An intuitive interface and easy-to-use tools, help you take advantage of advanced tools that a traditional scheduler has never been able to give you before. You can use multiple calendars and manage staff on demand with the push of a button, all while having complete visibility into the field teams’ schedule.
In this guide, we review the aspects of Field Team Management Software, field management software for small business, field service management software companies, and track and field team management software.
Field Team Management Software
If you’re in the business of managing field teams, then finding the right software is essential. Field teams can be managed by a combination of systems and methods. Field team management software can help to simplify the process by providing a single interface for all your scheduling needs.
Whether you need a field team for maintenance, home repairs, installations, or other on-site services, you face the challenge of how to schedule and deploy your technicians.
Whether you need a field team for maintenance, home repairs, installations, or other on-site services, you face the challenge of how to schedule and deploy your technicians.
The first step in making that process more efficient is understanding what exactly a field service technician does. They will travel to customer locations and perform tasks associated with their particular area of expertise. For example:
- Landscapers might trim shrubs or remove dead leaves from trees;
- Carpenters may install cabinets in kitchens or finish wood floors;
- Plumbers might connect water lines under sinks or repair broken pipes under sinks; and
- HVAC specialists might diagnose heating issues in homes or offices by inspecting ductwork systems.
Keeping your teams connected, sharing information in real-time, and using the power of automation to get more done in less time are all ways that field team management software can help you do it.
You can also use a team messaging platform, task management system and project management system to keep your teams connected. One of the most important aspects of field team management software is that it allows you to create a mobile app for your field teams that they can use on the go. This way they have all of the tools they need at their fingertips at all times. If one member goes offline or loses internet connection, another member can still access important information and tasks through the mobile app.
And finally, make sure you’re using reporting tools so that everyone within your organization knows how well things are going in real-time (or whenever it’s needed).
This article will explain some of the ways field team management software can help you manage your field teams better.
- Make sure your field team management software can integrate with the other software you use.
The best field team management software will integrate with some of the other software that is used in your organization. This is important because it makes it possible to easily share data between several systems and applications, which means you can get a more complete picture of what’s going on in your company.
- Make sure your field team management software integrates with the other software your field team uses.
Make sure you choose a program that integrates well with all of the different programs and platforms used by members of your staff, especially if they are using a wide variety of different tools for their jobs. The better integrated these programs are, the easier it will be for everybody involved – including customers – who may have various levels of technical knowledge about technology or may not be familiar with certain aspects when dealing directly with one another via phone calls or emails during regular business hours; but being able to access everything from one platform means less time spent trying to figure out how something works before getting down to business!
- Make sure your field team management software integrates well with other major players who rely heavily upon technology (such as clients).
If you don’t already have an idea of some of the features that would work best for your business, we’ll also cover some basic features to look for in a field team management program.
If you don’t already have an idea of some of the features that would work best for your business, we’ll also cover some basic features to look for in a field team management program.
- Look for features that help you manage your field teams more efficiently. For example, if you were managing a team of salespeople and wanted to know how much time they spent at each client location, or how many appointments they booked on average per day, it might be useful to have software that tracks this information automatically.
- Look for features that help you manage your field teams more accurately. For example, if someone isn’t entering accurate data into the software (such as when they’ve arrived at a job site), it might be good to have backup data sources such as GPS location tracking or time/location stamps on photos taken by employees’ cellphones so that these can override incorrect information entered into the system by employees who aren’t properly trained on what needs to be reported back from each job site visit.
- Look for features that help manage field workers more productively – perhaps by allowing them more freedom so they can work from anywhere with internet access rather than having all their tasks assigned via email only while sitting at a desk all day long!
The right field team management software can improve efficiency, accuracy and productivity in your field technicians.
Field team management software can help you improve the efficiency, accuracy and productivity of your field technicians.
So what exactly makes an ideal field team management software system? What should you look for in a tool that will help your workers get the job done right? Let’s take a look at some features that make all the difference:
- A mobile app that lets you access all of your data from anywhere
- An intuitive interface that allows users to quickly find information they need
- A dashboard for visualizing metrics on time and expenses
field management software for small business
Cost is easily one of the biggest concerns for small businesses. You know you need the tools to grow, but you can’t squander what you’ve earned so far. Field service management (FSM) software should provide a small business with the features you need to provide exceptional customer service but can’t break the bank. But, not to worry. There are many cheap options with a wide range of capabilities. We’ve listed the best field service management software for small business starting with the most affordable options.
Upfront Considerations
Before we jump into the products best for small businesses, ask yourself a few questions that will help you frame your evaluation of the following systems.
How Many Users Do I Have?
Most field service management systems model their pricing around the number of users. You should think about your current number of technicians and growth you might experience soon. Think about the price offered at your current number of users, as well as the price for the expected number of users down the line.
How Many Jobs Does My Company Perform?
In addition to charging per user, many companies charge per job. This calculation isn’t always included in the sticker price, either. So make sure you fully understand the actual cost of your software before you buy. Vendors that offer very low prices may actually cost your small business more in the long-run.
How Much Data Storage Do I Need?
Many vendors love to boast about how their software allows technicians to document jobs with photo, video and audio. But unless your solution is on-premise, your vendor also has to store all that data. Make certain that your small business is allotted enough data for your operations. You don’t want to be surprised at the end of the year or month with storage fees.
Best Solutions for Small Business
The following are the best field service software for small businesses, sorted in groups based on their affordability:
ServiceM8 offers the lowest price on this entire list, starting at $29 each month. The starting price will get you up to 50 jobs per month and access to the system’s core features. ServiceM8 has several other plans, with the most expensive sitting at $349 for 1,500 jobs.
ServiceM8 allows your techs to tasks with handy checklists.
All plans feature a great client-facing UI. Customers can book appointments, receive quotes and pay right through the app. What’s more, you can use the system to notify your customers when staff members are arriving and send reminders for future appointments. Keeping your clients in the know is an easy way to raise customer satisfaction.
But there’s plenty of functionality for you and your staff, as well. Job management provides access to client and job information on-demand. You can create checklists and set up recurring jobs to standardize performance. Additionally, all plans offer scheduling, quotes and invoicing, job history, and technician tracking.
The core features are surprisingly robust but job costing, margin billing and form management are only available in the more expensive plans. ServiceM8 is a cloud-based product and is recommended small business field service software.
Company Size Suitability: S M L
Jobber starts at $69 each month for two users and goes up to $259 for unlimited users. The core plan allows users to produce quotes and invoices, and manage timesheets and other documents. It also syncs up to popular accounting systems Quickbooks Enterprise and Xero. Jobber includes CRM capability and a client portal to help you maintain customer satisfaction.
Jobber allows users to add or delete items from a completion checklist to ensure a job is finished properly.
Further, Jobber provides chemical tracking on all plans. Chemical tracking allows your business to audit your chemical and pesticide usage and report it when you need to. Jobber’s premium plans offer additional features like job forms, client requests, routing and GPS, time tracking, and alerts. Jobber is one of the best field service software for small companies and is a cloud-based product.
Company Size Suitability: S M L
WorkWave is an excellent small business field service management software, particularly for those looking for an easy-to-use solution. One of the main selling points of this system is its interface. Colorful and intuitive, this UI makes managing your field service a breeze. WorkWave allows office staff to manage accounts, schedules, billing and business development all in one place.
WorkWave strikes a good balance of color and streamlined design when it comes to scheduling.
Users can set up service reviews within the app to gather feedback and generate positive reviews online. Office users are able to access reporting and analytics tools as well. These include pre-built and customizable reports that utilize service KPIs, reviews and GPS records.
WorkWave also supports mobile field force management. Field technicians benefit from the mobile app, allowing them to access and record information from anywhere. Its field force automation tools allow this information to be sent back to the office without any user intervention. This helps streamline operations and improve efficiency. In fact, WorkWave Service users have reported 20 percent increases in revenue, 21 percent increases in job completion and more than 30 percent savings in fuel costs.
WorkWave is available both on-premise and in the cloud, which means your company can scale the system up or down, depending on your needs. This makes it a great field service software for small business and for those looking to grow.
Company Size Suitability: S M L
Dataforma was made by contractors for contractors. This makes its interface especially easy to use and adopt. Dataforma manages all your basic functions like scheduling, dispatching, invoicing and tracking. The mobile app notifies technicians when new work orders are added or modified. The app also provides a way to take organized notes on labor and materials.
Dataforma allows users to take and access photos taken in the field
Dataforma is available both as a cloud-based product and on-premise. However, only the web-based solution will automatically backup your data each hour. And while it’s suitable for small businesses, it can also be utilized by medium and large businesses. This is great if your company is expecting growth and you don’t want to switch vendors when the time comes.
Company Size Suitability:S M L
ServiceFusion’s plans start at $99 each month and go up to $349. All plans offer unlimited jobs and users. The starter plan manages scheduling and dispatching, invoicing, payments and reporting. It also supports multi-phase projects and integrates with Quickbooks. Your customers will enjoy text alerts when technicians are on the way and receive appointment reminders.
ServiceFusion’s tools quickly give users insight into job scheduling.
If the basic plan isn’t enough, you can purchase individual features from the larger plans without moving up to the next price point. Additional features include job costing, ability to take and upload photos, a documents module, inventory management, and a customer portal. This small business service software is only available in the cloud.
Company Size Suitability:S M L
Aimsio is a flexible product, allowing buyers to pick and choose which modules to implement. It contains three core modules: dashboards, workflows and reporting. The workflows module exists mainly to move your company from paper to digital.
Aimsio provides a mobile interface while never sacrificing intuitiveness.
It allows you to create digital forms that look exactly like their paper counterparts, enabling you to maintain a nearly identical administrative process. The only difference is that you don’t have to worry about losing documents or having to dig through file cabinets. All information is readily available to both office users and field technicians.
Additional modules include a job board, which office staff can use to dispatch crews and manage scheduling. There’s also project tracking for more complex work. Additionally, this module includes a budgeting tool to keep your company on track during lengthy projects. Other modules manage compliance regulations, create invoices and support integrations with third-party software.
Company Size Suitability:S M L
ServiceTitan reports an average revenue growth of 25 percent within the first nine months for its customers. This is due to the strong in-office and field tools this vendor provides. In the office, you’re able to keep track of calls, booking rates and other service KPIs to evaluate your performance. You also have this ability for technicians and can see their estimates sold and estimate conversion rates.
ServiceTitan enables your office staff to see revenue across jobs and invoices.
The dispatching tool is very user-friendly and provides a drag-and-drop tool for easy scheduling. Moreover, office staff have access to custom reports so you can see trends by department, business unit or by date.
Field workers also have access to tools to make the job more efficient. First, your technicians can retrieve complete job information in the field at any time. This includes previous work done for a client, unsold estimates and billing information. Moreover, your field technicians can process payments with ServiceTitan, whether it’s using card, cash or check. They can also create estimates using photo and video. ServiceTitan is available as both a cloud-based solution and on-premise.
Company Size Suitability:S M L
Less Affordable (But Still Cheap!)
GeoOp’s initial price is actually quite low at $49 each month. But their most popular plan starts at $229 with top plans exceeding $1,000 for 100 licenses. While these aren’t rock-bottom prices, GeoOp ensures that their fixed monthly fee is all a company will pay. There are no hidden fees for exceeding a certain number of jobs or data storage.
Field techs can access job information in the field using GeoOp’s mobile app.
In addition to its flexible pricing options, GeoOp provides all the key features a business needs for successful field management. This system works to streamline your office functions by centralizing labor management, customer information, profit reports and invoices. Your staff can charge customers using the timekeeping tool to ensure your company is paid correctly. Further, you can set permissions for users and even customers so everyone gets the visibility they need.
Your field service technicians can benefit from GeoOp, as well. The easy-to-use UI facilitates documentation of job details and allows messages to be sent between the office and field users. The app also supports jobs that require several different appointments. This helps keep all relevant information in one place so your technicians can work without interruption. GeoOp is great for small and mid-sized businesses and it’s available in the cloud.
Company Size Suitability:S M L
Similarly to GeoOp, mHelpDesk’s basic packages are very reasonable. In addition to these starter plans, mHelpDesk also caters to enterprises looking for a customized system. This makes it another great option for companies who simply can’t do business with a less capable system.
mHelpDesk is an end-to-end field service solution for small businesses, containing estimation, job creation and invoicing tools.
The most basic package provides scheduling and job management tools. In addition, there’s invoicing and payment processing for a limited number of jobs. The Pro package adds on more jobs, syncs with Quickbooks and allows you to track equipment. Higher-tiered packages provide more users, more jobs, custom forms, location tracking and inventory management.
field service management software companies
With a single organized platform for managing operations, Service Fusion’s field management software makes day-to-day tasks easier and ensures staff, technicians, and your customers are all on the same page.
Customer Management
Create multiple customer contacts and service locations, set their communication preferences and billing terms, track referral sources, and store private and public notes, documents, images, and more.
Create Estimates. Convert to Jobs.
Create and send estimates in seconds with pre-populated product and service line items. Convert estimates to jobs with one click. Plus, you can prioritize opportunities, schedule on-site visits, assign jobs to sales reps for commission calculation, and more.
Easy Scheduling & Dispatching
View all jobs and estimates to easily shift times and dates with a drag-and-drop dispatch grid. Send job information to your field workers through a call or text without ever switching programs, all from within the field service dispatch software.
Online Invoicing & Payments
Convert single or consolidate multiple jobs to invoices in a single click, and receive check, cash, or credit card payments with a built-in, free payment gateway, FusionPay—no need for an in-person visit.
Text Message Notifications
Field management software allows for real-time communication with your technicians and customers via SMS notifications about scheduled jobs, on-the-way alerts to your customers, and more.
Field Technician Mobile App
Our field service management app allows field workers to receive and manage jobs on smartphones and tablets right in the field. Reduce paperwork and the need for office visits.
QuickBooks Integration
Keep your accounting system up to date without having to press a single extra button, from within your field service management app. In addition, Service Fusion is a QuickBooks Solution Provider that can provide you discounts on QuickBooks and other Intuit products and services.
Estimate Options Made Easy
Whether it’s Good/Better/Best, Option 1/2/3, or Repair vs. Replacement, you can now give your customers the options they demand with only a few clicks and keystrokes.
Contactless eSign Solutions
With contactless eSign documents, you have the ability to accelerate agreements, eliminate back and forth manual tasks, and increase convenience and safety for your customers and teams.
Progressive and Recurring Invoicing
With progressive invoicing, you are given the ability to split payments for individual line items or the entire job into multiple invoices. Quickly and easily automate recurring invoices to save your business the time and effort of repeat entry.
track and field team management software.
Field service management (FSM) software helps modern companies process job orders, dispatch technicians, collect payment in the field, and so much more. Use the table below to compare the top field service management vendors. To save time in your research process, use the Product Selection Tool at the top of this page to request your free, personalized shortlist of software recommendations.
Table of contents
What is field service management software (FSM)?
Field service management software (FSM software) helps companies deliver effective onsite service by tracking requests, managing personnel, and maintaining visibility into operations. Common field service management software features include
These features coordinate the home office with warehouse and field technicians, which saves the company time and money while speeding transactions. The software increases field service automation (FSA) to take the manual work out of office tasks like scheduling, dispatching, and skills matching.
Field service management companies experience three main pain points:
Field service management systems, when used properly, address all of these issues. This guide introduces the overall market and outlines the benefits and functionality FSM software should offer.
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The best field service management software (FSM)
Field service software helps companies who manage installations, services, or repairs of systems and equipment, but they also benefit any company whose workers spend time in the field. Though telecommunications and cable service providers, utility engineers and inspectors, and HVAC workers are most commonly associated with field service work, the FSM user base is much broader. Mobile nurses, plumbers, maids, pest controllers, window cleaners, and any other kinds of field workers all need tools tailored to their unique challenges.
Field service management means juggling critical tickets, upset customers, and dynamic service routes and schedules. Furthermore, company-owned vehicles pose safety concerns, as well as fuel and maintenance costs. Field service management software automates and streamlines repetitive and detailed tasks and enables executives to focus on growing the business, not managing minutiae.
FSM software combines many functions into one unified solution that helps schedule and track field operations. A field service management system must receive service requests, schedule and assign a skilled technician to the job, enable technician mobility, and provide real-time visibility into job status.
Good field service software provides tools for:
Advanced field service software platforms offer complex document management, automated customer appointment reminders, project management, and CRM tools. Some field service management solutions provide deep capabilities for a single function — like dispatch — while other systems offer more generalized features like customer portals, fleet management, or call center management. A company should assess their goals and needs and decide which features are essential before making a purchase.
Top 12 field service management software options
Field service management software comparison
The field service management software (FSM) market
Field service management software vendors who provide cloud solutions and cater to global customers will likely see the largest growth as the market expands in the next several years. We can also expect to see FSM companies move from sales and operations software like CRM and ERP to FSM software with the specialized features that best serve this growing industry.
Historically, CRM and ERP solutions have failed to address the explicit needs of the field service industry. FSM technology was created because these tools lacked the ability to automate field service operations, improve efficiency, and provide visibility into the day to day processes. These features covered those gaps:
Rapid adoption by businesses of every size and across many industries fuels FSM software market growth. The combination of increased automation, lowered prices, and higher mobility have fueled the technology’s adoption. Companies who delay implementing the software inevitably experience delays and paperwork bottlenecks that set them at a disadvantage.
Customers benefit from FSM software and reward the companies that implement it with repeat service. They experience shorter wait times, better customer service, and faster job completion from companies who use field service management solutions. Customers now expect better service across the board. In response, companies demand real-time tracking, strong collaboration between office and field workers, and other tools and enhancements that allow technicians to accomplish their tasks without any delay or interruption — all at an affordable price.
Features and benefits of using field service software
Successful field service management operations play a critical role in customer satisfaction and loyalty. These systems help field service companies communicate with technicians in the field, electronically manage work orders, organize and balance warehouse inventory, and more. These management tools increase technician time with customers, reduce the technician’s back and forth between the site and the office, and speed time to delivery and payment. Look for these features in your field service management software options to reap these benefits.
Customer service and experience
Improving your customer experience has a direct positive effect on customer lifetime value and revenue. A field service management system not only increases the accuracy of scheduling and dispatching but also streamlines the processing of quotes and work orders between the technician and the home office.
Before today’s advanced integrated mobile field service software, the technician or company representative in the field worked alone and with little consistent communication with the home office where jobs, parts, available labor, and payments were coordinated. To request a part from the warehouse, the technician would need to call in. If they finished a job early, coordinating an early arrival to the next job was tedious and time consuming.
Technicians also had to check in to the office every morning and afternoon to pick up work orders and file paperwork, no matter the location of the job site. All of this back and forth resulted in increased wait times for customers, higher vehicle maintenance costs, and a higher likelihood of human error. Reducing any of these problems could result in increased customer satisfaction.
Modern field service management provides seamless technician-to-office communication through mobile apps that manage electronic work orders, automated dispatch, and streamlined scheduling. These apps also provide real-time updates to inventory management systems where technicians can request parts instead of racing to the warehouse. Streamlining the clerical processes both in the field and at the office, frees technicians to give timely and helpful service with minimal delays and increased customer satisfaction.
Inventory
Inventory management tools have come a long way from spreadsheets and physical stock counts at 3 am. Using barcodes, scanners, RFID tags, and Internet of Things (IoT)-connected devices, companies keep better track of their material assets and run leaner warehouses.
So how does all this innovation affect a field service company’s software? A real-time view of the company’s available and on-order inventory lets technicians judge the time to complete a job, reduce the number of trips to and from the warehouse, and even carry a store of commonly-used parts.
Inventory management features within an FSM software give field service companies the freedom to reduce warehouse stores. Field service management can provide essential data on the parts that need to be restocked most often, those that sit idle on the shelves, and those that are constantly under order. These data points reduce inventory and warehouse costs through more informed ordering.
Move to preventative maintenance
One of the most exciting trends driven by FSM software is the move from reactive to preventative maintenance, fueled by the software’s analytic capabilities and the proliferation of data from connected devices and IoT products. Using IoT-connected devices, the service company can collect feedback about a machine’s working systems. The software then uses machine learning to better understand the machine’s status and can alert the service company to any potential threats to performance.
This technology goes beyond ensuring that the service company’s vehicles stay in top shape, and can extend to IoT-connected private and industrial HVAC, medical devices in hospitals and private practices, and any other mechanical, internet-connected device used by a service company. Because they receive notifications of potential issues, the company can repair or replace parts before they break, rather than wait until the machine has an emergency.
These innovations drive the move from emergency repair to just-in-time maintenance across the service industry. Customers no longer have to wait in a sweltering office with a broken HVAC system or reschedule a much-needed medical procedure because of mechanical failure. Service companies spend less time responding to emergencies and spend more time providing actual services that enhance their customers’ experiences. The service companies can also increase profit margins and increase monthly recurring revenue through preventative maintenance subscription plans.
Work order management
Work orders have been both the lifeblood and stumbling block for service companies since their early days. Work orders communicate job details and invoicing between technicians, office workers, and customers, but as with most paper filing systems, they are notoriously unreliable. Without a highly organized filing system, work orders quickly stack up, get lost, or go unfulfilled.
Work order software is itself a subset of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software that allows users to create, assign, and track maintenance work orders across an organization. Many field service management solutions also include work order management features.
FSM software solves many of the problems companies encounter with paper work orders by digitizing the whole system. Office and technical staff can easily make new work orders and quickly search existing digital work orders. Automation further eases the work order process by sending completed work orders directly to invoicing or the customer when completed, and a few clicks of a button can assign the right technicians to the right job.
Digital work orders not only remove a lot of the office desk clutter, they also streamline work for technicians and office crew. Automatic transfers send a work order to a technician on the go without needing to physically check in at the office, and upon completion of the job, the technician can move directly to the next assignment without stopping off to drop off paperwork.
Scheduling and dispatch
You may have noticed that you’re no longer waiting hours on end for your HVAC service to show up, and your cable guy arrives on time or ahead of schedule now. You can thank advanced field service management software tools that let dispatchers see technician locations and coordinate scheduling more accurately than ever before. Workers in the field can move more quickly between more jobs while still increasing the accuracy of service.
Field service companies reap these rewards in higher customer satisfaction, more technician time on the job, and more jobs completed per day. Higher customer satisfaction causes more referrals, better online reviews, and a happier sales and marketing staff that don’t have to make up for high customer churn with equally high net-new business.
Route tracking and vehicle maintenance
Field service companies need optimal vehicle maintenance, repair, and route optimization to ensure on-time delivery of services. Some companies choose a fleet management software solution to alleviate this pain point, but a good FSM software will include features that address all of these issues as well.
In order to keep company service vehicles in working order, the office can schedule preventative maintenance like oil changes and tire rotations in the FSM. The office can then plan for the temporary absence of a vehicle to align with the larger service schedule rather than scramble to cover jobs when vehicles go to the shop.
As an added bonus, field service management that includes route optimization features can quickly plan the best route for daily service or readjust for one-off needs due to repairs and maintenance. Route optimization also saves the company on gas and unnecessary time in traffic by mapping out the best route between jobs.
Why choose field service management software (FSM)?
Field service management software is built for teams that spend the majority of their time outside of the main office, warehouse, or manufacturing plant. But other than mobile capabilities, why should you choose a field service management software over other options?
Field service software vs. enterprise resource planning (ERP) software
Although not necessarily the case, field service software costs less to implement and maintain than an enterprise resource planning system (ERP). FSM and ERP tools both combine CRM, time clock, payroll, inventory, and even marketing tools into one convenient interface, but industry-specific features set them apart.
Field service management software includes features specifically suited to field service companies. Most FSM software includes a mobile app for technicians and their managers to use in the field, while most ERP systems require a browser or desktop app to interface with the software. FSM solutions may also include GPS tracking, geofencing, and route mapping to help field service companies track their technicians. Inventory and supply chain features are more robust for many ERP systems, where they are less fully-featured for FSM systems.
Field service management (FSM) software vs. customer relationship management (CRM) software
While a field service management system will often include client or customer management tools, these systems are built for very different purposes.
Depending on the customer relationship management (CRM) system’s capabilities, this software is designed to manage contacts and communication records as they pertain to those contacts. CRMs can be highly complex databases that track all sorts of interactions on websites, emails, text messages, and even phone calls and can differentiate between leads, prospects, current customers, and former customers.
Compare this with FSM software, which manages contacts within the context of the services the company performs for them. While many FSM tools include lead management and sales features, they traditionally manage current customer interactions. You’ll find that field service software tracks customer information pertinent to the completion of a job rather than the information needed to line up the next sale. Thankfully, many field service management tools integrate with CRM software to ensure a seamless movement from lead to customer.
How to do a field service management (FSM) software comparison
Since systems vary significantly from vendor to vendor, it’s important to understand your needs before you conduct a field service management software comparison. By identifying pain points at the outset, you can decide which features are non-negotiable for your FSM system. Vetting vendors is a difficult process, and many solutions begin to blur together when evaluating options. After you’ve identified your feature requirements, examine the following key factors in your FSM software choices:
Price
In order to determine your budget for FSM, you must understand the possible pricing models. Cost can depend on a variety of factors, including:
It’s best to estimate costs a few different ways, so you’re prepared to compare pricing and avoid surprises. Depending on pricing structure, costs can range between $75-$2,000 per month. However, pricing could be higher for extended franchises, enterprises, and businesses with complex processes that require customized systems. Businesses looking to only automate dispatch may encounter lower subscription costs. When determining a budget, it’s helpful to have a range in mind rather than a firm number.
Deployment
Software can be deployed on-premise, hosted through a web browser as software-as-a-service (SaaS), or a hybrid of the two. With cheap and widely available mobile technology and increased demand for affordable technology solutions for small businesses, SaaS adoption has risen. SaaS solutions are not only attractive to SMBs looking for their first system. They also tempt enterprises ready to upgrade their existing methods. Data access, customizations, long term total cost of ownership, and the need to integrate with existing software — like CRM or HR systems — can help determine which deployment option works best for your business.
Mobility
From supporting logistics to completing paperwork faster, mobile apps and devices are now an expected tool, and FSM companies have started using mobility to:
Though most FSM vendors offer some degree of mobile access, many companies are investing in more advanced systems that offer offline access, geolocation, image upload, connected work orders, and mobile payments.
Automation
Automation is finding its way into business software and consumer technology across nearly every industry because it’s just so darn useful. Based on a system of triggers and actions, automation helps businesses get more done faster because it reduces the need for humans to perform manual actions. When a technician completes a work order on-site or a customer signs off on a quote, the documentation gets entered automatically into the general ledger for processing.
Automation is more than just sending the right paperwork to the right hands. We now see more complex automated systems in field service management solutions that combine technician mapping, mobile work order apps, and automated task management that can move technicians between jobs and assignments at optimized rates throughout the day, rather than relying on human dispatchers to coordinate each task.