Field service companies have specific needs when it comes to technology. You have a mobile team, hectic schedules, and customers to serve. It’s hard to manage all these things with software, and you know by now that patched-together solutions of spreadsheets, texts, and emails are hindering your growth. So it’s time to start the search for mobile field service software.
When you leverage the power of technology, all the challenges from before, including conflicts in schedules, techs being unprepared, and customers left in the dark, can be a distant memory. The key is to choose wisely, so you can deploy with ease and ensure adoption. So, what do you need to consider when comparing options?
What Is Mobile Field Service Software?
First, let’s start with the basics. Mobile field service software is a platform available for office and field workers to manage the entirety of the business. There’s no shortage of solutions in the marketplace, but at a minimum, the software should include these features:
- Scheduling
- Job management
- Dispatching and assigning
- Estimate creation
- CRM
- Invoicing
- Inventory management
- SMS alerts for customers
- Tracking of company performance
You can agree that having one hub with all this functionality can boost productivity, efficiency, customer experiences, and cash flow. Before you buy, let’s dive into those considerations.
What You Should Consider Before You Purchase Mobile Field Service Software
Use this as a guide when comparing software to ensure you make the right choice for your business.
The User Experience
If you’re going to roll out software, you need to make sure it’s easy to use. You shouldn’t need hours of training to implement it and begin using it. An intuitive interface that works both on desktop and mobile is imperative. If an application is hard to navigate or understand, your techs will abandon it.
You can quickly assess the user experience by starting a free trial. Get a feel for how it works in different settings, and ask for feedback from your techs.
Integrations That Sync
Field service apps often include the ability to invoice and receive payment directly. That makes it easy for techs to collect payment on-site. However, you could face challenges if it doesn’t integrate with QuickBooks. If financial syncing is important to you and your business, be sure to find out about integrations.
Visibility for All
While scheduling and calendaring are basic field service software features, they don’t all work the same. You want a solution that offers visibility for the schedule ahead, viewable by all those who need to see it. Additionally, dispatching and assignments should send auto-notifications to your folks in the field, so they always know where they need to be and when.
Workflows That Let You Work Less
Workflows are critical to ensuring technology improves productivity. Each project has a series of steps—estimates, scheduling, job descriptions, arrival, performance, and payment. It will be optimal for you to experience a software’s workflows to determine if they meet your needs. However, if there are gaps or it’s overly complex, it might not be the best option.
Standardization of Pricing and Descriptions Reduce Time and Errors
Another feature that should be on your consideration list is standardization capabilities. Within an inventory management functionality, you can define pricing and descriptions of jobs and materials. This ensures consistency across all jobs, so you don’t waste time typing or make errors on scope or pricing.
Look for Value in Spend
Some mobile field service software comes with a hefty price tag. Others have a “freemium” version that’s not much better than spreadsheets. The key is to understand the value you get from the product. If it drives productivity, efficiency, and growth, then you’ll soon experience ROI. Conversely, you don’t want to overspend on features you don’t need or want.
Service Raider Is a Solid Choice
Service Raider is a solid choice if you’re looking for affordable, feature-rich, and easy-to-use mobile field service software. We designed it from our own experience running a field service company. In that time, we used multiple platforms and found there were gaps in all of them. Thus, we set out to bridge those. You can see how it all turned out by starting a free trial today.