THE DIGITALIZATION OF FIELD WORK

The digitization of field work or in other words: time is money. Time is our most valuable asset. It is unwise to waste it. Save a lot of time by digitizing fieldwork; whether it is in the administrative field, communication between co-workers or on the field itself.

Our business has already been digitalized to some extent

Part of your business is definitely already digitalized; we all use e-mail and mobile phones in our daily communication, invoices are issued and posted in various dedicated programs, and we use various tools and (free/cheap) applications to help us with our daily tasks. However, it often happens that companies “forget” about their field processes. Despite the fact that the digitalization of field work and digital transformation are burning topics that resonate in our ears, many companies are thinking in the direction of “the field work is not yet at the point where we need it digitalized.” But you know what? It is!

Slow feedback on performed tasks

Once the fieldwork is completed, the team must fill out certain documentation. These are usually work/service/installation tasks, handover lists, complaints, travel orders, etc. They provide key data for invoicing and operations (customer data, task data, time spent, route, materials used, signatures…). These forms must be waited for at least until the end of the working day when the teams return to the company’s headquarters. At best, the data is processed the next day, but it is not uncommon for incomplete forms to be processed even later.

Where is the space for savings?

Do you know how much can be saved by digitalizing your service and maintenance, installation, logistics, sales and sales promotion processes? The number is certainly not negligible. With the digitalization of these parts, our customers measure up to 30% of savings in the form of paperless operations, process transparency, shortened business processes and greater customer satisfaction. Because all data is available to the back office and invoices are issued automatically, overall business processes are significantly shortened. Office employees do not waste time with operational tasks (calls, messages, searching for data for past tasks), and can devote themselves to other tasks.

Ok, but what solution to choose?

Entrepreneurs often forget that digitalization is a long-distance race. Project preparation and implementation requires a lot of extra work and good teamwork, but you know what? All of this is negligible compared to what you gain in the long run. What’s better? Continue to stick to existing ways of working and slowly waste time on processes that can be significantly shortened, or invest more time in the beginning and find a digital solution that saves you that time every day and thus improves your productivity in the long run? We think the answer is clear…
It is necessary to choose a solution that is flexible. Price should not be the main guide, because it often happens that this is the key reason for choosing a solution. We’re not saying that the more affordable solutions aren’t good, but they’re not always the best choice in the long run.

Why?

• Good solutions that fully adapt to your processes are worth more than the solutions that do not. We have already learned, in other areas, that more money needs to be paid for quality, and there is absolutely nothing different in the case of digitalizing field work.
• (In)flexibility, (in)flexibility and once more (in)flexibility. If you have decided to make a change, then implement a solution that also gives you room for upgrades in the future. Not every software solution allows for additional improvements and changes, but works on the principle of “take it or leave it”. Do you really want that?

What do we gain by digitialzing fieldwork? How do field processes work without digitization?

In our experience, something like this:
• Work is done on foot,
• the team on the field is constantly in touch with the back office by phone (customer information, address, contact information, types of tasks…),
• they use paper forms in their work, which are sometimes filled in inaccurately (data is missing),
• the forms may be lost or, at best, only temporarily misplaced,
• it is necessary to wait for the documentation from the field,
• forms must be entered manually into the system,
• delivery notes and invoices are issued manually (after the forms are brought back from the field),
• sometimes it is necessary to wait for the clients to sign the documentation in order to issue an invoice.

Sounds familiar? Well, with digitalization, processes are simplified and shortened, and data is not lost.

So you gain:
• paperless business processes,
• an overview of field tasks,
• an insight into what is happening,
• access to real-time data,
• shortened processes, as the forms are accessible to the back office at the time of their completion,
• automated data transfer to the back-office system,
• an automated process of issuing invoices and delivery notes.

Sounds great! What types of fieldwork can be digitalized?

The answer is simple: anything is possible. The statement that “we are specific” is true, but only to a certain extent. Yes, we are all specific, but at the same time, business processes are basically very similar among one another. Many things are feasible, but it is necessary to be aware that the greater the desires and needs, the more complex the solution will be. This also means that the cost of introduction into the business process will be correspondingly higher. But don’t let that scare you! If you know what you need, it is better to choose a good system in the beginning, even if it means not choosing the most affordable provider.

At i-Rose, we have many years of experience in digitalizing many different business processes that take place outside the offices. In our history, we have completed projects of various sizes and complexities, and basically we receive the most demand for the digitalization of the latter:
• installation,
• service and maintenance,
• delivery,
• transport/delivery planning,
• sales,
• sales promotion,
• insurance,
• local management companies.

Within these processes, the most common are:
• work order,
• service and installation order,
• travel order,
• handover record,
• delivery note,
• reclamation record,
• sales recommendation,
• meeting record,
• calculation,
• accession form,
• questionnaire,
• weighing sheet,
• inter-warehouse form,
• work log…

How we work?

• Establish a contact with us where you briefly entrust us with the framework wishes and needs.
• We arrange a face-to-face meeting where we present our solutions and discuss your wishes and needs.
• We prepare an indicative offer.
• We arrange another meeting to discuss the offer.

If you are interested in the digitalization of field work, we invite you to contact us and we will arrange a meeting where we will discuss more about your wishes and needs.