Find Field Service Efficiencies Using a Lean Six Sigma Approach
Field service management has always been challenging, as you rarely know exactly what’s happening when your personnel are on the job and interacting with customers. This can introduce a great deal of variability in service levels, which doesn’t always lead to great customer experience. From system inputs to scheduling, see how the structure of Six Sigma or lean manufacturing can be leveraged to provide efficiencies and improve service for field staff.
What is Lean Six Sigma?
Lean Six Sigma is a process framework often utilized in manufacturing operations that allows for operational efficiency. Six Sigma leaders target variability in the process, and look for ways to align mindset, culture, tools and techniques as well as a process to create a dramatically more profitable business. These same principles can be used in the field service management business, as you look for ways to reduce or eliminate human errors and stamp out wasted time. Lean Six Sigma is technically a combination of two key sets of principles: Lean and Six Sigma. Together they balance each other out to optimize business process and reduce waste.
Automated Operations
Automating the key operations of your field service team isn’t a new concept, but it is one that is finally becoming easier with today’s connected technologies. Mobile devices are a key aspect of deployment, as consumers become more demanding in terms of delivery and service times. These automated tracking and communication systems not only provide technicians with the crucial customer and product information that they need to be successful, but they also communicate delays or additional information to the consumer. Putting together field service management technology is expected to be a big business in 2019 — valued at upwards of $3.5 billion.
Driving Employee Engagement
Field service software is ideal for providing secure, reliable and safe communication between customers and service personnel. Employees are often able to access real-time customer data and needs including changes to their service schedule. The other key to driving employee engagement and better overall customer experience is to gain quick feedback from customers when there’s a problem or concern with their technician. Monitoring team quality in the past has been extremely challenging but becomes much easier with automated emails and text messaging asking for an update on the service levels.
Creating the field service management team of the future requires extensive automation, exceptional communication skills and the ability to relentlessly reduce the variability in a very human-based set of processes. When you’re ready to take advantage of the many benefits that a Lean Six Sigma approach offers for your business, contact the professionals at Starr & Associates Management Consulting. You can contact us online or call 888-727-3017 for more information about how these powerful business practices could work in your organization.