I love the NFL draft. Which, I’m sure, most people think is silly. Why would anyone spend four days watching grown men cry after getting drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 5th round? Why would anyone enjoy watching Mel Kiper’s chia-pet hairdo? And why would they listen to his horrific player rankings that don’t seem grounded in any sort of game film analysis, or even any knowledge of the game itself?
Because I like to think I can evaluate talent. I’ve been playing fantasy football for years. I’m in a couple dynasty leagues where the players you draft essentially end up on your team for life (unless you cut them in a fit of rage. Here’s looking at you, Shonn Greene.) If I can't evaluate talent correctly, I become the laughingstock of the league.
Did I mention that my league allows the champion to name the last place team the following year? Yeah, I really don’t want to be known as the St. Paul Flatulent Grandmas. So I need to be able to evaluate talent.
The field service software you choose is also vitally important. If you make the wrong choice, you run the risk of angering your employees and customers. If you make the right choice, you’ll be more productive and more profitable. Which would you rather be?
I also like off-the-wall analogies almost as much as the NFL draft. So, today, I’m going to show you how selecting a field service management software solution is like evaluating a football player.
- Reputation Matters: There are endless examples of players drafted high in the NFL draft who didn’t pan out because their off-the-field antics overshadowed their on-field promise. For every Randy Moss who succeeds in spite of their off-the-field reputation, there are guys like Charles Rogers and Mike Williams in Detroit, Johnathan Sullivan in New Orleans, Dimitrius Underwood in Minnesota, Robert Gallery in Oakland, Maurice Clarett in Denver. Oh, and let’s not forget Rae Carruth in Carolina. All of these guys had bad reputations coming into the league, and all failed because of it.
When you’re selecting field service software, it’s important that you don’t take the salesperson’s word about the greatness of the software he or she is selling. I’ve been there – some vendors will tell you anything just to get you in the door. So cut the salesperson out of the equation. If you’re looking for something that integrates with QuickBooks, check out the Intuit marketplace for the Customer Survey Score, read real customer comments, and check out the case studies. And don’t forget to seek multiple sources of unbiased information; Capterra and Software Advice also serve as good resources for field service software reviews. Lastly, ask your salesperson for references. If they can’t give you any, that should set off alarm bells.
- Flexibility is Valuable: The New England Patriots are the blueprint for teams that draft for flexibility. They’re known as a team that drafts players that can fit in multiple roles and provide mismatches that make them harder to defend. Think of Ron Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez: These tall, quick tight ends create mismatches all over the field. They can split them out wide for a favorable matchup on a much smaller cornerback or safety, or line them up on the line and get a matchup with a slow-footed linebacker. Their versatility helps the Patriots present multiple formations and packages that help them exploit an opponent’s weaknesses.
The same is true for your field service software. There are solutions that only tackle part of the problem – like scheduling or routing – but aren’t end-to-end solutions. They may fix your short-term problems, but won’t help you grow your business long term. That’s not flexible. That’s not the Patriot way.
Find a solution that’s configurable enough to handle the uniqueness of your business. For instance, ask of the contact management functionality allows for custom fields. Ask what field devices are supported. Find out if you can integrate the software with QuickBooks. See if you can store data like images and documents in the database. Kick the tires to make sure the software is flexible enough to grow with you as your business evolves.
- Don't Overlook Brains and Work Ethic: Jerry Rice was considered too slow by a lot of draft pundits after he ran a 40 yard dash in the 4.6 range, much too slow for a wide receiver. Likewise for Emmitt Smith. Joe Montana’s arm strength was questioned. Tom Brady was a 6th round pick. Drew Brees was too short.
Guess what? Those pundits were wrong. Speed, size and strong arms are great, but not if the person possessing them isn’t intelligent or doesn’t have work ethic. All of the guys above overcame what draft experts thought were physical flaws that should have kept them from achieving star status.
So what does that have to do with software? You want a software solution that isn’t only highly-rated and flexible enough to handle your business needs, but also comes supported by people who know the product and can help you set it up and troubleshoot issues. Ask about the typical implementation process. How long does it take? Do you get live training or are you left on your own to install and configure the software? Ask about support: Where is the support staff located? What are support hours? Can anyone – say a field technician having a problem with a mobile app in the field – call support? Is there unlimited free support?
Your software is only as good as the people supporting it, so make sure they have the brains and work ethic required to get you up smoothly and keep you running without any hiccups.
There you have it: three simple ways that evaluating field service software is like evaluating football players. Have you bought field service software recently? What tips do you have?