Overview of Zoho Field Service Management
Overview of Zoho FSM
What is Zoho FSM?
Zoho FSM is a cloud application that offers an overarching solution for handling the entire life cycle of processes involved in the management and execution of field services. All processes that are pivotal to field services are automated, such as work order management, scheduling, dispatching and tracking of service appointments, and invoicing. This eliminates the burden of paperwork and other tedious manual tasks that usually bog down field service activities. By providing a unified platform that allows users to segue into the different field processes, Zoho FSM helps users carry out their tasks efficiently. The availability of composite, real-time information about the process entities provides users with the visibility that helps enhance first-time fix rates and lessen process errors. Field technicians have access to pertinent data to complete their assigned tasks swiftly and efficiently. Service appointments can be scheduled based on their territory, and dispatched to the most appropriate technician to ensure minimum turnaround time. The mobile app is a handy tool for the on-the-go field technicians. Built-in invoicing features ensure that billing times are greatly reduced, resulting in immediate payments and realization of revenue.
Why use Zoho FSM?
Let's consider the case of Hot&Cold, a company in Santa Rosa, CA that offers HVAC (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) services. Services provided by it include HVAC installation, maintenance, repairs, and retrofit. Its workforce of over 50 experienced, and certified technicians cater to the needs of homes and businesses alike. H&C has been grappling with disparate software systems that they have been using to handle scheduling of appointments, invoicing, and payments. Their work was also hampered by the use of paper forms whose handling and maintenance took a great deal of the call center agents, often resulting in lost business. Zoho FSM is an ideal fit for companies like Hot&Cold that would substantially benefit from a solution that automates their end-to-end field processes.
By adopting Zoho FSM, all the stakeholders of H&C gain necessary visibility over tasks and information that are relevant to their roles and responsibilities. Irrespective of the size of your team, your geographical expanse, employee types, or services provided, Zoho FSM will be the right choice to fast-track your business to greater success.
Key Benefits
With Zoho FSM, the benefits are multifold, mentioning a few below:
Streamline field operations: Automation of work order management helps streamline incoming service requests and eliminate redundant manual work. What this means for your business is that you have the ability to assign work to the right technician based on skill and location and expedite handling of commonly requested services. You can also efficiently manage invoices, quotes and all back office operations.
Improve technician productivity: The FSM Mobile App for technicians help them to keep track of their appointment details, create service reports, raise invoice and receive payment. The app also aids in engaging with the customer, procuring the required parts needed for the service, and navigating to the service location. The work can be assigned to the nearest technician thereby decreasing delay in reaching the customer's place.
Efficient team management: Zoho FSM offers a multi-user environment by supporting different profiles - Administrator, Customer Service Agent, Dispatcher, and Field Technician. Additionally, you can manage service teams through Crews. You can manage multiple service areas like geography, departments, commerce, etc using Territory management. Above all, Skills help segregate and manage technicians.
Impress your customers: You can engage with customers over multiple channels, viz emails, phone, and web. Customers can make payments for services rendered either through online or offline mode. They can also choose to cancel or reschedule service appointment based on their convenience.
Ace process KPIs: Maintaining optimum values for key performance indicators is crucial for any business. Using Zoho FSM, you can ace some of the key KPIs for fields services like first-time fix rates, work orders closed per day, technician idle time, among others.
Feature Highlights
Manage your workforce: Zoho FSM allows you to setup your field service organisation by defining your Administrators, Dispatchers, Customer Service Agents and Field Technicians. You can also add pertinent details about the territories they work in and the technician's skills.
Customize FSM for your business: Zoho FSM is built to adapt to your organization's unique requirements. You can personalize your account to add industry-specific data components and specialised workflows. It is also possible to integrate Zoho FSM with any third party service.
Multi-channel support: Zoho FSM has built-in features that allow you to receive incoming service requests from every source.
Schedule and dispatch with efficiency: Intra-day schedules spanning across days can be created. Use Zoho FSM's built-in Gantt and map views to manage your work requests, schedule appointments and assign the right field technicians based on their skills and the location.
Work Order Management: Myriad work orders can be managed, whether it needs to be assigned to multiple technicians or to a crew. It also lets you schedule multiple day appointments, and you can create a Service Report once the work is completed.
Estimates, Invoicing and Payments: Zoho FSM lets you create detailed estimates and invoices that go with your company's branding. To facilitate invoicing, billing and payments, Zoho FSM has inbuilt integration with Zoho Books. Your field technicians can create invoices and facilitate online payment for appointments.
Manage Customers: Customer details can be easily managed and the complete history pertaining to the customer's previous Requests, Work Orders, Invoices and Payment can be viewed.
Mobilize your workforce: Transform your technicians into a formidable field unit with the Zoho FSM's mobile app. It can be used to check their schedules, accurately navigate to the service locations, log authentic data from out in the field including attaching photos and adding notes, be equipped with the right equipment, create service report and easily collect online payments.
Service Analytics and Reports: Use over 20+ built-in reports and dashboards to improve the service performance. You also have the option to create custom reports to track the KPI's, identify pain points, and to make smarter data-driven decisions.
Integrations: Zoho FSM can be integrated with any service that supports a Token based authentication or OAuth. For example, it can be integrated with a SMS provider to send SMS messages to customers so as to keep them updated on any change regarding the service request. It can also be integrated with any accounting solution.
REST API's: Integrate using the API's to start syncing work orders across services in real-time.
Zoho FSM Process Flow
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