This guide covers everything a field service business needs to know about job management software, like top cost-saving benefits, red flags and case studies.
Job management software is a must-have tool in any field services business’s armoury. The right software allows you to streamline operations by automating manual processes and gain real-time information into business performance.
All of this increases output, improves service and maximises profits. 💸
While you might know job management software has taken the field service industry by storm, you may still sit on the fence about whether it’s right for you.
If this is you, then this ultimate guide to job management software is exactly what you need. You’ll find answers to burning questions like “why do we need job management software?” and “how does it actually save money?”.
We’ll start with the foundations, but you can jump straight to sections using the shortcuts below.
What is job management software: Quick definition
Job management software is an online tool (like BigChange) that helps field service businesses automated manual processes, like job scheduling and invoicing, to improve efficiencies and grow profits. Some businesses see an 80% increase in efficiency after rolling out job management software across the business. (More on this later).
The best job management software is accessible from anywhere, anytime – and by anyone that’s been granted permission – from any device (laptop, desktop, tablet or mobile device). This bit is crucial!
With mobile access, field engineers can access key information, update job statuses instantly, get triggered alerts for new jobs, update customers, and so much more. All this means your back-office teams have full visibility of job progress and business performance, all in real-time.
But how does job management software save costs?
Top 5 reasons field service businesses use job management software to save costs
Let’s be super honest here. The ultimate goal for any field service business is to improve operational efficiency to maximise revenue and profits. After all, you’re in it to make money.
So while customer experience is up there as a priority, your business’s main KPI’s focus on reducing costs, improving efficiencies, and growing revenues.
With this in mind, here are the top five reasons field services jump to job management software to save costs:
#1: Time savings: It’s quick and easy to update job schedules, have instant communication and updates, and fast access to important documents (all online and accessible on-the-go via a mobile device or tablet).
#2: Reduced overheads: Do minimal paperwork, saving on print, filing, postage and file storage. And optimise travel routes to reduce mileage, labour costs and fuel. Plus, only order the stock that’s needed.
#3: Minimise errors: Generate accurate invoices that reflect all parts used in a job. Plus, data entry is completed by the engineer, rather than duplicated by back-office teams that may misinterpret information.
#4: Speed up invoicing: Prompt invoicing as soon as a job is complete. And no double keying thanks to software integrations with financial tech like Sage 50 & Xero.
#5: Improve customer experience: Improve first-time fix rates. And quote and attend appointments quicker – which is particularly important for meeting SLAs and fixing emergency issues.
While cost reduction is a key output of field service management software, you can also start to see how better first-time fixes and meeting SLAs quicker improves customer service. And, ultimately, when you provide a better service, you improve retention, promotion and overall industry reputation.
The key takeaway here? If you aren’t planning to use job management software, you’re going to be missing out. You can get started with BigChange now, or keep reading to discover the red flags to look out for which show it’s time to change.
📕 Read more:How does job management software actually save your field service business money?
Red flags: How to know when you need job management software 🚩
For many years, field service businesses managed jobs using a manual approach. But the more profit margins are squeezed, the more you need to optimise your existing resources, the more jobs you want to book in, and so on.
And that’s why field service businesses are moving away from traditional and manual job management processes and towards cloud-based, automation-empowered job management software.
In fact, there tends to be a tipping point for a business when enough is enough.
These are the most common triggers for a field service business taking the plunge and investing in this tech:
- Costly delays: Manual processes or unfit online systems mean there’s no quick access to a centralised platform that contains all job and customer information – this makes planning difficult (like organising the right stock and mobile workforce resources).
- Job tracking issues: Inefficiently tracking scheduled service agreements and SLAs drains admin resources – which can even result in missed appointments.
- Compliance, communication, and team management: Working hours delay communication of key information and job updates. It impacts everything from stock orders and invoicing, through to financial reporting.
- Staff shortages: There are lots of new jobs coming in but you don’t have the staff to get there quickly enough… So customers go elsewhere.
- Sales and customer experiences are suffering: There’s a lag in response times and without a complete record of customer information, you experience errors and poor first-time fix rates too. All impacting customer satisfaction and retention.
- Too many software solutions draining time: Multiple software solutions for accounts, stock management and sales orders wreak havoc for business planning. And forecasting, budgets and payroll are all impacted.
Job management software mitigates all this and plugs a leaky profit bucket. It allows field services to get a handle on where they can improve efficiency, scale business operations, and grow their bottom line (more on this in the link below 👇).
All this is essential to compete in what’s becoming a rapidly digitally transformed industry.
📕 Read more:5 signs your business is ready for job management software
Case studies: Job management software in action
Now, let’s look at how job management software practically benefits real-life field service businesses.
🔍 Case study example: NWCE saves thousands each year
After implementing job management software, food service equipment provider, NWCE, has saved thousands a year. How? Through boosting field workers’ productivity and, as an added bonus, reducing its environmental impact.
“Since implementing BigChange, we have tripled the size of our employed workforce and, with the competitive edge that BigChange provides, I am confident we will continue to expand and evolve, and BigChange will support us at every step.” - Ben Odling, Managing Director at NWCE Food Service Equipment.
Read the full case study here.
🔍 Case study example: Future Group improves efficiency by 80%
Electrical services company, Future Group, now sees an 80% increase in efficiency after rolling out job management software across the business. Cloud-based tech has virtually eliminated paperwork. They now use customisable and digital workflows, real-time vehicle tracking and smart scheduling for field engineers.
“We use it across every aspect of the company from vehicle tracking and appointment scheduling to maintaining client records and creating professional reports. Since implementing BigChange, paperwork has become a thing of the past and we are far more efficient seeing on average, across the divisions, 80% improvement, it was also fundamental to our winning the ARMA Partner of the Year Award.”- Maddie Carr, Service Agreement Manager at Future Group.
Read the full case study here.
🔍 Case study example: UKDP sees a 30% uplift in efficiency
Off-mains drainage expert, UKDP, has seen a 30% gain in operational efficiencies as engineers spend less time completing paperwork. And, it’s boosted customer service thanks to real-time access to service updates and automatically generated ETAs. What’s more, it has saved tens of thousands per year in office rent as more team members now work remotely.
“It took some time to get all our documents and workflows on the system but it was the best thing we have ever done. We are now exactly where we need to be to start the next stage of our development and BigChange has been, and will continue to be, an integral part of our journey.”- James Warren, Technical Director at UKDP Solutions.
Read the full case study here.
Checklist: What to look for in a job management software provider
So, you’ve decided job management software is a worthy investment. Now, how do you choose the best option for your business?
The best place to start is to ask yourself these questions:
- What do you need your job management software to do? Consider who will be using the tech for it to benefit the entire business. This is often why businesses look for an all-in-one solution.
- Who will be using it? If it's back-office teams and field teams, you want field service management software that’s mobile-optimised so engineers can update job details on the go… With technical support for the software offered 24/7 for those who typically work outside of office hours.
- Does it have advantages beyond job management? You want a solution that provides all-in-one support so that multiple departments can benefit from the tool. Look out for features like job scheduling, a self-service client portal, integrations with accounting for invoicing, and job tracking for real-time updates.
- Does the supplier match up to the solution? Basically, does their marketing marry up with their customers' experiences? Check out case studies, reviews, and security credentials.
- Does the solution have the capability to scale with you? You don’t want to be switching software solutions because the tech you’re using isn’t advanced enough to take on more. While you may not need certain features right now (or the cost of it), you can opt for a basic package and upgrade to a premium plan when you’re ready.
Armed with these answers, you can then build a shortlist of field service management software providers whose features can solve your pain points right now, and your needs in a few years’ time. Better still, you can then book a demo so you can see how easy these features are to use.
📕 Read more:Top 5 must-haves when choosing job management software
Why thousands of field services choose BigChange’s job management software
When we’ve asked customers, there are four key reasons field services make the jump to job management software:
#1: Effortless scheduling: With intelligence scheduling, you can literally see on a map where engineers are so you can re-route and attend call-outs and optimise routes for cost-savings.
#2: Paperless field service operations: Say goodbye to double-keying, writing up job sheets and using T-cards. Digital job sheets alone, hosted in our cloud-based software, reduce all this.
#3: Easy-to-use mobile app: Everything from site maps to manuals, forms and worksheets for each customer can be accessed through an engineer’s mobile device. Reduce job times, improve first-time fix rates, and more.
#4: Accurately track jobs: Thanks to real-time updates, you have complete visibility of the field team’s locations and assets. This means you can re-route engineers or divert them to pick up van stock from the nearest supplier or colleague.
📕 Read more:How BigChange’s job management software provides competitive advantage (with examples)
Put simply, using job management software creates a competitive advantage.
But don’t settle for just any job management software. You want to use a tool that’s:
- Reliable and user-friendly: So everyone can easily use it, encouraging collaboration and actually allowing you to speed up operations.
- Award-winning: BigChange is proud of winning multiple awards for helping customers to thrive. Our latest was ‘The Business Enabler of the Year’ at Lloyds Bank British Business Excellence Awards – we were actually the first and last job management software company to do so. And a Queen’s award for innovation.
- Got excellent customer reviews: You trust your peers more than a company’s humble brags – we don’t blame you. Did you know, we’ve over 200+ 4 and 5-star reviews on Capterra?
- Got tons of integrations: A wide range of third-party integrations enable the entire business to benefit from one platform to manage everything from job scheduling to accounting.
- 24/7 customer support: And because we know your field teams need support at all hours, we’re one of the only job management software providers that provide customer support 24/7.
There are plenty of reasons why thousands of field service businesses trust BigChange. Take a look at our case studies to find more.
A quick peek at top job management software features 🔍
While there are over 235 features built specifically to help field service businesses, these are some of the most-used features:
Maximise growth with job management software today
Whether you’re already using job management software or you’re ready to take the plunge today, with the right tech, you can better manage jobs, resources and finances for a more profitable field service business.
Just make sure you find a solution that meets your specific needs, provides plenty of support and training, and easily integrates with your other systems, like accounting software, for you to really unleash the benefits.
As digital adoption increases across the industry, those that aren’t leveraging the best tech will get left behind those that can offer the services that customers expect.
Not sure if field service management software is worth the investment? Take a look at exactly how it saves money in this blog.
Ready to find the right job management software? Read this: Top 5 must-haves when choosing job management software [Quick checklist]
Or, you can dive straight in and book a personalised demo and our field service business pros can talk you through the top features that power business growth.
FAQs
What does job management mean?
Job management refers to all the workflows and tasks involved in project managing a field service business’s operations. It covers the end-to-end process from quoting a new job for a customer, through to invoicing. Effective job management ensures field service businesses allocate the right resources, deliver projects on time and meet client SLAs, monitor progress and track performance against business KPIs.
What is work management software?
Work management software, known as job management software, is a digital tool that helps field service businesses to more efficiently manage operations. It does this through a series of features like smart job scheduling, which allows you to prioritise jobs and send engineers with the right tools and accreditations.
Why do we need work management software?
Ultimately, a combination of features allows field service businesses to streamline operations through clever automation, monitor performance across the entire business, and so much more. This makes for a much more productive business, and one that better satisfies customers.
How does job management software benefit field service businesses?
Cost-savings and operational efficiencies are the biggest drivers for field service businesses switching to a job management software solution. Here are the top five benefits:
- Time savings
- Reduced overheads
- Minimise errors
- Speed up invoicing
- Improve customer experience
Read the guide above to see why.
Who is job management software suitable for?
Job management software can provide significant benefits to any business whose field workers perform tasks at customer sites. However, businesses with 10 or more employees are more likely to experience the greatest advantages, as they tend to have more complex and demanding tracking needs.
