Tools for Keeping Your Field Staff Efficient

After fire and the wheel, cars and planes, and of course the microwave, the computer is man’s greatest invention. It’s like having a servant you can expect to work for you 24/7 without having to reward it. If you want to monitor and improve the efficiency of your field staff, put the computer to work and you’ll get the results you’re hoping for in no time.

Productivity Software
There are a lot of things that a productivity software program can do for you. As long as you have it installed in your employee’s computer and they’re using your Internet connection, your productivity tool will record all emails, file attachments, chats, and downloads that have been sent or performed by your worker. Password security and stealth mode allows only authorized users to access these records. With such data, you’ll know if giving your field staff free laptops had been the right choice to make.

Evaluation and Feedback
Get your human resource department to prepare a questionnaire for your employees and one that would allow you to evaluate the nature of their work and their level of productivity. Use this form also to get their feedback on their current satisfaction with their work and how they believe they should be compensated.

Key areas that you should focus on are listed below.

Pleasure – This is mostly the responsibility of your human resource department and can be traced back to the early parts of the recruitment and selection process. It’s more likely for your employees to be happy with their jobs if they have been chosen not only for their job qualifications but also because they can clearly see themselves finding fulfilment in their jobs and enjoying a long-term future with your company.

Job Description – No matter what position it is, every job in your company must be made as enjoyable and meaningful as possible. Yes, of course, everyone wants an easy job but deep inside every person is a desire to perform valuable tasks that will increase their sense of self-worth and they can’t do that if they don’t like their job or they find it boring.

Incentives – Give them internal and external incentives to work for. This includes but isn’t limited to advantageous financial compensation, a comfortable and healthy workplace, and an excellent management system.

Communication Software
Last but not the least, make sure that all communication channels – especially online – between you and your employees are constantly open. This way, you may contact them anytime and monitor and motivate them as often as required.

How to Make Field Staff Productive – Tips and Tools

Contrary to popular opinion, productivity can only be accomplished when both management works together with its workers. While it’s the job of your employees  to provide internal motivation for themselves, it’s your responsibility as employer to give them all the external motivation they need. This is, however, more difficult when we’re talking about the field staff since you can’t be physically on hand to supervise them. But it’s not impossible and here are several tips and tools to help you ensure the productivity of your field staff.

Tip: A Happy Staff is a Productive Staff
Many employers believe that financial incentives alone can ensure the productivity of their employees, whether deskbound or assigned with field work. This is true only to a certain extent. When motivation offered is purely material, you’re training your staff to attach a dollar price to every thing they do. But if you show a genuine interest in the happiness and well-being of your employers, they will show the same care to your business, motivated to do their best not for the sake of compensation but only to please you in return.

To start making your field staff happy, here’s what you can do.

Show your appreciation
Field assignments are rarely pleasant. Work in the general sense is intellectually challenging, but add the field factor to it and it also becomes physically draining. That’s what your field staff has to go through all the time so be sure to express your appreciation for the work they’re doing.

Words of appreciation are only the first step. Make sure that proper recognition is also given to them from all levels of the business. Naturally, the extra effort they’re exerting must be properly reflected on their paychecks as well.

Make field work comfortable
If you can afford to give them better transportation and accommodations then do so. We assure you that your rewards will be more than what you’ve initially invested.

Tool: Service Manager Software
Lastly but not the least, use service manager software to monitor the progress of your field employees no matter where they’re assigned or what they’ve been tasked to accomplish. With service manager software, creation and scheduling of work orders is automated. The program may also be configured to perform other functions including but not limited to sending notifications to the appropriate users, provide online access to the program’s database, monitor inventory, and make automated service dispatch and service calls.