Published 15 Aug 2023
What is a Field Service Report?
A field service report is used by field staff to document the services performed during customer visits, including repair, maintenance, and installation work. It is used to monitor the work progress and performance of technicians or service practitioners assigned to do the tasks. In addition, they are used to capture and report data on how physical resources, such as vehicles and equipment, are managed and maintained.
In this article
- Importance and Role in Field Service Management (FSM)
- How Do You Write a Field Service Report?
- What to Include in a Field Service Report
- FAQs about Field Service Reports
- Streamline Field Service Reporting with a Digital Auditing Tool
- Related Digital Field Service Report Templates
Importance and Role in Field Service Management (FSM)
A field service report is an essential part of field service work. It serves as a record of what work has been done and the changes that have occurred in your workplace or a certain project. You can track your employees’ growth and progress with this document, and on the other hand, your customers can also gain more insight into your work progress.
Field service reporting is also an essential element of a company’s broader Field Service Management (FSM) System. FSM is used to manage the efficiency and safety of a company’s workers and equipment used while serving customers in the field.
Here are 5 key advantages of field service reporting and implementing an FSM System:
- Enhances efficiency – Analyze customer demands and track the status of jobs in the field to ensure that clients receive assistance in a timely manner.
- Boosts productivity – Check worker logs and monitor the performance and competency of service professionals to minimize operational downtime.
- Increases profitability – Having more efficient and productive technicians can lead to more clients trusting the service. Addressing issues immediately can help reduce the costs of future repairs.
- Stores data and ensures compliance – Maintain audit records and documentation for regulatory compliance. Save all work orders, timesheets, service policies, invoices, and other significant business data.
- Fosters teamwork – Share reports across the organization and identify areas for improvement; use data to help develop action plans through collaboration.
How Do You Write a Field Service Report?
The process of writing a field service report is as follows:
- Determine the kind of service to be performed: repair, maintenance, installation, or other work.
- Describe the problem and take photo evidence of defects or damages.
- Document the actions taken and confirm if work was completed. If not, put follow-up action items.
- Create a summary of the damaged or defective devices.
- Participants, which are the client, technician, and field service engineer, should provide digital signatures to validate the report.
What to Include in a Field Service Report
Field Service Report Template Sample Report | SafetyCulture
A typical field service report will have the following details:
- Details about the project: What is the project or task to be done?
- Work to be performed: What kind of field service task should be accomplished?
- Problems encountered: What are the problems encountered during the field service?
- Follow-up action items: What steps were taken to solve the problems countered? And aside from the problems encountered, what are other problems discovered that may affect the project?
- Damaged equipment or device list: What are the broken equipment on the field, and what happened to them?
- Summary of events: What is the rundown of all events that occurred, from start to finish?
FAQs about Field Service Reports
Field service refers to any task or project done in a client’s own job site or their preferred location. Common tasks that field service workers do usually concern the following: telecommunications; construction; Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC); engineering; property maintenance; and healthcare.
There is no strict format on how a field service report should be, as different clients and team leaders or project managers will have different standards for it. What matters is that the essential details of the field service tasks or projects are detailed accordingly.
In some cases, whoever worker is assigned to a certain task or project should give it to their immediate supervisor at the end of their shift. In other cases, the overall supervisor is in charge of creating the field service report. Some projects require both to create their own reports.
Streamline Field Service Reporting with a Digital Auditing Tool
Ensure your field service reports are easily understandable and provide real-time visibility for your team operations with a mobile-ready field service report and audit app like SafetyCulture (formerly iAuditor). SafetyCulture is a digital checklist and all-in-one app that can digitize your processes and documents to streamline your daily operations, ensuring your field service reports and audits are preserved, and accessible anytime and anywhere.
SafetyCulture is an ideal replacement for paper and excel-based field service reports because it can easily integrate into your FSM System with its downloadable and editable field service report templates in the Public Library. You also have the option to create your own template from scratch or convert your existing Word, PowerPoint, PDF, and Excel templates into SafetyCulture use.
Like this, you and your staff can conduct paperless reporting using mobile field reports on iPhone, iPad, and Android devices, saving time by generating and completing reports, taking unlimited photos, and capturing electronic client signatures. All reports are then automatically saved online and can be accessed by your whole team or only those you give access controls to. This way, you speed up the reporting process and provide more time for managing other tasks.
With SafetyCulture, you can also:
- Work offline and sync all changes back to the cloud once the internet is available
- Create and scan QR codes to fill up reports immediately
- Report problems in field service tasks by raising issues and creating and assigning actions to correct them
- Track all worker and equipment activity via an online dashboard and share announcements by raising a Heads Up
- Train staff on field service tasks and reporting practices through courses from EdApp by SafetyCulture
- Generate reports based on the analytics of your inspections and audit forms, and export them in CSV, SQL, PDF, and Word files
Related Digital Field Service Report Templates
Job Sheet Template for Field Service Management
Use this job sheet template to document key tasks assigned and performed by service practitioners during field visits and dispatches. Document faults and works carried out and record additional works needed and the cost of materials used.
Building Maintenance Checklist
This template can help with managing lighting, electrical, safety, HVAC, plumbing, and building interior/exterior maintenance tasks. Spot problems and immediately assign tasks to the appropriate team or personnel even while your maintenance check is ongoing and receive status.
Vehicle Maintenance Checklist
Use this vehicle maintenance and inspection checklist to identify defects and mechanical issues of any vehicle. The authorized inspector would check all the parts and determine if the vehicle is good to go or needs repair service or parts replacement.
Heavy Vehicle Maintenance Checklist
This checklist template can be used by a certified technician to identify problems and mechanical issues of heavy vehicles. This can also be used to prepare for any legal checks required to show compliance with vehicle laws.
Computer Maintenance Checklist
Use this digitized computer maintenance checklist to inspect if the computer’s hardware needs cleaning, repair, or replacement and check if the software and security features are updated and running. Computer maintenance is conducted by IT professionals and managers to help ensure the continuous and optimal working condition of computers.
Generator Maintenance Checklist
This checklist is used to ensure that diesel generators provide good power quality. Engineers and operators can follow this template guide to perform their inspections and provide an overall condition assessment of the generator.
CCTV Maintenance Template
Use this maintenance checklist log to ensure surveillance cameras are in good working condition. This template can be used by security teams to record and report any defects identified.
HVAC Maintenance Template
This preventative maintenance inspection checklist can help you better manage and maintain all your HVAC equipment. Keep all your heating and cooling systems in check by checking every aspect of your HVAC equipment.
Fire Extinguisher Maintenance Template
Use this template to conduct a fire extinguisher inspection every 30 days to determine if the equipment meets the standards and safety measures for any emergency purpose. The auditor would initially check for fire extinguisher types (ABC, BC, A, D, or K), inspection tags, seals, labels, and extinguisher validity, then identify and annotate defects.
