Service Apps! Running a field service company is difficult enough already, but put on top of that having to manage five different applications to run it, and that’s something nobody signed up for! You are juggling a scheduling tool and invoicing software as well as maintaining a customer spreadsheet and using a group chat as your dispatch system. This creates gaps in your operations. You have double bookings of jobs, invoices are sent late, and technicians arrive with incomplete job information.
The solution is not creating more applications but getting less and better.
Six field service management software solutions that truly will help you consolidate your application stack.
Before you jump into these solutions, it is important that you understand what to look for in a field service application as your business grows. Not all solutions can be used interchangeably regardless of which application size you are operating.
Field Promax – Consolidates Work Orders, schedules, and Invoices in one app
Field Promax is developed for all types of trades: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, cleaning, property management, and other similar types of businesses in the US and Canada.
Features that make it a true stack consolidator
- Create work order, schedule it and dispatch from the same screen
- Sync your job to QuickBooks without having to re-enter anything (the job will automatically create an invoice).
- All of the customer’s history, service records and any notes/attachments are associated with the created work order
- Techs can access customer job information (including history) and update job status right from their phones
- GPS time tracking knows where your employees are working and how long each job really takes.
Field Promax has earned its spot with the Recurring Jobs feature. If you have established seasonal contracts or do monthly preventative maintenance visits, the software will automatically create new work orders (job numbers) for every cycle, eliminating the need for you to create work orders each and every time.
Replaces: scheduling app, invoicing app, customer database, time tracker.
Synchroteam for Lean Operations – Scheduling is the First Step
Synchroteam is a small scheduling solution geared toward lean service industries that do not require the latest technology.
It includes features for scheduling jobs, tracking technicians, managing work orders, and basic invoicing. Set up is easy and quick, and pricing is affordable for teams moving off of spreadsheets.
Keep in mind that as your volume of jobs goes up, the scheduling process will become a bottleneck for most teams. Synchroteam does well in providing basic scheduling tools but will have limitations as your operation becomes more advanced.
Replaces: scheduling tool, technician tracking tool, basic work order tool
mHelpDesk – Ideal for service-related companies that use QuickBooks
mHelpDesk has been in business long enough to provide a dependable service for QuickBooks-based businesses. For example, if you use QuickBooks and need to seamlessly connect field staff to your operations, this would work as a service. This product handles all aspects of work orders, scheduling, customer communication, and invoices in a complete package.
The interface may look older; however, the basic functionality of the product is working fine, and the connection to QuickBooks does work correctly.
The mobile version will not impress; however, if you are primarily looking for the software to connect to the back office, the software does meet your needs.
Replaces: An existing work order system, an existing scheduling system, and manual entry into QuickBooks.
4. Loc8 – Simple Job Management for Small Teams
Loc8 is a versatile job management platform designed for teams with limited resources. It allows users to manage all aspects of job creation, scheduling, technician assignments, and customer records without complicated procedures that require extensive training.
Although Loc8 does not compete with full FSM suites, it is a good starting point for small teams (1-5 technicians) that want to eliminate paper-based tracking of jobs and go digital with their job management.
For those in competitive local markets, such as plumbing, the divide between disorganized and organized businesses is widening rapidly; even a simple digital system represents a significant advancement over texting about jobs and/or using spreadsheets.
What you can replace with Loc8:
- Tracking jobs on paper
- Scheduling telephone calls with customers
- Keeping basic customer information
Commusoft- Powerful for Agreements and Contractual Work
Commusoft is suited for businesses with a lot of service agreements, recurring maintenance contracts, compliance, and multiple visits for documentation purposes.
Scheduling, job management, customer accounts, invoicing, and reporting are available across the board. In terms of service agreements, Commusoft provides a greater level of work than other platforms in this career category. If you need compliance-related records or job sign-off documentation, you will find that Commusoft covers them very effectively.
This isn’t the easiest platform on the list; however, it is very comprehensive.
It can replace:
- Your service contract system
- Scheduling program
- Compliance-related records
- Invoicing application
Service Fusion – Flat Rate Pricing For Mid-Size Teams
Service Fusion offers an attractive balance between being more powerful than entry-level tools and cheaper than enterprise software solutions.
The core functionality of Service Fusion includes scheduling, dispatching, GPS tracking, customer management, estimates, invoicing, and basic reporting. The flat monthly fee is one of the main attractions of Service Fusion; as you add technicians, your cost does not increase.
If you are performing a review of the software platforms you are considering based on potential changes in your trade in the next few years, take the time to read this article on how field service software has been adopted; this 10-minute read will prepare you to make a sound decision.
Replaces: scheduling app, GPS tracking tool, estimating software, and invoice software.
Choosing the Right Solution for Your Company
The best tool for you is the one that helps you solve your unique problem. The longest list of features isn’t necessarily better; you should look for the tool that is designed for your company’s size and need.
For example,
- You have a trade business with 2 – 20 technicians: Use Field Promax. It is designed for companies like yours with similar technology professionals.
- You are a small team who just left using spreadsheets: use SynchroTeam. It is easy to set up, with no unnecessary features.
- You have to have it work. Isn’t it fair to me? Use your QuickBooks: use mHelpDesk. It will sync with your current QuickBooks with no problems.
- You have a very small team and would just like the most basic digital tracking: Use Loc8. It is simple to start using and has minimal complexities.
- You do contract and service agreements: Use Commusoft. Their documentation is easy to follow.
- You have a mid-sized team and would like a fixed monthly price: Use Service Fusion. There are no hidden fees.
Every additional application in your software is going to cost you money (monthly fees), cause you trouble with synchronizing, and require time and effort to teach your team.
When selecting a solution, look to find a solution that covers at least three of the five largest problems you have. Switch to that solution and you will be ahead of your competitors in two years.
The companies that consolidated their tools two years ago have cleaner operations today than those that don’t. You can still get there.
ALSO READ : Atfboru: Complete Guide & Key Insights
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What tools are replaced with a field service management app?
A: A lot of field service management applications are all-in-one applications for scheduling, work order management, invoicing, and customer records. Some also replace GPS tracking tools, time-tracking apps, and standalone reporting dashboards, which reduces your tool count from possibly four or five tools down to one tool.
Q2. Is field service management software worth the investment of a small team?
A: Yes, in many ways more than for larger teams. A crew of three that spends 1.5 hours each day on manual admin tasks is losing time that could potentially be billed. Even an average-level application will quickly pay for itself based on time savings for both verifying invoices and reducing scheduling errors. This translates directly into the calculation of return on investment.
Q3. What should you be looking for in a product demo prior to your purchasing decision?
Check your five most frustrating tasks that you deal with on a daily basis in the product demo. If you can solve three of those five problems, continue your search for a field service management app. Besides the solution to your daily problems, you should also check the time it takes to set up, how dependable the mobile application is in the field, and whether or not you will incur per-job fees that can exponentially increase with your volume (business) growth.
Q4. How long does it take to migrate from spreadsheets to FSM software?
For most small and mid-size teams, the core migration takes a few days to two weeks. The main work is importing customer data and getting your techs comfortable with the app. Platforms built for smaller operations like Field Promax or FieldPulse prioritize short setup times specifically because they know their customers don’t have IT departments.
