Field services essential in the fintech area

Iinstallation, maintenance and equipment repair of financial technology systems and equipment are referred to as “field services” in the fintech sector. The tasks performed as part of these services can vary widely, from setting up points of sale in retail businesses to maintaining hardware and software in financial institutions to fixing ATMs in banking environments.

Field service technicians are skilled specialists with the tools and training needed to work with a variety of systems and equipment parts.

In the fintech sector, field service technicians can perform tasks such as hardware setup, software configuration, equipment maintenance and system maintenance. They are often expected to work in a variety of environments, including offices, shops and banking institutions.

As a result, they must be able to adapt to different contexts and have the skills needed to be successful and quickly troubleshoot and fix problems.

Field services are essential for smooth and efficient operation of financial technology systems and equipment in the fintech area. They contribute to maximum uptime, minimization of downtime and ensure that consumers can get the services they need. Businesses that outsource their field services, such as retailers, microfinance, hospitality providers, among others, can gain new customers, retain their existing customers and stay one step ahead of the competition in a constantly changing market by providing reliable and efficient field services.

We spoke to Brendan Van der Mescht, Manager: Supply Chain at Altron FinTech, about the importance and evolution of field services in the fintech space, and here’s what he had to say.

The Altron FinTech Field Services team was approached a few years ago by one of the major banks to perform field services for them; this presented a new challenge for us as we had previously only performed field services for our merchants and had not branched out to perform additional field services for anyone else. We currently provide field services for a number of clients, and we frequently receive requests to provide these services for additional clients, some of which are Altron FinTech’s competitors. We branched out even further about a year ago when DataCard approached us about providing field services to one of their customers and this presented another challenge as they wanted us to carry out maintenance and replacement work on Entrust card printers, which are very different from payment terminals. .

Not too long ago we only had teams in Gauteng, Durban, Bloemfontein, PE and Cape Town and most of these areas only had one technician to service sellers. We now have two to three technicians in these areas and have also placed technicians in Pretoria, Nelspruit and East London. Over the past couple of years, we have nearly doubled our field service staff to meet demand.

As mentioned, in order to maintain and replace the Entrust printers, the team had to adapt and pick up new skills. In addition, technology is constantly evolving, so the team must stay up-to-date with the latest technology we offer. The Delter installations were recently added to the Altron FinTech Field Services team. Delter installations are more challenging and in-depth, so if done incorrectly, it can lead to a financial loss for merchants and Altron FinTech. Nevertheless, this has enabled the NuPay and Delter teams to work efficiently on installations, benefiting our customers. 80 percent of the team has received training and is now skilled at installing Delter solutions.

The field service team is constantly required to adapt to technological advances in both equipment and industry. Although it has been a learning curve to switch from terminals to card printers and now to Delter installations, the team is always eager to take on new challenges and expand their knowledge and skills. Many of our technicians have been able to move on to further their careers in other roles within Altron FinTech, thanks to the skills they acquired as technicians, and they are succeeding in their new roles.

Companies can achieve more in less time by outsourcing their field support, and they can save money, both of which have a positive impact on the bottom line. The field service team is passionate about providing excellent customer service, so by outsourcing your field services to Altron FinTech Field Services, companies can concentrate on their core business, control costs, have greater efficiency and a competitive edge, all of which are additional benefits of outsourcing.

Microlending, banking and retail will benefit the most from Altron FinTech Field Services.

1. Cost savings: It is often less expensive to outsource field services than to hire and train a group of in-house technicians. An outsourcing partner may have developed procedures and economies of scale that enable them to deliver services more efficiently and for less money.
2. Special competence: A company can gain access to personnel with the knowledge and experience required to successfully manage and repair its equipment and facilities by outsourcing field services to a specialist provider.
3. Focus on core competencies: By outsourcing field services, a business can concentrate on its strategic goals and core competencies while leaving the maintenance and repair of facilities and equipment to industry professionals.
4. Flexibility: By outsourcing field services, companies can scale their offerings up or down in response to changing business needs.
5. Improved service level: Companies can ensure that their facilities and equipment are always in good condition by outsourcing field services to a supplier who has experience in providing high quality services. This can increase productivity, reduce downtime and improve customer satisfaction.

We stock a variety of terminals and tools for our field service customers, enabling us to perform service calls more efficiently. Service requests are completed in accordance with our agreed SLAs. In addition, we carry out a weekly inventory of all equipment and keep an overview of all equipment in stock on our internal CRM system.

By performing regular software updates, replacing damaged cables and cleaning equipment, we constantly maintain terminals and equipment. We also include additional customer training in our maintenance category.

Every year, a new innovation disrupts the way the fintech industry operates, but there is always room to ensure customer satisfaction and product innovation are at the forefront. Because of this, Altron FinTech Field Services continues to operate at a level that keeps us and our customers up-to-date with the pace of development.