The Best Small Business Field Service Management Software Has These Features

Inquiries come in, and your team gets to work determining everything for the job, from estimate to completion. But that’s a lot of manual paper pushing, phone tag, and drawn-out processes. Field service could do with a lift from technology, don’t you think? 

Don’t settle for a subpar solution. Choose the best field service management software for your small business. Discover the benefits and learn key features to look for.

What to Consider When Looking for a Field Service Management Software

When you start shopping around for the best field service software, it’s easy to get hung up on the basics, such as how much it’ll cost, how easy and intuitive it’ll be to use, and whether the team will like it. But there’s much more to think about. 

1. How big do you need to go?

If you’re hunting for field service software, think about how robust you need it to be. That means something different to everyone.

Number of Users

Some software options have several price points based on the number of users, so you’ll have to consider your size now and factor in future growth.

Volume of Jobs 

The number of jobs a solution accommodates relative to your volume of business might impact both fit and price. If a vendor’s prices are low, find out if the platform is priced per job!

Storage 

A major benefit of choosing the best small business field service management software is that you can finally escape the pile of paper. Your chosen vendor has to store your data in the cloud, so make sure the available data is in line with your business volume.

2. Is it an all-in-one platform?

The best small business field service management software does it all, so you and your team can handle matters from one unified space. After all, it’s expensive to invest in a solution that doesn’t fully answer your needs. 

Consider this: The software effectively manages scheduling and dispatching but doesn’t include GPS tracking or inventory management. Or it lets you create invoices but doesn’t integrate with your accounting software. Suddenly, you’ll be relying on multiple pieces of software to fill in gaps, driving up costs.

3. Is it flexible and remote-friendly?

You need software that works the way you do—and that’s not always in the office. The best field service management software for small businesses makes remote work easier. 

On-the-Go Communication

Call customer service, then wait to be routed to a technician—your customers don’t want that, and neither does the back office. Two-way SMS messaging between customers and technicians is a win. Technicians can respond directly to customer messages. You can even set up on-the-way alerts, so customers know when to expect technicians.

Cloud Usage

You don’t want to be tied to massive servers that are only accessible on location. With a cloud setup, information is accessible anytime and anywhere. Plus, without all the hardware, you’ll have a smaller up-front investment.

Essential Field Service Management Software Features

Maybe the best small business field service management software will be able to fold the laundry and take out the trash someday. But what do you need your software to do now? Avoid getting overwhelmed by grouping key features into two buckets: job management and customer management. 

4. What job management and tracking features does it offer?

How much time will jobs take, and how much will they cost customers? Who should you send to handle the repair? Job management features provide answers and take you from start to finish.

Estimates

Wading through service catalogs to provide accurate estimates is a blast … said no one ever. But the best small business field service management software saves you the headache. Service Fusion generates estimates in as little as 60 seconds. With it, you can:

• Prepopulate product and service line items. 
• Convert estimates to jobs. 

Are repairs more complex than you thought? Empower technicians to produce new estimates in the field if the scope changes.

Scheduling and Dispatching

Anthony is off on Tuesday. Daniel’s schedule is already full. Overcome challenges with features that make scheduling and dispatching easier. Service Fusion incorporates drag-and-drop features with full calendar visibility to help you avoid overbooking and adjust schedules when things change. You can also schedule jobs on the go via the app and generate notifications for technicians.

GPS Fleet Tracking

Keep jobs moving productively. This can mean several things, and GPS tracking accounts for the whole kit and caboodle. Maybe you need to track driver locations to see where technicians are or review driving behaviors because a bad seed has been reckless on the road. Service Fusion provides these insights, plus helps you assign jobs based on availability and skill level to make sure repairs are right the first time.

5. What customer management and experience features does it offer?

Smooth sailing on the customer side? Yes, please! Customer management features help you keep better track of customer data and open up new levels of access for them.

Customer Records

Make customers feel like a member of the fam. The best small business field service management software incorporates a repository to house customer data. Service Fusion fills this need by enabling you to upload individual customers’ records in one place, including:

• Relevant job notes and photos
• Multiple contacts and service locations
• Job documentation and invoices
• Customer preferences

With everything in one place, you can improve communication and customer satisfaction.

Platform Portal

Remember: Your field service software isn’t just for the business. When you choose an option with a customer-facing portal, it shares control. Service Fusion allows customers to view or schedule appointments and see job progress. Our software even supports invoicing and payment processing, so customers know what they owe, and you get paid on time.

Do the Legwork to Find the Best Small Business Field Service Management Software 

You can’t roll the dice when choosing field service software because it impacts your operations and customers. Instead, think about what might impact how effective it’ll be for your business over time and the must-have features you can’t get by without. 

What else should you be asking to inform your software choice? Check out our e-book for key insights.