1.3 million. That’s how many mobile apps are in the Apple App Store. What’s more, “business” topped the list of fastest growing iOS app categories in 2014 — faster growing than “lifestyle” and social networking,” among others.
More than ever before, mobile applications are playing an integral part in the growth of today’s leading service organizations. Businesses are dedicating entire budgets and resources towards mobile alone. Recent research from Aberdeen Group found that 82% of field-service organizations identified mobility as a strategic initiative for their operations in the next 12 months.
Mobile connectivity is now a cornerstone to successful business execution, particularly for service firms that deploy a team of independent contractors in the field.
Many service companies use a 1099 contractor workforce to generate revenue and effectively service customers. With hundreds of independent contractors out in the field, all across the country, executives rely extensively on mobile technology to their teams in the field with real-time intelligence.
As the nature of field work becomes more complex, businesses will increasingly rely on mobile solutions to support their field operations and empower their workforce.
The Benefits of Mobile Workforce Solutions
Service mobility is already an industry itself, with companies existing for the sole purpose of addressing the realities of limited resources, unpredictable schedules, and inefficiencies in the field. Mobile workforce applications provide workers with visibility into the location, status and requirements of a particular work assignment (required parts, on-site equipment, etc.) so they’re armed with the info they need to complete assignments properly the first time, a metric dubbed in the industry as “one and done.”
For the 1099 field services workforce, a simple smartphone in a pocket opens up a world of possibilities. Independent contractors can utilize a mobile app to:
- Respond to assignments quicker and reduce response times
- Upload on-site pictures, get e-signatures to ensure work quality and boost “one and done” rates
- Check-in and out of job sites using location-based notifications
When a workforce manager has a schedule change, they’re now instantly able to react. They can dynamically adjust to real-time schedule changes, and deploy new assignments and personnel — effectively reducing the reliance on a large administrative team to manage the field workforce.
By arming its independent contractors in the field with powerful mobile capabilities, service organizations can:
- Improve work quality and customer satisfaction
- Lower overall cost of service delivery
- Reduce turnaround and wait times by optimizing scheduling
- Pursue more market opportunities and boost service revenue
Today’s service organizations looking to boost worker productivity and boost their bottom line would be wise to take a page out of this playbook before it’s too late.
