Is your company looking for ways to help dealers grow, produce more revenue — and sell more of your products? Manufacturers in a wide variety of industries — Heating and Air Conditioning, Telecommunications, Security Systems, Medical Equipment and Oil and Gas for example — have found that when their dealers implement a mobile field service management application, equipment sales increase an average of 12 percent over the first twelve months.
Twelve percent? Using a mobile field service management application? You bet, here’s how.
More productive technicians = more jobs completed and more customer visits
Mobile field service management puts a lot of power in the palm of every field technician. Complete customer information (including location, contact and on-site equipment), turn-by-turn directions to the customer site, equipment service history, editable PDF forms, photos, videos, technical manuals and more.
As a result, technicians using a mobile field service application can often add an additional job or customer visit nearly every day (over those without one). That’s an average productivity increase of 14 percent — and a 14 percent increase in opportunities to sell new parts or equipment.
On-Site quotes = more equipment sales
Every customer interaction is a sales opportunity — and technicians are often a dealer’s most effective sales people. Technicians that carry a smartphone or tablet with a mobile field service app can suggest a system upgrade (or a replacement) then create a quote (including customer specific discounts) for the upgrade — instantly. Quotes are approved using electronic signature capture, and additional work (and installation of new equipment) can be performed while on site, or immediately scheduled for a later date.
Dealer technicians can be your company’s brand ambassadors
Do your dealers also offer products from your competitors? How can you ensure that your products are the ones that technicians recommend — and their customers buy?
By using a mobile field service application to turn your dealers’ technicians into brand ambassadors!
Mobile field service management apps can include photos and videos — as well as technical information on your company’s products. That means that technicians have the ability to not only answer almost any technical question that may arise, but also to make sales presentations to customers that highlight the unique advantages of your products.
When selling an upgrade or new system to a customer, a technician may find that a picture is worth a thousand words — and a new sale for you, the manufacturer.
Technicians sell what they know — and they’ll know YOUR products
It’s not just technicians, we all are much better at selling products and services that we’re familiar with. Mobile field service management applications provide a powerful and rich platform for the dissemination of product information. As noted above, photos, videos, technical and sales information is all available at the touch of a button. And techs won’t have to necessarily attend on site classes any more. Just set them up in their office or at home and let them learn at their own pace.
Faster procurement = more sales
In some industries, if you don’t have the part or system on hand or readily available, the sale is lost. Homeowners, for example, don’t want to wait while you order a new compressor for their air conditioner when it’s 110 degrees outside.
With a mobile field service application that includes parts and inventory management, technicians not only will know what’s on their truck, they’ll know what’s on trucks in the vicinity and in the warehouse as well. And if a part or system isn’t readily available, they’ll be able to order the required part instantly — and get it faster than dealers that require technicians to call the office to place equipment orders. The result is more sales for your dealers — of your equipment.
Manufacturers don’t often think of mobile field service management applications when they are looking for ways to help their dealers sell more equipment. But, manufacturers who’ve encouraged their use have helped their dealers generate more revenue, increase profitability — and sell more equipment.
Johnny Jones is the Vice President of Global Sales for FieldAware, a field service management software company.
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