4 Ways to Improve the Efficiency of your Service Department

Four Ways to Improve the Efficiency of your Service Department

By: Matt Reinhart

•

The service department can be the lifeblood of your business. If your fleet isn’t safe and rental ready at all times – you can be at serious risk. A combined fleet management software system – a desktop system and mobile application that are properly implemented can greatly improve the overall efficiency of your service department.

In this post, we look at four ways to boost the efficiency of operations within your service department using fleet management software:

1. Improve Communication

Eliminate hand-written notes
Create work orders that can be sent to a service technician’s tablet or smartphone
Organize and prioritize maintenance and repairs within your centralized fleet management system
Maintain an accurate parts inventory
- Minimize misplacing critical parts
- Prevent re-ordering items already in stock
Eliminate confusion about which unit is down or when it will be rental ready

2. Create Accurate and Verifiable Service records

Create a digital trail of every service department process and activity
- Reduces liability in the case of accident
- Increase potential resale value
Add parts and service detail to work order in the field or in the shop by utilizing mobile fleet management apps
Accurately report labor hours

3. Stay in Front of Preventative Maintenance

Track preventative maintenance activities through centralized fleet management systems
- Establish service intervals for coming due maintenance in your system
- Receive alerts when preventative maintenance is coming due
- Lessen the risk of failing to complete annual inspections and other required unit specific activities on time
Reduce overall cost of maintaining your fleet by preventing break downs that might occur when there is no system for tracking service intervals recommended by the manufacturer

4. Accelerate Critical Administrative Processes

Enter labor remotely and accurately
- Labor can be entered on service technician’s tablet or smartphone and is sent in real-time back to office
- One point of data entry increases accuracy
- Labor hours are available immediately after they are keyed in
  - Simplifies payroll processing
- Invoice customers more quickly
  - Service technicians can add parts and labor directly to a work order to streamline billing once service is complete
  - No need to sort through time sheets and purchase orders to complete your invoices – everything is already attached to the work order and organized

These tips help your operation produce a seamless loop of information from service manager to service technician, improving the way workflows through your service department.