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A shift is happening in the service industry. Will you survive or go extinct? Many businesses, especially those in the service industry, have dramatically changed how they manage their mobile workforce. The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) has opened up many avenues for business improvement, including tools to enhance productivity and communication. It’s important for business owners to use technology to their advantage, to ensure they don’t get left behind.

Mobile Workforce Population Is Rising in U.S.

Managers of mobile worker fleets face unique challenges, including keeping track of worker activities and helping them manage their time, in addition to ensuring quality customer service and profitability. Communication is essential. However, keeping in touch with mobile workers can be difficult when they are always on the road.

IDC forecasts that the U.S. mobile workforce population will grow to over 105 million mobile workers in 2020. Therefore, having the right tools to manage mobile workers and vehicles will become even more important for businesses.

Solutions for Mobile Workforce Management

Software solutions for mobile workforce management (MWM) are designed to help manage employees working outside of the office. They simplify daily tasks and make it possible to monitor and review productivity. A mobile workforce management solution can include a mobile app. Integration with smartphones and tablets makes it possible to stay in contact with workers wherever they go.

Top features to look for in a MWM solution:

• Appointment scheduling
• Real-time tracking of vehicles
• Locating and dispatching nearest workers
• Messaging and alerts
• Invoicing
• Reporting

Key Benefits of Mobile Workforce Management Technology

Overall, mobile workforce management solutions can help make day-to-day operations more efficient. A wide range of service industries can benefit from mobile productivity tools: plumbing, electrical, heating, air conditioning and ventilation (HVAC), courier, locksmith, garage doors, taxi, and pest control.

Technology for mobile workforce management allows you to:

• Increase uptime with appointment scheduling and dispatching
• Lower costs for vehicle maintenance
• Reduce costs related to insurance and accidents
• Ensure timely service with efficient route planning
• Improve safety with benchmarking and in-vehicle driver coaching
• Increase fuel efficiency by reducing idling

Quality Service Is the Key to Success

As we have seen, technology is disrupting the way we do business, and the service industry is no exception. It’s no longer feasible to stick to doing things the way they have always been done. If your company doesn’t change now, it risks going extinct.

To survive this next shift and remain competitive your industry, businesses need to provide the highest quality of service. The formula is simple: Organize workflow processes by using the latest technology.

Equipping drivers with smartphones and workforce management apps can provide the competitive edge. Productivity tools can save time and money usually spent on paperwork and traditional administration. Giving field technicians the ability to instantly access all of their appointments and invoices is a huge advantage.

Increasing Productivity and Customer Service

Overall, mobile scheduling, dispatching, and invoicing increases fleet and driver productivity and also improves the customer experience. Dispatchers can assign appointments to the closest drivers, saving time and reducing labor and fuel costs. Head office can send live appointment updates to field technicians so they can arrive on time.

Clients demand better service and they will hire the company that makes it easy for them to solve their problem in a timely manner. Get armed with the latest technology and survive the next shift — or get dominated by your competitors.

Learn More

PaperDoDo Appointment Dispatching - Dispatch more appointments, reduce admin work, improve worker productivity, and increase profit margins with PaperDoDo. The PaperDoDo suite of mobile workforce management add-ins for MyGeotab make mobile service businesses more efficient and profitable. 

• Dispatch appointments
• Invoice clients
• Track payroll hours

Visit PaperDoDo on the Geotab Marketplace.

About PaperDoDo

While running his own pest control company, Shane experienced first-hand the many workflow problems that service companies can encounter. He started developing software that would solve these pain points common to many service businesses such as plumbing, electrical, and pest control. The result is PaperDoDo!