4 Business Challenges Solved by Field Force Management Software

Know how to use field force management software to streamline all your field operations. Learn to solve challenges like inefficient time management and disrupted workflow.

Field employees form the backbone of many sectors. It can include the sales of pharma or technical service delivery in HVAC. Regardless of the industry, it’s difficult to manage their day-to-day operations. So, businesses take the help of technology in the form of field force management software.

It can overcome all the challenges in managing a field workforce. This can include poor staff visibility, employee inefficiency, or a mismanaged workflow.

Dive in to learn about the workings of field force management aka FFM software in detail.

What is Field Force Management Software & How Does It Optimise Field Operations?

It is difficult to optimise activities for employees who work outside the office. However, using well-equipped field force management software like TrackoField can simplify this process. Here are the top solutions the system offers:

1. Remote Task Management

The software allows managers to not only upload tasks for their executives but also provide a clear set of instructions using media files, voice notes, or documents. The software also allows managers to:

• Clone repeat tasks and upload tasks via custom templates.
• Assign tasks based on employees’ availability or proximity to the client site.
• Upload tasks in bulk or use calendar scheduling to assign tasks in advance.

Additionally, both employees and managers can track task status in real time. Field executives can even self-allocate tasks or reschedule them.

2. Digital Expense Management

Field employees incur various expenses during their work and these have to be verified and reimbursed by the managers. Field force management software foolproofs and simplifies the expense management process by:

• Allowing managers to set up a hierarchy level for fast approvals
• Making it easier for field staff to upload expense invoices
• Letting managers create custom expense categories

3. Location Verified Attendance Management

Managers can ensure that all their employees mark their attendance easily. It can be a challenge for field staff to visit the office for login/logouts or use manual punch cards. Therefore, field force management software uses geofencing technology to accurately log attendance and sync it with tasks.

Employees can also upload time-stamped and geotagged selfies for additional verification.

4. Employee Activity & Task Tracking

Managers need to keep up with their field teams’ live location and activities. Employee GPS tracking software can make this possible. It allows managers to:

• Check the live location of employees at all times, even when they are offline.
• View staff’s task status or activity status in real time.
• Track the battery and network status of field executives’ devices.
• Keep track of total orders and expenses of the day.

This allows managers to gain insight into the working patterns of their field teams, notify them of changes quickly, and maintain uninterrupted workflow.

5. Field Sales Order management

Sales agents have to place orders quickly and need access to a product list. FFM software optimises this process by providing an updated and extensive product catalogue and fast order creation. Field agents can create orders on the go and even offer custom discounts to customers. Plus, their managers get to track orders in real-time.

The software also offers custom forms and fields. This allows managers and employees to have full control over the type of information they want to collect from their clients. They do not have to follow a set template from the software. These forms can be saved into the database for future use as well.

What Challenges Can Field Force Management Systems Solve?

While there are many challenges businesses may face, a few might eventually lead to grave issues. Managers of a field service business have the responsibility of coming up with ways in which they can keep up with their clients. A field employee tracking software helps them achieve this. Some of the challenges it helps them face are:

1. Poor visibility of field teams

For managers to optimise their workforce’s operations, it is important to maintain a certain degree of control over their activities. This requirement increases tenfold when your field force works outside the office, out of managers’ line of sight. Thus, technology has to step in and aid this process.

A situation, where managers are unaware of their employees’ whereabouts, can be disadvantageous. It might affect businesses’ productivity, and translate directly into monetary losses. Thus, surveillance from the managers’ end is not an option, but a requirement.

Employee tracking solution helps managers stay updated on their employees’ activities. Thus, they can intervene in case of any discrepancies.

For example, an employee has to be at site A for a task and then travel to site B for his second task.

But because of personal reasons, he decides to go to the site first. This can be harmful to the relationship of the business owners with clients at site A. Thus, managers can investigate the situation and rectify this mistake to ensure smooth functioning.

2. Inefficient task scheduling & resource allocation

Task management is an essential field force operation. With manual management, recurring human errors increase exponentially. This can be damaging to not only business profits but also goodwill, ultimately putting managers in a difficult position.

Task management solution provides managers with a chance to optimise this situation. Oftentimes, errors while performing tasks happen because of unclear instructions. With this solution, managers can give comprehensive instructions to their executives directly from the application. This eliminates any errors on-site at the executive’s end.

Marking each and every employee on the field without the attendance management solution is also a difficult task. Basing attendance solely on an executive’s word makes it easier for them to falsify their presence. Without improper locational information, managers might mistakenly assign tasks to people on leave or who are absent.

This can affect the business’s productivity and can also damage relations between clients and managers. Productivity loss due to absenteeism ranges from 22.6% for planned absence to 36.6% for unplanned absence

3. Poor time management

Time is important to any business operating in this competitive world. Wasting time is directly proportional to losses for companies. It is easier to lose time on completing mundane tasks while using traditional management methods.

A field force management system removes the need for human power behind such tasks. This includes communication with employees for updates on task completion and marking attendance.

Managers can save time organising their field force with multidimensional solutions like tasks and attendance management. All executives have to do is update these statuses on the application, saving time that can be invested in other tasks.

4. Lack of data-driven insights

One of the primary roles of managers is to study and analyze the data that their workforce presents them with. 52% of managers are still using some form of manual method to collect data.

It is only through data that businesses can make useful decisions meant for optimising business models. However, with traditional management methods, this information is often scattered and difficult to interpret.

The field force management system has several features, one of them being report generation. These reports help in simplifying data documentation for managers. Thus, they are able to make insightful and precise decisions for business optimization. They focus on a workforce’s weaker points that might require training. Managers can also use these reports to check employee productivity levels regularly.

Summing Up!

There is no doubt managing field employees is a challenging job. After all, coordinating with your team remotely can lead to issues like miscommunication or poor workflow management. However, these challenges can be solved using field force management software.

The software automates routine tasks, reduces paperwork, and improves time management. It eliminates inefficiencies and streamlines your company’s field operations. Whether it’s a lack of employee visibility or inefficient task allocation, FFM software can solve all your field force challenges.

Still not convinced? Well, get in touch with TrackoField’s team and schedule a meeting today!

FAQs

• What are the benefits of field force management software?

  Field force management software offers several benefits to field businesses. Its top benefits are:
  - Task management and calendar scheduling
  - Real-time employee tracking
  - Efficient order management
  - Geocoded attendance tracking
  - Expense and payroll management

• What are the industries that can benefit from field force management software?

  Any business, be it with 20 or 200 field employees can benefit from a FFM software solution. However, the top industries that need field force management software the most are:
  - Sales & after-sales
  - Agri-input sellers
  - DSAs, NBFCs and MFIs
  - Phlebotomy and pharma manufacturers
  - Logistics and Transport
  - Maintenance and Repair
  - HVAC