Ever since online shopping became the way of life for the masses, fast shipping and efficient deliveries have become a top priority for businesses. Be it a brick-and-mortar or online store, businesses need channelised field force management to make seamless deliveries. The wait window for customers is getting shorter, as 80% expect retailers to provide a same-day delivery option. And 76.3% of these consumers want their packages within 3 hours of ordering.
This demand is at an all-time high, and you require an enormous field workforce to fulfill it. However, you need effective strategies and tools to manage this huge fleet of workers. Many shipping and delivery processes, including shipment tracking, transactions, workforce attendance, reporting, daily work updates, etc., are taken up daily. This is where organised field force management in logistics becomes inevitable.
If you want exceptional delivery and order management results, read this article to understand how to use field force management in your business.
How does Field Force Management Works?
Field force or field service management (FSM) manages resources used outside the company property. This comprises activities including:
- Vehicle monitoring
- Scheduling and dispatching workers
- Field sales
- Strictly following safety procedures
- Managing field personnel work/activity
In addition to these activities, field force management includes other on-site aspects, like inventory control, invoicing, and managing employee systems. Proper field force management is particularly necessary to keep customers happy, maintain high productivity levels, and avoid other mishaps.
However, the number of variables involved in this process can overwhelm businesses. So, many choose to hire third-party organisations, like shipping companies with advanced field force management technology, to handle the complex operations.
The high-tech software can be accessed from computing devices and mobile apps. It helps collect and analyse a large amount of data, which makes monitoring field services easier.
By analysing this data, you can:
- Anticipate the approximate time a service will take.
- Pinpoint recurring issues in the field workforce.
- Find the best route your field personnel should take.
- Solve field problems promptly with real-time tests and diagnostics.
Plus, the expertise of such a partner helps businesses manage the field workforce effortlessly.
Make Managing Easier with Field Force Optimisation
As technology and data make their way into field force management, you have an optimised system working at its full potential. This is how you can easily streamline your field workforce:
Automate Operations
Automation makes everyday tasks easier by reducing manual work and the chances of errors. You can manage scheduling, dispatching, and route planning automatically, allowing your teams to finish their due tasks without delays. More than 70% of employees say that automation technology accelerates their workflow.
When you automate data collection, your field workforce managers can even track performance, recognise patterns, and make smart decisions without going through immense paperwork. Plus, the real-time communication tools keep field teams connected, helping them solve problems quickly.
About 9 in 10 employees count on automation solutions to deliver error-free results. Automation makes your system more efficient by assigning the right tasks to the right people according to their skills and availability also improves efficiency.
Focus on Performance Tracking and Monitoring
Keeping track of field operations in real-time helps you stay on top of schedules and expectations. You can use GPS tracking, which allows managers to see where their teams are and how they are progressing. It reduces delays and missed deadlines.
Moreover, performance dashboards with detailed insights give you a clear picture of individual and team performance. So you can easily adjust your field management strategies when required. An average of 65% of the workforce is more engaged when firms employ performance-tapping practices like continuous feedback. An engaged workforce is more productive, potentially leading to higher profits.
Plus, regularly monitoring things like task completion rates, customer feedback, and time spent on assignments shows you the areas that need modification or improvement and keeps teams working efficiently.
Improvise Team Communication and Collaboration
Solid and transparent communication keeps your operations running without interruptions. So, give your field teams mobile tools. It lets them access job details, send updates, and receive instructions instantly.
Also, push team members to share their experiences through digital platforms. It helps everyone involved stay informed and make their approach better. Businesses that utilise social technologies to improve communication and collaboration have seen a 20-25% increase in workforce productivity, reveals a survey by McKinsey.
Plus, collecting feedback from field teams also helps you see which processes can be refined for smoother day-to-day task execution.
Benefits Of Field Force Management For Workers
Field workforce management, when done right, has its perks, which look something like this:
Higher Productivity: Companies that have adopted field service management (FSM) software see an average 24% productivity increase within the first year. Effectively organising field workforce tasks and optimising routes boosts efficiency plus helps field workers do more of what matters. The result is that you wake up to more productive workdays.
Lowered Costs: You can save money by cutting down travel time and minimising overtime with proper field workforce management in action. Businesses adopting FSM solutions see a 14% – 18% reduction in their costs, mainly through better workforce utilisation and lesser overtime. The profits naturally increase, and these cost savings can be reinvested into other business areas. It benefits your company in the long run.
Better Customer Service: Organisations that use FSM software have observed a 31% higher customer satisfaction score than those relying on manual processes. When your field workers are given productive tools and the right plus timely information, they can fix customer problems on the spot. It creates happier clients and stronger relationships.
Smarter Decision-Making: Data analytics and insights extracted from it give managers and employees live information about the task progress and results. The merging of IoT (Internet of Things) devices with field service platforms has gone up by 38% since 2023, enabling predictive maintenance and better resource allocation.
Having access to real-time data on what’s happening on the field helps managers act fast. They make more informed and intelligent decisions, from resource allocation to fine-tuning training and workflows.
More Employee Retention: When employees feel supported with the right tools and a well-coordinated or automated system, they’re happier and more productive. It increases loyalty and reduces turnover. Firms with advanced FSM systems see an 18% higher employee retention rate because of increased job satisfaction and reduced burnout.
Key Elements of a Great Field Workforce System
Workforce management is about organising and improving how you plan your human resources, assign them work, and schedule their activities to meet your business’s needs.
Here are some of the primary aspects of a well-coordinated field workforce ecosystem:
Planning Workforce Requirements
Predicting staffing needs based on past data, current trends, and expected business changes helps you prepare for future demands. This approach ensures the right number of employees are there to keep operations running smoothly.
For example, Amazon uses advanced data analytics to predict demand spikes during events like Prime Day. It allows the eCommerce retail giant to scale up its warehouse staff in advance to manage increased order volumes.
Creating Work Schedules
Planning work schedules in a way that matches business demands helps maintain productivity while avoiding understaffing or overstaffing. Well-structured schedules improve employee engagement, leading to better work quality and customer satisfaction.
McDonald’s, for instance, uses workforce management software to align staff schedules with peak dining hours. It helps them increase service speed and keep labour costs under control.
Tracking Work Hours and Attendance
Tracking work hours, break times, and attendance helps businesses follow labor laws, maintain productivity, and process payroll accurately. Elon Musk’s Tesla, for example, has digital time-tracking systems at its Gigafactories to monitor employee shifts. The company is able to optimise labour costs and also follow labour regulations.
Monitoring Performance and Goals
Assigning tasks, setting goals, and monitoring progress help you manage your employees’ performance better. The constant feedback, immediate issue resolutions, and implementation of new strategies make the workforce more efficient.
For instance, Zappos, the online retailer known for its customer service, keeps track of key performance metrics like how quickly their customer service reps answer calls and how satisfied customers are with their support. By looking at this data, managers can find areas where the team can do better and also recognise the top performers for a job well done.
Best Practices for Managing Field Teams Successfully
Coordinating the field workforce takes conscious planning, clear communication, and regular monitoring. Here are a few tips to help you do this in the best way:
Clarify Expectations & Set Clear Goals: Be clear about what’s expected, give your field staff purpose-driven, specific tasks, and clearly define your high-end objectives. Set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timebound) goals. This will help your field workers understand their work better and increase their productivity levels.
Encourage Open Communication: Keep communication lines open so your team can easily reach out, share updates, and ask questions. Poor communication can cause missed updates or important information to be overlooked. To prevent this, you must choose communication channels that enable quick and direct exchanges, like phone calls, messages, or collaborative platforms.
Deploy the Right Systems: Invest in tools or software that help everyone stay organised, whether for managing tasks or tracking time. You can use project management tools, time tracking and productivity apps, communication software, file storage and collaboration, and many more tools to manage your field workforce effectively.
Give Constructive Feedback: 80% of employees like to get immediate feedback rather than wait for their yearly performance reviews. Give your team feedback with care, pushing employee growth without causing harm.
- Avoid personal attacks and observe your employees’ strengths, weaknesses, and emotions before offering feedback.
- Acknowledge good performance, use ice-breakers in tense moments, and conduct anonymous surveys to gauge team sentiment.
- Create a conducive work environment by being open to feedback and fostering a balanced, supportive atmosphere.
Streamline Processes: Use smart tech or software to automate or manage task assignment, field activity, and performance monitoring. So that field managers, field workers, top management and everyone else involved is in the loop about the activities. When teams and supervisors are on the same page, things run smoothly.
How Shiprocket Cargo Helps You Manage Field Deliveries
If you’re looking for an all-in-one solution to manage your fleet diligently, you can trust Shiprocket Cargo. We make managing field deliveries a breeze by providing advanced tools and resources for greater operational efficiency.
With Shiprocket Cargo, you get facilities like:
- Real-time tracking
- Automated dispatching
- Performance analytics
- AI-powered shipping platform
Integrating technology with field workforce management makes delivery processes smoother, resulting in customer satisfaction.
Conclusion
Field force management is more than a logistics challenge; it’s a major factor in helping businesses be competent and efficient. You must put effort and resources into optimising your field workforce using advanced technology and creating better communication channels. This will make your teams highly productive, heighten your customers’ satisfaction levels, and save costs.
Shipping firms like Shiprocket Cargo make the right investments in field force management tools and systems. Field workforce management tools simplify operations and allow you to meet growing customer demands. Partnering with such companies can help you deliver exceptional service to customers.
