Field service operations managers face a difficult challenge of overseeing the work of distributed teams as they operate outside traditional management structures. How can managers provide quality service assurance, share information with frontline workers, and respond to emerging situations without physically accompanying every worker? Furthermore, how can frontline workers reach out to the home office to submit or request information no matter where they’re located?
Both sides of the equation have the same need: to go beyond where they operate to connect and collaborate. Traditional communication like email, phone calls, texts, and paperwork leave information missing and workers overwhelmed with notifications. When these manual communication methods don’t cut it, the right digital collaboration tools can.
When organizations and their distributed field service operations teams use traditional calls and messaging platforms, the conversations are often one-dimensional: One side is sending a message to the other. The first step to making collaboration possible is extending and enhancing the connection with the right collaboration tool to make it more three-dimensional.
Field service collaboration tools should allow frontline workers to share information with colleagues as if they were working in the same office — seamlessly, quickly, and accurately. It should also contain all the information they need, with the right amount of context, to empower them to make critical decisions on their own.
If distributed teams have to constantly call back to the office to request information before moving forward, they won’t have the confidence to make decisions. By giving them the information they need in real time (or even before they arrive at a job site), you can empower them to make the right choices and avoid wasting valuable time.
Take a Step Toward Real Operational Efficiency
If your organization still relies on traditional communication methods and manual processes, it can seem easier to stick to what you know. Established leaders can be resistant to change, especially technological advancement, out of fear that it will disrupt their operations in negative ways. Coolfire’s software, however, allows you to start small and build your way up — making it easier to gain buy-in across the board.
You don’t have to rip up and replace all that you know. Coolfire’s field service collaboration tool is scalable, easy to use, and doesn’t require you to retrain your entire organization on how to use it. The software is intuitive so employees can hit the ground running, and it’s flexible enough for you to customize and configure it to your organization’s specific needs.
To learn more about empowering employees with a collaborative digital tool, reach out today.
