What Are Field Services? A Simple Guide to Field Service Operations

Field services play a vital part in most modern business operations; however, the reality is that many organizations do not fully understand what constitutes field services or how to optimize their strategies in field service management.

With this comprehensive guide, you’ll find a breakdown of the field services definition, as well as an explanation of field service operations and how field service management software can improve business operations.

What Are Field Services?

Field services are any service activities that are not performed inside the premises of a company but in its field.

Essentially, field services involve sending qualified professionals, commonly referred to as service technicians or field technicians, to perform work at customer locations. 

Such job responsibilities may vary from scheduled preventive maintenance to complete equipment installations and even urgent repair work that demands immediate attention.

This on-site service model stands in contrast with the traditional in-house operations that bring the customers to you for their problems.

While in-house operations occur at the company’s facility, customers come to you with centralized control and predicted workflows. Field-based services occur where customers are unrestricted in different geographical locations, with real-time mobile coordination and flexible scheduling.

Unlike in-house work, where equipment and parts are stored in a single central location, on-site service work requires distributed inventory management to be maintained at various job sites.

Field-based operations also require real-time communication systems, as technicians work independently at client locations while in-house staff work under supervision in a controlled environment.

Field services ultimately consist of the perfect blend of trained resource persons, strategic planning, and tools such as TillerStack, enabling the delivery of quality service across client sites every day.

Field Service Operations Explained

Managing field operations involves coordinating multiple moving parts to ensure that every technician arrives at the right place, with the right tools, at the right time.

Field service operations involve understanding how mobile workforce activities are organized and coordinated across different locations in a business. On the other hand, field operations involve more than just dispatching workers to customer sites.

Every field service operation consists of a multitude of interrelated work processes:

• Receive requests from customers.
• Assess service requirements.
• Assign suitable field technicians.
• Schedule the appointment.
• Dispatch teams.
• Track progress in real-time.
• Manage follow-up activities.

In comparison to the traditional challenges of managing a factory or office, field operations management is even more unique and more demanding when it comes to planning and coordination.

• Job spread: location of jobs over territories.
• Variable job duration, which is hard to predict.
• Management of equipment and parts at remote locations.
• Real-time decision-making and flexibility

Businesses need to constantly juggle multiple tasks: customer satisfaction, technician utilization, cost control, and safety compliance. Without proper organization, it becomes very easy for field operations to fall into chaos, resulting in lost appointments, dissatisfied customers, and wasted resources.

Common Field Service Activities and Workflows

Field service is not uniform; there exist various techniques and processes involved in performing different types of jobs. Let’s examine the various major field service jobs and consider their operational methods.

Service Calls

Service calls are the most well-known types of field service activities. During service calls, a customer calls with a problem that requires urgent attention.

Some steps found in a typical service call workflow are:

• A customer calls the business with a problem.
• The request is entered into the system and prioritized.
• The job is assigned to the available technician depending on location and skills.
• The service technician goes to the location.
• The technician diagnoses the issue.
• Necessary repairs/adjustments are carried out.
• Complete documentation is made (parts used, time, recommendations, etc.).

Work Orders

Work orders lay down the track for field service operations. They are a formal set of instructions that supplies guidance to a technician on every single job.

Every work order consists of critical information that technicians need to perform their duties:

• Customer name and contact information.
• Service address location.
• Equipment information and specifications.
• Specific jobs to be performed.
• Parts and tools needed.
• Appointed field technicians.
• Date and time of appointment.
• Special instructions or safety requirements.

A well-structured work order contains the information required for a technician to perform a job efficiently and adhere to quality standards. This is further enhanced by facilitating communication between office staff and field teams.

Scheduled Maintenance

Scheduled maintenance is a proactive approach to scheduling field services. Preventive maintenance ensures the equipment operates smoothly without issues before problems arise.

Scheduled maintenance is done at predetermined intervals to keep machines in working order, and it consists of:

• Regular inspections for machines or systems on an interval basis.
• Proactive component replacement failures.
• Preventive fine-tuning and adjustments.
• Utilities of the companies schedule the maintenance of transformers to be carried out very often.
• HVAC contractors conduct inspections in seasons.
• The manufacturer recommended the maintenance schedule.

Scheduled maintenance not only reduces the opportunity for unanticipated failures but also prevents costly unplanned repairs that would otherwise occur. The primary advantage, however, is an extension of the entire asset’s life and enhanced overall customer satisfaction.

Emergency Service Jobs

Requests for emergency service are, indeed, different from normal work. They demand speed, flexibility, and skilful handling.

These requests are unplanned and urgent and have to be immediately acted upon, and include situations such as:

• Utility outages affect all neighbourhoods.
• Failures of HVAC Equipment during extreme weather events
• Breakdowns of critical equipment can have a significant impact on business operations.
• Water line breaks or emergency plumbing services.

Scheduled maintenance extends equipment life and minimizes expensive repairs, while emergency jobs are scheduled and coordinated in real-time for maximum efficiency.

The Field Management Software, a user-friendly platform that manages the complete life cycle of asset management, scheduling, and inventory, highlights these efficiencies to ensure that onsite service delivery is done in a timely manner, with adequate visibility into field operations.

Who Is Involved in Field Services?

A successful field operation depends on a skilled workforce and strategic oversight; it is essential to understand how onsite work is conducted. This understanding requires mapping key players and the systems that connect them.

Service Technicians

These professionals do onsite repairs, installations, and maintenance, and are the backbone of the field operations.

Field Technicians & Mobile Workforce

This larger group represents the face of the company. As a dynamic mobile workforce operating away from the central office, members tackle intricate technical issues in real-time across multiple locations.

Workforce Coordination Basics

Successful mobile workforce management hinges on several core pillars that ensure the right technician arrives at the right job at the right time. These fundamentals include:

• Skill-Based Routing: Match job requirements with specific certifications, expertise, and availability of service technicians.
• Route Optimization: Routes are planned using GPS information to optimize time and minimize fuel cost, which ultimately increases the number of jobs done daily.
• Intelligent Scheduling: Automatic assignment of tasks based on proximity, priority, and part availability.
• SLA Monitoring: Real-time tracking of response times, thus ensuring contractual obligations toward high-priority clients.
• Real-Time Communication: Keeping the back office dispatchers in constant communication with field technicians for instant updates.

Field Service Maintenance and Efficiency

Within field operations, the maintenance approach contributes to the overall profitability of a field operation and customer trust. Understanding the balance of preventive maintenance and corrective maintenance is the first step to long-term field-service efficiency.

Corrective maintenance addresses issues that arise after a failure, while preventive maintenance aims to prevent downtime by implementing an inspection schedule to resolve potential issues. Another primary advantage of field service optimization is transitioning from a reactive to a proactive approach, which in turn reduces emergency repair costs and extends the asset’s lifespan.

Most organizations will need to focus on operational consistency to drive real efficiencies. That way, every technician will have to follow standardized protocols, ensuring that there is no guesswork in the processes, all while delivering a world-class customer experience time after time.