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Any business which uses in-house service agents to keep equipment running smoothly needs an effective, simple way to manage their team – which is where dedicated digital solutions come in. You might assume that only field service software would support this business function, however certain other platforms including ERP systems and asset management platforms, like mendrhub, offer comprehensive solutions as well. With the ability to track customer equipment in detail, asset management solutions with in-house field service support offer a unique option for manufacturers in particular. If your business relies on a combination of in-house and contracted field service it is essential to ensure the platform you adopt supports this dual model as well. 

Beyond this, there are four key points to keep in mind when looking for a software solution to meet your in-house team’s needs.

It should simplify scheduling

Managing a team of in-house technicians means constant coordination and communication, especially when it comes to prioritising tasks in the field. The software you choose should make this simpler by providing a drag-and-drop scheduler that allows you to allocate jobs based on your technicians’ availability, job priority, and client. Having the flexibility to customise visual queues for job cards in the scheduler can be a huge help to your scheduling team, letting them quickly identify what jobs to prioritise and who to schedule them with.  

As priorities shift throughout the day, you can allocate tasks to team members, track the statuses of jobs in real time, and reschedule jobs as needed. Your software of choice should give you total flexibility in managing your team so that all tasks get immediately addressed, no job gets missed, and you gain more transparency over the entire workload.

It should centralise equipment and maintenance records

With your team working across different locations, keeping meticulous records is essential to ensuring nothing slips through the cracks. Asset management software can help keep track of client’s equipment information, service history, model tech specs and exploded-view diagrams in one central spot. It can also make this data remotely available to your team, if like mendrhub, the solution supports a dedicated field service app. By centralising all this information, your team doesn’t have to waste time sifting through physical paperwork or digging through countless files to find what they need. 

Managing all these records in one spot also drastically cuts down on the likelihood of human error and inconsistencies, as your technicians can record everything on their phones while on-site. Once inputted, your extended team will have instant access to that up-to-date information. Centralising records like this is really a no-brainer – it saves time, cuts down on errors, and increases transparency.

It should offer visibility over your technicians’ performance

This software doesn’t just track equipment history – it also tracks metrics like how long a technician spent at a job, how the equipment has performed post-service, task completion rates, and more. Knowing things like this is crucial for identifying areas in your business that need improvement, like additional training, or optimising routes so technicians can spend more time on jobs and less time driving. Performance analytics help to hold your team accountable and ensure your high maintenance standards are being met consistently. 

It’s this kind of data-driven approach that will set your business apart from the competition and make sure you’re providing next-level service.

It should help you manage your parts inventory

Another vital part of managing your in-house technicians is parts inventory. You have to know what parts you have, where they are, and what needs to be ordered. Asset management software like mendrhub allows you to monitor van stock and your warehouse inventory, set reorder points, and skyrocket your first-time-fix rates. 

This software ensures you always have critical parts available and on-hand for technicians, with automations in place to alert you when items are low in stock. Overall, proper inventory management lends itself to smoother business operations and a better customer experience.

As you can tell, software to manage your in-house service team effectively goes far beyond just field service. With a powerful platform that also lets you track client equipment, manage inventory and provide powerful business insights, you can benefit yourself, your business, your staff, and your customers. 

Return on Investment (ROI) is a key consideration when multi-site facility managers look to invest in new technology. Asset and facility management platforms like mendrhub bring about significant business benefits – some tangible, and others harder to quantify – but ROI remains a key driver. Based on firsthand experience working alongside our clients, here are three ways asset management software can help you not just meet your ROI targets, but exceed them.

Minimise downtime and maintenance costs

When equipment goes down unexpectedly, the resulting downtime can get costly. Emergency repairs aren’t cheap, and neither is the lost productivity. Asset management software is designed to mitigate the risk of downtime by enabling predictive and preventative maintenance. It does this by allowing users to proactively schedule regular maintenance on critical equipment, auto-dispatching jobs to the right technicians and creating custom checklists so the health of all equipment is optimised. 

Being proactive can save your bottom line from expensive repair costs, but it will also extend the uptime and overall lifespan of your equipment––keeping your customers happy for longer. This kind of transparency over the health of your assets ultimately means less downtime and seamless operations.

Optimise resource allocation

A key goal of an asset management platform is to help improve the efficiency of your processes. By managing all supplier-related facility management activities in one place—like asset history, contractor skills, accreditations, rates and coverage, as well as maintenance scheduling––your management team retains full visibility and control over your supplier network and minimises service and maintenance costs. 

Automations can take this a step further by triaging potential jobs and auto-assigning service requests to the right service providers. Not only does this cut back on time-consuming manual scheduling, reducing the risk of human error and streamlining your operations, it lets you auto-allocate jobs to preferred local providers saving on commuting costs and asset downtime. 

Enhance decision-making through data

One of the key advantages you can gain by digitising your facility management is the ability to quantify your business’s operations with real data. Though data alone is insufficient. Interactive dashboards offering data visualisation and extractable reports help give meaning to your data and allow your team to make quick and informed business decisions that bring about greater long-term value from procurement, suppliers and staff.

With insights into equipment performance and maintenance history, it’s easier than ever to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of facility assets, make prudent repair or replace decisions and refine internal procedures. Data captured on these platforms also allow for the easy comparison of supplier performance and cost, allowing you to optimise your supplier network. Ultimately, asset management software empowers decision-makers with the critical information they need to save your business money in the long run.

Asset and facility management software isn’t just a tool – it’s key to improving your bottom line, as well as transforming the way you do business. From minimising downtime, to better resource management, to putting game-changing insights into your hands, this software is a must-have for any business that manages multi-site facilities or mission-critical assets.

Whether completing preventative maintenance, installing new equipment, or making repairs, field service technicians are essential to keeping businesses running smoothly. However, as the world continues to pivot towards digital management systems we need to be sure that these systems are helping technicians, not hindering them. A good field service app can make all the difference to not just your technicians’ daily life, but to your business’s bottom line. So what makes a good one?

1. Usability

When technicians are in the field, they don’t have time to deal with a complicated app. A great service technician app needs to be straightforward, user-friendly, and intuitive, ensuring that technicians can navigate the app easily. If the app is too complex, technicians just won’t use it. Simple as that.

Mendrhub’s user interface was designed with technicians in mind. It’s simple and functional, and technicians can easily access all the features they need – job details, status updating, logging time spent on a job, and more. The way we’ve laid out the app is intentionally clean and intuitive, so even people who aren’t tech-savvy will have no problem navigating its features.

2. Seamless Communication

Technicians, service managers, and customers all need to be on the same page regarding job status, location, and any potential issues. A good technician app should provide real-time updates and transparent communication, ensuring that everyone involved has clear visibility into the progress of each job.

Mendrhub addresses this with real-time updates, offering complete transparency across all levels of the operation. Technicians can provide live updates on job status, upload photos and notes, and communicate with management and customers directly through the app. With this level of transparency, all parties can get a clear picture of what’s happening in the field, and technicians have instant access to all the information they need to complete their work successfully.

3. Clear Task Prioritisation and Organisation

As technicians spend their days going from job to job, a good field service app should be able to highlight their upcoming tasks and provide quick and easy access to action them. Prioritisation features help them tackle the most critical jobs first, ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks.

Mendrhub’s tech app provides a clear, prioritised list of tasks for each technician, along with necessary information such as location, equipment details, and a full account of the machine’s maintenance history. By staying organised and prioritising urgent tasks, nothing will stop technicians from staying focused on the job at hand.

4. Capture the Details

Technicians often need to capture information on the spot, whether it’s a customer signature, a photo of completed work, payment on the spot or notes about the job. A good field service app makes it simple to add all these details quickly, allowing technicians to document their work accurately and in real time – ultimately saving time in the office.

This is why we designed mendrhub for fast and comprehensive data entry. Technicians can quickly add notes, create and send quotes, take photos, and even capture signatures directly in the app, all with just a few taps. Paired with mendrhub’s intuitive layout, the app makes it easier for technicians to document work accurately and move on to the next task.

Essentially, a good field service app should be easy to use, offer clear visibility and communication, help technicians prioritise their tasks, and enable quick and comprehensive data entry. The mendrhub tech app ensures that technicians have everything they need to succeed – right at their fingertips. 

Curious about mendrhub for your in-house service technicians or subcontractors? Get in touch to talk with a member of our expert team.

Regardless of which asset-critical industry you work in, downtime can be extremely costly. According to a recent study, the average cost of equipment downtime for large industrial companies can be up to $25,000 per hour. And that’s just the financial loss. When customers are expecting a timely, reliable service and don’t receive it, they may go elsewhere or leave with a negative impression of your brand. On top of all this, emergency repair costs can be through the roof. While downtime can’t truly be stopped from ever occurring, there are steps you can take to lower the chances and save your bottom line in the long run. This is where real-time data comes in.

Real-time data enhances decision-making

Real-time data analytics give you immediate visibility into equipment performance. This means technicians and managers can make faster, more informed decisions without waiting for issues to escalate. Live data tracks performance metrics, spots any deviations or irregularities, and with this data in hand, you can act quickly to address a problem before it leads to downtime. 

With a system like mendrhub, all of this data is available from the user portal. It offers instant insights from your data so that decisions about resource allocation, service provider dispatch, and prioritisation become clear and simple. It’s these kinds of quick, data-driven decisions that will ultimately help you avoid unnecessary downtime and keep equipment operating as your customers expect.

Real-time data supports proactive maintenance

Proactive maintenance is the single best way to reduce downtime. By constantly monitoring your equipment, any potential performance issues can be caught and addressed long before they cause a breakdown. Real-time data is the brains behind this, allowing you to schedule regular, proactive repairs – reducing the risk of costly disruptions and your equipment failing.

Proactive maintenance will also help your equipment last longer, as when potential faults are caught early, technicians can address them before they turn into major problems. In the long run, this means fewer emergency repair callouts, less downtime, and a longer lifespan for your equipment.

Real-time data improves efficiency and cost savings

The benefits of real-time data don’t stop at a smoothly running machine. When utilised correctly, you can optimise your entire service operation. By monitoring equipment performance, you can organise your technicians better, ensuring the right person is sent to the right job, at the right time. With mendrhub, you can even optimise technicians’ routes with our clever automations, which calculate the most efficient route to each job – saving your technicians time and saving you excess labour costs. 

In addition to this, real-time data will save you from costly equipment breakdowns. Without the data to show you what’s happening on the inside, you likely won’t know your machine is going to break down until it’s too late. By then, you’ll be footing the bill for emergency repairs, lost revenue from the time spent having it repaired, and potentially overtime costs, penalties, or fines. With software like mendrhub easily able to prevent this, an investment in real-time data can quickly pay for itself. 

In this day and age, the flow of data is a crucial component of equipment servicing. No business or company that relies on operational equipment should be without it. From enhanced decision-making, to proactive maintenance, to efficiency and cost savings, the ability to monitor your equipment in real-time is going to keep your assets running smoothly and ultimately keep you ahead of the competition. Talk to a member of the mendrhub team about how real-time data can transform your business today.

Tracking the movement of your assets between locations is a cornerstone of successful supply chain management and cost-effective field service. For logistics professionals, staying on top of your inventory and having real-time analytics at your fingertips is essential to ensure nothing slips through the cracks and to plan effectively for the future. Based on our industry experience and insights from working alongside our clients, these are four logistics tracking best practices you shouldn’t overlook.

1. Leverage the latest tracking technologies

Integrating cutting-edge tracking technologies such as GPS, RFID, and barcode scanning can provide businesses with unparalleled real-time visibility into their supply chain. These technologies offer precise location information, fostering transparency and empowering proactive decision-making around resource allocation.

Software like mendrhub takes tracking to the next level by enabling businesses to monitor and manage spare parts across locations, refresh inventory shortages, and ensure technicians’ van stock is fully equipped. With mendrhub, you can also gain valuable insights through real-time analytics, delivering an accurate, up-to-the-minute understanding of your fleet and inventory.

2. Establish clear milestones and checkpoints

Establishing well-defined milestones and checkpoints throughout the logistics process is essential for smooth operations. Key events to track include order confirmation, departure, arrival at transit hubs, and final delivery. Monitoring these events closely helps identify bottlenecks and take proactive measures to ensure on-time delivery.

Automated data capture enabled by digital and mobile technologies further streamlines this process by reducing the risk of manual errors, enhancing data accuracy, and speeding up information flow. For example, incorporating mendrhub’s mobile app for logistics and automated workflows allows for quicker, data-driven decision-making, ensuring your logistics stay on track.

3. Harness the power of data

Data analytics offer businesses key insights into logistics operations that enhance operational efficiency and reduce costs. Automated tools for gathering and visualising data can be used to optimise logistics routes, improve forecasting accuracy, and streamline inventory management. Your platform of choice should present trends in a clear and actionable format and should be supported by proactive internal processes in order to translate them into continuous business improvement.

Just as important as being able to utilise your data, is ensuring that your data is secure. Businesses can protect sensitive tracking information from unauthorised access, tampering, or loss by implementing robust data integrity and security measures. This includes encryption, access controls, and regular data backups. Secure data practices not only maintain customer trust but also ensure compliance with industry-specific data regulations. For these reasons, it is essential to utilise software with both powerful and secure data analytics capabilities.

4. Foster collaboration and transparency

Establishing effective communication channels and using collaboration platforms helps facilitate the seamless sharing of information among stakeholders. Close collaboration with logistics providers, carriers, suppliers, and customers, will enhance a business’s visibility, coordination, and overall efficiency within the supply chain. Platforms such as mendrhub have collaborative features including automated notifications built-in, making sure everyone in the supply chain is fully aware of what’s happening at any given time.

Ultimately, transparency with your stakeholders – especially your customers – will help build brand trust, enhance customer satisfaction, and enable proactive communication in the event of any delays or disruptions. Even when things don’t go as planned, maintaining clear and honest communication ensures a better customer experience.

By adopting these best practices, businesses can fully enhance their logistics tracking process and even turn it into a channel for building stakeholder trust. If you’re looking for a solution that can provide all of these logistics tracking capabilities, mendrhub was designed for just that. 

As an FMCG business owner, you’d definitely be aware of the direct costs associated with repairing and maintaining your expensive equipment and machinery. Those are costs you can plan for. Cost you can factor into your budget. But if you’ve been in the game for any length of time, you’ll know that there are a host of hidden costs associated with multi-site maintenance that can make a significant dent in your bottom line. Here are the four we see the most.

• Different equipment and systems

One of the main challenges of managing multiple restaurant sites is the diverse range of equipment and systems in each location. From kitchen appliances to HVAC systems, each site may have different brands and models, and each needs unique expertise for maintenance. This complicates training for maintenance staff and increases the need for specialised technicians, driving up labour costs. Implementing standardised equipment across your sites is a good way to avoid this and streamline the maintenance process.

• Reactive vs. proactive maintenance

In the constant hustle and bustle of a busy restaurant, equipment failure can disrupt operations and leave you with very unhappy customers. What we see a lot of is multi-site operators who find themselves stuck in a cycle of reactive maintenance, addressing issues only when they arise. This approach can result in higher repair costs, increased downtime, and a negative impact on the customer experience. Scheduling proactive maintenance and regular inspections can help identify potential issues before they escalate, reducing overall repair costs and minimising downtime.

• Communication challenges

Coordinating maintenance activities across different locations, especially when they are geographically dispersed, can be a logistical nightmare. Miscommunication can lead to delays in repairs, duplication of efforts, and increased costs. Implementing an asset management system like mendrhub gives you total visibility over your assets, and with the ability to do reporting directly within the app, it makes for fewer inconsistencies and minimal miscommunication.

• Compliance and regulation

Different locations may be subject to varying local regulations and compliance standards, adding another layer of complexity to multi-site restaurant maintenance. Ensuring that each site adheres to relevant codes and regulations can cost time and money. Investing in a management system that centralises all this information for each location takes a lot of the work out of monitoring and implementing the necessary measures to ensure compliance.

Understanding and managing these hidden costs is going to contribute to the long-term success of your multi-site restaurant operation, and ultimately save you money along the way. If you’re looking for a better way to manage your multi-site operation, we’d love to chat with you about how mendrhub can simplify your processes and make asset management that much easier. Give us a call at 1300 141 606 or email us at [email protected].