Field service has come a long way. The days of service agents having to keep track of mountains of paper are thankfully drawing to a close. Today information required for a job can all be managed electronically and with greater efficiency. Misplacing a work order is not nearly the issue it once was—now a technician can look it up in real time! But all of this requires a software solution.

Ideally, any software chosen should be designed with a “mobile-first” experience in mind. User-friendly mobile applications should centralizes all the information a field agent needs in one place. Instead of having to cart around files and folders and keep track of far too many pieces of paper it is all in the palm of your hand…customer location…contact information…ad hoc requests and recent conversations with back-office team mates. Moving to a mobile solution is no longer the future it is the present.

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Being a part of an industry that experiences rapid growth, your field service dispatch software must be scalable. The solution you choose must provide enough flexibility to comfortably grow with you as your team and service locations expand. Make sure you are choosing a product that can be customized to your processes not just in the beginning, but over time as the needs of your company change and evolve.

Small Businesses frequently have tight budgets where every penny counts. Investing in a new tool requiring a substatial upfront investment can be understandably stressful.

Instead, a field service scheduling solution that offers a pay-as-you-use model might be more appropriate to your needs. With this model you are charged based on the number of users who use your system on a monthly or annual basis.

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Zuper offers a free trial period so that users can test the product on their own and ensure it is capable of meeting their existing business needs.

A free trial provides you with an ample amount of time to alleviate any doubts you may have about the FSM suite’s performance and make an informed decision about the value you can expect from it.

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To smoothly transition from Excel sheets or an outdated tool to a new field service scheduling solution, you need to consider API integration. API integration allows for effortless data migration between systems and is a feature you should prioritize when shopping for new solutions.

Not all software is equal. Even when you choose an FSM system specific to your niche, you need to understand that it might not be designed with your particular use case in mind.

A tool that needs constant maintenance or support from a dedicated IT professional will not suit a startup. So, it is vital that you select a field service management tool that can be customized without coding by any user with administrator access.

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Because the software installed is on your physical servers, on-premise FSM tools may seem like the secure option. But they will not be as helpful for your workforce in the field or the back-office operators working from remote locations as you think. The software is on your servers, so security is your problem—and it is up to you to make sure updates and patches are applied as needed.

However, cloud-based field service management software is built and maintained by the service provider on their servers. The security features cloud-based FSM software comes with are state-of-the-art. Features like single sign-on and face recognition come packaged in a mobile compatible, browser-friendly solution that your customers and employees can use irrespective of location.

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