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How to Create Seamless Field Service Management Using Open Source ERP

How to Create Seamless Field Service Management Using Open Source ERP

July 12, 2013

Grow your business in a hyper-competitive market

In the age of the customer, companies that want to remain relevant must place greater emphasis on getting goods and services to consumers in the most efficient and customer-focused manner possible. This challenge requires optimized and integrated field service management (FSM). In

2019, the FSM market was valued at more than 3 billion and is projected to surpass 7 billion by 2025. Organizations that fail to deploy and connect the right technology will fall behind in the modern marketplace, where digital buyers demand outstanding experiences in products and services.

Optimized field services require prompt delivery, quality service, and excellent customer support. Exceeding customer expectations with high-performing FSM is critical for companies seeking to grow: 57% of customers have stopped buying from a company because a competitor provided a better experience, and 62% of customers say they share bad experiences with others. Buyers expect deliveries to arrive on time with quality service, and they’re willing to alert their social networks when this doesn’t happen.

Whether you work in utilities, construction, services, or any other FSM-related segment, integration of enterprise resource planning (ERP) technology holds the key to managing demand, resources, and customer needs faster and more efficiently. ERP provides the platform to deploy intelligent applications that streamline field services and overcome typical business obstacles.

Field service management challenges:

  • Managing growth
  • Keeping up with increased demand
  • Optimizing resources and logistics
  • Meeting service level agreements
  • Improving services and deliveries
  • Maintaining customer loyalty

The open source advantage of OPEN FSM

Thanks in part to enterprise technology, and changing customer expectations, open source solutions for FSM have evolved. Today, successful companies effectively manage field personnel and provide a variety of services to customers, vendors, partners, or any organization in the supply chain using flexible, purpose-built solutions with an FSM audience in mind.

While FSM organizations range in size from a handful of vehicles to a fleet of tens of thousands, the one common denominator exists: the need to integrate systems within all aspects of the FSM lifecycle. That means tying together backend systems with customer-facing field services.

OPEN FSM is Open Source Integrators’ (OSI) solution for a comprehensive open source FSM solution in ERP. It allows businesses to seamlessly bridge the gap between enterprise applications and the field using a single, powerful solution.

With open source OPEN FSM, organizations gain an enterprise view of field service operations combined with business functions. Since a wide range of processes impacts field service delivery, multiple departments can leverage open source ERP to access and analyze data, tearing down siloed applications to provide greater visibility.

Companies can deploy OPEN FSM to design and customize field service operations around their exact needs and goals, versus having to adjust their business to rigid proprietary software. And because it’s built using open source ERP, it possesses a proven, trusted track record with millions of users worldwide.

Benefits of using OPEN FSM:

  • Increased customer satisfaction
  • Reduced planning time
  • Improved scheduling
  • Enhanced Service Level Agreements (SLAs) adherence
  • Greater regulatory compliance
  • Lower deployment and maintenance cost
  • Greater flexibility to adopt specific workflows

The OPEN FSM solution brings together multiple functions to effectively manage field operations. This includes order intake, dispatching, equipment, and parts handling, inventory control, and accounting for profit and loss analysis and automated billing. The solution replaces disparate, manual, and complicated tools that result in inaccuracies, duplication of work, poor field service, and ultimately dissatisfied customers. Detailed performance analysis facilitates strategic decision-making throughout the organization.

Open source FSM integration done right

A company’s success relies on how its processes react to change and increasing competition. While the right technology can accelerate growth, a sub-optimal implementation can quickly disrupt workflows and lead to employee frustration and customer dissatisfaction. And most organizations do not have the luxury to succeed by trial and error. With a business process management expert, organizations can overcome this hurdle by leveraging expertise in guiding them through a complex deployment process.

Moreover, the right integration partner, implementing OPEN FSM, or any other open source solution, knows the questions to ask to understand from the outset. This due diligence leads to developing solutions that simplify and streamline complex operations to maximize resources and results. The right partner will also possess vast experience in integrating ERP and FSM solutions. They will create a precision-tailored solution that makes data fully accessible and actionable.

Businesses that take advantage of this type of outside expertise can achieve fast time-to-value. They can leverage a predictable and reliable framework built around their specific business to reduce costs, while simultaneously increasing customer satisfaction, improving safety, adhering to SLA compliance, and more.

OSI works to meet this demand by offering a unique blend of business consulting, technology customization and implementation, and comprehensive support. By combining ERP and FSM knowledge to improve workflows, from the back office to the field, businesses gain a distinct advantage of real-world and technical expertise. Its FSM expertise ranges from independent small companies with local services to enterprise-level implementations with tens of thousands of field personnel.

Field service operations improved with OSI:

  • Increased customer satisfaction
  • Reduced planning time
  • Improved scheduling
  • Enhanced Service Level Agreements (SLAs) adherence
  • Greater regulatory compliance
  • Lower deployment and maintenance cost
  • Greater flexibility to adopt specific workflows

A better solution: OPEN FSM and OSI

The stakes for providing seamless field service management are tremendous. Customers demand more from their brands, including prompt delivery, quality customer service, and exceptional experiences that extend from online to in-store to at home. An open ERP solution deployed with expertise from the right integration partner, like OSI, will enhance every aspect of field operations: from managing the creation of work orders and parts availability to tracking job status to optimizing scheduling and routing. Managers can take advantage of tools that automate and streamline manual processes. Moreover, FSM operations are improved by replacing expensive, inefficient methods with a flexible, secure enterprise solution.

Want to learn more about how to get the most out of open source ERP for field service management? Visit https://www.opensourceintegrators.com/solutions/field-service-management to learn more.

What kind of business challenges do you face in field service management? How could open source applications help you grow? Comment below.

About the author:
Wolfgang Hall Wolfgang Hall is the Field Service and Mobile Asset Lead at Open Source Integrators (OSI). He supports organizations by understanding their business processes and applying analysis, optimization, and technology to increase margins while considering social responsibility and sustainability.

 

Publication Tags
Odoo Solutions
Field Service Management

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