Efficient Oilfield Ticket Management Software: Bridging the gap between field work and faster billing.
Oilfield service companies need to constantly process field activities, equipment, staff, customer requests and invoice information. A completed job can be hard to track and even more difficult when field tickets are done via paper, spreadsheet, phone or separate systems. Oilfield ticket management software offers a more streamlined solution by linking field personnel with dispatchers, operations managers, and accounting teams via a unified digital process.
Why is Field Ticket Management important?Why Field Ticket Management?
A field ticket is not just an account of what’s been done. It may include data on labor hours, equipment, materials, services, job site, customer signoff and more to support the correct billing process.
With manual collection, there are a number of issues that may arise. Tickets can be delayed, incomplete, hard to read, and can be missing from other job records. Employees in the office might then have to follow up with people in the field to verify information, prior to preparing an invoice.
By ensuring the process is consistent from the start of a job to billing, digital ticket management can help streamline the process.
Companies can implement a workflow where field information is recorded digitally and accessible to authorized persons, avoiding the use of physical documents.
Storing and accessing information online, away from paper.
Paper ticketing systems have been in use for many years in the oil and gas field, but can cause excessive administrative tasks.
A tech can work at a different site and then come back later to the office with a finished set of documents! At that time, the accounting department might not be aware of the work that has already been completed.
Digital field ticketing revolutionizes this process by enabling the information to be captured nearer to where the work is being accomplished.
A contemporary workflow can aid businesses:
- Use an electronic record to record job information.
- Document the information about the labour and equipment involved.
- Document materials and services
- Collect customer signatures
- Add appropriate images or records
- Track ticket status
- Be sure to check tickets prior to billing
- Move authorized data to accounting processes
This creates a more organized link between the field and office.
Supporting Oilfield crews working remotely
Internet and cellular connectivity is often spotty, particularly in the oilfield. There is, therefore, a need for a ticketing solution that is specifically catered to field environments.
Offline functionality can be especially helpful for crews on the road. Workers can input data into a mobile device as they work, and when they are connected, it can synchronize the data.
This saves space and time by avoiding the need to wait for a technician to return to an area where there is a good connection to the phone system.
Documenting job information while the information is fresh may be easier for field personnel. In the case of office teams, it ensures a more reliable flow of operational information.
Between the Dispatch and Field Teams
The role of the dispatcher in oilfield service activities is very important. They should be aware of who is on the crew, what jobs are in progress, and what resources are available.
A centralized ticket management platform can aid dispatchers to ensure they have visibility of what’s going on.
When job information and field updates are integrated in the same system, dispatch teams can spend lesser time gathering field status updates via different communication channels.
This can be helpful when making changes to your schedule throughout the day. A customer’s request may present an opportunity to change the original scope of work, add additional equipment or crews to the project.
A shared system with up-to-date information will allow office and field teams to operate from the same window.
Improving Ticket Accuracy
The information provided in a ticket can have a direct impact on billing and customer communication, so it is important that all oilfield service companies have accurate documentation.
When records are incomplete there may be doubts regarding what work was carried out, the number of hours worked on a job, equipment utilized, or other services rendered.
A standardisation of the information that technicians are expected to give can be achieved with the use of digital forms.
Important information can be missed out if required fields, pre-defined service information, equipment records and digital approval processes are not completed.
Another benefit of digital signatures is that customers or their representatives can easily verify completed tasks from the field.
Attach Tickets to Billing.
The greatest benefit of digital ticket management is the shorter time between work completed and bills submitted.
In a traditional process, the ticket might have to go from the field to the office and then accounting staff can start typing an invoice. They then are manually inputting data into another system.
This adds to administrative burdens and the risk of data entry errors.
An integrated digital workflow, where a ticket’s approval can be the basis for billing.
This can assist companies:
- Minimize Data Duplication
- Finish off tasks more quickly that have been completed.Finish off finished jobs sooner.
- Minimize billing discrepancies
- Add greater transparency for outstanding tickets
- Reduce administrative workload
- Keep better records of services completed
The quicker the accurate information can be delivered to accounting, the quicker a completed job can be taken to an invoice.
The management of information regarding equipment and services.Managing Equipment and Service Information.
The oilfield services often require special equipment which should be assigned to specific jobs and crew members.
Ticket management can offer a centralized location to link equipment to field activities. This gives a more detailed history of the use of resources for a specific task.
This data can be used for operational planning in businesses that rent equipment or provide services for equipment.
Historical records will help managers to gain a better view of equipment usage, recurring service needs and job activity.
Without equipment information tied to job information it becomes more difficult to grasp the overall operation. Linking these records can facilitate ease of day-to-day management.
Developing Better Operational Visibility
Managers will be unable to make any improvements to processes if they don’t have a view of what is happening throughout the business.
Centralized ticketing system can offer visibility on the jobs in progress, closed jobs, jobs waiting for approval, and information waiting to be attended.
Managers don’t have to wait for paperwork to arrive in the office, but can now work with more up-to-date operational information.
This can assist in making decisions for:
- Crew scheduling
- Equipment allocation
- Job progress
- Customer service
- Billing priorities
- Operational workload
- Resource planning
As the tickets are accumulated and stored over time, they can also serve as a good source for business intelligence.
Select the right digital strategy
Not all field service applications perform the same tasks for oilfield operations. Businesses need to determine if the platform can accommodate the practicalities of its employees and business processes.
The key factors to consider are mobile usability, offline capabilities, digital signatures, ticket approvals, equipment tracking, reporting, accounting integration and deployment ease.
The software should also be user friendly enough for the field workers to use without adding another administrative burden.
The use of a technically “strong” system that may be difficult to use may not produce the effects desired. Adoption rates are higher when field personnel can easily grasp the workflow and aren’t hindered by the need to follow a long chain of tasks.
The challenge was to create a More Connected Oilfield Workflow.
Digital transformation doesn’t necessarily require replacing all the business processes. To start, companies can act by enhancing one aspect of the operations where manual tasks contribute most to the operational friction.
For many people, ticket management is a practical place to begin because the field ticket relates a number of key stages in the service cycle.
A digital workflow can bring together different people in the field, dispatchers, supervisors, managers and accounting in one place regarding the same job.
This will allow more workflows to be added as the business gets used to the digital processes, creating a wider operational setting.
Conclusion
Oilfield service companies depend on the accuracy of information to schedule, deploy, and utilize resources in the field, to communicate with customers, and to create invoices. These responsibilities can be more challenging than they need to be due to paper-based processes and disconnected systems.
Oilfield ticket management software can help to streamline the field documentation, job tracking, approvals, and billing process. Companies can minimize administrative delays and increase visibility of operations by capturing data near the job site and sharing it with the right teams.
Modern ticket management can play an important role in fast, accurate and connected field operations as oilfield businesses continue to embrace digital technologies.