In today’s modern and fast-growing world, people are constantly trying to be in synchronization with the rest of the world. No one wants to lag in adopting the latest trends as well as technologies, be it individuals or corporates across sectors. Whether it is information technology, the education sector, transportation, or sales and marketing, every sector wants convenience, speed, and accuracy. Each organization wants its workforce to be efficient, more productive, and less resource-consuming. So to meet all these requirements we need an effective workforce management solution. Not all solutions available out there are well-suited for an organization. We need to analyze the requirements and curate one that meets those specific field force monitoring needs.
Why Do We Need Field Service Management Solution?
To manage a large workforce, especially the sales force which moves out in the field for daily tasks, a lot of management and monitoring is needed daily. Their work pattern and throughput must be kept under observation. Attendance and reimbursements are other tedious tasks altogether. With a rising need for mobility with the Internet of Things, the need for predictive analytics, and the increasing adoption of cloud-based applications we need strong and effective workforce automation and management solution.One such promising sales force automation and monitoring solution that is being lauded for its smart features is Asti Infotech’s IMPRINT AI.
The features that have attracted the imprint’s clients the most are:
Is analytics capability being utilized for the collected data?
Perhaps doing more number of jobs may prove to be good for an enterprise but how does other enterprises utilize their data collection is also a matter worth pondering over. How they are extracting the data and generating meaningful reports is what sets them apart from the crowd. Enterprises using data analytics are able to optimize their operations and witness higher revenue growth by utilizing data to their advantage. Advanced sales force automation tools like Imprint are capable of generating numerous reports to gauge customer preferences, employee productivity, sales forecasts, etc.
A recent study has revealed that companies which adopted analytics technology saw a jump in their profits by around 16.5%. The SLA performance grew by almost 54.2%. And most importantly, customer retention increased by 38 %.These are significant numbers for any business using field service management.
In her book Business Efficiency for Dummies, Marina Martin claims that inefficient processes can cost enterprises 20-30% of their revenues. Analytics deployed can give insights on: time taken for the field agent to reach the site, time taken to complete the task, periodic performance of each agent and much more.
Consumer based planning and decision making
When companies collect data through digital forms and apply analytics, it helps them focus on strategic decision making. Enterprises usually take decisions keeping their customer service at the top most priority. This gives them a better grip on their customers and sets them apart from other companies. With workforce automation now companies can send different teams in the field and their information is updated through location seamlessly. Managers can now analyze in real-time what kind of tasks are taking longer, and also keep a tab on any delays in reaching client sites, conducting meetings or completing assigned service requests. Corrective actions & prevention actions (CAPA) can always be taken at the right time with analytic tools.Analytics can offer deeper insights to field managers into their operations. Enterprises are able to cut down on operating costs and enhance efficiency and productivity. Field managers who use analytics intelligently have cut down on repeat visits and follow-up, while ensuring customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Figures forecasting future of analytics in enterprises
According to a survey conducted by Deloitte, 96% of the enterprises feel that analytics will become more important in the next 3 years. 49% of the enterprises claim that the greatest benefit of using analytics is improved decision-making capabilities. 87% of the enterprises feel that analytics have improved their competitive positioning.With the impact of analytics , enterprises have changed routes for their field teams and added more jobs. All of these decisions seem to be minor, but cumulatively they have a larger effect. Optimization in field operations can be easily achieved when decisions are taken on the basis of analytics. The real-time visibility that managers gain certainly translates into accountability. Enterprises can forecast better with identifying key trends and patterns from the data collected & analyzed.
Analytics-embedded Imprint Insight
Now that we are convinced about the undeniable advantages of analytics in field force management, we should focus on selecting an appropriate sales force automation software solution embedded with analytics technology which fulfills all the enterprise requirements.Imprint is one such workflow automation, productivity improvement tool which helps manager to get 360 degree view of the activities of the sales agent. With Imprint, 90% of the processs are automated which improves efficiency, transparency and scalability . It enables paperless operations, optimized trip planning and reduced travel expenses, thereby saving costs.
Apart from the feature of incorporated digital forms, Imprint is also able to generate a variety of useful reports based on the data collected. It converts data into clear and readable visuals like graphs, pie charts etc. with business intelligence support.
Mobile application-based live location tracking
l. From the start of the working day to its end, the field agent‘s live location can be tracked at any moment of the day.2. The sales agent cannot log in to the application without enabling its location on the phone.
3. The history of routes traveled by each sales agent is recorded, based on which reimbursement can be claimed and approved with ease.
Monitoring of Field Agents’ Activities at the Client Site
l. With Imprint, there is a mandatory client check-in/check-out process to be done by field agents.2. The agent’s checked-in location and time stamp can be easily viewed by the manager or administration staff.
3. Sales agents can share the minutes of the meeting in real timewith their managers directly in the application. Ensures quick decision-making and faster resolution of client issues/tasks.
Automated Attendance Management
l. Field agents can mark their attendance irrespective of the location they are at whether in the office or at a field.2. Leave applications can be easily submitted in the app and sales agents can get instant approvals from the managers.
3. Upcoming leaves, total attendance, and leaves taken to date can be viewed in the app.
Field force management system focuses on increasing its workforce's productivity , automating the management operations and enhancing the customer experience.
4. HR executives can also get the detailed attendance report on the portal and hence salary processing becomes easy.
5. Since it maintains the attendance records of all the field agents, most regular ones can be appreciated or awarded.
Quick & Easy Reimbursements
1. Based on the distance traveled throughout the day, field agents can apply for vehicle fare reimbursement.2. The sales agent’s record contains the path traveled with marked client visits on the map in the application.
3. If the field agent claims bills outside working hours, the manager can easily verify them with the daily record and uploaded bills.
4. Managers and admins can pass approvals of bills claimed as soon as it appears on their dashboard.
Efficient task planning based on the location
l. Imprint helps in assigning daily tasks to its field agents and also keeps a record of the total work done by each one of them on day to day basis.2. This field force automation solution keeps a priority order on the tasks, which tasks are to be completed before others.
3. The comment section provides a bridge of communication between the task owner and the performer.
4. Turnaround time of the task can also be calculated with the difference in check-in and check-out time at the client’s location. This also helps in deriving the efficiency of the employee.
5. The number of tasks performed each day and the working hours enable us to calculate the throughput of each field agent. Thus most efficient field agents can be assigned more tasks.
Schedule daily route plan of sales agents
l. This workforce automation solution has features that enable planning client visit timings. And the designated route can be viewed on the map.2. Monitoring of the designated visit sequence and the actual visit sequence is performed with IMPRINT.
3. After one visit, a notification of the next visit is generated along with the time and location for the user.
4. The route plan is optimized to reduce unnecessary travel costs and maximize efficiency.
Activities’ overview through the dashboard
l. Managers can get a bird’s eye view of the team’s activity in real-time2. Login activity, client visits, and tasks accomplished can be viewed for each agent
3. Work progress can be tracked and reports can be generated accordingly.
Hassle-free virtual collaboration
1. 24x7 interaction with clients/agents via Video Conferencing2. Bulletin board to publish notices for field agents
3. Option to set up email within IMPRINT
4. Game-changing cross-platform communication
Configurability and Scalability
l. Customizable settings for each module make this workforce management solution highly configurable.2. Suitable modules & features can be adopted based on business needs
Reports generation
l. Weekly, monthly or custom-dated reports can be scheduled with IMPRINT. This not only helps in performance analysis but also increments and perks can be given to deserving candidates.2. Predictive analysis reports give a better insight into sales in coming years and can help with better planning, while also ensuring higher customer satisfaction.
All these undeniable features of IMPRINT make it an outstanding workforce automation solution, which not only increases the workforce’s productivity and efficiency but also hikes the company’s overall performance and revenue generation. Click here to schedule an appointment or a free customized demo.