What Is Work Order Management Software?

Work order management software centralises data and automates tasks related to handling work orders in the field. While the work itself is often manual and on-location, the management of those orders can be streamlined by software that allows you to handle it all in one place.

Imagine managing a team of technicians responsible for maintaining multiple sites across the city. Without a digital system, resolving disputes can involve sifting through stacks of paperwork, hoping it's organised and legible. Scaling also becomes challenging if your channels are overwhelmed with requests - our research found that 82% of agents and 76% of mobile workers say customers ask for more than they used to.

That's where work order management software comes in.

Work order management software - a subset of field service management software - is any suite of tools that help organisations manage work orders. It's used primarily for issue resolution, inventory tracking and task management.

What is work order management?

Work order management is a critical component of field service operations, involving the creation, assignment and tracking of service tasks that typically occur at a customer's site. It encompasses organising work requests, scheduling and dispatching the right technicians and monitoring progress in real-time to ensure jobs are completed efficiently.

This process often begins with receiving a service request, then allocating resources based on skills, availability and location. Technicians are equipped with necessary details and tools and their progress is tracked through updates and reporting.

The main benefits of effective work order management include improved operational efficiency, faster response times and higher first-time fix rates. Additionally, it seamlessly integrates with mobile tools, enabling field technicians to access and update information on-the-go.

Some basic features that your work order management software should include are the ability to create different types of work orders, add products and skills required for the work order and track milestones to ensure SLAs are met.

Additional key capabilities include:

Proactive service

Good work order management software solutions can track equipment and appliances through their usable life — sometimes aided by Internet of things (IoT) sensors, asset service management and asset tagging — and automatically create a work order before they need service. This can be added to the queue and assigned to a technician to handle.

Scheduling and dispatch management

Manage people and parts through a centralised dashboard. Dispatch management lets you match jobs with technicians based on skill and availability and order parts — all scheduled and orchestrated from a bird's eye view.

Mobile access

Modern work order management software is cloud-based, which means your mobile workforce in field service should be able to access it on their devices. This ensures that they always have the most accurate information about customers and jobs. These apps should be designed with off-line access in mind, in case they have jobs in remote areas with poor connection.

AI-generated pre-work briefs

Help your field service technicians prepare for each job by providing the details on their mobile devices. The best pre-work briefs tie in all customer data (such as upcoming contract renewals) and even include AI-generated summaries of all relevant details in the work order.

AI-generated post-work summaries

The customer and the business both need a clear summary of what was done during the job. Use tools that harness generative AI to create comprehensive service reports with minimal input from the technician. By analysing a few key inputs, along with any photos or videos captured on-site, generative AI can produce detailed and accurate summaries.

A post-work checklist remains essential for standardising the technicians' workflow, ensuring that no steps are missed. With generative AI, this checklist can be seamlessly integrated into the reporting process. This technology not only saves time but also ensures that both the customer and the business have a thorough record of the services provided.

Communication

Mobile workers and their back office should be able to talk to one another in a way that captures everything and maintains a record of it. Built-in communications or integrations with team-based chat tools such as Slack are good ways to accomplish this.

Knowledge base

Give your technicians a leg up with a knowledge base containing information about the equipment you service and products you sell, plus the approved processes for all maintenance. Knowledge articles can be attached to work orders for reference or a technician can also use an AI assistant to generate a summary of the knowledge article while onsite. Salesforce Unified Knowledge, for example, takes customer data stored in Data Cloud to produce accurate and relevant generative AI content. Make sure that you have a person review for accuracy.

Reporting and analytics

The real power of a work order management platform is seeing everything that happens in one place so you can get even better. Generate reports on completed work, costs, technician performance and other field service metrics to optimise operations and decision-making.

Visual remote assistance

With Visual Remote Assistant, service reps and field techs can walk customers through instructions and help sort through issues by live video call. Even if that doesn't resolve the issue, the interactive process provides thorough documentation to start a successful work order.

Because of how work order management software works, its benefits extend far past making things a little easier for the team. Here are some of the top benefits:

Improved work order accuracy

Better inputs at the start of the work order ensure fewer errors while the work is being performed. With all the right data centralised in one place, including details about the actual asset that needs servicing (such as model numbers), the team can attach the correct knowledge articles and identify the necessary parts. This comprehensive data allows for the assignment of the right technician with the appropriate skills, ensuring that the correct resources are dispatched every time.

Additionally, including step-by-step guidance on the work order helps technicians complete the job accurately and efficiently, minimising the risk of missed steps and enhancing overall service quality.

Increased efficiency

By automating workflows, streamlining scheduling and providing real-time updates, work order management software reduces manual effort and minimises errors. Technicians can access job details, update progress and close out work orders swiftly, leading to faster turnaround times and enhanced productivity.

Better asset management

Work order management software enables tracking of asset history, maintenance schedules and performance metrics, ensuring that equipment is well-maintained and downtime is minimised. This proactive approach extends the lifespan of assets and optimises their usage.

Compliance and documentation

Automated documentation ensures that all necessary information is captured and easily accessible, reducing the risk of non-compliance and simplifying audits. This meticulous record-keeping also supports better tracking of service histories and warranties, further improving overall operational management.

Informed decision-making

By providing real-time data, insightful analytics and comprehensive reporting, work order management software enables managers to make data-driven decisions. Tracking key performance indicators, identifying trends and analysing operational data enable proactive planning, resource optimisation and continuous improvement, ultimately driving business growth and success.

Higher customer satisfaction

Higher customer satisfaction is a natural outcome of efficient work order management. With real-time updates, automated notifications and transparent communication, customers are kept informed throughout the service process. Faster response times and improved first-time fix rates lead to happier customers who are more likely to remain loyal and provide positive referrals.

There are lots of field service management software options out there, even if you just narrow your choices down to the feature set that your business needs. Consider some of these factors to determine what functionality and features will be valuable for your field service team.

Ease of use

Work order management software should be easy to use to ensure quick adoption and maximum efficiency among teams. An intuitive interface and straightforward navigation allow technicians to focus on their tasks, rather than struggling with complex software. Ease of use also minimises training time and reduces the likelihood of errors, leading to smoother operations and higher user satisfaction.

Flexibility and customisation

As we covered above, your solution should be customisable to work with current workflows. It should also allow you to build your own dashboards for tracking what matters most to your field service team, such as first-time fix rates, customer satisfaction and more.

Real-time visibility

Visibility is crucial when choosing a work order management software, as it allows you to track progress, allocate resources and make informed decisions on the fly. Having up to date information at your fingertips ensures nothing slips through the cracks, enhancing overall operational efficiency.

Data security

Security should be a top priority to protect sensitive information. Ensuring the software complies with relevant security standards and offers robust data encryption, secure user authentication and regular backups will safeguard your data and maintain customer trust.

AI and automation

Your work order platform should automate recurring tasks, such as reassigning jobs based on no-shows, allocating workforce based on availability and sending reminders to both customers and field service technicians so they never miss an appointment.

AI can also predict maintenance needs, optimise routes and provide real-time insights to improve overall service efficiency. By integrating AI, your field service management software can enhance decision-making, reduce manual effort and deliver a superior customer experience.

Mobile compatibility

It’s crucial that your software enables your field technicians to access and update work orders, check inventory and collect signatures right from their mobile devices. This not only boosts productivity but also improves data accuracy by capturing information in real-time.

Scalability

Your solution should be able to grow with you, no matter how many new team members you work with as you expand. Many modern tools operate on a per-user, per-month model to allow this. Check out Salesforce Field Service pricing to learn more about this model.

Integrations

Lastly, your solution should integrate with your other systems. Here are a few to consider:

• Customer relationship management (CRM): Your CRM can tie work orders to customer profiles so that you can keep track of their service history.
• Asset service management: Keep track of equipment, vehicles and other physical assets and tools that need maintenance, repairs and inspections.
• Accounting: Track billable service hours and part costs.
• Calendar: Make sure customers and technicians both make it to every appointment. Salesforce’s Appointment Assistant, for example, makes it easy to schedule appointments, receive real-time updates and stay informed about onsite visits.
• Payments: Take payments for jobs on-site, making the overall payment process easier to handle.

Reporting and analytics

By tracking key performance indicators and generating insightful reports, you can identify trends, optimise processes and make data-driven decisions to improve your bottom line.

Ready to get started? Follow this brief guide:

Put together an implementation team

Assemble a cross-functional team, including field service technicians, dispatchers, customer success managers and other key stakeholders. They will guide the process and ensure all perspectives are considered.

Gather process documentation

Gather information to understand your team’s needs and the current challenges in your field service operations. Look at your processes: service intake, inventory sourcing, dispatch, servicing and anything else you can think of.

Make a clear flowchart that shows how all these things work step by step and have your team identify gaps where manual processes have to fill in as well as areas for potential blockers. In the end, you'll know what you need your potential work order management software to do.

Research and choose a solution

Use the documentation you just created, plus the features and "how to choose" lists above, to narrow down to a good solution. Take your time when selecting a solution, making sure your vendor fully understands your needs and how it would work in your workflow.

Train your team

Set your team up for success with the right training. Implement a comprehensive training programme for different user roles, including hands-on training, knowledge base articles, coaching and more. Trailhead, Salesforce’s free online learning platform, is a great way for your team to learn valuable skills.

Assess reports for continuous improvements

Find areas for improvement and work on them in short sprints. You'll be amazed how much more efficient your team will be in a year with slow, steady improvements.

Investing in work order management software is a game-changer for field service operations. It boosts customer satisfaction and reduces errors through data centralisation and task automation. It also streamlines workflows with features like automated scheduling, mobile access and detailed reporting, leading to faster resolution times and improved accuracy.

Implementing the right software can enhance efficiency, ensure compliance and provide valuable data for strategic decisions, making it a smart investment for increased productivity and customer satisfaction.