A ‘First-Time Fix’ for Your Field Service Organization

What is a First-Time Fix?

A first-time fix is the ability of a technician to resolve an issue during one appointment. Field service businesses reported that a field technician has to do at least one follow up visit on about 23% of all service calls.  Having to revisit a customer site becomes costly, reduces asset availability, and sometimes response time. On average, dispatching technicians can cost anywhere between $500 to $1,000 which can begin to eat away at your business if repeat visits are occurring at high rates.

Common Reasons Field Service Technicians Aren’t Able to Complete a First-Time Fix

1. Lack of inventory and stock: A lot of time can be wasted when sending out field service technicians, and not having the right parts or lacking stock. An efficient way to prevent a technician from being unprepared or having to do a follow up is to use a software solution that records and calculates when you need to restock needed parts.

2. Poor Communication: It’s crucial to have an open line of communication between employees. Many times, field service organizations find themselves unprepared with updating technicians of client rescheduling or are unaware of specific parts or customer needs. Even if technicians have the proper equipment and inventory, they might not have the right answers and updates to solve problems on their own

3. Manual input: 46% of field technicians say that they are overwhelmed with administrative tasks that are very time consuming. It is important for field service organizations to allocate their technicians’ time appropriately and make sure all paperwork is organized and easily accessible to everyone involved.

How to Improve Your Field Service First-Time Fix

Having the best fit technician, ensuring that they have the proper equipment, and scheduling your team manually,is very difficult to manage. The best way to accomplish these overwhelming tasks is with a field service management software solution. A Field Service Software Solution can create a line of communication between employees and connect all aspects of your internal business processes. Find out how to effectively manage potential problems and create a ‘first-time fix’ for your organization here