Across the world, industries are witnessing a push to make full use of the conveniences afforded to us by advancements in mobile technology, weighing risk versus reward in an effort to keep up with the times. Financial, medical, and government industries have all embraced mobile technology, and the field service industry hasn’t been left behind.
Time is money; so is speed. When working in field service, having the right mobility solution is as vital to a Company’s success as the technicians in the field.
Imagine being able to connect with your colleagues and the rest of your staff from any site, communicating in real time on dedicated servers. Imagine having software that allows you to see available personnel on a virtual map and assign tasks and clients to them right on your phone. These scenarios are now completely possible with some dedicated apps. The question remains: how do you choose which service to use? Here are some things that you need to look for when choosing a mobile service to invest in.
- Security
Since field service personnel regularly deal with the personal information of clients, it’s of utmost importance that apps come with secure encryption. However, it’s also important to note that one of the appeals of mobile business solutions is the ability to get your work done right through your own device, and striking a balance between securing your company’s data and allowing your personnel the privacy they need is essential to using mobile technology successfully. Many of today’s mobile business solutions have been able to segregate the personal data of employees from corporate data, making it much easier to manage the security of clients’ information.
- Ease of Use
Investing in mobile technology is useless if your employees can’t use them. The features of mobile apps are more important than the simple interfaces and fast controls. The basic requirement is that personnel should be able to readily access information, but they should also be able to capture high-quality data while at sites and upload that data to the company’s cloud servers. Cloud services have transformed the way we share data, and it’s essential to have an app that makes full use of this feature.
- Accessibility
Because field service personnel regularly travel to places where there is very limited connectivity, it’s essential that your mobile service solution be fully functional even when offline, synchronizing with servers as soon as connectivity is regained. It’s also important to invest in an app that functions across all devices so all members of your staff can have access to both the app and the information they need. Mobile field service solutions are still relatively new, and many companies are able to function without dedicated apps for their businesses, relying on the built-in features of mobile phones and tablets to get their work done. Today’s generation of Smart phones makes this much easier.