We summarized 5 top field service software must-haves.
Picking the best field service software can be a daunting—and often overwhelming—task. And with a number of solutions on the market, it can be difficult to identify the technology that will work best for your independent field service business or list your techs’ daily schedules. While there are many features that can help dispatchers or technicians with day-to-day tasks, other software capabilities are too important to ignore.
In this article, we will cover the most important field service software features based on insights pulled from Gartner’s recent research, allowing you to make a smart, informed decision on how to optimize your service delivery. Whether you’re evaluating a replacement or considering field service software for the first time, these features will help you think through the technology you need to select.
1. Work Order Management
Gartner’s research shows that 92% of field service software buyers request work order management as a feature; but only 16% of users rate it as critical. Work automation reduces manual dependency which helps businesses to reduce errors and delays. Efficient work order management helps enhance service delivery and customer satisfaction by providing technicians with access to the latest jobs schedule.
According to Gartner, 54% of organizations buy field service software due to the inefficiency in their process, which makes it a must-have feature to increase productivity and reduce costs.
2. Scheduling and Dispatch
Scheduling and dispatch are vital components of field service businesses that customers expect to be available. Gartner’s study reflects that 87% of the buyers require this feature, yet only 35% of field service software users think of it as vitally significant. But still, it is the most highly rated feature according to the customer.
Accurate scheduling ensures that technicians are deployed with a real understanding of their skills and areas of expertise, location, and availability. Effective dispatch makes the field service business operate more effectively and boosts customer satisfaction by decreasing wait times. Field service software helps automate the process among different teams with real-time performance monitoring. It also has route management by real-time tracking and planning, helping technicians ensure timely task completion, which further helps businesses get more jobs done and increase revenue.
3. Contact Management
Managing your business’s contacts is a must-have for field service teams. 80% of field service management software buyers request contact management, but only 18% of users rate the feature as critical. A central repository of customer information allows technicians to easily reference job history and preferences to deliver personalized customer experiences faster.
This empowers technicians to better understand and anticipate customer needs and more efficiently solve problems. Up-to-date contact management is beneficial for companies to manage operational efficiency, eliminate service delays, and increase customer satisfaction, which is vital for business longevity.
4. Billing and Invoicing
Billing and invoicing are common pain points for implementations of field service software. 66% of buyers say billing and invoicing are critical, while only 23% of users flagged this as their must-have feature. Automating invoicing ensures that your business gets paid accurately and, more importantly, on time, which helps businesses streamline cash flow processes and eliminate additional administrative overhead.
Automation also reduces the risk of human error; businesses will invoice for the appropriate amount of completed work. This is especially important to companies that have multiple customers with specialized service agreements. Invoicing capabilities in field service software help your accounting team keep finance operations running smoothly and allow teams to deliver services faster and easier while having more control over business finances.
5. Inventory Management
Inventory management is most relevant to HVAC, plumbing, and electrical service providers, yet only 8% of users have requested the capability. Meanwhile, Gartner reports 60% of businesses leverage third-party software to manage inventory, much of which is not specific to their field service operations.
Building inventory management features into field service software lets field staff see stock levels, place orders, and update stock usage from the field. This helps reduce manual data entry, and ensures companies have the necessary supplies to prevent service delays. Enhanced inventory management reduces waste and accelerates delivery time, meaning companies can ensure they always have the right install part at the right time.
Improve Your Field Service Operations
Unsurprisingly, the integration of each of these desired functionalities vastly improves the overall business. According to the Gartner report, inefficiency is the main push factor for businesses to switch to field service software. By doing so, businesses can expect to improve their field operations, and have a direct positive impact on customer satisfaction and profitability.
