By David Crary
There's a running joke in our office about what we call our scheduling licenses. When we first released them, we didn't think anyone would actually pay for them. They seemed so limiting. The beauty of our work order software is that it can manage every step of the work order from scheduling to field data collection (timing in and out of jobs, creating field notes, indicating what materials are being used, etc.) to sending all that data to your billing software. It's really like a Swiss Army knife for your business.
So when we released our scheduling license – which only allowed you to schedule for whoever was using the license – we didn't think anyone would pay for it. Why not pay an extra $25 a month for the complete package.
Today, we sell hundreds of scheduling licenses a month. So every time someone in our office says “No one will pay for that!” the answer is invariably “Just like no one will pay for scheduling licenses?”
I was reminded of that the other day when I was talking to our sales genius, Gabriel. We were talking about some of the common questions he receives in the sales process, and he told me that prospects still are commonly just looking for scheduling software. Which to us obviously seems short-sighted. So here are three reasons you need to think bigger that just scheduling:
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The real efficiencies to be gained in your service business are in field data collection, not scheduling. I understand why service businesses are shopping for scheduling software. Scheduling without software is a pain in the ass. When I owned an irrigation business, the process was to take a call, write it down on a piece of paper, give that paper to the service manager, have him write it on the whiteboard and then give the techs a piece of paper with their daily work orders. That's terribly inefficient.
But if you're only buying scheduling software, you've still only addressed half of the inefficiency in your business. Why? Because with your typical scheduling software, you've got an electronic schedule, but you're still printing out routes daily to give to your techs. And they're still writing down important information like when they arrived on site, when they departed, what parts they used, site notes, and a lot more.
The only way to ensure your processes are as efficient as possible is to eliminate the paperwork throughout the process, not just at the point where work orders are scheduled. -
Everyone will be more productive. If you purchase work order software, there's no doubt that whoever schedules your work will be more productive. But will anyone else?
One of my favorite anecdotes about the power of HindSite's complete field service software solution occurred when we went to visit a prospect. After we'd gotten done with our presentation, they asked us if one of their competitors was a customer of ours. When they found out they were, they said “I knew it. We wondered what they were using with those devices. They've been undercutting our prices by quite a bit, too.”
The amazing thing was our customer had 1 manager for 11 field techs. The prospect had 4 managers for 12 techs. That's not to say they didn't have a great process for managing work orders. They did. But it was a paper-based process that took more people to manage.
Our customer, on the other hand, was using an electronic process, which was faster and more accurate. They were able to redeploy managers so that they were adding value to the business, not pushing paperwork. Their scheduler was more efficient, but so were their guys in the field. And they were able to lower their price and win more business as a result. -
You'll be better positioned to manage your business. Simply put, scheduling software solves one issue. A complete field service software solution solves a number of issues, all while helping you manage your entire business, not just your scheduling process.
One example of this is seeing what percent of your field personnel's day is spent on non-productive things. Because a complete solution puts a device in your field personnel's hand and forces them to time in and out of every activity they perform, you're able to see who your most productive team members are. It can help you reward and motivate your staff, something you can't do if you just buy scheduling software.
Those are just a few of the reasons you want to look at more than just scheduling software for your service business. In the end, a complete solution will help you improve your entire business, not just a single area of it, without a significantly larger investment on your part.
Looking for software for you irrigation business? Then check out our Irrigation Software Buyer's Guide for tips on how to shop.