Test Service Providers Easily with Pilots

Continuously testing new providers is a key component of the Framework for a Strong Provider Network, which ensures business continuity by helping you achieve the right mix of the highest quality and most cost-effective providers in the market.

A powerful “pilot” feature in Locations & Provider Assignments automates the trial process. Now you can easily test providers temporarily, without changing your existing assignments. This allows you to ensure they deliver better service and meet your performance standards before you decide to rank them as your primary provider.

You can use pilots to test any provider that has been accepted into your network, whether they’re newly invited or they’re already working for you in different trades and locations.

Why use provider pilots?

• Find out how much you can improve. Everyone wants to find cost savings opportunities. At the same time, new providers need to learn your business, deliver better results, and meet all your expectations. With pilots, you can prove that a new provider gives you better service before giving them the job longer-term.
• Flexibly test out new providers. If a pilot provider meets or exceeds your expectations, you can rank them as your new primary. If not, your assignments automatically return to your existing primary provider when the pilot ends. You can easily continue to test until you find the right fit.
• Adapt quickly to changing business needs or market conditions. Pilots make it easy to test multiple providers continuously and adjust your mix without impacting your ongoing operations.

Ways to use provider pilots

• Test new providers: Before switching fully to a new provider, run a pilot to evaluate how well they do on a smaller scale.
• Expand current providers: Use a pilot to test an existing provider in new locations or trades. For example, you can pilot plumbing work orders for a provider that is already handling HVAC. Or you can add another state within their service territory.
• Identify backups: Pilots make it easy to test multiple providers continuously and adjust your mix without impacting your ongoing operations.
• Grow your business: When you open locations in new regions or add services to support new offerings, provider pilots help you expand your network.

How it works

You can create a pilot in just a couple of minutes by following these steps:

1. Create a pilot by going to Menu > Locations & Provider Assignments. You can click Pilot on a provider in your waitlist or go to the Pilot page and select Create Pilot.
   
2. Select the provider, trades, number of work orders, and locations in the pilot.
   a. The provider will receive this number of work orders before the pilot ends.
   b. Work orders are automatically assigned during that period, so you don’t need to manually change your assignments before and after each test.
   
3. Enter any email address that should receive notification when it’s completed.
   
4. At any time, you can end the pilot early and your regular assignments will resume.
   
5. Analyze the provider’s performance during the pilot period.
   a. Click the number of assigned work orders on the Pilots page to review the speed, quality, and cost of their service and determine if they meet your standards.
   b. You can also view their performance metrics in your Contractor Scorecard.
   
6. Decide if you want to assign the provider to your locations long term.
   a. To quickly rank them as your primary provider, click the Assign button to replace the incumbent provider for your selected trades and locations.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many work orders are recommended for a pilot?

• The number of work orders needed to make a decision after a pilot varies depending on the volume of work in those trades and locations.
• If possible, you can try to run the pilot for at least 10 work orders within 3 months, but you may need a lower goal for less common trades.
• For pilots in trades with higher work order volume and in larger regions, you can set a higher number.
• While there is no limit on how long a pilot lasts, it’s common to end pilots after 3–6 months.

Do providers know when they are in a pilot or when their assignments change?

• Providers do not have visibility to their trade and location assignments – whether they are in a pilot or not – but you can communicate about their assignments as you deem appropriate.
• It’s best practice to check in with providers at the beginning of the pilot to set them up for success and proactively address any issues or questions.

 

 

How do I get access to the provider pilots feature?

• The provider pilots feature is available to all customers for no extra charge.
• Users need permission to access the Locations & Provider Assignments page to create and view pilots.

 

 

How do the provider pilot assignments affect other dispatch overrides?

• Other overrides you have in place, such as asset warranty routing and issue list overrides, take precedence over provider pilots, so they are not affected.