Report: Enhanced Productivity Driving Global Field Force Automation

Field force automation (FFA) captures information in real time using portable communications technologies such as smartphones and tablets, which is then transferred to back-end systems. By capturing this information instantly, organizations are able to quickly assess situations as they happen and gauge how customers are reacting to a particular product, service or marketing campaign so changes can be made on the fly to resolve challenges. The latest Technavio global FFA market report has revealed the need to improve productivity and customer service is driving the sector to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13 percent during the period 2016-2020.

The report revealed that a properly implemented FFA platform can help organizations increase their efficiency levels across the board. It goes on to say, when applied in field service management solutions, it supports the growth of the enterprise while streamlining business processes and improving operational efficiencies to gain a competitive advantage.

The improvements documented by Technavio include boosts in revenue, lowering the cost of acquiring workers, improved workforce utilization, monitoring work progress and being able to dispatch employees from the corporate office to the field.

The use of FFA is also seeing an increase in adoption because of the collaborative workforce environment that is currently trending. The platform allows technical and support staff to work as a team to improve service delivery while cutting down unnecessary processes that hinder productivity.

Amit Sharma, lead IT professional services analyst at Technavio, said, “Streamlined operations can enhance business efficiencies and this has helped expand the market for FFA solutions. Further, escalating the demand to reduce operational costs in service organizations has encouraged the uptake of FFA solutions.”

As it applies to customer service, FAA is playing a great role in customer acquisition and retention because consumers now demand personalized services with more meaningful engagement. With the right FAA system in place, companies can react much faster to address the needs of their customers. According to a recent Technavio study, a 5 percent improvement in customer retention could boost profits by 85 percent, which is further pushing organizations to deploy FAA solutions.

Because of the highly connected world in which businesses operate today, the availability of field information in real time delivers a wide range of data points that an organization can use to improve its overall operations. The biggest challenge comes in finding the right provider that is able to bring the right sets of technologies, applications, connectivity and information capture so it can deliver the insights solution it’s capable of providing.

Edited by Alicia Young

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