Retriever Communication’s national sales manager Ben Hartman talked to Fleet News Group about how software for field service management helps fleets save mileage on their vehicles by optimising routing, and how location technology assists in keeping field workers safe by tracking them and seeing that they are connected with their manager or office.
Retriever, wholly Australian owned and founded about 25 years ago to provide field management services, schedules the right technician or agent to arrive at a scheduled time at a certain place with the right skills and the right tools for the job.
“You can’t send a sparky to a site or to do work without having his licence in place,” said Hartman, explaining features of the field management software. “You have to be compliant. And that person also has to have the right skills to fix that machine or that asset on the site.”
The software also captures data about assets in the field — the lifecycle, and maintenance, and service history. Field service agents often use a mobile phone or some other device to carry out his or her work.
“Maps and field services management go hand in hand,” said Hartman, explaining field service agents need to know how to get from one location to another location to attend to a client, or check and maintain an asset.
“We use HERE Technologies mapping to work out the most optimised route. When you use that technology, what it basically means is that you’re saving fuel because you’re looking at the most optimal route from A to B to C to D etcetera. That’s a huge saving for the company because fuel is expensive. And the kilometres driven is also expensive because of the maintenance on the vehicles.”
The field management system also covers a field worker’s equipment and inventory. “Sometimes the technician doesn’t have the spare with them and the spare needs to come from warehouse A, B or C to the site, or the technician needs to pick up the spare from a depot. If you’re utilising our tools, in conjunction with HERE again, the truck rolls are minimised saving fuel and time,” said Hartman.
Retriever Communication customers include Toyota Material Handling, NSW Government Department of Fair Trading, Plus Es, Wedderburn, and Otis.
“In 2010, Otis Australia and New Zealand commissioned Retriever Communications to develop an application to schedule and track service tasks; record time and expenses as well as monitor mechanic safety. Since then, we have partnered with Retriever to implement productivity enhancements for our service business. In 2019, we expanded this relationship to develop time ticket solutions for our construction business,” said Otis Australasia’s director of support operations in a testimonial on Retriever’s website.
