FAQ's

In today's fast-paced technology world, a little knowledge goes a long way. The more you know about the latest technologies available in your field, the better equipped you are to serve your customers.

What is service optimization?

Service optimization is a best practice for effective decision-making throughout the organization's entire service operation. Companies that practice service optimization are able to identify and eliminate costly inefficiencies around forecasting, planning, and scheduling. This provides them a powerful competitive advantage- they are able to attain the elusive prize of both customer satisfaction and cost reduction.

Back to Top

Why are companies using service optimization?

Companies that use service optimization usually share the following attributes:

  • They are under competitive or regulatory pressure to reduce cost and improve customer service.
  • They view service as critical to their business.
  • They want to maximize the utilization of their resources.
  • They like to constantly raise the bar for operational excellence.

Back to Top

What size of companies is it good for?

Companies that use service optimization typically have a field service workforce with 50 or more staff. ClickSoftware's largest customer has over 30,000 service technicians, but we have also worked with companies with 35 technicians that have seen excellent ROI.

Back to Top

Which industries is service optimization best for?

The most common industries are computer and office equipment, telecom, cable, energy & utilities, medical equipment, capital equipment, home services, HVAC, and security. That said, service optimization has been successfully implemented in many other industries such as healthcare, government, aerospace & defense, insurance, financial services, and automotive.

Back to Top

How do I know if I need it?

Here are some of the symptoms that may indicate you could benefit from service optimization

  • You struggle to improve your service margins (for profit centers).
  • You are missing too many customer commitments.
  • You spend excessive amounts on travel, overtime, and overheads.
  • You have a hard time determining the "just right" staffing levels and skill mix for your field force.
  • Your technicians spend too much time driving or administering their schedules.
  • Your dispatchers cannot manage more than 20 field technicians.

Back to Top

What benefits and payback can I expect?

It goes without saying that "your mileage may vary." ROI and payback should always be studied carefully. Here are some reference points to give you an idea of how other organizations have benefited.

In case studies ClickSoftware has done with customers using optimization software, most customers reported productivity gains between 10% and 20%. A recent benchmark study conducted by Downton Consulting found that companies using optimization are 33% more productive than companies that do not use optimization. Many of these companies have seen payback within 12 month of the "go-live" date.

Back to Top

What are some of the keys to success?

Service optimization can have a dramatic impact on your operation. That's a good thing! However, neglecting to manage the cultural change can lead to resistance, project delays, and even to a project failure. Make sure that you dovetail a comprehensive change management plan with your implementation of any form of service optimization.

Optimization allows you to find the perfect balance between often conflicting business objectives. However, without a consensus on what the objectives are, it is hard to determine if they have been accomplished. This can lead to project delays. A sound implementation methodology will mitigate this risk.

Last, but not least. As optimization is at the heart of your operation, the supporting technology must be flexible enough to accommodate many real-life considerations and nuances. And it must be adaptable to respond quickly to changing business needs.

Back to Top

Why should I choose ClickSoftware?

ClickSoftware is by far the most experienced company, measured by the number of years in the business, number of users, and number of implementations. We have been eating, drinking, breathing, and dreaming service optimization for over 15 years. In fact, we coined the term "Service Optimization." That's why we know which practices work and which don't. As such, we are able to provide a lot more than just technology. We can provide you with all the help and advice you need to deliver the ROI you expect. Our implementation methodology includes the best practices, cultural change management, calibration and tuning tools, and executive training. We also invest time and money to benchmark our customers. As a result, more clients choose ClickSoftware for service optimization than any other company.

Back to Top

My CRM/ERP has a built-in scheduling function, isn't this good enough?

Depending on your needs, scheduling solutions bundled as part of CRM/ERP software may not be capable of the level of optimization your organization needs. Consider these three examples:
Optimization capabilities. There's a difference between scheduling one technician to a customer at a certain time, and scheduling the best technician to the right customer at the most appropriate time, so that the cost is minimized and customer satisfaction is maximized. It's the difference between mere computerization and real optimization. In short, if you use the "built in freebie", odds are you are wasting some 10%-20% of your field personnel's time, and your dispatchers spend twice as much time on scheduling than they need to.

Scheduling is only a part of the optimization process. Does your system optimize forecasting and workforce planning? Even the best scheduling system will be challenged if your staffing levels are not balanced with your workload.

The "built in freebie" represents a tiny fraction of your CRM/ERP vendor's revenue. It means the world to us! Our investment, commitment, and domain expertise are proportionate to our passion.

Back to Top

Can I integrate service optimization with my service order/ticket/call management system?

Most likely. We have integrated with many of the common packages such as SAP CRM, SAP R/3, Siebel, Clarify, Remedy, and PeopleSoft. We have also integrated with many homegrown systems running on anything from mainframes to PCs. We will be happy to look into your specific system to determine if we can integrate with it.

Back to Top

Do I need to equip my technicians with mobile computers to use real-time optimization?

Mobile computers will help you drive the optimization to its maximum potential. However, quite a few organizations choose to start as a first step with a simpler field communication system. For example, text messaging, IVR, and even voice communication.

Back to Top

Where can I learn more about service optimization?

Here are a few resources:

  • Visit the Service Optimization Knowledge Center on our site which includes plenty of informative resources.
  • To keep yourself up to date on latest technologies available in your field, and get tools and tips to better equip you to serve your customers, sign up to receive updates from our blog Clickipedia.
  • Finally, you can always contact us by phone or email. We look forward to talking to you.

Back To Top

I have seen the case studies and benchmark, but how do I know if service optimization can work for my company?

Again, give us a call, and we will be happy to discuss your specific needs and determine how your company can benefit from service optimization.