Field service management software that connects to IFS: key benefits

April 24, 2023

Service and maintenance projects necessitate focused attention on FSM-based control systems. The intricacies of service work highlight that FSM can optimize efficiency only when underpinned by customizable software that aligns with business requirements.

When determining a cost-effective approach to procuring FSM software, companies should assess its integration capabilities with ERP systems. This approach enables businesses to maintain lower costs when expanding the ERP system with supplementary FSM functionalities. Utilizing the right FSM software facilitates the customization of functionalities without the need for external software development support. Consequently, this approach ensures ERP modifications remain cost-free, effectively establishing the FSM software as an independent layer integrated atop the ERP.

Some ERP providers, such as IFS, offer specialized integration capabilities that connect the ERP system with FSM software. This integration empowers IFS users to manage field service and maintenance functions within a segregated system environment. This enables IFS users to align maintenance standards with business objectives, with a strong focus on cost efficiency. Linking FSM software to an IFS ERP system enhances a company’s technological capabilities, delivering numerous benefits, including free customizations and more (as detailed below).

Many industrial companies are required to adhere to particular standards related to health, reliability, customer satisfaction, safety, quality, and even security. Field service management software plays a crucial role in upholding and preserving these standards, facilitating the use of digital systems to collect data and carry out essential tasks.

FSM software facilitates the integration of data from ongoing operations into all maintenance practices and methods. This empowers maintenance departments to oversee their work, enhance the efficiency of maintenance tasks, address customer concerns, and respond to emergency situations effectively.

Mobility: FSM software should offer mobile functionality for field workers who utilize customized mobile applications on their mobile devices. This empowers them to conduct equipment and installation inspections with enhanced speed and accuracy, ultimately improving the efficiency of maintenance operations.
Portals: FSM software should facilitate comprehensive control over field operations through a centralized administrative hub. Here, managers and shift planners can meticulously plan maintenance schedules, make informed forecasts, and devise maintenance strategies based on pertinent operational needs, all within a single interactive portal. This consolidated view allows for a more streamlined approach to maintenance management.

Indeed, only a select few systems in the market offer a complete maintenance platform that aligns with the comprehensive criteria needed for FSM software.

Novacura presents the Novacura Flow software solution, which functions as a service platform, delivering users with the full spectrum of FSM capabilities along with a platform for crafting mobile applications. The Novacura Flow platform operates within a low-code environment, eliminating the necessity for users to possess advanced programming skills. This user-friendly approach enhances accessibility and usability for a wider range of individuals and teams.

The Novacura Flow platform provides these FSM functionalities to business users:

Deep ERP Integration: The Novacura Flow platform seamlessly integrates with leading ERP systems such as IFS, SAP, Oracle, and Infor 3M, serving as an additional layer that extends ERP capabilities with new system transactions while preserving existing ERP processes.
Mobility: Novacura Flow empowers users to independently construct desktop and mobile applications, rapidly deploying them to field workers within a matter of hours to address immediate business needs.
Portals: Through Novacura Flow, users can construct centralized portals that draw data from mobile apps, facilitating the creation of tailored overviews featuring KPI dashboards, benchmark tables, and charts to support field service management and analysis. Data from mobile apps and portals maintains a continuous exchange with ERP systems, ensuring a unified data source for all ERP users.
Customization: The Novacura Flow platform offers the flexibility to craft desktop and mobile applications and adapt them as needed to align with evolving business requirements. Users can effortlessly incorporate new inspection or system control requirements into their mobile apps as they arise. This adaptability streamlines the response to changing operational needs.

IFS provides its users with a comprehensive business management perspective. However, through its integration capabilities, it can enhance its performance to cater to specific field service business requirements. When integrated with FSM software, IFS can automatically activate and expand its functionalities, incorporating more tailored tools to address the specific demands of field service and maintenance operations.

Some benefits of connecting your field service platform to IFS:

Single source of data: When FSM software is linked to IFS ERP, it enhances enterprise operability by maintaining the ERP system as the primary database for data exchange. This means that mobile applications from FSM software connect to the ERP database to retrieve data and send updated information to the ERP database in real-time.
Mobility: Mobile applications available through an FSM software integrated with IFS significantly enhance the remote control of business operations, offering functionalities like an offline mode that allows data collection in IFS even when network access is limited.
Portals: FSM portals contribute to maintaining business visibility from various perspectives and enable the creation of direct performance reports using current inspection results from the IFS database. Users of the Novacura Flow platform can design personalized and user-friendly desktop and mobile portals connected to the central IFS server for easier data review and forecasting.
Customizations: Connectivity to the FSM platform extends beyond the existing capabilities of IFS, enabling the creation of mobile and desktop applications as well as the customization of system transactions in line with maintenance best practices.
Cost-effective management: When the FSM platform is integrated with IFS, it supports various maintenance types, including corrective, preventive, fragmentation, and correction. This enhances the development of consistent and cost-effective field service strategies while providing better control over business expenses during operations.

By analyzing the criteria that impact maintenance productivity, it becomes evident that connecting the IFS ERP system to FSM software can effectively address an organization’s primary maintenance challenges. Achieving peak performance through data collected via mobile applications and stored in a unified database proves to be the optimal solution for companies seeking to minimize field service and maintenance expenses while maximizing efficiency.

Customer case

Learn more about FSM implementation from Novacura in SweMaint, a leading company that operates in the railway industry.

The Novacura Flow platform equips IFS users with FSM software capabilities, enabling them to enhance their operational capabilities through custom mobile applications. Our customers can optimize their system maintenance budget as needed, ensuring they meet their FSM software ROI goals.

As a trusted partner of IFS, Novacura offers a comprehensive range of IFS services. We provide a tailor-made FSM solution that aligns perfectly with IFS requirements. Contact us today to discover how you can enhance your business by connecting Novacura’s FSM platform to your ERP system.

Learn more about our IFS services here.