As a field service business owner, your key resource is your technicians’ skills. However, with the advent of the digital era, you need to embrace cutting-edge technology to keep up in the competitive market. True, software cannot fix that leaky faucet in your customer’s kitchen or clean their pool, but it sure can help you deliver the services to your customers more efficiently. By 2028, the market size of field service management is likely to expand at an astounding compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.9%.
So, if you want to make the most of the booming market opportunity, you need to play your cards right. And nothing trumps digital solutions today. It comes with a wealth of advantages that could boost your business growth and make your service more efficient. This is why more and more service-related businesses are leaning towards Field Service Management software (FSM software).
While this has been around for some time now, there are a lot of things people don’t know about this marvelous innovation. For example, did you know that you can manage your accounting tasks with Field Service software as well? If you are aware, you know that you must invest in this digital tool. And in case you are yet to explore the perks of FSM software, we are here to explain it all in this blog. Keep on scrolling!
What is Field Service Management Software?
Field service management software is a digital tool that helps you automate and streamline your service processes. It is designed to help you deliver on-site service more effectively and efficiently by tracking, recording, and optimizing your resources and processes. Here are some of the things this software could do for you:
- Create Estimates
- Generate work orders
- Turn service requests into work orders
- Schedule & dispatch technicians
- Provide customer location and information to the technicians
- Track items
- Track work progress
- Manage recurring schedules
- Monitor technicians’ movement in real-time
- Manage invoices
What are the Benefits of Field Service Management Software?
You will be surprised to know the advantages a field service management (FSM) software can garner for your business. To begin with, it helps you automate and streamline your processes, optimize resources, and in turn, enhance productivity. FSM software could also be an important tool for you to improve your customer experience and subsequently, generate more revenue for your business.
The most significant advantage of FSM software, however, is that it makes your life easier. As a field service provider, your main concern would always be delivering on-site service to your customers. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. You know you need to do a lot more to complete the particular task, both before and after making that visit. And that includes an awful lot of paperwork. Of course, FSM software can take care of it all in a matter of minutes. But there is more to the story.
Among other things, this cutting-edge digital solution can also help you with creating estimates and invoices. This means you don’t have to worry about answering every customer’s query about product pricing or labor charges. Neither do you have to remember all the order details and fill out stacks of papers for every customer your technician visit? FSM software will do that for you. Once you create the work order, the rest will follow automatically.
Now, if you are already intrigued by the idea, you should go ahead and start choosing the right plan for your business. But if you are still not sure and want to know how this software does the trick, here is everything you should know about it.
How Can Field Service Management Software Help with Estimates and Invoices?
If you ask your technicians what they hate the most while working in the field, all of them will say the same thing—it is the paperwork, especially with estimates and invoices. However, you cannot operate without these administrative tasks. Every service process starts with an estimate, providing your customer with an insight into the cost of parts and services rendered. Once the job is done, the invoice makes it official as to what you are being paid. Unless you do this properly and efficiently, the accounting process will go haywire.
This is where Field Service Management software comes to your rescue. It can create the estimate and invoice on your behalf so that you can focus on the more important job at hand. Automating the process reduces the unnecessary hassle on the part of your technicians. Besides, it facilitates more transparency into your business and in turn, increases reliability and improves customer experience.
How to Create Estimates and Invoices with Field Service Management Software?
You don’t need to be tech-savvy to create an estimate or invoice through Field Service Management software. It is as easy as filling them out on paper or in MS Excel. You can do it by following these simple steps:
- First, you need to select the customer information from your database, pick the items that go into the service (labor and materials) and send it to your customer for approval.
- When the customer approves the estimate, the software will turn the estimate into a work order.
- Through the software, you then dispatch the work order to a technician to get the job done.
- When the technician completes the work, the office is notified electronically.
- The office staff then reviews the work order and sends the invoice to the customer for payment.
Pretty simple, right? But that’s not all. You get much more out of this digital tool that could help your operations. And one of the highlights of its advantages is that it saves you from wasting valuable time and effort from re-entering the data as well as the inconvenience of dealing with bookkeeping errors. Besides, it gives you the convenience to keep track of any added requests your customer makes on the job without mixing anything up.
In addition, an efficient estimate and work order give your business more transparency and reliability. It helps your customer to see that there are no hidden charges, and in turn, earn you their trust. Everyone knows, nothing pleases the customer more than getting a final bill that exactly matches the estimate (Apart from the quality of service, of course!), and a happy customer is most likely to come back again.
What Kind of Field Service Management Software is Best for Your Business?
While there are hundreds of FSM software solutions out there, it is always best to choose the one that integrates with accounting software. The integration of the two systems keeps the financial data and field service data in sync, thus eliminating the need for redundant data entry. Besides, it gives you freedom from going over all your transactions at the end of a hectic day and keeps your office space free from overflowing stacks of paper.
The most popular choice in this regard is Field Promax. It is a smart, cloud-based Field Service Management software that empowers you to streamline and optimize your business processes. Besides, it integrates with Intuit QuickBooks, one of the best software for invoices available today. Thanks to the integration, you can import all your customer databases from QuickBooks to Field Promax and use it for creating work orders, scheduling & dispatching technicians, managing recurring appointments, and invoicing.
For some FSM software, the sync with QuickBooks is only unidirectional. This means you can only import data from the accounting software and not the other way around. However, true and efficient integration means that both systems can share and utilize the same database in real-time. This is what Field Promax offers you. It features a robust integrated system, where you can use the data from QuickBooks and in turn, use the information for creating invoices both in the field and from the office. It is like enjoying the best of both worlds. So, why settle for less? Choose the most efficient software solution for your business.
Before We Wrap Up
Remember, field service is an ever-evolving market. New players are entering the field every day while the big names keep updating themselves. Therefore, you must keep up with the changing trends in the industry if you want to stay longer in the game. Field Service Management software could boost your business growth, increase employee productivity, enhance customer satisfaction, and expand your horizons. To leverage the technology, try Field Promax—the best-in-class FSM software integrated with QuickBooks.
Author Bio:
My world is made up of codes. It is the central element that drives my universe. I am a self-taught, process-driven programmer with a creative bent of mind. Since I was an engineering student, I dreamt of creating something unique. To satiate my creative appetite, I took to coding. Blessed with abundant support and generous scholarships from my employers, I simultaneously worked full-time and pursued my dream. My passion and high productivity helped me in my journey as well. Finally, I created Field Promax to follow my drive of coding and streamlining processes; and do more of what I know best—coding.
