This post was written by Matt B., Marketing Coordinator for Housecall Pro and originally appeared here.
It sometimes seems like there’s never an end to the work that has to get done, and that’s before you actually do the work. Estimating, scheduling, bidding, dispatching, and so many other tasks take up valuable time, and most of that time isn’t billable. And even once you’ve got the job, you have to manage a huge number of moving parts just to keep the project moving, all while continuing to seek new opportunities.
In today’s working environment, you’re required to do so many tasks in parallel with the work you’re getting paid for and it’s limiting your ability to grow your business and maximize profits. If you take the time to use the right tools, however, you’ll discover a better way to manage your business and get control over your time.
A field service management (FSM) software solution that can be managed from your mobile phone can make your operations more efficient and help you increase your ability to engage with new customers.
This guide about field service management software will walk you through the process of finding the right solution that fits with your needs and will support you as you grow. Not every business is the same, but everyone wants to reduce wasted time and effort so they can focus on getting the job done. FSM can certainly help you do that, but you must be armed with information to be able to ask the right questions and identify a tool that can be effective for you.
Everyone is talking about FSM, but why do you need it?
FSM software helps people and businesses manage workers, inventory, scheduling, billing, customer service, and every aspect of running separate projects and their entire business. It automates time consuming and repetitive tasks, which frees owners to focus on growing their business.
Analyst firm Gartner predicts that by 2020, 70% of eld service organizations will tie customer satisfaction directly to benefits derived from an FSM solution, up from approximately 50% in 2017. There’s clearly a trend towards the use of technology as a driver of better customer service and improved efficiency. And as more businesses seek these advantages, using an FSM app will become a have to. The key, however, will be to find the best one.
As cell phones, tablets, and other devices are common on-the-job tools, they are making FSM solutions and apps easy to deploy and use.
User-friendly mobile FSM apps create a new way of running a business because they provide a single dashboard from which a business owner can manage almost all aspects of the business and stay in close contact with customers and employees.
Businesses that don’t implement the right solution will quickly fall behind those that are getting the economic and time-saving advantages of FSM. Those that make the move will realize that with relatively minimal effort, and in very little time, they have better control over their operations and more time to do the things that deliver income.
Let’s look at some of the specific things to look for when identifying FSM software that’s best for your organization.
Advil or FSM? Reduce headaches with a better way to manage teams, finances & jobs
Technology can deliver major improvements to a business, but it has to be easy to implement, customizable to the organization’s unique needs, and deliver demonstrable business advantages.
Think about the tasks you go through on any given day, and then consider how much easier it would be if they could all be done faster and from a single dashboard. An FSM solution should provide communication, collaboration, and other functional capabilities that keep your business connected to the people who get the job done.
Automate Repetitive Tasks
These include customer communication, invoicing, accounting, and routing of supplies. The right app will automatically send invoices and reminders without you having to do the manual work of creating, sending, and waiting for a response.
Delegate, Manage, and Coordinate
Some FSM solutions are based just on tasks. To truly eliminate redundant work, the best tool will have built-in work ow capabilities and will enable you to delegate different tasks to people within your organization, all based on employee permissions and access to the management of the app.
What makes a good FSM solution?
- Delivers immediate, and sustainable improvement in your bottom-line.
- Learning curve should be easy for you and all of your employees.
- Increases communication with, and among, all employees.
- Covers all aspects of project management, from start to finish.
Get the business and get paid
No business can stay afloat if income isn’t regularly coming in. Yet, the process of billing, collecting, and paying vendors can be one of the biggest time sucks.
An FSM solution should centralize all financial activity into…read more