Four Challenges Your Business Can Solve Using Field Force Management Software

Technology is advancing every day. With this, we are seeing automation slowly filtering out all forms of inconsistencies from every industry. Similar is the case with the field force management software market.

It has been predicted that this industry will grow at a CAGR of 18.2% during the period 2021-2031. This huge figure is quite understandable looking at the number of benefits it reaps for businesses.

Through this blog, we will be discussing some of the challenges businesses face when they refrain from using automation technology. But before that, let us have a look at all the solutions that a field force management system has to offer.

How is Field Force Management Automated?

It is difficult to optimise activities for employees who work outside the office to complete tasks. But using well-equipped field force management software helps this process. Some solutions the system has to offer are:

• Expense Management: Expense management tool automates the expense reimbursement process for employees and the  management.  It reduces the multi-level approval process to just a couple clicks. The proof uploading feature eliminates any chance of human error while processing these payments.
• Attendance Management: Managers can ensure that all their employees are on the field during working hours using advanced geocoded verification technology. This solution maintains each employee’s attendance and leaves reports cutting down manual documentation which is prone to errors.
• Task Management: The software allows managers to not only upload tasks for their executives but also provide a clear set of instructions. On the other end, employees can give managers task updates from the app itself.
• Employee Tracking: Managers need to keep up with the employee’s live location. GPS tracking software helps them do so. Managers have the option of checking their employee’s location at all times. Therefore, they can ensure that employees use time and cost-efficient routes for their tasks.
• Custom Fields and Forms: Custom forms allow 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. An employee tracking software helps them achieve this. Some of the challenges it helps them face are:

Lacking Control

For managers to optimise their workforce’s operations, it is important to maintain a certain degree of control over their activities. This requirement increases ten folds when this workforce 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.

Confusing Operations

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 a 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

Time Inefficiency

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 workforce with multidimensional solutions like tasks and attendance management. All executives have to do is update these statuses on the application, saving time which can be invested in other tasks.

The in-built chatboxes available for use can also eliminate instances of time-wastage on switching between modes of communication. Employees can use the application to stay in touch with their managers and fellow teammates.

Complex Data Storage

One of the primary roles of managers is to study and analyse 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. But 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 optimisation. They focus on a workforce’s weaker points that might require training. Managers can also use these reports to check employee productivity levels regularly.

Start Today!

Having field force management software can be handy when trying to optimise a deskless workforce. It automates business operations right from task assigning all the way to task completion, making them efficient and profitable.

If you feel that investing in employee tracking software can be the big step your business needs for advancing forward, check out TrackoField. It is the leading software in the workforce management market with some of the best solutions for you. Request a demo and watch it transform your labour force today!