🕖 2 min read | Maple CRM | www.maplecrm.com
In this blog:
💡 What is a field Service CRM and its functionalities
💡 Why is AUTHENTICATION so important?
💡 What are the ways of authentication?
💡 Benefits of authentication
💡 How Maple CRM caters to simplifying and enhancing Field Service Management
Engineering and manufacturing companies often have a ‘Field Service’ department specially organized and trained to provide service to clients on their site, i.e., in their factory/setup. This department consists of executives who are almost always on the go, catering to service requests, machinery installations or scheduled maintenance checks for the clients.
For example: If a company manufactures Industrial water flow meters, it’s imperative that they need engineers to visit site at customer’s place for installation, calibration or maintenance checks.
A Field Service CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system is a specialized software solution designed to manage and optimize the operations of field service teams. It combines the functionalities of traditional CRM with features tailored to the needs of businesses that offer on-site services, such as maintenance, repair, or installations.
Key features and functions of a Field Service CRM include:
- Customer Management: Track and manage customer data, including contact information, service history, preferences, and past interactions.
- Client Service Management: Create, assign, and track service requests or work orders, ensuring field technicians are dispatched with all the necessary information.
- Service Assigning: Automate and optimize the scheduling of service appointments and dispatching of field technicians based on availability, skills, and location.
- Technician Tracking and Management: Monitor the real-time location and status of field technicians, ensuring efficient routing and timely service delivery.
- Spare parts/Service Quotation: When executive is on site, their may be requirement for changing parts or replacements. Provide quotation from the CRM right on the site to the customer.
- Mobile Access: Enable field technicians to access the CRM via mobile devices, providing them with work orders, customer data, service history, and the ability to update job statuses while in the field.
- Reporting and Analytics: Generate insights and performance metrics, such as response times, customer satisfaction, and technician efficiency, to inform business decisions and improve operations.
- Service Report and Feedback: Generate quick and custom service reports as per the service types and share with client and manager right from the CRM (Mobile + Desktop).
Collect feedback from clients, which can be directly visible to the managers.
Authentication – Why is it so important in Field Service Management?
Field Service management is the management of daily activities, updates and progress of the executives handling client requests. While this is a major and critical part for any business, it’s important to closely monitor and ensure on-track performance of the field service executives.
Mis-scheduling of tasks, improper attendance or unfinished services- all directly hamper the business.
Authentication is vital for safeguarding data, ensuring compliance, and maintaining the efficiency, accuracy, and security of the entire field service operation.
Authentication is the most crucial part in Field service management to ensure –
- Field Service executive is on client’s site as per schedule
- The said service is on-track and in time
- Client data and resources are well handled
- Authorized personnel only access the information relevant to their responsibilities
- Systems and software, if used on the client’s site, are used as per regulations and permissions
Authentication is a pre-requisite factor to ensure effective and professional service delivery and to safeguard the client’s properties on site. This builds client’s confidence and the service provider too is assured of impeccable service delivery, even though field service executives are monitored remotely.
What are the ways of authentication?
While there are several ways of data and service authentication, these are the three highly feasible and popular methods used in Field Service CRM-
- OTP authentication:
Authentication in field service management enhances security by providing a time-sensitive, unique code for each login attempt, reducing the risk of unauthorized access. Technicians and service personnel can receive OTPs via SMS or email to verify their identity before accessing sensitive customer data or work orders. This method ensures that only authorized users can perform critical tasks, such as updating service records or dispatching job requests, while also minimizing the risk of data breaches or fraud.
2. Geo-Tagging of field service executives
Geo-tagging of field service executives allows companies to track the real-time location of technicians, ensuring optimal dispatching and efficient route planning. By attaching location data to service tasks or work orders, it helps improve accountability and provides an accurate record of where services were performed. Additionally, geo-tagging can enhance customer satisfaction by ensuring technicians arrive on time and can verify service completion at specific locations.
3. Site pictures with location
Tagging client site pictures with location data in field service management ensures accurate documentation of service activities and provides a clear record of the work performed at specific locations. This feature helps in verifying service completion, resolving potential disputes, and improving accountability by showing visual proof of conditions at the time of service. Additionally, it streamlines future visits or follow-up work by providing context and historical reference, making it easier for field technicians and managers to plan and execute tasks efficiently.
5. Benefits of authentication:
1.Secured Access Assurance : Authentication ensures that only authorized users, such as field technicians and managers, can access sensitive customer data, service history, and company systems, protecting against data breaches and unauthorized access.
2. Prompt service delivery as per schedule: With authenticated users, every action within the system is traceable to a specific individual, creating an audit trail that helps track decisions, service actions, and troubleshoot any issues that may arise.
3. Documentation with client authorization: Documents like field service report or feedback report- all go through the client’s surveillance and screening. This ensures that the data is true and is approved by the client. This is extremely important to maintain records and avoid any further conflicts.
4. Prevention of Fraud: By confirming the identity of users, authentication helps reduce the risk of fraudulent activities, such as falsifying work orders, altering service records, or unauthorized alterations to billing information.
5. Regulatory Compliance: Many industries require strict adherence to privacy and data protection regulations. Authentication helps organizations meet compliance standards by controlling access to sensitive information and maintaining secure, documented interactions.
Maple CRM for Field Service management – role in authentication
Maple CRM provides authentication with all the above mentioned 3 ways – OTP, Geo-Tagging and Site picture with location.
Not only this, at the back-end, the managers/admins can keep a tab on the field executive’s daily activities and raise concerns (escalations) instantly as and when required.
Maple CRM provides a robust system for management of the entire workflow- right from lead management, client management, service management and support management.
Connect with Maple CRM team today and schedule a demo as per your convenient time!
Maple CRM: Sales and Process management software for SMEs.
The most user-friendly and smart software for thriving businesses for an automated workflow which boosts productivity.
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