Running a service business comes with natural challenges. Having helpful software, like Housecall Pro’s field service management software, can streamline processes and make life easier. The key is to ensure that you are implementing the right features to maximize the effectiveness of your business.
What are some common field service management software features? What do those field service management software features offer? Consider this your guide to service management software and find out quickly just how it can help to improve your business.
What is Field Service Management?
Field Service Management is a set of tactics and strategies that are meant to make sure that visits into the field are generally positive. Utilizing the proper technology, certain things can be enhanced or even automated to ensure the utmost efficiency.
Field service management software will ensure that the right parts are in stock, that techs have been deployed and are en route, and that real-time changes can be communicated in a timely manner. That’s just scratching the surface of making a business more efficient and well-structured from top to bottom.
What is Field Service Management Software?
What are some common field service management software features and what does it do? To put it simply, field service management software helps a business organize each aspect of the business in one convenient platform.
Software automates tasks like payroll while enhancing features like billing, scheduling, job pricing, customer service, and more. Even better, field service management software can be customized to meet the specific needs of each business rather than forcing conformity to a predetermined template.
Benefits of Using Field Service Management Software
At the end of the day, the most important question is, “What benefits can my business enjoy from field service management software?” As it turns out, there is a litany of benefits that can be garnered right away and help streamline your business like never before.
Simplify Management
Making things effective and efficient often means simplifying things. No matter the service business, having the proper software will ensure that things are smoother and easier to use, providing benefits from top to bottom.
Real-Time Information
Having information is great but if it is out of date, it isn’t helping anyone. For that reason, the right field service management software can be invaluable. Get real-time information and insights to approach each job optimally.
Get Paid Faster and On Time
At the end of the day, getting paid for your time and service is crucial. Without the right platform, you may find yourself chasing down payments. The right software ensures that payments go out accurately and provides more avenues through which customers can make payments.
20 Key Field Service Management Software Features
What are some common field service management software features? Utilizing these field service management software features, you can ensure that your business is prepared to handle every possible customer challenge or need.
1. Customer Portal
Providing customers with easier access to your business is paramount. There is nothing more frustrating as a customer than feeling like you have to jump through hurdles to gain an audience with a business. Thankfully, field service management software provides a one-stop shop for customers to handle all of their needs conveniently.
With a customer portal, a few clicks is all it takes. Manage appointments, see past jobs, pay invoices, approve estimates, send messages, and a whole slew of other features are right there at their fingertips. It makes scheduling work all the easier as well and convenience is paramount in this day and age. Having a customer portal will make life easier for both your business and the customer for certain.
2. Campaigns
At the end of the day, every service business needs to book jobs. Doing so is easier said than done. Utilizing field service management software features like this will provide a customized and automated means through which to communicate with current and potential customers.
Email marketing, SMS texts, and other communication methods can be pursued easily. Even better, content can be modified and personalized to make it feel like something more than generic sales tools. In the end, running automated campaigns are an effective way to build brand awareness while also creating more job leads than ever before.
3. Property Profiles
Field service management software is great for harvesting data and using it to make your business better and more efficient. One of the best uses of that information is to create property profiles that tell technicians everything they could need to know about a particular property.
Track service history, send service reminders, keep track of equipment on a particular property, and create service agreements through the use of comprehensive property profiles. Being able to create more personalized quotes ensures that the business can reach the proper target audience and develop leads that are more likely to convert.
4. Checklists
Though some jobs are essentially the same, even small differences can wind up making an impact from one job to another. For that reason, it is commonplace for businesses to implement custom checklists to track the goals and services for each job.
Thankfully, field service management software can allow for customer checklists to be built seamlessly. The technician and team at large will be able to know what needs to be done on the job and whether it has been addressed by the technician. It ensures that a job is completed to the fullest extent to keep customers happy from start to finish.
5. Automated Marketing
The greatest businesses in the world will fail if no one knows about them. Marketing your business is essential in day-to-day life. There are a variety of ways to market your business but being effective often takes time and research. Unless, of course, you have the right field service management software to help you.
Boost business by sending email reminders, postcard offers right to the mailboxes of customers, and effectively reach your target audience. Best of all, it is a fixed cost to implement marketing and is something that even businesses with the tightest overhead restrictions can make use of.
6. Customized Reporting
Businesses now have access to more information than ever before. It is possible to break things down to which demographics are the most likely to use a specific service, what business month over month looks like, and a plethora of other things.
With customized reporting, your business can organize that data in an effective manner. See what the strengths of your business are and play to them. Analyze weaknesses and improve upon them with up-to-date data. It is a fantastic tool that can truly benefit the business in the long run.
7. Invoicing
One of the most indispensable tools available to your business is invoicing. By using invoices, it can be clearly communicated what services have been performed, parts ordered, and anything else done for the customer.
More importantly, you can create personalized invoices featuring customer contact information, your business information, the price due, any taxes and fees, and more. It is a clear way to make it know how much is due and when for services rendered to the customer.
8. Customer Management
Being able to communicate with customers is one of the most essential aspects of running a business. In this day and age, there are plenty of ways to communicate with current and potential customers. Without proper management software, communication tools can become confusing and add to frustration.
With customer management, communication with customers can be done through online booking, confirmation emails and texts, several fast payment options, customer service chat, and more. Providing the customer with more ways to get ahold of your business is always a good thing and helps when it comes to instilling trust in your brand.
9. Scheduling
It is the dream of every business to have a full schedule each day. While that is nice, it can get to be a complex mess if you don’t have the right tools. With field service management software, schedules become easy to organize and keep track of.
Best of all, scheduling can be automated as well. When a customer books their appointment, it is slotted into the schedule. Not only will you be able to keep better track of outstanding jobs, but you can set up features like email and text alerts to customers and offer service maintenance contracts, among other things.
10. Sales Proposal Tool
While maintenance and service agreements are a vital part of business, they are far from the only aspect. Being able to upsell and provide detailed, accurate estimates can wind up playing a crucial role in the bottom line. A sales proposal tool is the perfect option for just that.
With a sales proposal tool, estimates can be created quickly and accurately. Even better, pictures can be provided so the customer can visibly see what it is they are buying into. It provides a clearer, less confusing buying experience while allowing your business to close more jobs and add services.
11. Review Management
Reviews are critical for a business. Building trust and a reputation is arguably the most difficult part of running a business. After jobs have been performed to a satisfactory degree, encourage customers to leave a review. This can be done on the job or sent as an email later on.
Best of all, review management allows your business to track reviews, organize them, and even respond to them all in one convenient place. The most popular businesses deliver a superior customer service experience and have a litany of reviews out there to provide peace of mind for potential customers.
12. Card Reader
Getting paid is perhaps the most important part of business. It doesn’t matter how effective the other aspects of business are if you don’t get paid. Offering more convenient methods of payment ensures that things are easier for the customer and that payments are received in a timely manner.
One of the simplest yet most effective ways to offer payment is with a card reader. Accepting credit and debit cards – arguably the most common forms of payment – is a must. Being able to quickly swipe cards ensures that there are no errors or potentials when it comes to garnering payment from customers.
13. Recurring Service Plans
There are busy seasons and there are down seasons for service businesses. One of the goals for each service business is to find a way to supplement income during the down seasons. Perhaps the best way to do so is with recurring service plans.
By establishing maintenance plans, it is possible to not only fill work demand for those down times but also to build strong customer relationships. Maintenance plans will create customers who return when they have larger needs, creating brand loyalty in the process.
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14. Mobile App
The beautiful part about having service management software is that it can work for both the customers as well as the business. For instance, having a field service mobile app that is accessible to both sides can streamline the process and make it both more convenient and effective.
Customers can schedule appointments, reach out to have questions answered, and check up on service appointments effortlessly. On the business side, technicians will have access to any and all pertinent information, communicate with other technicians and the office, and more.
15. Consumer Financing
Some jobs inherently cost far more than others. While that is just the nature of the beast for businesses, it is a game-changer for customers. Not everyone can afford to drop thousands on a job right at that moment. For that reason, financing is a must-have.
With customer financing, there are no complicated hoops to jump through. Customers can find the financing that they need to get work done quickly and easily. More importantly, you can ensure that your business has a steady stream of income from larger, financed jobs.
16. Job Costing
Knowing what a job costs sounds like a simple thing but there is more that goes into it than meets the eye. Tracking and reporting costs for each job provides insight into not only each job but the potential profitability that accompanies each service.
With job costing, you can see clearly what each job costs. Factor in labor, overhead, materials, and other costs to have an accurate picture of what a job costs. Don’t guess because it can lead to costly errors. Instead, take the power into your hands and make the right decisions that benefit the bottom line of the business.
17. Price Book
Determining prices is one of the key ways to ensure profitability. Though there are different standards that each business adheres to, calculating profitability should be simple enough that any business owner can see what the bottom line needs to be.
With a price book, calculating that rate for each service is simple. Best of all, it means transparent pricing, which customers value now more than ever. It allows for the perfect balance between profitability and customer-friendly pricing that will ensure repeat customers in the future.
18. Online Booking
Customers prefer convenience above all else these days. Now, they prefer to book appointments without having to get someone on the phone. Utilizing field service management software means offering customers the ability to book online 24/7.
Just knowing that an appointment has been booked can provide peace of mind for customers. Giving them the ability to do so at any time with online booking is one of the best features of having field service management software by far. Customers will remember how easy it was to book appointments, bringing them back again and again.
19. Estimating
The goal of any business is to be profitable. Even minor issues here or there could wind up compromising that goal. Field service management software features cover a lot of ground, but estimating may be one of the most important.
Using predetermined formulas, accurate, timely estimates can be sent to customers in no time. It ensures clear communication with customers while also ensuring that jobs are priced out as accurately as possible to ensure the utmost profitability.
20. Dispatching
There is nothing worse than sending the wrong technician to the wrong job. It has the ability to throw an entire schedule out of whack. Using the proper field service management software, you can ensure that everyone is where they are supposed to be.
Even better, dispatching means being able to keep track of every employee. Know which techs are where, what jobs they will be on throughout the day, and make changes seamlessly on the fly without causing issues. A must for field service management software.
Try Housecall Pro’s Field Service Management Software for Free
When it comes to field service management software features, nothing beats Housecall Pro. Try our field service management software for free today with a 14-day trial. You will see quickly how easy it is to implement these features for the benefit of your business.
There are even more features and benefits to using field service management software than those listed above. Finding a way to stand out from the competition is always a challenge but life can be made far easier when you have the right software in your corner.
