How a Field Service Management software can drive an eco-friendly service delivery lifecycle
More than ever before, taking initiatives for minimizing the environmental impact of human actions has become imperative. The dramatic consequences of climate change are reflected in the state of Greenland's ice, which in 2019 reached a melting record. A new study proves that climate change is causing the Arctic Circle to heat up twice as fast as areas at lower latitudes.*
A Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy will undoubtedly provide the framework for organisations to operate in sustainable ways. However, the responsibility should not stop there as a big part of the business activities lies in the daily tasks of the employees. Incorporating environmentally friendly practices across daily tasks is necessary to drive this goal. When it comes to industries that strongly rely on mobility and fast data processing for supplying their services, such as manufacturing, logistics, transport, telecom, energy, and more, a field service management software can save more than time. Let’s take a closer look at those elements of a field service management software capable to drive an ecological approach for the daily tasks of field service providers.
Minimize commuting time and unnecessary fuel consumption
One of the key characteristics of Field Service Management software is the routing and geolocation feature. It allows for optimizing the shortest possible route that minimizes the technicians’ travel distance and hence their fuel consumption. Once the dispatcher has received a new ticket request or an emergency, it is possible to assign the nearest possible technician to the place of operation. Through real-time notifications, technicians are always up to date with the latest changes on their schedule so that they avoid unnecessary travel. Last, the navigation system provides data regarding traffic conditions to help technicians avoid traffic congestion.
Reducing the use of paper across the field service lifecycle
A field service management software provides the opportunity to service providers and their customers to completely eliminate the use of paper across the field service lifecycle. Any form of paper documentation such as invoices, work orders or time schedules can be digitized and automated providing always-on access from any device while eliminating the use of paper. Customers stay up to speed with their request’s progress through live updates on the dedicated Customer Information Center apps regardless of their location. Through a mobile app, technicians are able to work completely paper-free while being independent as it provides all necessary task-related information such as date, place, contacts, description, additional documents, and report task completion by collecting all relevant documentation in one place.
Reducing carbon footprint through cloud-based software
This is probably one of the most unintentional ways of making the environment greener. By selecting a field service management software that is cloud-based vs on-premise, businesses profit from a multitude of benefits such as faster user capacity and cross-device accessibility, while saving the environment from unnecessary carbon emissions. On-premise infrastructures produce a much larger carbon footprint than a cloud-based setup, as cloud based solutions can optimize utilization of idle times. Shared cloud infrastructures do not need individual redundancies like dedicated data centers which leads to less hardware and ultimately less energy consumption.
The bottom line is that companies are expected to take their strategy against climate change further, moving away from traditional CSR. In response to this, integrating a sustainability-focused mentality across every level of operations is key. Defining where each employee can contribute through specific parts of their job, could bridge the gap between CSR reliance and day-to-day contribution.
*Sources:
Sasgen, I., Wouters, B., Gardner, A.S. et al. “Return to rapid ice loss in Greenland and record loss in 2019 detected by the GRACE-FO satellites.” Commun Earth Environ 1, 8 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-020-0010-1