5 Benefits of Field Service Management Software

For field service teams who are constantly on the go, the management of day-to-day operations can be tough. 

There can be a lot of moving parts involved in managing operations that all need to be taken care of from scheduling to inventory management to route optimization. If not handled correctly, efficiency will suffer and your customers will look elsewhere for a better service.

Utilizing field service management (FSM) software to handle these tasks can be a game changer for field service teams. 89% of customers want their field service techs to use modern and current technology, so it’s plain to see that the demand is there.

So let’s take a look at the top 5 benefits of field service management software that will empower you to take your field service operations to the next level. 

Field service management (FSM) software refers to a piece of software that manages a company's resources out in the field. This can include important processes such as the day-to-day operations of field service technicians, route optimization, the monitoring of customers’ equipment efficiency, and live data collection from the field.

FSM software can allow businesses to effortlessly keep track and coordinate the work of their techs to ensure their customers are receiving the optimum level of service.

Field service automation is on the rise thanks to new and innovative technologies, so adding FSM tools to your team's tech stack is non-negotiable if you are looking to enhance your workflows.

Choosing the right piece of FSM software for your field service team can be challenging. There are thousands of different tools at your disposal, and not all of them offer the same capabilities.

Bearing this in mind, you might need a couple of different tools in your field service tech stack. 

Some tools offer a lot of important features that you may need. However, there are different tools that specialize in certain capabilities that may be more suited to your specific needs.

For example, maybe one tool offers route optimization, scheduling, and inventory management capabilities. But maybe they only really do one of these things well. If that’s the case, you may need to invest in a couple of different tools if you are seriously looking to enhance and optimize your field team’s work processes. 

With so many different field service management software available to you, it can be difficult to choose the right one for your team. Simplify your decision with this in-depth guide that categorizes the top 48 FSM tools!

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Let's take a look at the top 5 benefits of field service management software!

For field service technicians, figuring out how to meet all of their customers in the most efficient way can be a challenge. They have to deal with different customers in different parts of the city at different times of the day. Figuring out their way around can end up being more work than the service they need to provide!

With an effective route optimization software, techs can optimize their routes with multiple stops in an instant. Having their routing problems taken care of will save techs time, money, and effort, all of which they can reinvest back into their jobs.

One route optimization tool that is designed specifically for field service teams is Badger Maps.

Field service techs save an average of 8 hours a week from better planning, becoming more focused and organized, and driving more efficient routes. 

With other important capabilities such as follow-ups, map visualization, and automated data gathering from the field, Badger Maps allows techs to automatically plan, route, and maximize their time in the field, cutting down driving time by 20%. 

Advanced reporting features also allow service managers to really understand what their team is doing in the field and help them strategize on how best to enhance processes. 

Matthew Brooks, Business Development Manager at Cargill, reported a major time reduction in both onboarding and route planning.

Badger Maps also integrates with your existing CRM, enabling techs to leverage data on a map and update the CRM quickly from an app on their mobile device. 

Integrating Badger Maps with your existing CRM can help you visualize all of your customer data on an engaging and interactive map. This shows techs exactly where their customers are and how best to prioritize them, all from a mobile device. 

Badger Maps integrates with leading CRMs such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Microsoft Dynamics, Insightly, NetSuite, and many more.

Badger Maps also connects to your favorite navigation apps such as Google Maps or Waze, providing you with turn-by-turn directions and live-traffic updates as you zoom about your territory. 

So if you’re a field service team looking to make the most of every day on the road, the best route planner is Badger Maps. 

Sign up for a free trial today or schedule a demo to see it in action for yourself!

Field service management enables scheduling and dispatching processes to be streamlined, allowing teams to increase efficiency across the board by having access to the tools and information they need at the touch of a button.

With automated scheduling and dispatching, field techs can ensure they are in the right place at the right time. Techs usually have a high number of customer visits in a single day, spread out in different locations. This can be time-consuming to organize in an efficient and effective manner. 

Management needs to know which tech to send where and what is needed for each job. Utilizing FSM software that provides scheduling and dispatching capabilities can assist them in this process, automating workflows and enhancing the level of service they are able to offer because they are on time to customer locations. 

By taking away the added stresses of tedious administrative work, automated scheduling and dispatching can allow field service techs to be truly present when dealing with customers and give them the attention they deserve.

Customers who see that their field service provider arrives on time, understands the job, and knows exactly how to carry it out, will be sure to become repeat customers.

Some of the leading tools that can help with this are Skedulo, Connecteam, and FieldEdge.

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The management of inventory for a field service team can be difficult. 

Products can often be stored in different locations or even different states, depending on the size of your operation. Some parts can be kept in a warehouse. Others can be tucked away in the back of a company van. Products can also be already with your customer who’s waiting for them to be serviced. There are literally a lot of moving parts!

With field service technicians always on the go, they need to know exactly how much of a product they have at any given moment. Keeping track of stock levels is crucial. If they don’t have this information at their disposal, they run the risk of being short on stock and losing out on customers to a rival company. 

In a study done by Reliant Funding, they found that a whopping 34% of businesses had mistakenly sold a product that they didn’t have in their inventory. This type of negligence is down to poor inventory management systems in place and could easily be solved by an efficient piece of software.

To avoid this from happening, and also to reduce purchase costs, some field service teams engage in overstocking tactics. Being able to bring in the same stock for cheaper seems like a good idea at first. Yet when variables like storage costs and insurance are added up, overstocking can come back to haunt field service teams when the end-of-year accounts are done.

With FSM software, these problems disappear. Field service teams can judge how much stock they are likely to need at any given moment and control their inventory in real time from there. Some software can even automatically order new products when the inventory reaches a certain level. This can save field service teams the hassle of ever having to look at their inventory levels again!

Some of the leading inventory management software companies include Fracctal, Infraspeak, and MobiWork.

Everybody likes to feel seen and heard. Management is always keen to keep on top of things as they try to make sure that their message is getting through to their employees in the field. Field service technicians on the other hand are focused on completing their work as effectively and efficiently as possible and are constantly relaying messages back to management in the hopes of optimizing these work processes. 

Field Service Management software can help field teams get a clear and complete overview of what’s really going on both in the field and in the office. 

Management back at head office can check exactly what work is completed and what needs to be done, allowing them to seamlessly plan the work schedule. By being able to communicate and visualize work processes digitally, the days of constantly checking in with annoying phone calls for updates are a thing of the past.

Field service techs will also benefit from more transparency. FSM software allows technicians to see what messages management relays and record important customer details on the go. These features help with better alignment and provide the best possible customer experience. 

Automated reporting capabilities can eliminate mistakes caused by illegible handwriting or misplaced documentation. This can save everybody time, energy, and money that can be better spent in more pressing areas.

Some of the top tools that provide these capabilities are WorkWave and Simpro.

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Field service techs can collect vital data that is essential to understanding key customer data metrics in detail. This collected data can give field service teams detailed analyses of their own work processes and see what they are doing well, and what can be improved.

Customer feedback is important in any business. In the field service industry, the feedback received on work completed can make all the difference in bettering the customer experience and retaining customers.

Retaining customers is imperative for field service teams. One study showed that a small increase in customer retention rates can increase profits by at least 25%!

Feedback can include things like how pleased they are with their product or service, and if they are satisfied with their field service technician’s work.

With customers being able to provide feedback on the effectiveness of a product or the service they are receiving, field service teams will gain interesting insights and have the opportunity to speedily make updates and improvements to satisfy customer demand.

Some of the best FSM tools that offer these capabilities include Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, and ServiceTitan.

Check out this blog to find out the 7 smart ways to collect customer feedback!

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As we have seen, there are a multitude of different benefits to be gained from using field service management software. 

They can speed up processes, enhance efficiency, and provide detailed and actionable insights that field service teams can use in their day-to-day work processes.

So what are you waiting for? Get your own FSM software today and start reaping the benefits instantly!

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