4 Critical Office Operations Solved with Service Business Software
For example, the right service business software streamlines critical office operations by:
Dramatically reducing time-consuming, error-prone, and inefficient paperwork
Improving communication between office staff and technicians
Providing more accurate scheduling and arming techs with better, more accurate customer information
Grow customer retention and revenue
Burying Yourself in Paperwork in the Digital Age
How often have you looked for a piece of paper with vital customer information unable to find it in the stacks piled on your desk? Paper gets lost, thrown away, or destroyed; handwriting can be illegible; and paper needs to be filed away in endless cabinets, folders, or drawers. Whiteboards? They can only store so much information and get quickly erased – often by accident. If you didn’t write down that information last week (adding another page to your stack), good luck finding what you need. Spreadsheets? They are only as good as the last time someone hit save, which leads to more errors, lost data, and wasted time trying to track down and correct what has been incorrectly entered or lost. And relying on older, unreliable jury-rigged software, expecting it to perform functions it wasn’t built for is asking for trouble.
Happier Technicians and Customers
Failure to adopt service business software not only makes important tasks more difficult to complete but eliminates the benefits that organization and efficiency can provide your business – benefits that your competitors are already maximizing.
The right field service software provides real-time visibility into schedules and job assignments. Tools such as electronic scheduling and dispatching features, as well as map-based scheduling, allow you to quickly respond to urgent customer calls. It helps manage wild-card situations that require rescheduling, like unplanned technician absence or inclement weather, etc., while also minimizing wasted time and fuel use driving across town from job to job.
Effective service business software also creates a true customer data management system that goes far beyond general contact information and the most recent service call currently stored in a spreadsheet or file cabinet. At the push of a button and on any device, you can access a customer’s full record, including contact and billing information, job locations, activity notes, full job history, installed assets, and previous and outstanding invoices and payments. It also ensures a more efficient, integrated process for employees, with electronic work orders that connect office and technicians in real time and providing field teams the information they need to get the job done right the first time. No more wasting time examining scribbled notes, combing through file cabinets like Indiana Jones, or scrolling through spreadsheets for missing information.
Field service business software also creates a better customer experience and increases retention. Replacing that clipboard and stack of papers with a mobile device that contains a clean, modern electronic work order with paperless receipts demonstrates an image and reputation of professionalism and organization that builds trust and confidence. Customers get the full story of the work you perform with easily accessible customer portals that include all previous work orders, invoices, documents, and photos, as well as the ability to easily request future service.
More Organization = More Revenue & More Growth
Stacks of paper, lost information and inefficiency are consistent and significant drains on a business. Time spent on paperwork and old billing processes simply mean less money in your pocket. For instance, not utilizing credit card payments on site can result in cash or check payments being lost or stolen or invoices going unpaid for weeks, months, or even longer and more time spent tracking down payments. Achieving quote-to-cash efficiency should be the goal.
On-site payment processing and a two-way QuickBooks Online sync streamlines billing, reduces time chasing customers for payment and ensures payment in your account before even leaving their driveway. It also eliminates the time you spend manually entering payment information in multiple places, as well as the time spent finding and correcting errors that can occur with manual data entry.
Old-school management methods reduce opportunity for further growth. Inefficient scheduling and routes, and multiple trips back to the office for paperwork and bookkeeping is time not spent on additional jobs. Relying on manual methods or spreadsheets for tracking how your customers hear about you reduces valuable time and revenue to better market your business or determine what is working and not working to drive bottom line.
Field service businesses simply cannot afford to limp along with outdated, disorganized back-office processes that leak profits, exacerbate inefficiencies, weaken customer service, and limit growth. A wholistic, effective service business software is no longer a luxury but a necessity, and fast becoming the difference between success and failure in any number of industries. Embrace the streamlined digital solution to transform your business and grow.