Industries that Rely on Field Service Management

Today, “field service” includes an expansive range of industries — facilities management, manufacturing, sales, consulting, food delivery, even home healthcare services.

Most field service management (FSM) software includes the same core capabilities — straight from the shelf. Scheduling, dispatching, resource management, entire feature suites for engaging customers and managing their assets – these are all standard fare.

Unfortunately, generic FSM solutions will only get you so far.

Especially if you’re operating in an industry outside of the “traditional” field service model. AKA – the one still common among utility providers, HVAC pros, plumbers, the person who set up your internet (and, even with that eight-hour window, still managed to show up late).

FSM is essential for any business where critical services or interactions happen away from “home base,” on customer turf.

But – only if they align with your goals, pain points, and preferences and the macro-level conditions and challenges facing your industry, well, you’re in big trouble.

In this piece, we’ll shed some light on the diverse range of challenges and opportunities different types of field service orgs face – and how the right FSM software can help streamline operations, elevate customer experiences, maximize profits, and more.

What Kinds of Companies Rely on Field Service Management?

So, again, “field service” covers a lot of ground.

The common thread is, FS orgs perform critical business functions “in the field” and juggle a ton of moving parts – all of which must come together to produce the desired outcome.

They manage distributed teams & their ever-evolving schedules. They keep track of complex equipment, parts, and inventory. On top of all that, they’re also dealing with customer communications, incoming requests, and all the “little things” that go into nurturing those relationships long-term.

These next few sections will zoom in on a few industries relying on FSM not just to stay in the game, but to pivot, change, and win big – on so many levels. We’ve also included links to industry-specific posts with real-world examples, use cases, and solutions.

Medical Device Suppliers

Medical device suppliers face a long list of challenges. We’re talking: rising customer demands, supply chain disruptions, complex equipment and parts, and regulatory requirements bordering on the impossible, among others.

Naturally, companies are embracing technologies that help them tackle existing challenges and get ahead of future ones. They’re seeking out tools that can help them monitor and improve technician performance and customer relationships, optimize the resources they already have, and crucially, consolidate disparate operations into one unified system.

This blog post will look at field service management solutions designed specifically for the medical device sector – from ERPs and CRMs to tools that make it easier to rise to new (and increasingly complex) challenges.

Commercial HVAC

Commercial HVAC companies have long managed a dizzying array of moving parts: customer assets, inventory, parts, service fleets, warranties, SLAs, plus a whole roster of human techs and the customers they serve.

In 2023, all of these things remain critical priorities, but a lot has changed in recent years. For starters, the idea that a service technician might show up “anywhere between 8am and 3pm” or whatever is completely unacceptable — particularly when customers have their own business to run.

Sustainability is another big one — HVAC systems consume more energy than any other commercial appliance. Customers are increasingly demanding more from vendors — both in terms of transparency and accountability re: providers’ green initiatives and solutions that help them become more sustainable themselves.

In this article, you’ll learn how cutting-edge FSM software helps commercial HVAC orgs carve out a competitive advantage by optimizing resources and exceeding customer expectations.

Home Healthcare

When we think about “field service,” we tend to think of the service techs that set up our internet or repair our AC units when they break down. Healthcare, well, not so much.

Field service management software goes a long way in helping mobile medical teams improve patient outcomes, while also boosting a practice’s all-around efficiency.

For example, FSM solutions make it easy for practitioners to track patient routines, treatments, and medications, assign patients to practitioners based on skills or specializations, and make changes to patient records in real-time.

On the patient side, FSM software streamlines the scheduling process, makes it easy to review treatment plans, and even tracks caregiver ETAs in real-time.

While home healthcare practices benefit from the same capabilities as other field service industries, they also have unique requirements that HVAC companies or facilities managers don’t need to consider.

In this article, we’ll dig into field service management solutions specifically from a home healthcare perspective.

Home Services

The home services industry covers a broad range of providers that work on residential homes — plumbing, painting, landscaping, HVAC, flooring, and more. These companies rely on FSM software to manage incoming service calls, customer communications, and a workforce that’s always on the move.

By automating manual processes, streamlining operations, and serving up valuable real-time insights, FSM software enables home service orgs to deliver better, more reliable service, lower operating costs, and drive sustainable growth.

Check out the full article to learn more about how home services orgs can benefit from field service management.

Dynamics 365 Field Service Mobile Capabilities for Field Technicians

Discrete Manufacturing

Discrete manufacturing doesn’t follow the rules of mass production. There’s no formula or repeatable process in place for transforming raw materials into sellable inventory like t-shirts, potato chips, or frozen pizzas.

Instead, discrete manufacturing companies usually operate out of multiple worksites, each responsible for producing a one piece of a single end product. Think — cars, smartphones, or industrial equipment. For example, an automotive company might have one branch making sensors, another making doors, windows, and other exterior components, and another assembling various parts.

FSM software is used in discrete manufacturing to lower costs, streamline and optimize field service operations, and manage complex production and supply chain processes.

But, field service solutions are only one part of the bigger picture. Discrete manufacturers depend on a wide range of technologies — ERPs and CRMs, CAD/CAM design tools, MOM software, and so on.

That means, it’s critical that IT leaders invest in embedded solutions that bring all of these capabilities together — and deliver insights and information to service techs in a way that supports their unique set of needs.

Read the full piece to learn more about FSM and its role in discrete manufacturing.

Facilities Management

Facilities management encompasses everything it takes to ensure the safety, security, sustainability, and functionality of buildings, infrastructure, and grounds where people live, work, or play. That includes everything from leasing and project planning to energy management, space optimization, disaster response & recovery, and maintenance jobs.

Facilities managers rely on FSM software to manage day-to-day tasks, plan ahead, and adapt to the unexpected.

In this article, we look at some of the ways facilities management orgs benefit from effective field service management.

Final Thoughts

The “field services” space is incredibly diverse. A discrete manufacturing company will inevitably have different needs than a home services or commercial HVAC operation. Still, even within each niche group, you’ll find a ton of variation.

FSM solutions must always be driven by your org’s unique priorities, pain points, and general requirements. These niche technologies, providers, accelerators, and integrations make it easier to meet those hyper-specific needs. But — you still need to put in the work.

For over three decades, Velosio has worked with field service orgs across a broad-spectrum range of industries – from commercial HVAC to medical device suppliers and beyond. Our field service experts draw on their experiences in the trenches – running call center and service operations – and hundreds of client engagements spanning many years and niche verticals.