ARCHIVE FOR THE ‘scheduling’ CATEGORY
Apr 08, 2019 • Features • Management • Paul Whitelam • ClickSoftware • healthcare • scheduling
2018 saw continued merger and acquisition activity in the home healthcare and related markets as firms moved to build out their services footprint, offerings and build economies of scale.
And 2019 appears to be trending in the same direction. However, it is quite possible that many providers that have a mobile team delivering care in the field fail to understand the complexity that comes with size and multiple service offerings, especially as it relates to scheduling ever growing teams in the field.
Many organizations do not understand that as the number of appointments increase, the scheduling complexity does not increase linearly. In fact, it is not even close! The reason complexity does not increase in a linear manner is due to the fact that each scheduling decision has a factorial growth. For example, here are the number of scheduling possibilities for various jobs:
• There are 6 possible schedules for 3 jobs and 3 nurses;
• There are 720 possible schedules for 6 jobs and 6 nurses;
• There are 3,682,800 possible schedules for 10 jobs and 10 nurses.
This is why it is important that healthcare providers utilize scheduling software that can handle such complexities. Scheduling optimization technology, found in Field Service Management (FSM) software, enables organizations to create detailed schedules that can handle the complex scenarios detailed above.
Optimizing the schedule for an organization with hundreds to thousands of nurses and care providers is far beyond the capability of simplistic scheduling products (not to mention manual approaches). The complexity is due to the number of events that must be taken into account when developing a schedule such as travel distance, travel time, overtime costs, labor costs, employee availability and skills, patient or member availability and preferences, contractor availability, regulations and a myriad of other inputs. With FSM schedule optimization, an organization can create an optimal schedule that meets unique business rules that can:
• Minimize associated costs related to care delivery such as travel time, overtime and missed appointments;
• Meet patient and regulatory requirements by assigning only the person with the correct skill set for the visit.
An emerging trend in the home healthcare space is providers offering new services that deliver specialized, hospital-level care. For example, one program provides a 7 day a week offering that promises a 2-hour response to a patient call. While the benefits to the patient are great, the potential strain on the organization that has to schedule these appointments could prove to be difficult.
"As healthcare organizations scale, they need to invest in technologies like FSM software..."
The organization will need to estimate capacity, understand who can make the appointment (taking into account travel time and other business objectives) and who has the correct skill set to deliver care. These variables highlight the need for schedule optimization (and capacity planning) to calculate all of these variables to help deliver cost effective and safe care while delivering on their promise.
Schedule optimization provides real, tangible business results for organizations. The approach organizations take to optimize scheduling and appointment booking often depends on unique business policy and goals. Some healthcare organizations might prioritize on time arrivals or decreasing overtime, while others might prioritize a reduction in travel time. With schedule optimization software, organizations can define business goals and quality metrics, then tune the scheduling policy to comply with these variables. For example, let’s look at an organization that prioritizes on-time arrivals as a key business KPI. You have two customers who live on opposite ends of town and there’s only one nurse available in the area that is certified to deliver care. How can this organization meet the patient and regulatory requirements while maintaining business policy?
If that nurse runs into unexpected traffic, or the previous appointment runs over, he might arrive late to the next visit. With schedule optimization, the scheduler can recognize the possible conflict and assign the appointments with enough buffer to ensure an on-time arrival, meeting that business objective and satisfying a patient need.
FSM software provides advanced schedule optimization that enable a healthcare provider to schedule and manage hundreds to thousands of patient appointments. Not only does this help control costs with better routing and a reduction in overtime, it also helps to deliver a better experience for both the patient and the employee. For example, extended travel times can increase turnover among caregivers. In fact, a study that found that for every 15-mile increment that an employee must travel to a client, that provider becomes two times more likely to leave the organization. In an industry that is struggling to find and keep talent, improving travel time can be a great employee retention tool.
As healthcare organizations scale, they need to invest in technologies like FSM software that will help enable this growth in order to cost effectively improve operations and, most importantly, ensure that patient care does not suffer.
Paul Whitelam is VP Product Marketing at ClickSoftware.
Oct 03, 2018 • News • FLS • fast lean smart • field service • field service management • scheduling • Service Management • Software and Apps • Gilbarco Veeder Root
Gilbarco Veeder-Root — the leading petrol forecourt equipment and services provider in the UK — has learned that route planning software really can work. Enter Fast Lean Smart (FLS) and its particular brand of automation.
Gilbarco Veeder-Root — the leading petrol forecourt equipment and services provider in the UK — has learned that route planning software really can work. Enter Fast Lean Smart (FLS) and its particular brand of automation.
Major petrol station brands, supermarket chains and independent dealers up and down the country rely on Gilbarco. By extension, so do millions of motorists. Gilbarco Veeder Root is charged with maintaining the equipment it provides by way of an extensive national network of field engineers. With so many forecourts to look after, Gilbarco Veeder Root’s operation has to be efficient and smart.
Until now, the smartest way of doing things has been manual. Gilbarco Veeder Root had tried automation years ago. It implemented a scheduling program that didn’t prove intelligent enough to plan routes that reflected the real-life business environment. Nor was it flexible enough to react to changes in that environment which include 2-hour responses.
It’s understandable, then, that when FLS approached Gilbarco with promises of radically improved scheduling efficiency through automation, David Cope — UK Operations Director for Gilbarco Veeder Root — was sceptical.
The main reason Gilbarco Veeder Root was willing to consider a change was because FLS lets prospective customers trial its software first. “We’d tried scheduling software before and it didn’t work, so I wasn’t sure how VISITOUR was going to benefit us,” says David. “However, FLS were keen for us to see that it worked in practice and come to our own conclusions before committing to a sale. We didn’t have that choice with the old system.”
David continues, “As a first step they offered to run a test using data from planned maintenance and customer callouts we had scheduled manually. We were expecting them to say that their software could schedule our callouts maybe 5-10% more efficiently. When they brought back a figure of 30-40%, it really was too compelling to ignore and we, therefore, agreed to proceed with a trial.”
Gilbarco Veeder Root trialled FLS VISITOUR and FLS MOBILE in live use for a chosen geographic area. FLS VISITOUR schedules callouts and plans optimised appointments and routes in real time, taking into account traffic-based driving times and the changing priorities of the business. FLS MOBILE provides comprehensive on-the-road support for field engineers and streamlines communication between them, the office and the customer.
David explains, “We were impressed with the results. FLS VISITOUR makes intelligent decisions based on what’s important to our business and can adapt quickly to changing circumstances in a way the old system couldn’t. FLS MOBILE is going to improve the service we provide, particularly to our independent dealers, who we’ve had trouble keeping in touch with because of the complexity involved. FLS MOBILE will keep them up to date by sending automated messages with our arrival times.”
Following the successful trial, an interface was required between FLS and Gilbarco Veeder Root’s service management system to prepare for rollout. Their system has limited integration support and FLS worked with the supplier’s developers to create an innovative solution. David adds, “We were determined to solve the interface because we knew the size of the prize. The one thing that stood out through the transition was that FLS were always on hand to assist us, FLS could stand for Fast Lean Smart or Friends Lending Support — both fit well for me. We are delighted with our choice of FLS and to have enabled the benefits of VISITOUR to be realised nationally.”
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Sep 07, 2018 • Features • Michael Blumberg • workforce management • Workforce Scheduling • Blumberg Advisory Group • dynamic scheduling • field service • field service management • scheduling • Service Management • Software and Apps
Scheduling software has long been a foundational technology for field service companies allowing them to meet customer demands. Michael Blumberg lifts the lid on all of the key aspects of this crucial tool...
Scheduling software has long been a foundational technology for field service companies allowing them to meet customer demands. Michael Blumberg lifts the lid on all of the key aspects of this crucial tool...
If you have spent any time in Field Service, you probably understand the importance of managing service delivery functions against key performance indicators (KPIs). Among the most critical KPIs in the Field Service Leaders track are First Time Fix (FTF), Service Level Agreement (SLA) Compliance or Onsite Response Time (ORT), and Mean Time to Repair (MTTR). These KPIs measure the effectiveness of a Field Service Organization (FSOs) in delivering quality service in a timely manner.
The inability to meet KPI targets may result in exponential costs, customer attrition and loss of revenue; whereas the ability to exceed customer expectations can result in customer appreciation followed by an increase in profit margins and sales. To effectively schedule/dispatch the right technician to arrive on time with the right parts and skillset plays a significant role in meeting these outcomes. This is definitely not a small feat for your typical FSO.
"Scheduling and dispatching Field Service Engineers (FSE) poses a challenge for most FSOs, particularly those with more than 5 FSEs. The reason behind this is there are many variables and factors involved..."
Scheduling and dispatching Field Service Engineers (FSE) poses a challenge for most FSOs, particularly those with more than 5 FSEs. The reason behind this is there are many variables and factors involved.
An FSO with only one or two FSEs and a few customers may not perceive scheduling to be a major challenge. The volume of service requests may be relatively low while the options of who, when and where to send them may be rather limited. Scheduling becomes more of a challenge as the volume of service requests (i.e., customers) and the number of FSEs increases.
Adding to this complexity are the business objectives and/or constraints an FSO must optimize to meet its scheduling requirements.
With additional constraints or objectives, the more difficult it becomes to produce a solid schedule. For example, if the objective is to only meet a response time commitment to the customer, then the decision is easy - assign the FSE who can arrive in a timely manner at the customer’s site.
If FTF, MTTR, and/or SLA Compliance targets are also part of the equation, it becomes even more difficult to produce that solid schedule. Adding a profit margin objective, high call volumes, multiple geographies, and a sizable pool of FSEs, the decision becomes even more overwhelming.
"The reason why scheduling is so excruciating of a task is that there are numerous factors that an FSO would need to create and evaluate to determine the optimal assignment for each FSE..."
The reason why scheduling is so excruciating of a task is that there are numerous factors that an FSO would need to create and evaluate to determine the optimal assignment for each FSE.
This is a time-consuming activity that requires an extensive amount of computational power to achieve. Many companies have suffered from a loss of time and resources in dealing with confusion and potential human error. The solution is Dynamic Scheduling Software.
Dynamic Scheduling Software provides FSOs with the feature-rich functionality that streamlines, automates, and optimizes scheduling decisions.
This technology ensures the FSO sends the assigned technician to the right job having the proper skill set and arriving on time. These applications typically leverage a scheduling engine that optimizes FSE job assignment. Scheduling engines vary in their complexity ranging from those based on business rules to Linear Programming (i.e. goodness of fit) techniques, Operations Research Algorithms (e.g., Quantum Annealing, Genetic Algorithms, etc.), or Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Self-Learning applications.
The complexity of the scheduling problem, number and types of resources involved, duration of tasks, and objectives to be optimized play a role in determining which scheduling engine is most functional.
Critical factors to consider may include whether the scheduling engine can handle:
- multi-day projects or short duration field service visits,
- people and assets (e.g., tools, parts, trucks, equipment) or solely people,
- the number and types of KPIs that are part of the objective, and
- route planning requirements.
In evaluating Dynamic Scheduling Software, FSOs are also advised to consider the following criteria:
- Cloud versus On-Premise Deployment Options
- Speed and Ease of Implementation
- Integration with Back-office Systems
- Availability of Real-time Visibility by the Customer
- FSO Requirements for Best of Breed or Integrated Enterprise Solution
- Total Cost of Ownership
- Return on Investment
- Vendor Industry Knowledge and Experience
There are over a dozen software vendors who offer some form of dynamic scheduling functionality for field service.
Obviously, no two Dynamic Scheduling applications are alike. Each one has their points of differentiation. The best solution is a function of the level of importance the FSO places on each criterion and how each vendor meets these criteria.
Regardless of which vendor is selected, the benefits of Dynamic Scheduling are clear.
In fact, industry benchmarks show that companies who implement these types of solutions can achieve a 20% to 25% improvement in operating efficiency, field service productivity, and utilization. The impact on bottom line profitability and customer satisfaction is substantial. To enable FSOs to provide customers with an Uber-like experience and significant profitability, FSOs should consider deploying Dynamic Scheduling Software as part of their service delivery infrastructure.
Michael Blumberg, is President of the Blumberg Advisory Group
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Jul 03, 2018 • News • Aqualisa • FLS • FLSVISITOUR • Kieran McNally • WOrkforce Optimization • Derek Goldsmith • fast lean smart • field service • field service management • Home Services • scheduling • Software and Apps
The company that made UK showers smart is about to do the same to its scheduling operation, by overhauling it with powerful new software from Fast Lean Smart (FLS).
The company that made UK showers smart is about to do the same to its scheduling operation, by overhauling it with powerful new software from Fast Lean Smart (FLS).
Aqualisa was the brainchild of founder Derek Goldsmith, an engineer who bound together two dissimilar metals to create the Bi-Metallic Coil in 1976, making cold showers a thing of the past. In the 00s, Aqualisa introduced the digital shower, which provides consistent, no-fluctuation water temperature at the touch of a button. Over the years, Aqualisa’s smart showers have become ever more sophisticated, particularly with the recent introduction of the QTM, which has personalised functions promising the perfect shower.
Aqualisa employs a network of field engineers to service and maintain its showers, which are supplied under warranties of up to five years. To book maintenance appointments, Aqualisa used scheduling software that did the job but was limited in scope and had received very few updates since it was implemented. Kieran McNally, field service manager for Aqualisa, explains, “We knew there were better products on the market. So as our contract with the previous provider came up for renewal, we shopped around, attended exhibitions, and invited potential vendors to present their product. FLS was one of them.”
The way the data is presented makes it easy to read, understand and manipulate, so we can see what’s happening across the whole service chain.FLS demoed its real-time scheduler and route optimiser, FLS VISITOUR, and offered an initial test: taking jobs already scheduled by the old system and seeing if FLS VISITOUR could do it better. Without changing appointments, FLS VISITOUR brought back a 9% fuel saving and showed the potential for much more if it had been used to schedule the appointments in the first place.
“The fuel saving was significant, and was one of the reasons why we chose the system” says Kieran. “There were other factors too. FLS VISITOUR has a number of cost- and time-saving functions the old system didn’t. For example, if an engineer phones in sick, the system will automatically reassign their jobs or propose the most economical engineer if overtime is required. The on-screen graphics are well laid out too. The way the data is presented makes it easy to read, understand and manipulate, so we can see what’s happening across the whole service chain.”
Aqualisa proceeded with a ‘try before you buy’ trial, which FLS offers all new customers. This involved a light integration with Aqualisa’s service management system, Tesseract, and live operation for eight engineers. “The results of the trial were really positive,” says Kieran. “Mileage costs were reduced and we saw an increase in the average number of jobs per day. We quickly learnt how to use the system and received a very good, very accommodating service from FLS.”
With the business case for using the software proven, FLS VISITOUR will be deployed company-wide this month. For Kieran the outlook is positive. “It’s a huge improvement on the system we had before and makes us far more efficient than we were. What’s more, FLS is constantly refining it, making it better for customers, so that we can provide a better service to ours.”
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May 01, 2018 • Fleet Technology • News • Fuel Cards • BP • fleet management • scheduling • tomtom
An innovative fuel and driver management solution from TomTomTelematics and BP has helped logistics specialists Corporate Solutions cut fuel costs by 8.1 percent.
An innovative fuel and driver management solution from TomTomTelematics and BP has helped logistics specialists Corporate Solutions cut fuel costs by 8.1 percent.
The Birmingham-based company, which provides bespoke temperature controlled and ambient distribution services, introduced BP FleetMove Pro across its 100-strong HGV fleet in June 2017.
The new integrated system combines BP fuel card information with vehicle location, fuel consumption, driver behaviour and vehicle maintenance data from WEBFLEET, TomTom Telematics’ fleet management solution. This provides full visibility and control over how fuel is being used across the entire fleet in one, easy-to-use interface.
Instead of checking thousands of individual fuel card transactions manually every year, the company now receives fuel card exception reports Instead of checking thousands of individual fuel card transactions manually every year, the company now receives fuel card exception reports. These highlight at a glance if there is an anomaly that might indicate fraudulent card use, such as when a fuel card transaction and vehicle location do not match.
WEBFLEET’s integral OptiDrive 360 functionality meanwhile – which gives drivers in-cab feedback and advice on a number of key indicators affecting fuel efficiency, including speeding, idling, sudden braking and harsh steering – has helped improve fleet mpg by 9.2 percent.
In addition, weekly fuel consumption reports have highlighted a clear correlation between fuel wastage due to idling and number of accidents, triggering targeted driver training.
“We’re delighted with the results,” says Stuart Payne, Commercial Director at Corporate Solutions. “Combining different streams of data in this way makes everyone’s life easier, helping us to save time and reduce operating costs.”
Further benefits to the company include WEBFLEET alerts that highlight when any of the vehicles’ dashcam cameras are no longer working, helping to plug any evidence gaps for future insurance claims.
Scheduled integration with the incumbent routing and scheduling system means the company will soon be able to send drivers directions to the most appropriate BP stations on each route to help them get the best fuel deals.
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Apr 23, 2018 • News • FLS • optimised scheduling • RMPFS • fast lean smart • field service • Royal Mail • Royal Mail Property & Facilities Solutions • scheduling • Software and Apps
Fast Lean Smart (FLS) is working with Royal Mail Property & Facilities Solutions (RMPFS) to implement a new scheduling software system to increase productivity and establish a site ownership model.
Fast Lean Smart (FLS) is working with Royal Mail Property & Facilities Solutions (RMPFS) to implement a new scheduling software system to increase productivity and establish a site ownership model.
RMPFS wanted to upgrade its current scheduling and route planning software to achieve new levels of efficiency and productivity from its service operations. The company’s existing system is over 10 years old and no longer meets its needs.
“We looked at several scheduling and route planning systems providers, FLS being one of them,” says Scott Maddocks, Project Manager for RMPFS.
“After the initial demonstration, we carried out a number of FLS customer site visits to see the software in action. We engaged our management teams, our engineers and our unions because we wanted them all to be happy that the software would work.”
After the initial demonstration, we carried out a number of FLS customer site visits to see the software in action. We engaged our management teams, our engineers and our unions because we wanted them all to be happy that the software would work.In the end, FLS came out on top. “We chose FLS for a number of reasons,” says Scott. “The user front end was better than the other products we looked at, and FLS gave us confidence that their software could be integrated with our existing service management system. We also thought that FLS would be good to work with, more agile and better able to deliver what we wanted than the other suppliers.”
One of RMPFS’s goals was to plan jobs more efficiently. FLS’s ability to plan optimised routes in real time will help it do this. FLS software takes into account specific business priorities, traffic-based driving times and countless other variables for both planned and reactive work. RMPFS also wants to reduce the number of return visits its engineers have to do. FLS will give them a portal where they can see four weeks of planned work in advance and allocate the necessary resources to each job. Engineers will be able to request job assists and equipment hire in advance of the job using the new portal.
Another key requirement for RMPFS was the establishment of a site ownership model, i.e. the allocation of tasks to preferred engineers according to a set of criteria to ensure that the right skills are in the right place at the right time. “We wanted software that could navigate several tiers of engineer choices, to allow them to build their site knowledge and relationships and reduce their travel time,” says Scott. “FLS proved that its system was up to the challenge and could enable our engineers to work at preferred sites in preferred regions based on an extensive and complex series of rules.”
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Jan 02, 2018 • Features • Fleet Technology • LCV • Driver Fatigue • DVSA • Fleet Managers • HGV • scheduling • sergio barata • SLAs • telogis • Parts Pricing and Logistics
The most successful logistics managers (and sleigh based delivery drivers) were likely those who could turn to technology to cope with the busiest (and most wonderful) time of the year writes Sergio Barata, General Manager EMEA, Telogis
The most successful logistics managers (and sleigh based delivery drivers) were likely those who could turn to technology to cope with the busiest (and most wonderful) time of the year writes Sergio Barata, General Manager EMEA, Telogis
During the recent holiday season whilst people up and down the country were purchasing piles of food, beverages and presents for their friends and families, spare a thought for those who were able to help make this period as the song goes the most wonderful time of the year.
For fleet managers, this represents one of the most challenging periods on the calendar.
Each year, we hear horror stories of traffic jams and huge queues of HGVs and LCVs snaking for miles outside of distribution centres. We hear about angry customers waiting for their parcels and how it has ruined the holiday. With so many elements to juggle, how can fleet operators keep on top of everything?
Most importantly, how can they ensure their customers get all their present in time?
With research showing that more than half of fleet executives still use manual systems for everyday fleet management tasks, it’s no surprise that many fleets are struggling to cope with the increased holiday workload.
Technology is like Santa’s little helper for fleet and logistics managers, as it plays a vital role in helping to balance distribution centre schedules, driver timings and route traffic and ultimately keep everyone happy. For fleet operators who want to stay ahead of the competition, there’s no time to lose to adopt the latest tech.
Avoiding queues at customers or distribution centres
Long lines of vans and lorries parked outside depots and distribution centres can lead to angry locals – or even a visit from the police – and cause delays for anxious customers waiting for their packages. For fleet managers, it is vital to first look at their Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to establish what is expected of them, and then plan accordingly with the distribution centres in advance to map out the best timings for goods collection.
A study earlier this year found that congestion in the UK’s major cities has created a 20 per cent decline in average vehicle speeds
Avoiding traffic jams with smarter route planning Even without the additional holiday traffic clogging up the roads, a study
earlier this year found that congestion in the UK’s major cities has created a 20 per cent decline in average vehicle speeds, resulting in a whopping 324.3 billion miles of delays altogether – and this is costing our economy around £9bn.
As a result, optimising routes to avoid traffic and achieve marginal gains is more important than ever. MRM provides managers with live analytics that allows them to plan out the best routes beforehand and establish which
driver is best placed to arrive at the desired destination the soonest, as well as being able to manage time slot deliveries. The technology can then track the vehicle’s location once it’s out on the road, and even re-route the driver at a moment’s notice if road conditions suddenly change.
With in the moment visibility over the status and location of each customer’s delivery, this not only means that drivers can take the most efficient routes, potentially reducing idling and fuel consumption, but also that managers are able to respond quickly and knowledgeably to customer questions if unexpected eventualities arise. This can ensure that customer satisfaction will
remain high even if unavoidable delays do occur.
Assisting in planning more effective schedules
Driver schedules can also be a real headache during the holiday season. Fleet and logistics managers constantly battle to make sure hours are allocated as efficiently as possible, and at the same time send the best-placed drivers to various different locations.
If not done properly, managers risk over-burdening some drivers, resulting in them clocking up hour after hour of overtime, while other drivers may remain under-utilised. Not only does unplanned overtime eat into margins, but drivers will become tired and overworked on top of all the stress of the busy holiday period.
With the DVSA suggesting it will clamp down on driver fatigue by issuing fines or infringement notices retrospectively, it has never been more important to get scheduling right. Tech platforms can monitor and analyse driver performance, analysing when drivers start their shifts, how many stops they have made, and what time they have completed their deliveries, helping to know drivers are where they should be at all times.
As everyone was enjoying the holidays, the last thing anyone wanted was to be spending the next couple of weeks anxiously wondering where their deliveries are, and certainly no company wants to be responsible for dampening the festive cheer.
As everyone was enjoying the holidays, the last thing anyone wanted was to be spending the next couple of weeks anxiously wondering where their deliveries are, and certainly no company wants to be responsible for dampening the festive cheer.
Fleet managers therefore must ensure that they are on top of their logistics as simply relying on outdated technology will no longer suffice.
They need something that is mobile and is able to scale as the business requires. Those with the right technology supporting them can not only increase their chances of getting meeting customers’ heightened expectations, they can manage costs, increase revenue and have a happy and prosperous holiday period.
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Oct 25, 2017 • Features • assisted scheduling • Contract Management • Kevin McNally • optimised scheduling • dynamic scheduling • scheduling • Software and Apps • software and apps • Asolvi
Tesseract’s Sales Director Kevin McNally, with over 15 year’s experience in the industry, explores the key elements with Kris Oldland Editor of Field Service News...
Tesseract’s Sales Director Kevin McNally, with over 15 year’s experience in the industry, explores the key elements with Kris Oldland Editor of Field Service News...
Want to know more? A white paper on this topic is available for Field Service News subscribers only - but if you are a Field Service Professional you may well qualify for a complimentary industry practitioner subscription!
Click here to apply for your subscription now and we’ll send you the white paper to your inbox now instantly as a thank you for your time!
[dropcap]F[/dropcap]ield Service Management technology has become essential to service delivery excellence. Service excellence is no longer a USP but a baseline requirement. However, whilst technologies such as IoT and Augmented Reality are grabbing the headlines their potential is greatly diminished unless you have a fundamental layer of technology in place already.
This two part article explores what to expect from a FSM system and offers best-practice tips to help you get the most from your investment...
Contract Management:
[quote]“The starting piece for everything is the contract and the control of the contract. Without that in place it is very difficult to bring everything else on top of that.” Kevin McNally, Tesseract.
Contract management is often viewed as the starting point of almost everything within field service management operations. Without a view of your service contracts you cannot have to hand the answers for critical questions such as:
- What is the SLA on any given contract?
- Is a client under warranty or do they have an enhanced level of service contract
- Does a contract include spare parts and/or consumables?
- Is the service contract due for renewal?[/unordered_list]
You could be at risk of potentially not meeting your client’s expectations and so putting the potential of renewing or upselling service to that client in danger in the future – or on the other side of the coin, you could be giving valuable service away for free.
From the point of view of understanding the assets and also the entitlement that the customer is due as we go through a process of raising a service call or indeed, raising a sales order, we need to fundamentally understand what we should be doing with the entitlement for each specific client.
Scheduling:
[quote]Optimised Scheduling in our world tends to be more geared to the planned maintenance aspects of service calls – i.e. for those companies who are looking to do things in advance and are looking for the best possible route to achieve this – Kevin McNally, Tesseract
Scheduling comes in a number of different guises and the various different names given to types of scheduling options can be a somewhat confusing but broadly scheduling will come in three flavours:
- Assisted Scheduling: Assisted Schedulers are essentially a manual tool, that as the name denotes offer a layer of assistance to the dispatcher making their job that little bit easier and thus increasing efficiency.
- Optimised Scheduling: With an optimised scheduling tool most of the work is done by the system. It will search through the scheduled service jobs and the available engineers and pull together an optimised work schedule for the day taking into account things like travel times and distances, priority jobs and field engineer skillsets etc. However, when things fall outside of established parameters, it is down to the dispatcher to make necessary adjustments to the schedule to make sure SLAs are met etc.
- Dynamic Scheduling: Dynamic scheduling is a further evolution of optimised scheduling that draws in data from mobile applications and telematics data etc to continuously revise the schedule throughout the day, reacting to situations such as a delayed engineer and reallocating jobs to ensure that the days schedule is continuously optimised.[/unordered_list]
Ultimately, when it comes to scheduling, it really is a case of horses for courses and establishing what is the best fit for your organisation.
Whilst not all companies will see a need for a dynamic scheduler, all but the smallest of organisations can benefit from at least some form of optimisation within their scheduling solution and the efficiencies that can be delivered are significant so it is an area of your FSM solution that you should get to understand and know fully.
Want to know more? A white paper on this topic is available for Field Service News subscribers only - but if you are a Field Service Professional you may well qualify for a complimentary industry practitioner subscription!
Click here to apply for your subscription now and we’ll send you the white paper to your inbox now instantly as a thank you for your time!
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Jul 21, 2017 • video • mplsystems • Video • Field Service Management Expo • Genetic Algorithms • scheduling • Software and Apps • software and apps
Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News reports live from the Field Service Management Expo where he spoke to Susannah Richardson and Neil Jones of mplsystems about the launch of AESOP a genetic algorithm based scheduling engine...
Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News reports live from the Field Service Management Expo where he spoke to Susannah Richardson and Neil Jones of mplsystems about the launch of AESOP a genetic algorithm based scheduling engine...
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