Case Study
Britain's second-largest boiler installer reaches its customers 25% faster
In the summer of 2018, Solvares Field Service implemented an appointment and route optimisation solution for HomeServe’s installation department in a very short cycle. This allowed it to be successfully deployed as early as autumn and winter, the company’s busiest period: HomeServe reached its customers 25% faster than before.
Complex planning and scheduling
The business model therefore requires the planning and scheduling of a complex mix of surveyors, who process many orders a day, and field service technicians, who require one or more days for an order. When looking for new appointment scheduling and route optimisation software, it quickly became clear that HomeServe needed a software application that combined both requirements.
More than just filling gaps
The trigger for the search for a new appointment scheduling solution was the desire to work smarter, not harder. The focus was therefore on the requirement to make workforce scheduling more efficient overall and to reduce the workload of back-office staff.
Richard Wilson, IT Director at HomeServe, explains:
HomeServe first heard about Solvares Field Service in discussions with other field service and planning solution providers. Wilson explains:
“Many of the planning tools we looked at were for filling gaps. In other words, they look for gaps in customers’ schedules that fit appointments. We wanted a more dynamic tool that offers us continuous optimisation while providing a view of every appointment and field service employee, resulting in the best possible planning.”
A tool that handles critical situations with confidence
Richard Wilson’s project team took a closer look at Solvares Field Service and found that real-time appointment scheduling and route optimisation with VISITOUR was the solution they were looking for. An intelligent tool that evaluates all company operatives in real time and provides optimal planning and optimisation even in critical situations.
VISITOUR makes smarter, faster, and more efficient decisions than other planning technologies. It works in conjunction with the platform-independent mobile solution MOBILE FLOW to ensure that field-based employees arrive at their appointments on time and are well-informed about the job upon arrival. Used together, VISITOUR and MOBILE FLOW ensure a significantly reduced administrative burden and the automation of the overall process.
HomeServe conducted a proof-of-concept pilot project with Solvares Field Service. It demonstrates the value of VISITOUR in terms of functionality and versatility, especially its ability to integrate into existing back-end systems.
Integration capability was central
Richard Wilson explains: “Integration was a crucial requirement for us. We needed to know that VISITOUR could integrate with our service management software. That’s what makes Solvares Field Service’s pilot projects so helpful. They are more than just demos where you have to imagine how the software will work in your own business context. The Solvares Field Service pilot connects everything and shows directly how the software can be applied in the respective company context. We saw immediately that Solvares Field Service was suitable for integration. We also saw at first glance how functional and multifaceted VISITOUR really is.”
For example, the ability to combine orders looks like this: when HomeServe installs boilers, a field service technician is required for the installation and an electrician for the wiring. Solvares Field Service links both orders, even if they take place on different days. As a result, moving the installation date leads to a simultaneous shift of the electrician’s appointment by Solvares Field Service.
Faster implementation than usual
Implementation therefore took place in a significantly shorter period than usual. Thanks to the close cooperation between Solvares Field Service, the in-house developers, and the back-office teams at HomeServe, VISITOUR was live and integrated within a few weeks, scheduling hundreds of multidisciplinary field service operatives in a very short time.
Five years with VISITOUR: Read the update ↗
Everyone pulled out all the stops
Wilson cites one reason why Solvares Field Service can be implemented faster than other planning software packages:
A growth accelerator
“Solvares Field Service saves us time in the office, gives us a complete overview of our employees’ activities, and allows us to reach our appointments 25% faster than before,” concludes Richard.
Richard Wilson, IT Director at HomeServe, summarises: “We are a customer-centric company. That is ultimately why we chose the path with Solvares Field Service. We wanted a simple, intelligent, and efficient way to optimise appointments so that the customer gets their preferred date. Having made that possible, the automated emails and SMS are intended to keep our customers up to date at all times. We are fully focused on the optimal customer experience and are grateful that Solvares Field Service is helping us to implement this.”
Five years with VISITOUR: Read the update ↗
What You Can Take away from this for your Service
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Results
- HomeServe reaches its customers 25% faster than before
- Increased efficiency in Scheduling
- Transparent service processes
- Improved customer experience
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