Best Field Service Management Software 2022

Field Service Management Software Overview

In this guide, we’ll help you understand how field service management software can help streamline your business, and discuss important considerations to keep in mind when deciding which solution is best for you.

Providing an exceptional customer experience is one of the most important aspects of running a successful field service business. Technologies such as cell phones, web-based parts ordering platforms, and other systems that allow for fast dispatching can play an important role in improving your customer’s experience.

However, simply having access to technology doesn’t always ensure efficient use after you factor in the high-touch aspect of field service calls. At the end of the day, using several disparate tools can cause confusion and result in inefficiencies. Field service management software was designed to help streamline these processes in order to help businesses deliver the best possible customer experience.

In this guide, we’ll help you understand how field service management software can help streamline your business, and discuss important considerations to keep in mind when deciding which field service management software system is best suited to your needs.

Table of Contents

What Does Field Service Management Software Do?

Field service management (FSM) software automates various mobile applications used to serve client needs in the field. Traditionally, service teams have used various mobile and computer-based applications to track individual aspects of service, which often leads to underutilized resources and miscommunication between clients and technicians. FSM software helps automate and coordinate these disparate tools in order to enable field service teams to work more efficiently.

Key Features

At a high level, field service management software fulfills a few important goals:

  • Improve communication between customers and field service workers
  • Improve utilization of resources
  • Streamline overall customer experience
  • Facilitate communication between field workers and headquarters
  • Reduce paper and data entry by maintaining all data in one central location

FSM software accomplishes these goals in a few different ways, which we’ll outline below.

Optimize Scheduling

High labor costs for qualified field service technicians pose a significant cost to your business. Having a technician arrive too early or too late can create idle time for the field worker, and result in a dissatisfied client.

For these reasons, it’s important to coordinate every step of the appointment. A strong FSM system integrates dispatch and parts tracking to confirm that the technician will have the relevant equipment for the customer’s appointment. Some systems also include route optimization which can save time and cost for your business.

Field service management software also enables users to update and manage their schedules on the go. If someone in the office makes a change to an employee’s schedule, they’ll be notified about the change, and their schedule will be updated accordingly. This real-time syncing capability is important for reducing any confusion that can arise from cancelled or moved appointments.

Streamline Communications

Since unexpected issues will inevitably arise, it’s important that updates are frequently communicated to customers to prevent them from being in the dark. Field service management software can help in this regard, by streamlining communications with customers.

Well-coordinated field service visits facilitated by an FSM can have a technician in and out of a client facility quickly. In the event that a part arrives later than expected, an FSM can accurately and quickly explain the revised time to the client with confidence. This can go a long way in soothing an irate client who must wait a bit longer than expected.

In addition, FSM software can help streamline communication between the office and field technicians. Last-minute requests for additional services can be relayed quickly to a team that has already been deployed, which can help eliminate the need for additional return trips. The same is true for in-the-field part requirements, as team members can order and track parts from mobile apps, rather than relying on a chain of messages that results in a longer waiting time.

Electronic Payment & Forms

Field service management software enables customers to make payments and sign forms electronically. This reduces the likelihood of lost paperwork, and ensures that you get paid more quickly. In addition, many systems also integrate with Quickbooks, which further reduces the need for data entry.

Accurate Inventory Forecasting

Nothing throws a service team off schedule more than a late arriving part. It is also common for purchasing departments to order a second part for expedited delivery to accommodate and soothe the client, rather than wait on the original part to arrive. This adds extra cost and ties up cash in the form of excess inventory, as well as the additional cost of labor for a rescheduled visit.

FSM software can help optimize each field service visit by creating an integrated view of purchasing and tracking of shipments, and pushing updates to the technician’s mobile phone to assure that the right part is in place. It also allows technicians to place orders at the client site, where the part number is fresh and readily accessible. This is better than resorting to error-prone methods like waiting until they return to the shop to manually enter a written note or trying to recall a part number from memory.

Analytics

Field Service Management systems include data and reporting capabilities that enable you to analyze trends within your field service functions. For example, FSM software can help you analyze unused inventory. Companies with service branches often hold extra inventory on certain parts due to lead time or expense. Companies can use an FSM to analyze the data and develop usage reports tied to inventory, and use this information to reduce excess inventory and optimize costs.

How Much Does Field Service Management Software Cost?

Many systems offer different pricing tiers based on varying levels of functionality, and according to the number of users who will be using the system. RazorSync and Jobber are two popular field service management systems that follow this pricing structure. RazorSync’s most popular package costs $240/month for up to 15 users, whereas Jobber charges $129/month for up to 7 users, and $249/month for up to 30 users.

Bottom Line

Your field service team is often the most common client-facing element of your company. Using field service management software can be one of the best ways to improve your customer’s experience, and streamline your team’s processes. Though this software can cost thousands of dollars per year, it’s a worthwhile investment for field service businesses that have a substantial customer base.

Lloyd Park

Lloyd Park is a Research Analyst at SoftwarePundit, where he conducts in-depth analyses of software markets and products. Lloyd also has experience managing the development of software platforms and is an expert in content production & media software. You can connect with Lloyd on LinkedIn.

Lloyd is an expert in several software categories including:

  • Dental software
  • Email marketing software
  • Field service management software
  • Legal software
  • Property management software

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