If you’re looking at job management software, you’re likely spurred by one or more of these business needs:
- Better CRM
- Improved business intelligence and reporting
- Quicker quotation and invoicing
- Optimised job scheduling and planning
- Reduced admin / errors
And most commonly: reduced costs and improved efficiencies.
So how exactly does job management software create cost-savings for field service businesses?
Let’s dive in.
Quick definition: Job management software
First, let’s quickly recap what job management software actually is.
In a nutshell: Job management software is a tool that replaces manual job management processes with streamlined and automated workflows.
It lets you track engineers, assign & update jobs instantly, access key documents and so much more. Plus, this is all available to access via a mobile or tablet, so easy to amend on-the-go, meaning updates are easily made in real-time.
Ultimate benefits of job management software
Cost savings can be boiled down to five overarching benefits:
1) Time savings ⏰
✅ Time is money. By moving to automated systems, laborious data entry becomes a thing of the past.
✅ Schedules are quicker and easier to put together and update (like cover for staff absence).
✅ It’s much quicker and easier to communicate.
✅ Engineers have easy access to all the documents they need quickly.
✅ Service reports are completed in real-time, with no need for back-office replication of work.
Did you know?: According to our research, businesses that use what3words for locations save up to 30 minutes per day.
2) Reduced overheads 💰
✅ Say goodbye to paper based systems and all they entail (paper, printing, filing, postage, document storage).
✅ Optimise engineers’ schedules to reduce travel time, overtime, mileage and fuel costs.
✅ Minimise surplus stock and only order what’s needed for each specific job.
✅ Better forecast future budgets with more accurate tracking of spending, labour costs, inventory and more.
Did you know?: Businesses that use job management software see a 5% reduction in employee costs alone.1
3) Minimal errors ❌
✅ Reduce common mistakes with paper-based systems such as mistakes caused by human error in data entry, bad handwriting or missing details.
Did you know?: Those that leverage job management software see a 6% reduction in payroll errors.2
4) Improved customer experience 👏
✅ For example, speed in attending appointments and quick and correctly completed documents (such as invoicing).
✅ More first time fixes, meaning more satisfied customers!
Did you know?: Businesses that use job management software see a 20% increase in customer facing time.2
5) Speedy invoicing 🚀
✅ Jobs can be invoiced immediately and correctly, as soon as they are finished and if they integrate with financial packages, such as Sage 50 & Xero, there’s no need for double keying.
✅Payments can also be taken online, via integrations like Bluesnap, making life easier and more efficient. No stationery or postage costs.
✅Minimises the risk of missing payments or delays to jobs because of stock outages.
Did you know? It takes the average small-medium-sized business 25 days to process a single invoice manually. This all changes with automation.
Job management software in action: Real-life examples of cost savings
Now, we know the benefits so let’s look at how this works practically in real-life field service businesses…
Example 1: MEDLEC boosted operational productivity by 40%
Using job management software, electrical contractor MEDLEC has completely eliminated paper by equipping field engineers with mobile devices linked to vehicle trackers. This provides the company with real-time, 24/7 visibility of the status of all jobs.
“The system has put an end to laborious paperwork and data entry, and as jobs come in they are instantly available to our engineers. It means we can be more reactive and efficient with our time, therefore around 40% more productive, allowing us to take on more work with the same resources.”
Plus, it helps them:
- Speed up accounting and quicker financial reporting - as it’s fully integrated with their Xero accounting software
- Achieve first-time fix rates (now at 92%)
- Instantly inform clients of ETA updates and completed job sheets
📕 Read more here.
Example 2: Access Innovations achieved 70% reduction in paper
Thanks to job management software, commercial and industrial door specialist Access Innovations has substantially reduced the need for paperwork and the admin it entails.
“The back-office resource required to record, schedule and report on jobs has been reduced, which in turn results in better service for our customers. I even had one client email me saying ‘give us a chance’ having received completion reports, including photos, and the invoice, all within 5 minutes of the engineer finishing on-site!”
The end result? They can now more efficiently manage job scheduling, live tracking, financial management and business intelligence and customer relationship management (CRM) all in one simple to use platform.
Plus, it’s helped them to improve workforce health and safety with daily vehicle and driver checks, live vehicle tracking and online access to risk assessments.
helping to meet your customer KPIs (key performance indicators) and SLAs (service level agreements)
📕 Read more here.
Example 3: MHL Heating sees 90% improvement in admin time
Gas, heating and boiler engineering company MHL introduced job management software two years ago and has since doubled its turnover and tripled its field service engineering team, without needing additional staff in the office. All thanks to automation and real-time updates.
“Everything is completely seamless and with instant, fully digital reporting including photographs from site, we can meet even the most stringent reporting requirements including those of facilities management who in turn have to report to their own clients.”
📕 Read more here.
So, whilst time saving may have been a primary goal, there are so many additional benefits of job management software like being able to better protect staff and improve cash flow (with first-time fixes and speedy invoicing) and helping to meet your customer KPIs (key performance indicators) and SLAs (service level agreements).
Wrap up
It’s easy to see how significant cost savings can be made with the right job management software.
Plus, you might also start to see how it can improve customer experiences to boost retention and referrals which will obviously boost cash flow.
One thing to also mention is compliance. Most field service businesses have regulatory requirements and failure to adhere can — amongst other things like reputational damage — mean costly lawsuits and major fines. Businesses that use job management software find it much easier to track and report compliance. For example, data management and auditing processes.
Final takeaway: If you’re in the market looking for a job management software solution, take a look at this checklist first: Top 5 must-haves when choosing job management software.
Or, dive straight in and book a personalised demo of BigChange today.
