Field Service Management Software

What is Field Service Management Software (FSM)?

FSM software is a platform designed to assist companies to manage their field service by charting and organizing service calls, tracking employees and keeping every day operations available and up-to-date. Frequently included in FSM software packages are the ability to provide data, maintain awareness of vehicle locations, control stock and handle work orders. These options allow for streamlined communications between home, the office and techs in the field. That means lower monetary and time costs with optimal speed. Aids such as those mentioned above are designed to automate everything from scheduling to matching employees with jobs. By assisting a business to improve communication and transaction fluidity, employees, employers and customers all benefit.

The three key issues for FSM businesses are lack of clear communication, lack of technicians who are qualified for the task at hand and overbooked resources that cause a back-up in service calls.

Throughout this guide, you’ll learn how to navigate these issues as well as come to understand the advantages and capabilities that a field service management software package should make available to business owners.

Top FSM Software

Field service management software is for more than the typical companies that handle installs, services, maintenance and general repairs of appliances and other machinery, so it’s not only for companies that provide cable, utilities, inspections and heating and air services. It can also be a benefit to the health industry, plumbing professionals, pest control services, cleaning services and numerous other companies in the service sector as all of these types of businesses can utilize tools that will assist with managing field calls and employees.

When it comes to field service management, it’s necessary to keep a balance with work orders, regular routes, planned calls, and customer service for both happy and unhappy patrons. Having company vehicles also adds safety and hazard issues along with tracking expenses for gas and upkeep. When a company can utilize FSM software that offers automatic handling of daily tasks, the team can spend their time increasing the customer base and profit instead of manually tracking and scheduling.

The bottom line is that field service management packages incorporate a variety of components to aid with scheduling and other business functions all from one system. At the very least, this system should have the capacity to schedule routine calls, handle customer-generated service calls and track job progress from start to finish. It will offer the means to set up appointments for both regular visits and unexpected issues, work with difficult schedule navigation, track company vehicle logs, location, driver safety, time and status during jobs, and to streamline inventory and in-house financial record keeping.

FSM software that’s further developed can offer more tools such as automatic appointment reminders for consumers. Each system will differ slightly depending on its focus which could be anything from dispatch to call management. Each company must decide which system will be the best for their unique needs.

The Features of Field Service Management Systems

Strong FSM functionality is extremely important in promoting positive customer service and repeat business. The FSM software apps aid communication while techs are out in their vehicles. They also assist with organizing and tracking work orders as well as keeping up with on-hand inventory. These tools streamline operations so that techs can focus on handling field work and providing the best possible customer service, fast and easy payment and a truck with the needed inventory for the work order. Research shows that businesses using FSM solutions are able to finish close to 50 percent more calls each day while achieving a high score on customer satisfaction.

Customer Service

Almost three-fourths of customers agree that the most crucial point of customer service is time, and those businesses that are not placing a high value on the customer’s time are losing calls. An FSM aid is helpful for scheduling correctly and dispatching the right tech. In addition, it makes it easy to give a quote that reflects good communication between the technician and base making customers happy instead of frustrated with mismatched numbers.

Prior to the state-of-the-art field service management systems that are available today, both technicians and company reps out in the field were not able to communicate quickly with the office. That meant that calls, parts, customer payment and labor availability were not well integrated with each other. If there was a specific part needed and it wasn’t on the truck, the tech would have to contact the warehouse by phone and work out getting that part. When a job was finished ahead of schedule, it was difficult to try and work out arriving at the next scheduled job early. Also, techs were required to physically show up at the office each day to check in for work as well as get work orders and deliver their paperwork. With so much coming and going, it was easy to make mistakes leading to loss of time and customer dissatisfaction.

Today, field service management systems allow for smooth communication by using mobile apps that offer e-documents, automated scheduling and tracking of inventory so that techs can ask for a part and pick it up without going on a complicated hunt. That frees up the technicians to answer questions and provide service that’s quick and effective and leads to a high rate of pleased customers.

Tracking Inventory

Tools for keeping up with inventory tracking have improved drastically from the early days of all-night counts. With scanning equipment and identifying barcodes, tags and IoT (Internet of Things) equipment, businesses can now be more aware of their inventory and purchase what’s needed without keeping a huge overflow of extras. This in turn influences the business’s software by providing an up-to-date glance at what’s on hand so that the need to travel to the warehouse during a job is lowered. The technician can carry a selection of inventory directly on the truck thus increasing customer satisfaction.

Components that are part of FSM software allow field service businesses the ability to decrease on-hand inventory by classifying parts that are most frequently used and parts that are rarely called for. This classification assists with how and when to order so that less space is needed while ensuring highly used parts are easily accessible.

Preventative Maintenance

Using software analysis tools and the information gathered from IoT and other devices, preventative maintenance is becoming the norm and dethroning reactive maintenance. IoT equipment analyzes feedback about a systems’ inner workings and comes up with a dependable understanding of how the unit is currently functioning so that it can put out a notice if and when an issue may arise. Not only does this help keep technicians’ trucks running smoothly, but it can also benefit commercial heating and air systems, health-sector equipment and almost any machine that’s connected to a service company via the Internet by keeping the company on notice to keep the machinery up to par. The result is that repairs and maintenance can be performed ahead of time to prevent a machine’s breakdown and avoid having an emergency service call.

This modernization of service is making emergency service a thing of the past as preventative maintenance takes its place. Consumers won’t be stuck in extreme temperatures with a broken-down furnace or central air system or stuck having to reschedule due to medical equipment failure. Once again, this allows technicians to focus on providing timely customer service that provides time for them to interact with clients and improve their overall experience.

Handling Work Orders

When it comes to managing service calls, work orders are not very trustworthy due to a lack of organization that can lead to missing orders that have gotten lost or simply overlooked somewhere on a desktop. This can be a big problem, as work orders are designed to encourage clear communication between customers, techs and the office.

Digitizing systems through FSM addresses the majority of issues that arise when dealing with the documentation that is a necessary part of work orders. Electronic work orders can be easily drawn up by any of the employees from office staff to technicians. Once created, these orders can be located quickly because they can be searched electronically. In addition, having the process automated allows a business to quickly match a technician to a job and forward work orders to the invoicing department or right to the client upon completion.

One of the major benefits of changing over to digitized work orders is streamlining for all staff members from service techs to office admins. This in turns leads to less clutter from documents that pile up, because a job can be assigned to a crew member without that person needing to come into the office to sign in. Once the order is finished, there’s no need to come back to the office to bring the paperwork in, so the employee can save time by going right to the next job.

Electronic Dispatch and Scheduling

With FSM software, a company will find that assignments arrive at the correct time and even early. That’s because the tools included in field service management allow dispatchers to be aware of where techs are at on an ongoing basis, and this makes it easier to schedule jobs and move technicians based on location.

Businesses in turn achieve a higher rate of client satisfaction, increased on-site time and a greater number of work orders finished. According to Oracle’s New Rules for Field Service Management, companies also show an increase in their Net Promoter Score (NPS) thanks to the tools that improve communications between office staff, techs and customers. Happy customers readily become repeat customers, and they’re also likely to recommend the company they use to people they know. The result is that there ends up being less of a need to focus hard on sales and marketing.

Comparing FSM Software

There’s a wide range of FSM software, so before a company can start comparing packages, it’s a good idea to do a thorough evaluation of its needs so to know what to look for. If prepared up front, the company can determine which components are a must-have and which are flexible. Choosing a vendor can be a tough process, and it can be overwhelming as when comparing the many alternatives, but once the specific options are decided, the following items should be checked out as well.

Pricing

Deciding a budget for field service management software is dependent upon multiple considerations that include how many people will be using it; the size of the company; the company’s needs; preferred customizations; employee training; tech support; and startup costs.

It’s a good idea to work out the pricing for several different options before comparing vendors based on package types; this allows for a more accurate comparison. The actual pricing can run anywhere from under $100 to the thousands each month, but the higher costs tend to be for larger companies with custom options while the lower are for simple automated dispatching capabilities. When working with a budget, don’t choose a single number. Instead, have a ballpark figure with a higher and lower end.

Implementation

Field services management software can be hosted through a browser service, deployed strictly on site or used through a combination of those two approaches. Software-as-a-Service (Saas) hosting is not only an excellent choice for companies just starting to use FSM, but it also works well for business owners who would simply like to upgrade their current approach to something more streamlined. Taking into account customization and cost while merging the current software will help with the decision of which route to take.

Mobile Integration

Integrating mobile devices is of high importance in field service management. More than half of manufacturers incorporate the use of mobile devices in their operations. Everything from logistics support to streamlining document completion has made mobile devices a necessary tool to help companies achieve their goals. Businesses in the field service management sector currently use mobile apps and devices to enhance communications and keep real-time tabs on job status; match techs to assignments based on skills and current location; improve customer service operations; decrease costs of paper-based operations; encourage client loyalty; heighten productivity; reduce billing cycles; and keep projects moving at a smooth flow.

The majority of vendors provide mobile access of varying grades, but there are systems that allow for accessibility both online and off as well as offer elements that are becoming increasingly popular and helpful.

Automation

Almost every industry is now incorporating automation in its software and technology because it’s an extremely valuable aid. It allows daily operations to be performed more quickly since it doesn’t depend on human action but instead relies on internal triggers. When a job is completed or a quote is given, the paperwork is immediately accessible to the appropriate employee so that the process can be started.

Although it starts with paperwork going where it should, it doesn’t end there. Automation is becoming more intricate when implemented in field service management, and it often includes technician location mapping, job assignments via mobile device and general duty oversight to set technicians on specific tasks and move them around as needed so that coordination doesn’t have to be slow.

The Three Levels of Field Service Management Software

1. Enterprise

For bigger companies, it’s extremely important to have more communication between the office and techs who are out in the field. By incorporating current CRM or ERP systems into the new FSM software system, necessary information from those out in the field becomes available to others in the department. This is extremely helpful to companies with more than one fleet operating as these businesses need to make information integration a high priority.

Techs

Techs in the field need to have accessibility to information both in and out of the office. By using mobile devices, they can check assignments, history and client data. They can also ask for a time extension, make note of job details, check manuals and communicate with office workers and other techs in the area.

Those who are in the office can use field service management software to put together service schedules that reflect the unique skills of each field worker, the tech’s location and other job information. Travel options allow workers to pinpoint the fastest route to a job site. In addition, clients can pick an appointment time and get alerts so they can be reminded of that scheduled service.

2. Third-Party Services

Companies that depend on contractors and other third-party workers need the same kind of performance from FSM software as an enterprise, and it’s also very important for them to have access to customer data. When field services are outsourced, the business can experience lower costs and grow their clientele services. The downside is that this type of outsourcing can interfere with good customer service.

Once a third-party has received a job assignment, it can be difficult to ascertain the details of how the service was performed unless the client provides feedback in the form of a complaint or a compliment. FSM systems give the company access to the details of when service is performed by a contractor as if they were part of the company’s workforce.

This information is obtained by using third-party portals that manage the outsourced work. As with company techs, a contractor will require access to the necessary client and job assignment information. They will also need to be able to send documentation and claim submissions quickly and easily.

Offering communication both ways between the company and the outsourced workers lets the company handle schedule coordination and changes, notification to clients of appointment times, and keep real-time track of job assignments.

3. Smaller-Sized Companies

Smaller-sized companies that have field service workers also benefit greatly from automation for operations. FSM systems will help with employee management, productivity and awareness of what’s happening. Even if a smaller business needs only to manage dispatch or fleet operations, a field service management software package can improve function at a price that fits the budget.

These smaller companies have plenty of vendors to choose from. Some are specifically focused on smaller companies while others have a custom line of field service management software aimed for these non-enterprise businesses.

The usability of SMB FSM software is comparable to enterprise software. The difference is that there may be some limitations on scheduling functions, analyzing software and tech support. With so many vendors to choose from, even small businesses can locate a suitable package for their needs allowing them to automate everything from appointment scheduling to real-time updates on field workers.