How Field Service Software is changing EV Charge Point maintenance

Field Service Management Software is helping EV Charge Point installation and maintenance service providers keep up with every increasing demand.

One in every seven new cars sold in the UK is an electric car say the Office of Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV). Interest in electric vehicles was given a boost by the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) in the UK which incentives businesses to incorporate green energy solutions into their building services and employee benefits programmes.

Many businesses and commercial property owners are committed to reducing their carbon emissions by installing charging stations. Reducing their impact on the climate and offering EV charging is also being seen as a great perk when attracting employees to join a business. However, these EV Charge points and stations need regular servicing to meet compliance.

What the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) means for EV installers and Field Engineers

• It reduces the cost of purchasing and installing a charging station by 75% (capped at £350 per socket)

• A business can claim on up to 40 charge points (40 sockets in total)

• Businesses can’t claim retrospectively on existing charge points

This has put extra pressure on installers to fulfill the growing demands and meet new compliance and regulations. Specialist skills are required and engineers will be expected to complete installations in locations ranging from city centre hubs to rural locations.

Installers and maintenance companies are having to find new ways to optimise their time by getting the right people to each job, reduce asset downtime and streamline their communications with their clients.

Unique challenges for EV Charge Station Service Engineers

There’s currently more than 35,000 charge point connectors across the UK in over 13,000 locations, that’s more charge points than petrol stations. It’s a growing trend that’s being seen across Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

These stations are high-tech, sophisticated pieces of equipment that need regular servicing, part replacement and meet OZEV regulations such as compliance with IET Wiring Regulations (BS 7671) and weatherproofing (BS EN 61851).

There will be extra demand on acquiring parts for servicing and repairs as the number of sockets installed starts to rise. Smart inventory management will be crucial to avoid downtime of equipment.

How Klipboard will help you with your EV charge station installation and planned maintenance

Having to work across a broad geographic area is a challenge for businesses who offer installation, servicing and reactive maintenance. Efficient planning and excellent communication are key to avoid wasted journeys and reduced downtime of client assets.

Klipboard offers comprehensive asset management tools enabling you to manage the asset register of charge points and their periodic planned maintenance.

It’s easy to use and will ensure complete visibility of what’s due servicing and when. Combined with our scheduling and dispatch tool, you will know which team member is working on each job and asset, along with giving you the flexibility to quickly react if a client alerts you to an urgent repair.

Know what EV charge station parts you have in stock with Klipboard Inventory Management

As demand increases there will be extra pressure on acquiring parts for servicing and repairs.

As the number of EV socket installations continues to rise, it will be vital for your team to have easy access to inventory and parts lists. Reduce delays by seeing exactly what you have and order new parts when your stock gets low.

Every wait for a part is more time with your client unable to use their equipment, give them the best possible service by always making sure you have what you need in stock with Klipboard.

You may already have an inventory list but when you use Klipboard you’re connected to it in real-time. You can assign parts to a particular job and your team can see the locations of parts in multiple locations.

It’s all at their fingertips whether they are on location or in the office.

Klipboard helps you locate your team

With charging stations being installed in every corner of the UK, knowing where your team is vital when you’re trying to deliver a top-level service to your client.

The live feed on Klipboard will ensure you can see where your team is if they are en-route, arrived at the location, started a job and completed it. The level of visibility means you can adjust jobs on the go and if you need to assign a field engineer to a last-minute job you can pick the best person available.

Automate your client communication

Never miss a customer’s asset service with Klipboard automated service reminders. You don’t need to do anything just leave it to Klipboard. You can set up the number of weeks you need to set the reminder for, how the message is sent, such as email or SMS and create your personalised message, leave the rest to us.

To optimise your PPM Servicing scheduling, you can instantly see which services are upcoming or overdue. Filter the data in multiple ways for a clear view of what’s happening and export the report for your own records or to share it with your client.

Keep your client in the loop with Klipboard by sending automated calendar reminders including details of who in your team is visiting them and even tell them when they are en-route to the job.

Klipboard can supercharge your EV Charge Point maintenance business

Klipboard can help you meet the very specific challenges faced in the EV Charge Point maintenance industry such as managing your aftercare maintenance schedule and service reminders for you and your field team. Learn more.