Recognizing that fast after-market service means nothing if it’s not efficient, Astea International has added roughly 100 new features to its service management software that it said will streamline workflow processes, improve the user experience, and increase access to information for field service teams.
Astea Alliance 9.0, announced this week, does not add any new modules, the company said, but significantly ramps up five functional areas within the suite, including professional services automation, business intelligence, service work order processes, workforce scheduling, and mobile workforce management.
The bulk of enhancements fall into the mobile field service application, which Astea integrated into its Alliance suite as part of its 2005 acquisition of FieldCentrix, company officials said. Specifically, the mobile workforce management application is now integrated with software from U.K.-based Infomill Ltd., a maker of maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) applications for complex systems. These systems include HVAC and industrial equipment, two of the manufacturing segments Astea supports.
Now, field technicians can access technical documentation related to parts via a mobile device. Users can drill down into a diagram to understand how to fix something, for example. They can also order parts, with each job automatically updating on a back-end tracking and parts management application. In addition, Astea said, timesheet updates and the ability to print a document or capture a customer’s signature are enabled via a mobile device.