How Field Service Software Pays for Itself
If you’re a small business field service operation, let’s be honest: Many decisions are made on cost, and money, plus the opportunity for profit, is important. You want to deliver great service and get referrals and positive customer feedback but, at the end of the day, you need to make money. A part of making money, obviously, is keeping costs down.
There’s research saying that about 37 percent of small business service businesses — so about 3 in 8 — are still operating according to paper-based models around scheduling, inventory, finances, and more. Even if that number is close to 25-30 percent, that still means about 1 in 4 small service businesses have not moved over to field service management software, also known as FSM software, programs.
FSM programs basically allow you to integrate different areas of your business, so that they “talk” to one another. That way, if a technician needs to go across town for a specific customer, inventory will know he or she needs to pick up something for his or her truck — and all of this happens within the software, without the necessity of human prompt (usually). It’s a big timesaver.
So if field service software saves time and makes your technicians more effective, why don’t more small businesses use it?
The answer seems pretty logical: cost. People are afraid of the cost, or — probably more specifically — people are afraid that the cost won’t lead to a justifiable return.
Let’s keep this fairly simple: field service software does pay for itself. There are dozens of reasons. We can start with four:
Cuts operating costs: This is a huge advantage of FSM software. You drastically cut the costs of operating job management functions and other logistical tasks.
Enhances productivity: In the most general sense, enhanced productivity usually leads to increased profitability. With FSM software, you create better lines of communication between front office, management, and technicians. This creates less clutter and confusion around tasks and necessity, which leads to more effective priority management at all levels.
Eliminates ‘dead time:’ Dead time is when technicians have to return to the main office between two jobs to grab something (a part, customer information, etc.) If you have a FSM with mobile integration and connection to customer data/inventory, these dead-time trips are no longer necessary. Time is money, after all.
Grows revenue on-site: With less time necessary for logistical tasks, technicians have more time on client work. More time on client work means more customer billing, and sooner as opposed to later.
If you’d like to understand more ways that field service management software both (a) pays for itself and (b) sets you on the path to profitability, download our eBook now. There are more reasons within it, including some tied to data and metrics — which is becoming increasingly important for small service businesses.
