02/01/2022
By Mohona Dutta | Reading time 6 mins
Mobile Field service management (FSM) software aims to help organizations manage and optimize the business activities performed by field-based agents. These solutions were primarily used by companies that manufacture industrial products that require on-site services. However, looking at the scope of growth and scalability, FSM software is now being used by various industries, nonprofits included.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Salesforce have been philanthropic in providing products and services that cater to the specific requirements of the nonprofit sector.
15 Questions to Identify the Gaps in Your CRM
Here’s a snippet of the ways that Microsoft or Salesforce CRM integrated FSM software can help a nonprofit:
Now to understand how these solutions can work better for your nonprofit, let’s talk about a few features that you need to make a note of:
- Provides features to dispatch employees or volunteers based on the type of assignment, their availability, and the physical locations of donors/benefactors
- Includes functionality to help supervisors prioritize fieldwork and optimize the human and material resources allocated to each job
- Provides information to the ones in the field on their tasks and how to achieve them
- Delivers dashboards and analytics for supervisors, stakeholders to track ongoing field activities and the performance of the employees/volunteers
Now to understand how these solutions can work better for your nonprofit, let’s talk about a few features that you need to make a note of:
A true sense of mobility
Undoubtedly the most crucial aspect of mobile field service is mobility. Besides letting users access certain features while in the field, true mobility means complete functionality across any device—or even multiple devices at the same time. For this to work, a mobile field service management software needs to be cloud-based. Opting for a cloud-based field service solution, you’ll be able to access the entire functionality of the tool, irrespective of the device or the place that you are working, or how many users are accessing the same data simultaneously. That is real mobility.
And one thing to remember is that cloud-based mobile field service doesn’t need any expensive hardware installation; as long as your mobile device has internet capabilities, it will be able to access the application and even integrate it with your existing systems. Efficiency at your fingertips.
Scheduling and tracking made easy
The basis of your volunteer/employees’ fieldwork is the work order. With work orders, they can schedule appointments with benefactors, track projects that have been completed, and govern the task load of each person in the field. Advanced mobile field service tools that Microsoft or Salesforce provides helps users to book appointments and create work orders effortlessly.
The solution can automatically allocate assignments based upon employee skills, workload, location, and other factors. You can automatically integrate the work done by your employees/volunteers/case-worker with accounts, cases, contacts, entitlements, and service contracts, so the orders can easily be tracked, and capture valuable data for analysis.
Avoid abrupt delays
Fieldwork means being in the place where your mission is- helping the homeless, rescuing a child from a broken home, sheltering strays, etc. but it also means getting out of the safe, controlled office environment. The chances of encountering problems, issues, emergencies can be higher.
The Microsoft or Salesforce CRM integrated mobile FSM solution consists of a built-in, real-time monitoring feature that helps the managers/supervisors to instantly identify situations that require immediate attention and keep up with the flow of cases being handled by employees/volunteers as it occurs. This monitoring feature ensures that the ones in the field are never too far away for someone to lend assistance.
You likely aren’t the only nonprofit in your sector, but that doesn’t mean that you aren’t unique. Your organization has its focus, processes, and requirements, so relying on an out-of-the-box mobile field service management software that allows you to configure the base functionality of the tool, or even customize the tool’s code to better suit your needs is something that you have to think over.
Industries are benefiting from the collaboration that field service management and CRM solutions provide. Mobile solutions are changing the way field service is accomplished. At the same time, data analytics is becoming essential, as organizations learn to leverage donor data into actionable information. As a result, those nonprofits who can provide exceptional donor service, while maintaining a detailed record of work will find themselves at an advantage over competitors that do not.
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Author’s bio:
Mohona is a Content Writer for the Marketing team in AhaApps since 2019. When she is not busy attending to her creative, technical side, she likes to binge on sitcoms on Netflix. She loves writing poems and reading short stories when she wants to break away from the humdrum of life.
CRM integrated field service management in a nonprofit
One of the main intents of using mobile field service management (FSM)software is to reduce wastage. Wasting time, resources, money, energy.