Most agri-input businesses rely on field executives to sell or promote their products. Agri input agents visit farmer unions for presentations, offer free samples, install equipment and onboard farmers. 

All these tasks are performed offline and often in remote regions. This can pose challenges for them in terms of coordinating with their supervisors and being accountable for their work. 

In this article we cover all the major challenges faced by agri input field teams and they can be tackled using field workforce management software. 

Challenges in Agri-Field Employees

The following are 5 major challenges faced by agri input field teams. If left unchecked, they can lead to low employee morale, poor productivity and dwindling revenue. Dive in to know why these challenges arise and how to overcome them using field force management software like TrackoField. 

Inefficient Task Allocation 

Uneven workload and task overlaps are common in agri-input businesses. Lack of offline tracking and less flexibility in self-managing tasks also poses a challenge for agri agents. It can result in missed farmer visits, inadequate data collection and productivity waste. 

The solution? Field workforce management software. 

It allows agri field teams to self-allocate tasks, reschedule or delete existing tasks and clone repeat tasks for convenience. They can also continue to work offline without worrying about recording their details. The data is synced once connectivity returns. The software also allows you to: 

• Assign tasks after checking agents’ availability and location. 

• Attach detailed descriptions with relevant media to explain tasks thoroughly to executives. 

• Alert employees of pending tasks and assign tasks on the go. 

• Track task status – pending, in progress, completed or rescheduled. 

• View the top 5 performers of the day. 

• Assign tasks in advance and in bulk. 

Slow and Inaccurate Data Collection 

Agri agents often have to collect data of hundreds of farmers. A lone employee cannot manually fill up several forms whether on paper or digitally. One way to overcome this challenge is by allowing farmers to add their own information. 

This can be done by using digital forms. Software like TrackoField allow managers to create custom forms with all necessary fields and attach them to specific tasks. Agri sales agents can access these forms via their mobile app. They can also share the forms to multiple farmers or retailers through URLs and QR codes. 

This way, employees don’t have to manually file the data. Farmers can themselves add information about their land size, soil type, crop preferences, water levels, etc. 

Managers can easily onboard the farmers using automatically generated excel sheets. 

Complicated Attendance Reporting 

Remote attendance reporting can be a headache for agri input agents. They work in the field and can’t visit the office to mark their attendance. Nor can they use paper punch cards. Most companies rely on manual texts or call to record employees’ attendance. This can cause errors, inaccurate time tracking and confusion among the employees. 

Field workforce management software can foolproof attendance reporting in your agri-input business. The software uses GPS and geofencing technology to ensure accurate employee clock-ins and clock-outs. Here is how the process works. 

• Managers set up a geofence around a location, usually the first farmer visit of the day. 

• Agri agents enter the geofence and punch-in. 

• The task is unlocked only after successful attendance marking. 

• Managers can mandate agents upload geotagged and timestamped selfies while marking attendance for added accuracy. 

• Employees carry on with their tasks and are auto logged out once their shift ends. 

Geo-verified attendance prevents buddy punching and ensures agri agents reach the correct task sites to start their day. 

Lack of Real-Time Coordination 

Since agri input executives operate remotely, all communications take place online. This can result in communication gaps. Field agents might need more agri inputs or face unexpected hurdles. Without real-time coordination with their managers, it can be difficult to complete tasks and provide optimum service to clients. 

Therefore, real-time tracking is key for agri field teams. With field workforce management software, agri input teams need not worry about their work status.  

Managers can view total expenses, live task status, availability status and real-time locations on a centralised dashboard. They can also view the battery and network status of employees along with compliance issues like disabled GPS or data turned off. 

Managers also track offline work, so agents don’t have to take extra measures while visiting remote areas. 

Delayed Approvals 

Agri-input agents often incur expenses from their own pocket. This includes food, travel, lodging, stationery or equipment costs. It’s the company’s duty to reimburse these expenses. 

However, the verification process can take a long time, affecting agents’ personal expenses. TrackoField solves this issue by streamlining the request and approval process. Be it expense or leave requests; field agents can quickly raise requests from their mobile devices. 

Agents can attack pictures of invoices and bills while raising expense requests. Furthermore, the inbuilt distance calculator in TrackoField automatically computes the conveyance charges. 

Thus, agri-input agents don’t have to wait long for managers to verify their data with detailed reports. The software also offers multi-level approvals for more scrutiny of requests. 

Raising leave requests is no different either. Agents can view their leave balance on the app dashboard and apply for a leave on any day with a valid reason. 

Conclusion 

Agri input field teams face many challenges during their work. It can range from minor task overlaps to more serious inaccurate data collection or slow farmer onboarding. These challenges can severely affect an agri business’s operations and drives cost upwards. 

However, you can tackle these challenges and streamline workflow with field workforce management software like TrackoField. It offers advanced features like real-time GPS tracking, task management, field employee tracking software and geo-verified attendance marking. 

This ensures equal work distribution among agri field teams and simplifies data collection and attendance marking operations. To know more about TrackoField’s benefits, schedule a free demo today.