Best Field Service Management Software For Small Business

Looking around the tech world and you would think software as a service is a godsend.

The ability to work online, through the use of a wide range of applications, offers the workforce an optimized ability to perform in a productive manner. The most complex issues facing the field service include lack of real-time information, dissatisfied customer, and reduced productivity. To overcome these challenges, Field Service Management Software was introduced.

While manual methods are easy to follow and familiar, they waste the valuable time of your business. Historically CRM and ERP software solutions failed to meet the needs of the field service industry. Hence there was a need to introduce software that automates field service operations to improve both efficiency and productivity. Field Service Management Software is one such application that makes running a business a lot easier.

Moreover, Field Service mobile app provides flexibility of access all the details at anywhere, anytime.

The importance of field service management software depends on its ability to act with responsiveness and professionalism while interacting with the customer. The software is designed to consolidate aspects of your business and perform a group of coordinated functions like- reporting, scheduling, dispatching, invoicing, and customer account management tools into a single program. The field management software also helps businesses deliver effective onsite services by tracking requests, managing personnel, and maintaining visibility into operations. These features increase the coordination between office, warehouse, and field technicians, saving the company time and money by increasing overall productivity.

What Does Field Service Management Software Do?

Having a team of field service technicians or other field-based employees and managing them throughout is a difficult task. But field service software manages and tracks every facet of your business from one platform. field management software is able to:

1. Create work orders

2. Improve productivity

3. Provide job status updates

4. Maintains a dashboard with all the information

5. Complex scheduling and dispatch

6. Optimize routes via GPS navigations

7. Integrating and Managing remote inventory

8. Track and manage field technicians and vehicles and ensuring Driver safety

9. Schedule appointments and work orders

10. Manage customers with customer appointments, trouble ticketing, order management

With the above features, the ideal field service management software will save you money and improve the efficiency of your company. Advanced field service software offers complex document management, automated customer appointments reminders, and project management or CRM tools.

What Type of Businesses Use Field Service Management Software?

Field Service Management is an application required for all the business having employees working on field/remotely. The application gives you access to the employee's location as well as keeps employee updated with the job status throughout. However, the following business must have FSM solution software to ease the task:

• Repair and Installation - The field service management software helps you send the task details quickly to the technician and allows you to mention the entire details before they arrive at the location. It makes the customer service smooth and keeps employees updated with all the information without the hassle of remembering the minor details.
• Construction and Landscaping - Scheduling work appointments, creating work orders, and managing customer service, all require continues monitoring and expedited completion time. With field service dispatch software task can be assigned to the employees and can be monitored throughout.

Benefits of Field Service Management Software

It wasn’t long ago when organizations used to ran their business strictly from the building. But all the manual office work was not enough and it was difficult to solve the issues and keep exact track of the work unless back in the field.

Robust, intelligent and intuitive FSM software aims to improve the productivity of field service teams and increase revenue generation. This means, instant access to scheduling and assigning services, instant access to corporate data, including ordering parts, optimizing resources and re-routing personnel. The primary objective of all the companies is to cite customer satisfaction through the smooth process. The field service software not only provides customer satisfaction through an interactive user interface but also provides the company with a competitive edge.

The Top Advantages of field service management Software are:

1. Increase work order completion rate
2. Boost revenue and profitability by increasing productivity and accuracy
3. Reduce costs by decreasing expenses
4. Saves time by following optimized routes and consolidated work functions
5. Improves productivity by consolidation on-field functions, such as scheduling appointments, providing job status updates, etc.
6. Increase accuracy by providing all the relevant information at one place, like, payroll, booking, payment issues, etc.
7. Prioritize customer service by providing a comprehensive portal for customers.
8. Instant notifications streamline your schedule and get the work done in the deadline.

3 Tiers of FSM Software

1. Enterprise - Enterprise should focus on integrating field service software with their present CRM or ERP system as it integrates information across all business units. Mobile field workers should be capable of accessing back-office systems remotely. The software helps employees scheduling tasks based on the skills of technicians and historical job duration data.
2. Third Party field services solutions - A business that relies on third-party services for field work requires more functionality from enterprise business as client details and visibility are an important part. Field service solution software provides visibility into contractor service delivery and updates the company with real-time information. field service management software allows companies to issue last-minute schedule changes to the contractors, provides updates to the customers about services, and monitors work.
3. Field Service Management Software for Small Business - Though small business only requires dispatch software and CRM software serves the purpose well, cloud-based solutions offer scalability and can bring robust functionality to field service software for small business at an affordable price. FSM Software can be a big help to small businesses in automating the process, let customer book appointments, schedule and dispatch workers, and track time and location.

Field Service Management Software Features

Implementing field service software in your business saves you money and increase efficiency and understanding the application to implement features increases the productivity further.

Selecting and implementing a field service management requires requirement specifics and vendor specifics to consider before making a selection. But there are certain standard features that you need to make sure your vendor provides. These are:

1. Arrive on time with Job scheduling and dispatching

Getting jobs done is the most important part of field services and is a must-have in FSM software. A central hub of day-to-day operations, it manages the job scheduling and dispatching of field service technicians for on-site services. The technicians can also plan their day around the schedule, and can quickly update job orders and assignments. It optimizes scheduling based on the severity of the job or based on previously scheduled jobs. The following 3 Scheduling and Dispatch services play a major role in field service software:

• Smart Scheduling - Sorting and assigning jobs to technicians based on their expertise.
• Text Notifications - To set up a status update and inform via text notification and also to send service reminder to the customers
• In-vehicle telematics - Monitor compliance and Keep track of mobile employees throughout the day and assign most closely located technician to the emergency location.

2. Mobile Access

The field service industry is always on the move and hence need mobile tracking connectivity. field service software is deployed over cloud technology and hence can be accessed from a field service mobile app from any location. The technicians can view their schedules and receive dispatches on their phone with the help of Field Service Management Software.

3. Inventory Management

FSM service scheduling software helps you manage and access your asset by monitoring the inventory of your stock on a daily basis. Since there are many parts your technicians use on daily basis, inventory management is a mandatory feature needed to monitor those inventory levels.

4. Messaging

The streamlining of customer communication is mandatory for a business to offer operational efficiency. A built-in messaging feature will help you maintain a distinct communication with your customer rather than employees sending individual messages to the customers. Set up automatic emails, bulk messages, store and manage contact info and segment customers, based on geographical location, type of service, etc.

The above list covers the majority of the features mandatory in a Field service scheduling software. It includes the most common and important features available but the final call should be taken depending on your business’ unique needs. When evaluating vendors, make sure you finalize the field service dispatch software that provides all the features needed for your business. This is the best way to ensure increased productivity for the years to come.

Trends in Field Service Management Software

With increasing the work speed and providing the information of tips Field service scheduling software keeps on upgrading and adding functionalities to make it easy to do business with. With field service organizations looking to embark on their digital transformation journey, FSM Software is all set with their key trends to dominate.

1. Field Service scheduling software and integration with time sheet and HR Software

The Field Service Management Software should be able to integrate well with the back office time sheet and the HR/Payroll system. The goal is to enable the technician to update the information from the field scheduling management software on their mobile devices and hence reducing the time of manually entering the information on multiple platforms separately.

2. Field service scheduling software and improving the customer service experience

The tremendous focus is on improving the customer service experience because customers hold much power through online platforms and word of mouth spread. Regular notifications are to be sent to the customer informing upcoming discounts, offers, and product/service launches. Sending an SMS/notification before, during and after providing the service provides information in real-time and allows the customer to see a full history of their work orders.

3. Field Service Scheduling software updates on technician performance

The technician should be informed well with his overall performance and regular updates on the task performed. The field service management should provide a platform informing the technician's performance on a day-to-day basis, hence increasing the overall team performance.

4. Automation

Delays in task, inaccuracies and missed revenue opportunities are primary issues with the manual tracking system. More companies are needed to shift on fully automated field service management software equipped well with automating different stages of the service chain, hence free up staff to focus on customers instead of day-to-day service chain process. A system should be able to handle calls, scheduling, and dispatch, stocks, assets, contracts, field working and invoicing. With real-time visibility for all in the service chain, it cuts down the manual paperwork; printing and human-error drove cost and enable the staff to work more productively.

5. Field Service Management Software and the Internet of things (IoT)

The increasing demand for better services and with minimum downtime time, predictive services has become a benchmark of quality in the field of the service industry. Companies want to stay safe and hence expect to fix things before they break. The internet of things (IoT) makes predictive service possible by making the device capable of connecting to the internet and making the smart objects capable of predicting when they will break down.

6. Advanced Analytics

A stack of data is collected through various sources. But data collection is useless till your software is capable of providing the analytics service which converts this data into meaningful information. The data collected by equipment sensors, GPS, provides insights on individual productivity; service quality and company performance can be analyzed and used for more productive, efficient and valuable services.

With the above-mentioned features and trends, it is pretty clear that a good Field Service Management Software is needed to make the business operations easier. By consolidating the necessary and important functions, FSM software can manage and schedule the small details so you can focus on the big picture. The benefits to implement are plentiful and come in a handy cost. Rapid adoption from businesses across industries gave field service software a boost in market growth. The combination of increased automation lowered price and higher mobility has fueled the technology adoption.

With so many options available in the market, field service management software is a complex landscape. Like any other decision, picking up a right Field Service software is important and takes research. Hence make your purchase decision considering all the points above and mark your requirements while making the final decision.

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