What Is Field Service Management Software?
Field Service Management Software is a digital solution that tracks and manages the entire job lifecycle, from customer requests to job completion and payment. It is used by field service managers, technicians, engineers, customers, and back-office staff to improve overall efficiency and delivery of services.
By having the tools to collect and analyse data in one system, field leaders can improve decision-making when tracking work orders, managing workers, scheduling jobs, and dispatching technicians.
That data includes first-time fix rates, job completion rates, number of open jobs, spare parts inventory, team KPIs, and more.
A field service management system provides the features and capabilities to:
- Record details about field assets, work orders, jobs, technicians, contractors, spare parts, quotes, and logistics
- Plan and schedule jobs in real-time
- Provide frameworks and checklists assigned to workers
- Ensure jobs are taken and completed safely meeting SLAs
- Comply with health and safety standards
- Ensure spare parts are ordered and made available for the jobs
- Quote on jobs
- Manage technicians and workers via mobile apps
Our expert’s view on Field Service Management Software
"Without software, I don’t think you would see half of the delivery that you see in the UK now… software will quite often predict what can happen. Now, we’re moving into a world with AI. It’s becoming even better, because AI would look at it and go, “We know the M42 ran by Birmingham Airport is gridlocked between three and six normally.” So that engineer might look like he’s only five minutes away. But truth be known, he’s going to be two hours. Without [software], I think we will probably be needing four or five times the amount of people, which means costs go up for the customers."
 | Adam Neale, Head of Advanced Field Services |
UK’s Best Field Service Management Software & Job Tracking Systems
Clockwork IT Service Management Software
Clockwork IT offers a service management solution with powerful tools. Helping businesses to take control of their service quotes, stock, and billing processes. Clockwork provides strong mobile capabilities. Designed for field-based operatives to complete all ‘paperwork’ and compliance processes whilst on the job.
Ideal For
Organisations that need a more flexible service than the big corporate software providers can offer.
Pricing
From £1,000
FaultFixers
FaultFixers is designed for field service teams who want to move away from spreadsheets and paper. It is a simple mobile-app based product designed for simple field jobs. Simplicity, Ease of Use and SMB focussed pricing are the key reasons it is one of the best products for the SMB Market.
Ideal For
Small to medium-sized organisations looking for a streamlined, SMB-focused solution.
Pricing
From £99 per month
pro-Forms
pro-Forms combines field assets tracking along with personalised forms so that SMB field service teams get a system which works for them. pro-Forms has a very experienced team who are adept at providing SMB field management systems hence are one of the best options for SMB teams.
Ideal For
Organisations looking to digitise and scale form, job and asset management processes.
Pricing
From £12 per user, per month
INFRASPEAK
INFRASPEAK uses field service asset data and your field service goals to deliver an intelligent field maintenance product that is light on data input. It takes a platform oriented approach which means it can address complex field service requirements and is yet fully scalable.
Ideal For
Organisations looking to simplify maintenance program creation and management across multiple sites.
Pricing
From £29 per user, per month
Totalmobile
Totalmobile’s service management solution aims to drive improvement. As well as increase control across all aspects related to the delivery of field-based services. It enables companies to manage upcoming tasks, schedule work, and collect data. Totalmobile aims to deliver a tool that improves cloud-based management.
Ideal For
Organisations with 100+ in-field workers and mobile-intensive workflows.
Pricing
From £4-30 per user, per month for a standalone product
IFS Field Service Management Software
IFS Field Service Software offers a best-in-class service management system. Capabilities include spare parts management and service contract management. IFS is a true end-to-end solution that improves business efficiency. Ensuring fast response times and real-time reactivity.
Ideal For
Large to enterprise-size organisations in asset-intensive industries.
Pricing
From £250,000
SERVICEMAX
ServiceMax is for asset-centric service providers. It can automate complete service supply chain. It comes with pre-built service workflows and a 'No-Code' service workflow designer. ServiceMax is built by field service engineers so from the ground up is designed to deliver on field service goals.
Ideal For
Asset-centric service organisations looking to digitise processes and enhance profitability.
Pricing
From £40-140 per user, per month
Hitachi's Lumada
Lumada from Hitachi is an enterprise field service management product for servicing critical field assets. It is hardware-agnostic and built to manage high value critical field assets and service processes. It integrates with legacy systems and is implemented by Industry experts.
Ideal For
Organisations for whom asset uptime is critical to business continuity.
Pricing
From £100,000
TotalCTRL
FSM Software designed to help fast-growing and family-owned businesses (such as sole trader gas engineers and plumbers) streamline their installations, servicing, and planned maintenance.
Ideal For
Organisations that need a more flexible service than the big corporate software providers can offer.
Pricing
From £1,000
BigChange
A fully customisable Job Management Software which tracks and manages mobile teams such as gas engineers.
Ideal For
Business looking to manage and schedule a wide range of jobs carried out by field based engineers, technicians and operatives.
Pricing
From £79.95 per mobile user per month
9 Core Capabilities of Field Service Management Software
1. Dynamic Scheduling and Dispatch
Automated and dynamic job scheduling capabilities enable field service managers to assign field staff more efficiently. When a work order or customer request is created, scheduling can be set on triggered events or pre-defined calendars.
This ensures that the technician with the matching skills, qualifications, and experience required for the job is assigned. While also taking into account factors such as:
- Worker availability
- Contractor or sub-contractor agreements
- SLA agreements
- Availability of spare or replacement parts
- Job and worker location/route planning
Video: Estates & Assets Director at Serco Health, Greg Markham, talks about the future possibilities of using tech such as HoloLens and VR to have real-time 3D walkthroughs with engineers across multiple sites.
2. Vehicle and Engineer Tracking
Real-time tracking is a key feature of any field service management solution. It allows managers to track their mobile workforce and vehicles with GPS capabilities, showing their location on a live map. By doing so, engineers closest to a job can be assigned, reducing customer wait times.
Tracking features are also used to plan and optimise driving routes. By seeing real-time traffic updates, workers can gauge an estimated time of arrival and pre-warn customers of any delays via text or email.
3. Digital Billing & Invoicing
Digital invoicing and billing features enable engineers to create invoices and receipts as soon as a job is complete. By using mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones, field workers can produce customer, professional-looking invoice templates and take payments via Stripe.
This capability reduces the chances of non-payments once a job is complete, as well as reducing the effort taken to follow up with customers over unpaid invoices.
4. Digitise Job Sheets
Field Service Management Software provides the tools that allow managers to store all job information on digital job sheets. This allows information such as job type, location, expected completion time, and parts needed to be shown on an engineer's mobile device. As opposed to having to travel to the office to get a paper job sheet or work from whiteboards.
5. Mobile App
Using mobile apps allows office-based staff to easily connect with workers in the field. Mobile access allows workers to have access to data anywhere at any time. Meaning they don’t have to travel back to the on-site office. Engineers can remotely access calendars, inventory, and resources. All of which can assist them in completing a job without delays.
Effectively improving first-time fix rates and delivering good service to customers. Having mobile access enables field staff to:
- See job information on tablets, mobiles, and laptops
- Access job checklists
- Update job progress and status
- Track spare parts and inventory
- Take customer payment and send digital invoices
6. Work Order Management Alerts
Managers can track jobs from planning to completion with the right service management tools. They can gain visibility of each job and work order from a centralised dashboard. This lets them know when a job is complete or if a job will be delayed. Work can be updated by an engineer on the job on a mobile app. Resulting in a live job status update for managers.
7. Contract and SLA Management
Contract management tools provide easy access for office-based staff to have an overview of each customer contract. This ensures service level agreements (SLAs) are being tracked and met during each job.
8. Inventory & Spare Parts Management
Real-time inventory management lets field workers know what spare parts are available. Making sure they have the equipment required to complete a job. If a part is not available, workers can place an order and track its delivery.
9. Reporting and Data Analytics
Service teams use Field Service Management Software as a central place for information. They set it up to capture and relay data effectively. Using that data to draw insights and identify trends. Ultimately making transformational service level decisions based on data. Reports can be generated for serval tasks, including:
- Service incidents and status by customers
- Job completion metrics by technicians
- Profitable service jobs
- Loss-making service calls
- Adherence to SLAs
- Threshold ordering for parts
- Spare parts management
- Vehicle servicing management
How FSPs Benefit From Field Service Management Software
End-to-end Job Management
The main functionality of a field service solution is to provide a complete overview of the job management process, from job planning to service delivery. Having all of this information in oney system allows decision-makers to understand what is working and what can be improved on in the service delivery process.
Improve Service Delivery Outcomes and Meet KPIs
By giving technicians and engineers access to the right information (like manuals and tutorials, spare part inventory lists, job information, and more) in a mobile app, the chances of a successful service delivery are greatly improved. That helps businesses to meet targets such as first-time fix rates and one-time job completion rates.
Increase Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) and Retention Rates
Customers expect quick and quality service delivery. By utilising Field Service Management Software tools to increase the chances of quality service and one time fixes, CSAT rates sky rocket. This leads to receiving good feedback (which can be used in marketing efforts against competing businesses) and a higher chance of retaining that customer's business.
Quickly Dispatch Engineers When and Where Required
Field Service Management Software allows managers to be more dynamic and flexible with job scheduling. Managers can load data into a system and automate the tasks of dispatching engineers. Looking at skills, location, and workload to assign the right worker to the right job. Tools include:
- Real-time calendar view to know which technicians are available and when
- GPS tracking and route planning to calculate a worker’s proximity to a job
- Access to a worker’s labour rate and job knowledge
Podcast: Adam Neale, former UK Field Engineering Director at BT, talks about how AI and connective technology can improve the time taken to assign, schedule and dispatch engineers before failure occurs.
Open Communication Channels Between Office and Field Staff
With Field Service Management Software, all employees have access to a shared dashboard, which includes information that both on-site and off-site workers need such as job requirements and customer information. Without a single point of access, workers rely on job details being sent via email or over the phone, which means information can be delayed or even false.
Who Uses Field Service Management Software?
Field Service Management Software is used to connect, assign, and dispatch workers in the most efficient way possible. The features found in an FSM solution allows it to be used by anyone working in the field service sector. Particularly those businesses that find themselves regularly moving from on-site to off-site locations, including:
- Electricians
- Plumbers
- Energy providers
- Landscaping
- Pest control
Field Service Software can also be utilised by numerous personnel within a business. It is used by managers, engineers, office staff, customers, and fleet managers.
Managers use it to assign workers to job sites. Office staff use it to provide customers with real-time location updates. Accounting teams use it for invoicing and payments. Field workers use it to access information such as resources and inventory updates.
Field Service Managers and Team Supervisors
Real-time tracking and speedy communication have propelled the efficiency of assigning jobs. Managers can assign workers in the proximity of a job request and schedule jobs with advanced warning. As well as dispatch their more qualified workers to a particular job. This helps to increase the chances of a first-time fix as well as improve customer service levels.
Office-Based Staff
With the right FSM tools, on-site staff are easily able to connect with workers in the field. This helps to improve the collaboration between both teams and increase the speed of data input. Including hours logged, job status, job completions, and payments processed.
Field Workers (contractors, sub-contractors, technicians, engineers)
Workers have access to a shared dashboard that provides them with real-time updates on things like job locations and inventory levels. This helps to accelerate job completions and ensures that each worker is prepared when going to a job. Without service management tools, workers are more reliant on manual approaches and office staff relaying job information, which results in delays and unsatisfied customers.
Discover best ways to better understand your field service engineers
Just a decade ago, working off pen and paper, where there would be 4 copies (one for the customer, one for the service technician, one for the back office, and one for finance) of a job card, was a normal practice. Whilst job sheets still exist, they are somewhat less visible.
Service technicians now fully understand the importance of good service data. Easily accessing the information on Open Jobs, Job Types, First-Time Fix Rates, Quotes, and many other aspects of the jobs, helps technicians to be more productive.
Most technicians also fully appreciate that tech, not pen and paper, is the way forward. Hence there is increasing adoption of the use of field service mobile apps by service technicians.
Customers & Clients
Businesses have the option to share certain details regarding a job and their workers with their customers. This provides customers with real-time location updates to know exactly when a technician will be arriving.
Cloud, On-Premise & Open Source FSM Software Delivery: What’s the Difference?
Cloud Field Service Management Software
Cloud computing is a cost-effective method offering a fast-paced delivery of software. A vendor hosts their application in-house and on their own servers. Companies wanting to use that product then rent access via the internet.
There are three types of cloud-based Field Service Management Software. Each one provides users with different capabilities.
- Public Cloud: Public cloud is the most common type of cloud computing. It refers to accessing a service, typically SaaS, over the internet from a third party vendor.
- Private Cloud: Private cloud services refer to an application used by a single service provider. It can be located on-site, similar to an on-premise solution.
- Hybrid: A hybrid cloud service combines the qualities of both public and private. In some cases offering greater flexibility and security.
To access cloud FSM software, service providers typically pay a monthly subscription. In the form of a pay-as-you-go payment. Cloud-based Field Service Management Software offers multiple benefits, including:
- No hardware, up-front, or set-up costs
- Fast deployment
- Support from IT professionals
- The flexibility of using it anywhere at any time
- Receiving automated security updates
The delivery of cloud Field Service Management Software can be broken down into three categories. These include Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS). As well as software as a service (SaaS).
- IaaS: The most basic category of cloud computing where companies rent IT infrastructure.
- PaaS: Levelling up from IaaS, PaaS provides tools to build applications. As well as renting IT infrastructure.
- SaaS: This is the most popular cloud computing service among field service companies. SaaS vendors host an application, provide the infrastructure, and handle maintenance. Including security patches and updates. Providing access over the internet on a mobile app.
Cloud | On-Premise | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Costs are kept low, with no up-front or start-up fees. Maintenance and security costs are typically included with the rental fees. | Costs can be ongoing, including maintenance to servers and infrastructure. As well as paying for power consumption and rental space for hardware. |
| Security | Data is stored safely in an off-site location and is usually encrypted. If data is comprised, it can be recovered when stored in the cloud. | Data is secured locally, but needs to be kept safe to avoid hacks or corruption. |
| Control | Data is stored and encrypted by a third-party, meaning ownership of data can be a grey area. | Field service providers are in control of their data regarding operations and clients. |
Open Source Field Service Management Software
Open-source Field Service Management Software is a free and popular choice for businesses. It is an application whose source code is openly available and operating with an open licence. Allowing programmers and developers to edit a software’s foundations. Helping to build unique features that a business requires. Such as appointment scheduling, job management, and contract management.
The benefits of choosing an open-source FSM software product include:
- No licence fees
- Unlimited modifications
- No restrictions
However, there are risks when it comes to deploying open-source software, including:
- Lack of security
- No warranty
- Quality of software
An opposite approach to open-source FSM software is proprietary software. This refers to a product that can only be modified by its creator. Be that an individual developer or an organisation.
Open-Source | Proprietary | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Open-source software is available to users free of charge without licence fees. | Users will have to pay to use a vendor’s proprietary software. |
| Security | Patches and security fixes are performed quickly with help from a community of users. | Businesses will have to wait for software owners to fix bugs and deploy security patches. |
| Control | Flexibility allows for open collaboration between developers and programmers. | Control is restricted to the owner of the software licence. |
Steps & Considerations For Finding the Best Field Service Management Software
There are 5 steps to finding the right Field Service Management Software for you;
- Map out the end user experience that you would like to provide and then work backwards to find the right Field Service Management Solution.
- Identify Your Field Service Requirements and then shortlist Field Service Management solutions.
- Identify the gaps in your field service delivery and then find the right field service solutions.
- Collaborate with your Back-Office and On-the-Field Technicians and Users to identify Field Service systems that will really get adopted by your team.
- Keep researching the internet till you feel you have found the right solution.
There is no one way to find the right FSM software for your business. Yet there are well-known considerations you can use to find the right FSM tool for your business.
Key Factors to Consider
- Your team’s digital experience of using software tools and apps
- Simplicity of your requirements
- Clarity of your goals with the FSM system
- End User’s expectations from your field service management
- The importance of Field Service to your overall business
- The Speed at which you would like to implement the new system
Questions to Identify Your Service Management Requirements
- How do end customers log service requests?
- How are jobs scheduled (either by priority, technical availability, parts availability, or completion time)?
- How do field staff communicate with office-based staff?
- Are services updated and is it by the customer, job status, or billing?
- How do office-based teams process service requests and information?
- What are the top 3 gaps in your field service management?
Once current field service tasks are outlined, the next step is to identify gaps and challenges. When doing so, businesses should separate challenges into distinct groups:
Identify Your Service Management Gaps
The key to improving efficiency is to have clear guidelines regarding operations. This is something that all field service managers can relate to. Logical service management challenges include:
- Not meeting SLAs
- Inconsistent job completion times
- Delays to jobs due to inaccurate inventory
- Not assigning the right field technician to a job
Find Information and Visibility Gaps
To improve the customer experience and increase job completion rates, information is essential. Several users require information about a job. Including field staff, supervisors, and customers. Having the right data helps to:
- Assign a qualified worker to the right job
- Increase first-time fix rate
- Avoid delays due to the availability of spare parts
- List Desired Field Service, Workforce, and Commercial Outcomes
Leading field service businesses set clear goals. For instance, if a business receives 300 job requests per month, its total service management costs will be £400,000. The average service time would be 90 minutes. But, with a field service system in place, a business can improve its targets. Instead, it can set a target to reduce field service costs to £300,000. Whilst also reducing the average service time to 60 minutes.
Set ROI Goals For Your Field Service Management Software Purchase
It's important to set out in advance what you want to gain from your software purchase, this can be done by setting ROI goals. Example goals look like this:
| Field Service Parameters | Targets With Manual System | Targets With Field Service Management Software |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Service Requests Per Month | 300 | 300 |
| Service Cost Per Equipment | 5.5% of the total equipment cost per annum | 4 to 4.5% per annum |
| Equipment Life | 6 Years | 7.5 Years |
| Total Service Costs | £400,000 | £300,000 to £320,000 |
Clear and fact-based ROI will get you the speed of decision-making. Taking a numbers based approach to get the Buy-In is the easiest way to get the tool you want.
For example, a business has budgeted £23,000 per year on Field Service Management Software. They know that this tool will save them £38,000 per year. Meaning they’ll recover their investment in nine months.
Highlight Features That Work For You
Most Field Service Management tools have comprehensive features. The best field service teams focus on features that are important for them. Below are some of the questions that may help you to focus on the key features that your back-office and field service team will use.
- What value does this feature add to a service team?
- Can this feature be used by all stakeholders?
- Will this feature help meet KPIs?
- Is training required to use this feature?
- Are their legal requirements needed to use this feature? (compliance, GDPR laws, privacy policies, etc.)
Shortlist Field Service Management Software Options
Whilst most field service management products look similar, there are key differences. Each variation makes a big impact on a business’s ROI. For instance, some systems will prioritise ease of logging service information. While others may focus more on mobile planning.
When finding a solution, a company should have a list of products to compare. Ideally, this list should consist of five different solutions. Once listed, an evaluation team can begin to compare each field service tool:
- Does it match core requirements?
- Is it easy to use?
- Would it be a good industry fit?
- Is it easy to deploy?
- Do teams and employees need to be trained?
- What type of solution is it? (web-based, cloud-based, on-premise, or open-source)
Other Key Factors to Consider
Does a Vendor Offer a Free Trial or Demo?
Most buyers don’t speak with a vendor’s existing customers. But, by doing so, it can give validation about the product. As well as how well the implementation was and how good the support is.
Understand Your Contract Agreement
Licensing conditions need to be clearly understood. When buying cloud-based software, businesses are only renting the software. As well as the storage space needed to hold their customer and job data. A business should be aware of what happens to their data after payments have stopped.
If purchasing an open-source field service management product, there are other considerations. A business will need to have a clear understanding of how to install the product. As well as how they’re going to configure it and get support.
What Support and Training Is Offered?
Although the chosen product may seem easy to use, field and office staff will require basic training. This can be in the form of reading or attending webinars and classes. Most UK-based products come with support included in the pricing. Yet it’s worth cross-checking support terms with the vendor. Understanding a vendor’s training processes also indicates their quality of support. As well as how quickly they’ll be able to resolve problems in the future.
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