Into the Clouds:
A digital transformation is taking place in almost every industry. Businesses seeking to streamline operational processes, gain a competitive edge, and reduce overhead costs are embracing connected solutions that provide real-time visibility, big data insights, and automated processes.
In the last couple of years, the field service industry has started embracing automated processes but it’s believed that only about 50% of businesses have so far implemented a connected solution. With that said, it’s only a matter of time before more field service businesses make the move to digitalization. Primarily to remain competitive in an industry that is expected to grow to a value of $5.9 billion by 2024.
Powered by the Internet of Things, connected asset tracking solutions are being deployed by field service businesses to help track fleet vehicles and important tools and equipment. Comprised of hardware, software, and sensor technology, asset tracking solutions are becoming increasingly easy to deploy, affordable, and invaluable in terms of the visibility gained into daily operations.
Here are three ways embracing digitalization and deploying asset tracking technology is helping field service businesses remain competitive and improve business operations:
Field service managers know all too well the challenge of manually locating company vehicles and equipment while trying to keep daily schedules in check. With an IoT Asset Tracking solution, GPS tracking devices can be installed in vehicles and on important equipment to track their location in real-time. CloudHawk’s Ultra-Sense GPS trackers contain advanced antenna technology that is capable of maintaining a signal, even in areas with poor reception. Having a consistent connection to important resources – whether trucks or tools – means dispatchers can make real-time decisions to keep things on track and keep customers happy. Plus, CloudHawk trackers are small and discreet so they can be easily concealed and are less likely to be removed. This helps mitigate the risk of theft or loss and means assets can be quickly located when they are moved without authorization.
The importance of customer satisfaction cannot be overstated – especially in the Amazon world we live in today. Customer expectations are higher than ever, and people want to be in the loop about the service they are receiving. This makes it extremely important for field service businesses to maintain a high level of communication with customers or they risk receiving bad reviews and losing out on potential business to the competition.
With CloudHawk’s IoT asset tracking solution, businesses are able to track the location of important assets on one screen in a cloud-based software portal. Being cloud-based, the portal is accessible from any device, whether a desktop computer, mobile phone or tablet. Not only does the portal enable businesses to have 24/7 visibility into the status of their resources, but it also enables management to react quickly when unexpected delays or issues arise. If a service call is taking longer than expected, the portal can be used to find and deploy a technician to the next project. Customers can also be easily kept in the loop with real-time updates and accurate ETAs.
By integrating IoT sensor technology with CloudHawk’s asset tracking solution, field services gain access to reports on vehicle run time, driver behaviour, door status, PTO status and more. The insights gained through these reports allow field services to identify sources of inefficiencies and make appropriate changes to achieve cost savings. For example, fuel and idle time reports allow businesses to work with technicians to reduce idle times and save money on fuel consumption. Field services can also get ahead of maintenance by receiving data on vehicle run times and mileage thresholds. Instead of running into a situation where an asset breaks and either needs repairing or replacing, businesses will know when to schedule maintenance checks and get ahead of these costly issues.
Digitalization is the way of the future and field services can improve their overall operations by embracing the real-time visibility, big data insights, and automated processes gained by deploying a connected solution. Utilizing the GPS tracking devices, cloud-based software portal, and sensor technology that make up an asset tracking solution, field services can stay competitive by eliminating inefficiencies, improving customer satisfaction and utilize resources in the most cost-effective way possible.