New technology offers field technicians access to all office records.
A field technician completes a service call, exchanges pleasantries with the customer and asks for a favor: "May I please use your telephone?"
There are probably still some small operators of service and repair companies who have their technicians use the customer's telephone to check in and receive dispatch instructions to the next job - and there likely will always be such companies, letting technology pass them by. However, those are not the companies that will lead the industry in the coming years of increased competition and, potentially, shrinking margins. Today, to keep up (and lead), service and repair companies need to be aware of the latest advances in technology and automation. If you are unaware of what's out there, you may be missing opportunities to increase the efficiency of your dispatching, your technicians and possibly even your call takers - essentially, the whole field service team.