How Mobile Devices Help Field Reps Provide Better Service

You may think of a Field Rep as someone who works for a utility company and comes to your house to service your cable box. However, Field Reps are common in many other industries; think mechanics, roadside vehicle service providers, public transportation agents, logistics operations and quality control/maintenance teams.

When Field Reps carry mobile devices, their lines of information and communication drastically open up in many ways. Mobile devices such as tablets and phones are now affording mobile employees a variety of benefits.

Benefits of Mobile Devices for Field Services

Instant Research and Information

Mobile devices give Field Reps access to a world’s worth of research on the go. They can gain insight into their customers and future leads, reflecting better on their company. Additionally, Field Reps working for organizations like energy companies and cable companies will be able to pull up important customer account information at the drop of a hat. Inventory, warranties, and numerous other documents can be at their fingertips. They won’t need to contact their call center, and their customers won’t need to dredge up paperwork.

Information Gathering

With a mobile device, Field Reps can quickly input or update a customers email address, phone number and other data. This also allows for fast follow-ups. Mobile employees such as roadside vehicle service providers can send a quick email or make a call from a mobile device. As companies grow and start to become more data savvy, Field Reps are gathering more data on their customers every time they meet, which allows companies to provide even better customer service.

Real-time data collection is extremely useful to companies because it provides up-to-date information that can be shared throughout an entire organization in seconds. Energy and utility company reps, for example, are able to record meter readings, upload photos of the assessed damage, etc. effortlessly and seamlessly. Real-time data entry ensures that information is recorded more efficiently and more accurately.

GPS

When mobile devices are equipped with location services, customers can know almost exactly when their Field Rep will show up. The mobile device can send a ping to the customer when the Field Rep is on their way, so they will always feel prepared and have a more accurate time estimate. On the other side, Field Reps will be able to more quickly and accurately find the place they’re going with simple GPS capabilities. Imagine if all quality control and maintenance teams used this method.

Instant, Real-Time Communication

Customers and mobile employees can communicate seamlessly–imagine customers never having to phone into a call center to be connected to their rep. If customers can connect directly with their field rep through text, chat or another messaging service, they will be impressed with their reps’ fast response times.

Tips for Efficiently Managing Mobile Devices for Field Service Reps

When you equip your Field Reps with mobile devices, it’s crucial to keep them secure and charged up. Businesses use LocknCharge charging stations or smart charging lockers to save time and money. Here are some quick tips to optimize efficiency for your field service reps:

Store and charge laptop, tablet or cell phone devices in a centralized location.

Centralized device charging sets your reps up for success by ensuring devices are charged, easy to access and ready for use at all times.

Secure devices when not in use.

Would it surprise you to learn that 41% of data breaches are due to lost or stolen devices? Because critical company and customer data is often stored on employee devices, it's important to keep them physically secure after use. Securing devices also helps reduce device breakage to save organizations money on replacement hardware.

Automate your daily device check in/out process.

Field Reps can check out a charged device at the beginning of a shift, spend the day on service calls using a device, and return the device at the end of the shift. With a Cloud-Connected Smart Locker, all of this can be facilitated without manager oversight.

Hold device users accountable.

A FUYL Tower Charging Locker powered by LocknCharge Cloud helps to ensure devices are cared for during use and properly returned after use. By tracking who accessed a bay and when it was accessed, device users are held to account. Remote visibility into the Cloud portal allows department managers or tech teams to see who took a device, when it was taken and when it was returned.