January 31, 2023 • 2 min read
Having an ERP implemented in the organization is an important milestone, however to maximize its value for service companies, an FSM software is a must.
Rami Darwish
January 31, 2023
Many organizations today have adopted ERP systems to digitalize their operations and improve the efficiency of their businesses. ERP helps organizations plan their resources and track key KPI’s to measure the health of the business, in addition, the ERP helped companies improve efficiency of the back office by automating some of the workflows and reducing human intervention.
However, companies with a heavy front line operation such as utilities, telecom, oil & gas, Logistics, manufacturing after sales support and numerous others that provide field service delivery, have a huge digital disconnect that detracts the value they can extract from the ERP. The main reason is that all front line work is executed and measured manually, typically on paper, and with no digital trail.
From missed work orders, no shows and inaccurate costs, companies suffer real problems in managing their resources, controlling costs and retaining their customers. This is due to the manual reality between when a work request is raised, and when a work request is completed.
Field Service Management solutions have emerged to address this gap in operations. FSM extends the digitalization of the business to the end of the cycle, therefore maximizing the value of the ERP to provide accurate and representative data to enable objective decision making. FSM software enables automating field workflows, real time tracking of KPI’s, removes administrative burden from the frontline and the back office. In addition, it removes human intervention in the data provided to the ERP, therefore presenting a true picture of the health of the business.
FSM software solutions have been purpose built to address the realities field work, from interface and ux design that drives adoption to dealing with location based data and mobility requirements. FSM software solutions are specialized tools, that can plug into ERP systems and extend the value chain.
Some organizations have tried to directly extend the ERP to the field operators, or custom build solutions to plug into their ERP. This approach has numerous challenges that can lead to failure, from the lack of understanding of the correct user experience, missing critical features, to costly maintenance of custom built solutions.
The best of breed companies deploy specialized tools to solve complex issues, after all you don’t bring a knife to a gunfight and expect to win.
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