COVID-19 has swept across the globe and government leaders turned to social distancing, shutdowns, and shelter-in-place orders to help slow the spread. Do we know what is or isn’t considered an “essential worker?” Field service technicians already understood that their operating hours would likely go unchanged.
Lawmakers didn’t require field service companies to close up shop, but business was disrupted. Then again, it never is in times of crisis. With so much in flux, the most valuable asset a field service company can have is work order management software. Here’s a quick look at a few ways you can deploy work order management software for crisis management.
Whether it’s a pandemic similar to COVID-19 or a natural disaster like a hurricane or tornado, crises have a profound impact on staffing. In a time where customers have heightened anxiety, field service companies must remain level-headed and provide exceptional and timely service.
One of the best ways to juggle rotational employees is through work order management software for scheduling. The most robust of these solutions provide schedulers with up-to-date insights on technicians’ availability. Schedulers see which technicians possess certain skill sets as well as each technician’s location. Dispatching jobs accordingly. This sort of intelligence can be beneficial for a company trying to continue work. Despite what could be interruptions in availability among staff.
We may be stating the obvious here, but job sites aren’t known as the cleanest of places. And the abundance of dust and debris and even the weather can wreak havoc on efforts to remain tidy. The importance of cleanliness reached an entirely new level with COVID-19 and crews went above and beyond with temperature checks, increased personal protective equipment, and excessive hand washing. Companies with work order management software were able to streamline those efforts by creating them as tasks within the workflow.
All employees must have temperatures taken at the start of every shift. The person responsible for taking temperatures receives their assignment through the software. Many work order management solutions are cloud-based, so employees confirm their temperature checks with their mobile devices.
Temperature checks are just one example of a required action during a crisis. After a natural disaster, it’s common for utilities to deploy clean-up crews, removing debris that may impact service. Employees will never forget these sorts of tasks if logged and assigned through work order management software.
Depending on the type of crisis a company navigates there’s a good chance that employees will receive exposure to dangerous situations at some point. Fortunately, work order management software can help alleviate some of that concern through custom safety messages based on job type. These alerts require the employee to confirm they have taken the proper precautions before proceeding with work. In today’s climate, that could mean a technician acknowledging that they are wearing a mask prior to entering a customer’s home. In other cases, it could be the technician verifying that there is no live power at a home or business. Whatever the case, or crisis, work order management software delivers these reminders directly to technicians to help keep them safe.
EnSight Plus designed our work order management software to help field service companies in each of these areas and others. If you’re interested in learning more about what our solution can do for your field service company, book a free demo today.
All monitored by you, in real time. Are you ready to take control?