Top 10 Field ticketing Software (Dec 2022)

A Buyer's Guide to Field ticketing Solutions

Field Service Management Software Buyer’s Guide
 
What end-to-end business software solution are your field service engineers and technicians carrying with them? Not all fleet service companies might be aware that a technology called On-board Diagnostics (OBD-II) or Engine Bus Interface has already been helping hundreds of trucking companies in effectively tracking and monitoring the real-time status of their trucks’ engines. And what’s more exciting about this technology is that it is now being integrated with more sophisticated Field Service Management (FSM) software solution. OBD-II may not fitted yet on your current operation setup but if your direction today is to ensure the accurate delivery of a high level service, an end-to-end solution like FSM could be the right answer to our opening question for you.
 
There is a right FSM solution for every type of business – repair, security, installation, etc. That is what we from ITQlick.com highly believe on and therefore modern software technology like of FSM is always a part of our software recommendations to companies that are actively dealing with field operations. Today’s versions of FSM solutions are more advanced, more packed with features, and more convenient to use. In this Buyer’s Guide, ITQlick.com will help you find the right FSM solution for your business. Best of all, we also believe that by completely reading this buyer’s guide, you would definitely come up with a concrete idea on how to better improve your field service operation.
 
Types
As to how diverse are the types of businesses in line with field services, this is also how diverse are the types of FSM solutions available in the market today. In fact, if we are going to list them all in this buyer’s guide, it would be like reading an eBook of 10,000+ ways on how to improve your field service operation. But as a starting guide, here are the five areas of business that most FSM software products are aiming to provide better solutions with.
 

• Scheduling and Routing
• Work Order Management
• Job/Project Management
• Customer Service History Tracking
• Inventory/Resource Management

 
Above are also equivalent to the five key functions of most FSM solutions today. Say that you want to improve your Work Order Management routines, because it’s a major function of FSM, most solution providers more likely have the right solution to offer. In order to come with a solid decision regarding your FSM software investment, also consider analysing this list of benefits.
 

• Schedule jobs and dispatch technicians
• Plan routes and calculate job times
• Log customer service and interaction history
• Manage parts and inventory levels
• Create KPI reports, quotes, billing, e-signatures and invoices
• Reduce cost of fuel, maintenance, and inventory

 
Features
From the five key functions of FSM solution rooted out the many features of modern FSM software products. Application that is accessible via different devices and platforms, working across a full spectrum of wireless carriers, and empowered by business intelligence mechanisms; this is FSM on a higher scale. Here are then the basic and advanced features of modern FSM solutions.
 
Basic features that can be found in majority of FSM solutions are:
 

• Trouble Ticketing
• Repair Center
• Customer Service History
• Dispatch and Scheduling
• Service Order Scheduling
• Equipment Management
• Preventive Maintenance
• Reporting and Metrics
• Sales Tracking
• Time/Payroll
• Schedule/Route Optimization

 
Advanced features that can be found on enterprise level FSM solutions are:
 

• Smartphone Integration
• Management Inventory Tracking Apps
• Mobile Enabled Point-of-Sale Capabilities
• RMA Management and Failure Analysis
• Voice Generated Customer Appointment Reminders
• Contract/Project Management
• Real Time Tracking (GPS, RFID, OBD-II)
• Quality Assurance
• Online Customer Portal
• Automatic Customer Contact
• Accounting Tools

 
Solutions per Business Size, per Vendor
In a practical sense, online research can help narrow down your search for the right FSM solution. We at ITQlick.com are also advocate of this method. However, considering that we know that majority of clients searching for solutions can better arrive at the perfect-fit solution if they are well-guided by software experts, we also want to recommend this researching strategy guide.
 

1. Determine the size of your business if it is:

·         Small and Medium Business
·         Large Enterprise
 

1. Identify all the functions and features that you want to use in an FSM system.

·         Refer to the five key functions above
·         Refer to our list of basic and advanced features above
 

1. Determine the deployment model that can fully optimize your operational resources.

·         On-premise
·         Cloud-based
·         Mobile
 

1. Start your search online for the potential solution providers by:

·         Going to websites that offer filter search functionality
·         Conducting full review of the software products each vendor is offering
 

1. Benchmark the solutions and decide which of them is perfect for your business needs.

 
Along the way, don’t hesitate contacting the vendors shall you have any inquiry. Another option is to send a Request for Proposal (RFP) to your filtered list of vendors. Alternatively, consulting with the software experts like ITQlick.com for more help can be done at any point of your research process.
 
Pricing Considerations
Like any other business management solutions, FSM solutions offer flexibility in pricing. Here are the different pricing models and the price range that commonly goes with each.
 
Pay-per-User
This is the pricing scheme for most cloud-based solutions. The average monthly subscription is somewhere between the range of $40 to $100 per user per month. Some of the well-known cloud-based solution providers are Service Fusion, Astea Alliance, Moby Services, Jobber and Wintac.
 
Pay-per-Employee
This pricing model is suitable for companies which main operation largely relies on field service technicians and engineers. Ranging from $5 to $75 per employee per month, you can save lot of money by investing on a solution that offers this scheme. A one-time software license fee ranging from $500 to $5000 is optional to some vendors with this pricing model. Solutions that have this model are the on-premise types and the popular ones are Connect2Field, Smart Service Software, Miracle Service, and Kickserv.
 
Pay-per-Franchise
Some companies that have multiple locations or franchises are looking for pricing models that will offer them convenience in the long run. The pay-per-franchise model is the perfect fit. At $30 to $300 per location per month, excluding the set-up fee which is ranging from $2000 to $6000 depending on features, this can be a good investment for such companies. Bella Solutions is known for offering this pricing model.
 
You will observe that these pricing models are subscription-based. It is important to note however that other than the monthly fee, there are other fees that the vendor might charge you and they could be fees for any of the following:
 
·         Technical support
·         Training and consultation
·         Customer service
·         Additional features
·         Upgrade options
·         Carrier Selection
·         Data usage
 
In order to avoid surprises, it is better that you clarify all these matters to the solution provider right from the very beginning.
 
Market Trends
The Field Service Management industry is on the stable state at present. Software analysts estimated that the FSM industry is somewhere from $1.5B to $2B in total worth today.
 
Mobility of software solution is one of the hottest trends in the FSM industry today. Field technicians are already gaining lots of benefits from the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) movement. Using tablets and smartphones, any technician can now use an FSM app onsite or offsite.
 
Software-as-a-Service platform is hitting the market by storm. This is the cloud-based type of solution which we mentioned earlier is the subscription-based solution that most companies are deploying nowadays.
 
More about connectivity, features-rich web-based FSM platforms are also on the rise. There is no need to install and run an application program in your desktop PC. Using your web browsers, the FSM app is always available for access.
 
Field Service Management solution is completely bringing a better and smarter technology to all of us. This is also a clear sign that a company who wants to bring into a higher scale its field service operation should start looking for the right solution as early as today.
Finding the right Field ticketing software for your business
Proper Field ticketing software selections are the precursor to successful deployment and business growth. Finding the right Field ticketing solutions doesnít have to be complicated, and it doesnít have to take days or weeks of your time.

After researching over 5,000 systems, we can identify the best solution for companies of all shapes and sizes. ITQlick.com is 100% free for software buyers.