In 2020 when the world stood still due to the sudden onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, delivery services were helping people get day-to-day essentials. As delivery services become an important part of our daily lives, scheduling software becomes crucial to ensure seamless delivery operations and dispatch services. In this article, we will talk about what field service scheduling software is and why it is important.
Dispatchers assign a work order to the field force after they receive work order requests from customers. They are responsible for organizing the task by scheduling the right delivery agent for the job. They collate all the details from the request like the customer information, order details, and delivery process to ensure that people and resources are available and the right time and location, etc. required for the delivery agent to complete the task seamlessly.
The role of dispatchers is extremely crucial in the field service industry. The decisions they make impact the efficiency of the delivery operations, and thus impact the overall customer experience and brand reputation. Dispatch software empowers dispatchers to make the right decision faster for efficient delivery operations.
Scheduling and dispatch software a.k.a service dispatch software, automates the core right place. To achieve this, the dispatch scheduling software is embedded with features like automated and intelligent scheduling, live chat features, delivery tracking, route-based insights, and more. The software is of great help when managers and dispatchers want to have an overview of all the work orders, their live status, and their progress–all in one place. Their responsibilities are not just limited to scheduling, they also review the progress of the field force and ensure that there is constant improvement in the operations.
How does dispatch software help with efficient field service dispatch management
A dispatch management software has many benefits, here are five key ways it helps in creating seamless and efficient dispatch management:
Efficient end-to-end field delivery management
Scheduling in dispatch management requires flawless collaboration between various parties. It is crucial that dispatchers and delivery managers are always aware of the actual location of the field force. It can be an arduous job if it has to be done manually. Dispatch scheduling software offers an integrated view of all necessary information, it can alert delivery agents in case of changes or cancellations. Dispatch software also suggests a cost-effective way in case there is a traffic jam on their way by measuring various parameters like location, vehicle, fuel costs, and more.
Automated scheduling
A dispatch scheduling software allows the automatic assigning of jobs to the delivery agent depending on their workload, proximity to the location, and availability. Furthermore, using predictive analytics the software helps in route planning for the field force when they have multiple tasks in hand enabling them to deliver each order at the best possible time through the best route.
Re-assign orders
In the world of field service, there is a lot of flux and often schedules change at the last minute. Imagine keeping track of all deliveries, agents, and schedule changes on a spreadsheet–it is bound to be an operational disaster. A dispatch scheduling software can help in automatically rescheduling and reassigning the task, ensuring that delivery operations are always working at 100% efficiency.
Territory planning
There are hundreds of delivery agents or field force workers that are part of a delivery business. Effective delivery operations planning requires dispatchers to take into many factors like customer location, available agents, optimal routes, and more. It is almost impossible to manually do territory planning at a large scale. A dispatch scheduling software can automate territory planning efficiently using real-time information and streamline the process and improve routing efficiency.
Improved customer experience
The primary goal of any business is to offer a great customer experience. For field service businesses, efficient and swift deliveries help them attain this goal. Dispatch scheduling software enhances customer service, by regularly updating them about the real-time status of the delivery, collecting proof of delivery, recording customer feedback, and more–not just delivering a great experience but also collecting information to further improve performance.
Simplified Business Intelligence
A dispatch scheduling service helps in measuring the efficacy of the dispatch service by collecting and crunching crucial data and offering actionable insights. With advanced visualization tools integrated into the software, business leaders can easily decipher insights through various charts and graphs, giving specific improvement areas.
Wrapping up
With online deliveries becoming a crucial service for businesses across industries, field service software has become a necessity in today’s delivery market. Research suggests that almost 52% of field service companies, still use outdated manual methods for field service dispatch management. These enterprises struggle to implement an effective scheduling process and face multiple challenges like high service costs, right resource matching, communication issues, on-time deliveries, and more.
Dispatch software can easily take care of all these challenges, by connecting, digitizing, automating, and optimizing the entire delivery process and can be the key to setting market leaders apart.
