At least 89 percent of customers want to experience modern, on-demand, and digitally up-to-date technology with field service technicians and scheduling. In addition, those organizations who heed the call can experience revenue lifts of 15 percent or 20 percent lower costs. Even so, 52 percent of companies are still using manual methods for field service operations—the gap between customer expectations and reality is evident. 

To add to this, COVID-19 has exasperated existing pain points and issues in field service, like the changing workforce, siloed field service operations, heavily manual processes, and little support for the organization’s brand ambassadors in the field. Not to mention the pandemic has added to the pressures of delivering innovative and advanced field service while aligning with the norms of social distancing and safety aided services. 

In this blog, I’ve put together key solutions that service-heavy organizations, like manufacturers and utility companies, can use to unlock the capabilities of Salesforce Field Service Lightning along with the Infosys’ FSL industry accelerator. Let’s take a look:

Key solutions for field service

Connected workforce – Whether it’s communication between the contact center activating new support cases and field service reps addressing the situation or greater visibility for upper management, organizations thrive with greater connectivity between all departments. Integrating CRM operations with field service management (FSM) ensures that the technician is equipped with customer history, avoiding the need for a repeat telecast of complaints from the customer. Active collaboration between dispatchers and technicians is a must-have feature for FSM to succeed. 

Zero-touch service – While many organizations have already been investing in automation, current affairs have introduced higher levels of automation concepts like ‘zero-touch service.’ Today, customers expect a seamless movement from the contact center case to a service appointment and scheduling and finally to dispatched operations with completion reports generated via mobile—all without human touch. 

Intelligent job scheduling – One of the most challenging obstacles manufacturers face in their field service operations is managing resource availability and elasticity. For the most optimal results and to minimize visits, utilizing smart scheduling tools is crucial. You can get the right people to the right cases at the right time with the right inventory for a first-time fix. 

Streamlined field mobility – After the case is opened, and the resource scheduling is running optimally, the next step entails technicians or service engineers arriving on the scene to deliver the services. Providing these field reps with a mobile solution to review the service details, log time, and generate reports is not only a nice feature but also a customer service expectation.

Dynamic analytics – These tough times have taught field service-based companies many things. Among them, the critical need to predict and propose relevant solutions to retain customers. For this, an increasingly AI-infused analysis of customer data and the technical performance of field reps is invaluable. The CX landscape is including this type of data analysis to expand the revenue footprint and better adhere to service KPIs. 

While there are many technology options available to address these needs, the Infosys FSL Accelerator built on Salesforce Field Service Lightning (FSL), Service Cloud, and Community Cloud creates a more seamless experience than most. Bringing together case management, work order management, and dispatch management functionality, the Infosys FSL Accelerator provides an all-in-one platform and a single source of truth for the entire lifecycle of support cases. The accelerator’s enhanced features, coupled with the power of Salesforce FSL, help minimize the number of hand-offs and align each department with the same information. It makes a truly connected service a reality. 

Features of the Infosys FSL Accelerator 

What are the benefits of the FSL Accelerator for field service? 

— Reduced dependency on overly manual processes, bringing productivity improvement and alignment with no/low-touch services.

— Greater collaboration between service and field service personas.

— Real-time communication to keep the customer well informed of service schedules and upcoming appointment details—pairing well with FSL’s intelligent scheduling and resource optimization features.

— Customer feedback, best practice checklist, and ERP integration to capture the 360-degree view of the field. 

— Intelligent analysis of the customer or field data to retain customers, improve revenue, and elevate the organization’s brand. 

— A pre-configured community portal with guided bot capability, bringing the power of self-service.

— Risk-free program implementation, backed by Infosys’ proven experience in implementing and integrating FSL. 

Whether it’s a manufacturer delivering customer service or a utility technician enabling smart home devices, using Salesforce FSL with the Infosys FSL Accelerator allows you to make support cases not just a background operation but an integral part of the customer journey and CRM processes. Empowered with an advanced field service feature set, your organization can secure its place as a visionary leader for the changing service landscape. Learn more about digitally transforming manufacturing solutions here and get started on your journey today to embrace the future of field service.