lacks data validation and can easily get misplaced after a job is completed. The real cost of running a paper-based field service company is not only loss of revenue, but time, customers, data and your sanity as well.

The problem with relying on paper

  1. Lost, damaged or misplaced documents result in lost data, loss of revenue, privacy violations and lost customers.
  2. Paper requires manual entry, increasing the risk of human error.
  3. Technicians spend time filling out long, tedious forms, keeping them organized and secure, and returning them to the office.
  4. Technicians and back office staff spend hours on paperwork resulting in lost productivity, wasted space and increasingly higher operating costs.
  5. No visibility into how the business is performing, what is working and where improvements can be made.
  6. Billing time is slow as it can take weeks to receive paperwork, enter it into the system, get it approved and sent out to the customer.

Benefits of a paperless process

  1. Data is always entered correctly
  2. Complete end-to-end solution from the technicians in the field, straight through to the accounting department
  3. Invoices get out the door quickly and accurately
  4. Field notes are legible and easy to understand
  5. Visibility is improved by collecting photos, digital signatures and barcodes
  6. Use of employee time is maximized
  7. Instant verification of GPS coordinates
  8. Errors and ‘re-keying’ are issues of the past
  9. Incomplete or failed work orders, are easily tracked
  10. Real-time data allows for detailed business intelligence and KPI’s
  11. Improved employee productivity
  12. Reduce costs and increase revenue

Paper slows things down

Without a digital process in place, data collected in the field on a paper form must be brought back to the office before it can be processed and used.

Removing paper from your business processes benefits your company with increased productivity by making sharing and collaboration easier, and saving time. Automating your business processes eliminates delays in completing necessary paperwork and getting it sent to the right person, making workflows and reporting faster. Storing paperwork and files in a Cloud database lets you access them from anywhere, so even if you aren’t in the office, you can get the information you need.

Contact FIELDBOSS and let us help you boost business efficiency, save time and money, and improve data accuracy and security. It’s time to get out from under that pile of paper.

#automation #FieldServiceSoftware #FIELDBOSS #Paperprocesses