Since the start of the Industrial Revolution in the year 1760, both companies and professionals have changed how they operate or work. The first noticeable event was the establishment of small-scale and large-scale factories in large numbers in the United States, Continental Europe, and Great Britain. The challenges with small establishments included low pay scales and poor working conditions for the laborers. It took several years for the factory owners to convert the unhealthy working conditions in these factories and make them labor-friendly.
Things have now changed significantly and for the better. Work environments have progressed in terms of performance standards and the use of technology, such as telematics-based GPS fleet trackers and mobile workforce management. Thanks to these tools, employees perform their duties passionately, and the competition between the employees is also healthy. Technology even helps business owners and managers streamline the workflow.
Unfortunately, not everyone welcomed technology with open arms. Based on a recent survey, only 50% of workers operating from the field get access to a connected device. Business owners have been hesitant to pay for tools to manage mobile teams citing the lack of understanding of the value of these systems.
So, if you own a business, and if you have been planning to avoid using such technology, the information below might change the way you think!
The objective of a mobile workforce is to provide companies with a more flexible and agile workforce that can adapt to changing business needs. By enabling employees to work remotely, companies can reduce costs associated with maintaining a physical office, while also improving employee productivity and job satisfaction.
For businesses that rely on field service workers, mobile workforce management can also help improve customer service by enabling workers to quickly respond to customer needs and resolve issues on the spot. It can track fleet operating costs, create custom maintenance tasks, determine start/stop time reporting on the map, add multiple sub-fleets with more than one manager, and give due access control.
It even allows employees and managers to communicate with each other in real-time, regardless of their location, resulting in better collaboration and fewer misjudgments. This platform enables managers to create and manage schedules quickly and easily, ensuring that the right employees are available at the right time. Managers can track employee activities and monitor their progress in real time, which can improve employee accountability. By optimizing schedules, reducing travel time and expenses, and increasing productivity, a mobile workforce management platform can help organizations save money.
Due to the rise of hybrid and remote work cultures, companies should focus on workforce management tools that would help them manage employees appropriately and effectively. These systems can increase employee productivity and improve customer satisfaction simultaneously.
Therefore, understanding the importance and necessity of workforce management is crucial; what it is, why you need it, and which features to prioritize when choosing a relevant solution.
About Mobile Workforce Management
Mobile workforce management or MWM is a strategy for managing numerous employees efficiently across several locations to ensure they perform their duties.
Whether you own a small business or a massive multinational corporation (MNC), MWM can help you with jobs that do not take place within the office premises. Organizations, such as cleaning businesses, appliance installation and maintenance, HVAC companies, and non-emergency medical transportation, will benefit immensely from MWM.
The Market Size and Future of MWM
Verified Market Research published a report a while ago. In it, the researchers valued the MWM market size at $3.89 billion, back in 2020. They believe this value will increase to $10.46 billion by 2028 at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 13.16% from 2021-2028.
Additionally, the rise of the “Bring Your Own Device" trend within workplaces, competition in the tech industry, and the prices of smartphones and tablets have brought down modern innovations used in mobile and computing broadband technologies. All of these are the prime growth factors in field workforce and management.
Exclusive Features of MWM
The right mobile workforce management system makes it easy for businesses to keep track of their field workers when they are outdoors. Here are some of the most noteworthy features.
- Geo-fencing facilitates boundary creation, so you know the moment someone exits the area.
- Instant notifications ensure that you never miss anything important.
- With real-time location tracking, you will always know where your employees are and how long they have been there.
- See and audit location and work history to determine what your employees do at any point during the day.
- Automatic tracking, combined with privacy protection, ensures employees do not feel like their boss is stalking them.
- Automatic alerting tells you whenever something important happens.
If you use a telematics device with an app, you can rely on it to check in on your teams from anywhere and see how they work. You will always stay updated with the latest info without sending an email or scheduling a meeting.
The advantages of MWM
MWM systems enable organizations to manage their workforce efficiently and effectively, helping save money and time. They let you manage and monitor employees’ work schedules, tasks, locations, and KPIs (key performance indicators) from anywhere on a mobile device or computer, even on the go.
1. Better Communication
One significant advantage of MWM is that it can improve teamwork and communication. Many employees work from different locations and do not want to be on the phone all day conversing with their coworkers. It is not very efficient, especially when they have other tasks they need to finish.
MWM allows them to send messages in real time and facilitates better team collaboration. Streamlined communication may lead to filling gaps, help in better decision-making, and a happier, more productive workforce.
2. Better Customer Satisfaction
A metric called “First-Time Fix Rate" dictates a company’s ability to fix work orders when they are first scheduled. According to the Aberdeen Group, companies with an FTF (first-time fix) rate higher than 71% have 20% higher customer satisfaction compared to organizations with an FTF rate less than 70%.
Using a telematics platform with workforce management features will make your customers happier because your employees on the field will always get up-to-date information that they can access at any moment. It reduces wasted trips, downtime, and customer satisfaction.
3.Track Employee Performance
Monitoring an employee’s work performance is paramount to maintaining staff member retention and business productivity successfully. With mobile workforce management, you can see each worker’s task completion rates, travel time, delays, and expenses. In other words, they will not be able to slack off without anyone knowing about it.
McKinsey has evidence to prove how MWM systems can increase the number of tasks performed by a business by 20-30% per full-time employee per day.
4. Better Efficiency
Efficiency is the most crucial factor for success in the new economy. When you have a workforce spread across hundreds or thousands of miles, you only have to use efficient tracking and communication systems to avoid problems. MWM can help you monitor employees’ performance standards and jobs in detail with data-driven time and productivity reports.
5. Less Stress
People believe that technologically enhanced systems can make things stressful for workers. It is a misconception embedded in the minds of business owners from all around the world. One study found that about 49% were unhappy with the tech they’re provided with, and 26% of employees would consider leaving their current job if not for the availability of tech tools. When you have all your business documents and tasks at your fingertips, you can forget about making mistakes.
Final Thoughts
Mobile workforce management solutions can impact your company positively in many ways. It can increase productivity, efficiency, and employee engagement. As you can probably guess, these translate to better customer service and financial success for you.
Companies can’t thrive without an appropriate workforce management system in place. Today, it has become necessary, especially if the organization hopes to meet expectations and achieve enterprise sustainability. With workforce management systems, you can pinpoint where you must allocate resources to improve the overall productivity of on-field workers and translate the same into increased business revenue.
To that end, Vyncs can be a lifesaver for your business and cater to multiple aspects of workforce management. Vyncs Fleet 4G+ provides a dashboard to monitor vehicles as they set out for work. Simultaneously, you can track costs, create custom maintenance tasks, determine start/stop time reporting on the map, add multiple sub-fleets with more than one manager, and give due access control.