A Complete Guide to Technician Scheduling Software

By liana 2 years ago

In a service business, scheduling is vital to determining productivity, customer satisfaction, and costs. Scheduling service calls is a task that service business managers must master. It tests the managers’ ability to anticipate issues, plan and find solutions to improve operational efficiency. To achieve this, the manager requires utilizing the right tools like technician scheduling software that automates complex tasks like scheduling tasks and invoicing. The software improves performance and eases the process of making adjustments when delays and changes occur. Here is a guide to using technician scheduling software to facilitate performance in the service business.

  • Plan the Routes

Use the software to plan routes depending on the technicians’ availability, efficiency, and accessibility. Ensure you assign complex jobs to the best and most-qualified technicians. It will also be a good idea to consider customer prioritization when planning the routes.

  • Find a Dispatcher 

Even with the software, it can be a good idea to designate another person to oversee the dispatching and confirm everything is as it should be. Manual and automated scheduling is crucial and eliminates errors. So, ensure you have someone who will confirm the accuracy of the schedules.

  • Identify Issues

If you want to benefit from scheduling software, you must first identify issues and get to their roots. This way, you will know the mistakes you have made in the past and avoid adding them to your new software. Field service managers experience many issues with scheduling and dispatching technicians because of mistakes made manually. Therefore, review these issues to look for their origin and ensure you don’t drag them to your new software.

Things to Look for in the Scheduling Software

You must get software that will meet your needs. Not every software will work for you. Therefore, look closely and ensure the software has all the features you need to improve the scheduling and dispatching of your field service technicians. Here are three vital things you should look for.

  • Timesheet Integration

Ensure the software allows you to integrate any timesheet with the schedules. Ensure you can review scheduled jobs and recorded time so it will be easy to make decisions later.

  • Compatibility with Your Systems

It is also crucial to ensure the program will integrate with the other systems in your business. It would help if you had a seamless connection so that you don’t have to operate on different platforms. The software should allow you to schedule and dispatch on the same platform easily.

  • Automated Notifications

Your system will be useful if it can alert you in case of any updates or changes. It should alert you for rescheduling when technicians cannot complete a task for various reasons. Therefore, ensure it has a feature that automates notifications and schedules so that you don’t miss out on these changes.

Final Words

If you are having trouble scheduling your field technicians, it is crucial to easily incorporate technician scheduling software to view your employees and the available equipment. Setting up rates to define overtime, special rates, and normal time is easy. However, ensure the software has the right features to achieve these benefits.