QuickBooks Online vs Desktop
June 15, 2023
How to Break Down Information Silos with Work Order Software
Are your response times to customer requests and service calls slower than they should be? Are your technicians struggling to access data? Is work being duplicated or are business goals not being met? If these scenarios sound similar, you might be experiencing an information silo that’s hurting your field service business. The good news is work order software can break them down and improve your business.
What is an Information Silo?
An information silo is when data and knowledge aren’t being shared freely within an organization.
This can happen when teams aren’t communicating with each other, or managers or systems are not making information easily accessible.
Within a field service software business, this can apply to sales, service, parts, finance and administration departments.
For example, an information silo can happen when different departments have their own systems for scheduling and dispatching technicians, tracking inventory, billing, managing contracts and storing customer history instead of having one system across departments.
How Do Information Silos Hurt Your Business?
Information silos hurt your business because you’re spending more money and time on duplicated work, which takes away time from responding to service calls.
Delays caused by information silos can affect customer satisfaction preventing you from reaching your business goals to increase profits.
Information silos can also create employee frustration if teams can’t access the information they need and are doing more work because systems aren’t optimized.
Work Order Software
A work order is a job for a client that outlines one or more approved tasks that need to be completed such as equipment installations, repairs or preventative maintenance work.
Work order software helps field service businesses manage the entire process of a task outlined in the work order from scheduling technicians, recording time spent on tasks, documenting work performed to managing job documents and more.
How Different Teams Use Work Order Software
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- Technicians view their job schedule, record their travel, labor and mileage, document the work completed and enter job notes. They have access to site and equipment service history including follow-up notes, photos and documents from the last visit.
- Service managers have a clear view of the service schedule and job progress in real-time. They’re informed of service escalations and know if jobs need their attention.
- Sales and service coordinators know which customers have a service contract, including renewal date, contracted labor charges, Service Level Agreement (SLA) and if any parts are included.
- Accounting staff can convert completed jobs into invoices and easily process any recurring billing.
6 Ways Work Order Software Breaks Down Information Silos
- One system across departments: work order software allows different departments to manage their duties, manage jobs and access data without barriers and duplicating work.
- Real-time updates: technicians can update a job status in real time for better communication internally and with customers.
- Integrated systems: Miracle Service allows your business to integrate other systems like accounting software (QuickBooks, Sage50 + more) and PowerBI to streamline data flow and improve business knowledge.
- Analytics & reporting: work order software provides insights that can help identify information silos quickly.
- Increased savings: some companies have uncovered as much as $20 million in savings by adopting digital methods like work order software. Going digital helps streamline processes, saving time and reducing errors.
- Improved customer satisfaction: with up to 30 hours of freed-up time, customer service agents can spend more time on relationships. Plus, a streamlined process helps your technicians respond to customer requests quicker.
Work order software will help break down information silos and as a result, you’ll see an increased number of jobs handled per day, improved customer and employee satisfaction, increased savings and revenue and a service department that stands out from the competition.
Learn more about work order software.
