The 3 E’s of Accountability

Engage. Empower. Enlighten. These are probably not the first words that come to mind when thinking about monitoring field employees. However, mobile software solutions enabled with features that keep field reps accountable for their daily activities actually have the power to do these three things. This post discusses how some software solutions work to keep employees accountable while fostering engagement, empowerment, and enlightenment within relationships between remote employees and their managers.

Engagement

Employing a technology that has the capability to monitor field reps’ daily activities, mileage, and geographic location allows managers to engage with remote employees much more easily than ever before. Mobile software solutions with these capabilities do more than just track employee performance; managers can better coach reps if they have a grasp on what a field rep is doing on a given day. Traditional reports are too broad and do not capture specific details about individual client visits and other activities that a rep performs. It is difficult for managers to help employees improve if they cannot access information about a rep’s performance in real-time.

Certain Field Management Activity software solutions include instant messaging functions that enable field reps and managers to communicate with each other in real-time. This feature is excellent for handling issues that arise at client visits immediately.It also provides managers with a way to check in with reps as needed.  Since field reps spend little to no time in the office, having a means of instant communication in place fosters employee engagement, driving productivity.

Empowerment

Employees can work more competently if they have real-time visibility of their own performance instead of being told by management how they are doing or what to do next. Instant communication gives field reps the ability take control of any situation they are in while still being able to reach out to managers as needed. Furthermore, managers can provide instant feedback via the chat capabilities available with some mobile software solutions. Providing positive feedback boosts morale and motivates employees to work to their full potential, especially remote employees who don’t regularly interact with managers in-person.  

In addition to observing field reps’ daily activities, some software solutions include data collection capabilities that allow reps to better know and serve clients. For example, customizable forms let field reps gather unique data about specific clients which enables the rep to better meet that client’s needs. Additionally, opting to use digital forms instead of paper ones eliminates the human error associated with manual data collection and entry, and also saves time and money. These examples demonstrate how technology can empower employees to maximize productivity during their work hours while back office managers observe their activities.       

Enlightenment

Monitoring employee performance can be enlightening for managers and field reps alike. Consider this: if employees are using a software solution that allows them to make notes about a particular client visit or view another rep’s notes about a previous visit to that client, the rep becomes more in touch with the nature of that customer’s needs.  Managers can also see these notes, which allows them to better evaluate the state of each client relationship. Customized forms and merchandising audits that are delivered from the field rep to management in real-time function in a similar fashion. In addition to textual notes and forms, some software designed for Field Activity Management has high-resolution photo sharing capabilities, which allows managers to see both a rep’s finished work and competitors’ activity. Having access to this type of information helps managers implement improved business strategies that will impact an organization’s bottom line.  

To summarize, technologies that enable managers to audit employee performance are beneficial to both management and remote field teams. Managers and employees can more easily engage with each other via Field Activity Management software solutions. Reps who can track their daily activities and efficiently gather client data will be empowered to work more productively. Managers who have a sense of their reps’ real-time activities become enlightened as to what strategies are working well and which ones are not. Business leaders who wish to implement a new technology into their company should take measures to reassure employees that the use of a mobile software solution will benefit everyone at the organization.