Field Service Management Software
Get the best field service management software for your business. Compare product reviews, pricing below. Read our buyer’s guide for more help.
Field Service Management Software Buyer’s Guide
If your company installs, services, repairs, or does any other type of field work, you’re likely trying to bring a measure of organization to your field service management. With the right field service management software solution, you can more efficiently create quotes, dispatch field technicians, estimate jobs, track costs, and handle work orders. Positioning your company to more swiftly and reliably deliver services is critical to the successful service business.
Read on to find the best field service management software (FSM) that meets your business needs:
What Is Field Service Management Software?
Field service management software, also known as FSM software, manages every step of a job from scheduling to dispatching workers to invoicing.
Field service management software can be used by a variety of industries that provide commercial or home service including, but not limited to:
- Plumbing & HVAC
- Cable Installers & Telecommunication
- Healthcare (In-Home Care)
- Property Maintenance
Features of Field Service Software
Many field service solutions integrate with other accounting and ERP software programs. Most field service solutions include:
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
| Estimating and Quoting | Designed to help you quickly prepare estimates, quotes, or proposals for a specific job or project. Typically, estimating functionality allows you to place a bid, and in some cases translate the bid or quote over to an actual invoice. |
| Work Order Management | Simplifies work order assignment and tracking in order to ease the management of business tasks. |
| Asset Tracking | Allows you to track the purchases of equipment, vehicles, buildings, tools, and other assets for depreciation, inventory, and tax treatment. Depreciation data and gain/loss detail helps you properly account for each asset during ownership and at disposal. |
| Service Contracts | Helps create service-level agreements (SLAs) and automatically schedule recurring service and preventative maintenance. |
| Field Service Scheduling | This typically allows you to schedule the right fitting field workers to jobs with less manual effort. Allows you to better find and fill time slots that communicates & integrates with your workforce in the field. |
| Dispatching and Fleet Management | Dispatch service calls and integrate that into a schedule with two-way communication into the field. May include mapping, vehicle monitoring, routing, and real-time GPS tracking functionality. |
| Parts Inventory Management | Track the parts you have available to complete jobs, so you know when to order more. |
| Project Management | Project management capabilities are usually found in more advanced FSM software solutions for large, complex jobs. Coordinate scheduling, resource allocation, time tracking, planning, task management, quality management, and document management. |
| Mobile Capabilities | Allows you to send job related data from mobile devices including PDA’s, tablets, smart phones, and laptops. Mobile technology is rapidly changing in the field service industry. |
Benefits of Field Service Software
- Increased customer satisfaction and retention - With field service management software, you’ll be able to keep organized client records and job details. Being well-organized, keeping up with client communication, and getting the work done on-time and on-budget will improve customer satisfaction. Your satisfied customers are likely to turn into repeat business and refer others to your company.
- Improved scheduling - Knowing when and where your currently scheduled projects are, and who you have assigned to those projects, will make it easier to plan current jobs around the scheduled ones. Don’t worry about double-booking or forgetting about a job with a well-organized schedule.
- Remote instant access - Technicians need to be able to access job details while they’re out in the field. Some software solutions like Housecall Pro includes a mobile app and web portal that allows you to schedule jobs, dispatch technicians, provide estimates, and accept credit card payments.
- Improved internal communications - Office staff and field technicians will be able to access important client and project information to coordinate completed work and invoices. Field workers can update the client’s information if work was paid for on-site so the office staff won’t accidentally invoice the customer again.
What Does Your Business Need?
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Small businesses: If you’re running a small business with just a few employees, you’ll want field service management software that grows with you. Your software solution should make it easier to keep track of appointments, customer information, and job details. Some functionalities to look for include work order management, estimating and quoting, and scheduling.
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Large businesses with multiple franchises or locations: Large businesses needing to keep track of a variety of moving pieces including office staff & field workers, vehicles, parts, and equipment–especially among multiple locations–need a more complex software solution. Look for field service management software with parts inventory tracking, dispatch & fleet management, project management, scheduling, and asset tracking.
Why Do You Need Field Service Software?
Service-based companies use field service software to:
- Improve communication
- Streamline workflows
- Increase productivity
- Enhance the overall customer experience
Service departments are assuming a more prominent role in the organization in terms of driving revenue and adequately maintaining existing customer information. Odds are, your employees are taking on new roles and responsibilities such as sales, account management, estimating, and public relations in an effort to improve service delivery.
Leveraging field service technology can provide you with the platform to properly track and understand service costs. The intelligence and automation which a properly implemented field service solution can provide will allow your service department to become more efficient, and will arm you with the necessary perspective and tools to increase your bottom line.
Increase Automation and Improve Customer Loyalty With Field Service Software
Service departments are getting smarter about their service operations. Decision makers are realizing automation is necessary to keep pace with competition–and the rest of the company. More market competition means service based organizations are facing increased commoditization. In light of this challenge, it’s crucial to improve the “customer experience” to distinguish yourself from the pack. When you get down to it, creating customer loyalty starts on the job site. The company that reliably gets its service staff onsite, effectively completing work, and billing accurately is the company that has taken a major step towards differentiating itself from the competition. The right software program is an accelerator in terms of more quickly meeting these objectives.
Improving customer loyalty is not the only business benefit of field service management. Obtaining a clear picture of your dynamic service costs can allow your company to spot unnecessary expenses and inefficiencies. Field service solutions featuring key performance indicators (KPIs) provide a starting point for creating benchmarks and establishing goals. Creating visible company standards and performance metrics allows your company to track improvements over time. This information can help you focus on targeting gains in the procedures your service work revolves around.
Take the Next Step
Finding the right field service management solution can seem like a difficult task. But it doesn’t have to be. Our free software search service will help save you time finding the right program for your organization. Get started today!
