While remote work is all the rage these days, there is still very much a need for on-site services, particularly industries like construction, healthcare, utilities, and telecommunications.
This is where field service management (FSM) come in.
Field service is work delivered to the client on their site, instead of the company’s offices. Field service management software is a system that helps a company monitor and coordinate their employees’ activities off the company’s premises.
The software allows managers to view and modify work schedules, orders, inventory, invoices, customer account records, and other records in the database.
If you own a company that provides field installation, maintenance, repair, or removal services, you know there are many variables that determine success. Besides, clients have high expectations when it comes to efficiency, work quality, and disruption avoidance.
Since you want customers who come back for repeat business, it’s essential to implement some best practices for your field service operations.
We’ve compiled these success tips to help your company manage your field services through FSM software.
TL;DR
- Understanding your target market is the first step to growing your FSM software business
- FSM software providers need to invest in product development and innovation to stay up-to-date with industry trends, forecast market needs, and respond with innovative solutions.
- Integrating an all-in-one payment processing solution could help FSM software providers beat their competitors.
Understand the Target Market
Any business that often dispatches its mobile workforce or technicians to its clients is a potential FSM software client. Common types of businesses that engage in field service work include:
- HVAC businesses– Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) companies have field service technicians who install, repair, and service HVAC equipment in residential and commercial properties.
- Healthcare equipment providers– Businesses that deal with medical equipment also need FSM software to streamline their operations, conduct preventive maintenance, and improve issue resolution times. These factors are crucial since the healthcare and medical industries are some of the most regulated sectors.
- Telecommunication and internet service providers– Telecom companies have field technicians who regularly inspect their infrastructure, install and repair hardware, and address customer issues. FSM software helps these companies dispatch technicians, triage tickets, and monitor ticket progress.
- Transportation, shipping, and delivery companies– Companies that deliver their goods to their customers or move inventories from one store to another need FSM to track the movement of their personnel, streamline communication, optimize travel routes, and minimize long-term costs.
Due to the differences in applications, understanding your target market is the first step to growing your FSM business.
Here are some questions to ask yourself to help you focus on the right market:
- Who uses my service?– Who are the customers already doing business with you? Understand who they are and look at the demographic that has kept your business afloat. For example, if you’ve noticed that most of your customers are HVAC companies, you focus on these companies and customize your services to suit their needs.
- Who needs my service?– Once you’ve identified your popular customers, it’s now time to take a step back and identify any field service businesses you might not have thought about before. If you’ve primarily been working with HVAC companies, you could realize that home improvement and landscaping businesses also need your services.
Develop and Innovate the Product
Product development and innovation are the pillars of any SaaS company’s success. It’s not just about staying up-to-date with industry trends. It’s also about forecasting market needs and responding with innovative solutions.
One important aspect of product development is incorporating user feedback to improve your software features. This process involves understanding your user’s pain points, needs, and usage patterns deeply.
If you’re not already, your company should be investing in Research and Development (R&D) to improve your software solution’s features. R&D is the process of idea development. It’s the process that helps your business come up with new features.
And it doesn’t have to be all about innovating new products. It can also mean making incremental changes and introducing important improvements to your existing product.
For example, you can leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning algorithms, and predictive analytics to improve decision-making, efficiency, and user experience for both service providers and customers.
One of the main benefits of AI in FSM is its ability to compile and analyze substantial amounts of data accurately and quickly. FSM businesses can make informed decisions based on data, improve asset management, predict potential issues, and respond proactively.
Marketing Your FSM Software
| FSM Software Marketing Tips | Description |
| Invest in SEO | Establish an online presence by optimizing your website to reach customers searching for FSM software. Focus on target keywords, blog content, internal links, backlinks, and guest posting. |
| Social Media Presence | Build awareness and relationships on platforms like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram. Engage with the 5.17 billion social media users and leverage the 90% likelihood of consumers buying from brands they follow. |
| Leverage Case Studies and Testimonials | Build trust and credibility by sharing real-life success stories and customer feedback. Highlight how your product solves problems and improves processes through case studies. Use review platforms like G2, Trustpilot, and Capterra for testimonials. |
| Attend Industry Events | Network with business owners, investors, and potential customers. Spread awareness, learn about trends, and get inspiration for product updates. Presence at these events can also lead to media coverage. |
| Run Promotions | Incentivize potential customers with discounts, free trials, or special offers. Use social media campaigns to announce new product launches and promotional deals. |
You might have the best field service management solution with the best key features in the market, but if your target customers can’t find you, your business will still struggle to grow. That’s why you need to have a robust marketing strategy.
Here are some marketing tips for FSM software providers:
Invest in SEO
Today, you can’t talk about marketing without shining a spotlight on online presence. One aspect of establishing an online presence is investing in SEO to reach customers looking for FSM software.
According to Visual Objects, 76% of consumers search for a company website online before visiting their physical location. On top of that, 45% of those consumers are likely to visit the business’s physical location after finding a strong online presence.
Your website is more like your company’s storefront. You want someone to find your site when they search “[Industry] FSM software” on Google. Since there are many businesses like yours, you have to fight for the top position through SEO.
Some SEO aspects to consider include target keywords, blog post content, internal links, backlinks, and guest posting.
Social media presence
According to SproutSocial, there are an estimated 5.17 billion social media users worldwide in 2024. This is a market too large to ignore. Also, Retail Dive says that 90% of consumers are likely to buy from brands they already follow on social media.
Social media platforms help you build awareness and genuine relationships for your field service software business. The main platforms to focus on are Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram.
Leverage case studies and testimonials
Case studies and testimonials have been proven to be powerful tools in building trust and credibility in your product. According to Wyzol, 95% of buyers say they trust what other buyers say about you more than what you have to say about yourself.
A case study is a real-life account of how your product helped a client solve an issue, streamline their processes, and boost business growth. You can write a case study by interviewing a client, stating their challenges before using your product, and showing how your product was the solution they were looking for.
For example, let’s say one of your HVAC clients had issues with field service team tracking, work order management, and customer invoicing. However, your software solution with real-time GPS tracking and CRM integration has made their processes easier. You can compile this into a case study and post it on your business’s website.
Don’t forget to leverage testimonials. Use review forums, such as G2, Trustpilot, and Capterra, and social media platforms to receive unbiased customer feedback. Online customer reviews help other customers make purchase decisions with minimal hesitation.
You can also include a testimonial page on your website.
Attend industry events
Having a presence in industry events has numerous benefits for FSM software providers. One of the biggest benefits is networking since you get to interact with other business owners, investors, and potential customers.
You can spread the word about your business at such events and boost awareness. Besides, you can get noticed and featured by some influential media houses.
As you interact with other professionals in the FSM industry, you also get to learn about emerging trends and technologies. Some providers launch their new products and services at industry events so you can get some inspiration to keep your software solution up-to-date
Run promotions
Promotions are marketing campaigns that incentivize your potential customers to buy from you and help you meet your marketing goals. A promotional campaign is an important cog in the general marketing plan wheel.
For example, you can start a social media campaign to notify your audience about a new product launch and offer them a discount for new subscriptions or a free trial period.
Integrate Payment Processing Solutions
Once the field service workers have completed the job successfully, the only task left is invoicing and collecting payment. Having invoicing issues or chasing down payments can considerably slow down your business and should be a thing of the past.
FSM software with a payment functionality will outperform its competitors. Up to 67% of FSM software solutions in the market now have integrated payment functionalities or are integrating one.
An all-in-one payment processing solution has numerous benefits for both users and providers including automation, secure payments, improved customer experience, cost saving, and payment monetization.
But integrating payment functionality is only part of the equation. You need to do it right. And doing it right starts with choosing the right payment processing partners.
There are some crucial factors to consider when choosing a payment processing partner. They include:
- Seamless integration– The field service team should be able to work seamlessly on their workflows from their mobile devices, without having to switch between the FSM app, CRM app, and payments app.
- Provider’s reputation– You want to choose a payment provider whose previous customers are happy with their payment processing and customer support.
- Ease of use– The payments feature should be easy to use, not just for the FSM provider, but for the field teams as well.
- Payment technologies– Not all payment providers are equal when it comes to the accepted payment technologies. An all-in-one API makes work easier for all parties. Common payment technologies include surcharging, card not present, buy-now-pay-later, and automated clearing house (ACH)
- Automation features– The provider should also have automation features, such as invoice templates, payment notifications, and automatic inventory management system updates.
Stax Connect ticks all of these boxes. It’s a smart solution that helps software providers integrated payments, enabling sub-merchants to take payments easily. On top of providing all the tools users need to accept payments, we also ensure security and compliance in all payment transactions.
Enhance Customer Experience
Customers today have high expectations for companies they do business with. As such, they can easily switch to your competitors if you fail to meet their expectations. According to Zendesk CX Trends Report 2023, 72% of customers want immediate service and 64% of them will spend more if you resolve their issues where they are.
Customer experience (CX) is the interactions, impressions, value, and emotions a business gives its customers at every step of their buying journey.
There are various aspects of customer management and CX that FSM software providers can maximize. They include:
Support and training
Customer support refers to strategies and systems used by a business to serve its customers the best way. On the other hand, training refers to the process of equipping your customers with the right skills and knowledge to use your FSM software successfully.
Since the world is fast moving towards automation, AI tools are at the forefront of customer support and training. AI-powered chatbots give customers instant answers to their queries. For instance, your customers don’t have to wait for office hours if they experience issues at night.
Besides having a fantastic customer support team, you can also provide how-to guides, video tutorials, and self-service portals showing your customers how to use your products and solve common issues.
Customer feedback loop
A customer feedback loop is a CX strategy where you get feedback from your customers and take action based on their suggestions and opinions. Gathering customer feedback helps you understand how your customers think and act.
Ask them what they think about your product, whether your website and app are easy to use, what’s missing on the dashboards, and what can be improved.
You can collect feedback through in-app, pop-ups, and website surveys.
You can then implement the customer recommendations to improve your products and enhance their experience.
User-friendly interfaces
Growing as an FSM software provider also involves providing a great user experience through your website and mobile app interfaces. Potential customers are likely to gauge your company through your website, which is the first point of contact.
With user-friendly interfaces, customers will be encouraged to subscribe to your product. Here are some elements of a user-friendly interface:
- Clear website content
- Fast loading times
- Responsive web pages
- No page errors
- Simple navigation
- Well-labeled buttons
- Soft prompts and calls to action
Partner and Collaborate
Partnerships and collaborations have become common in the SaaS industry as companies seek to solve more problems for their customers by expanding their offerings and integrating with other platforms.
FSM company partnerships are mutually beneficial, often involving shared marketing efforts and sales strategies. Partnering companies also benefit from leveraging their partners’ strengths without investing their money or having to hire a new team.
For example, working with a payment provider and integrating their solution into your FSM mobile app instead of hiring a software engineering team to work on a new payment API doesn’t just help you maximize profitability but also helps you take advantage of their expertise.
Common scenarios where partnerships and collaborations come in handy are when you want to expand to a new market or when you want to offer an all-in-one solution where your customers don’t have to switch through multiple vendors.
You can also collaborate with industry experts and influencers to get recommendations on how to enhance your solutions.
Leverage Data and Analytics
Data and analytics are some of the most powerful tools at the disposal of FSM software providers. By collecting and analyzing user behavior and feedback, you can evaluate your performance, gain business insights, and make improvements accordingly.
There are many benefits for you to enjoy from using data-based analytics to inform business decisions. They include:
- Increased user retention– Data and analytics let you get into the customer’s shoes and address their needs directly. For example, let’s say one of your customers is a large telecommunication company facing workforce management and scheduling issues. They also experience delayed responses and dissatisfied customers. Big data can help them analyze historical data, service patterns, and customer preferences. This way, they can recognize recurring issues, forecast breakdowns, and predict demand.
- Increased proactiveness– Traditionally, FSM companies had to repair their equipment after a breakdown. This led to protracted downtimes, high maintenance and repair costs, and low customer satisfaction. However, big data allows such companies to analyze historical maintenance and repair records and conduct predictive maintenance.
- Package movement monitoring– Package monitoring is essential for delivery and shipping companies. Field service data and big data analytics can give such companies access to large amounts of data from various sources, such as GPS trackers, IoT devices, and sensors. This helps them monitor delivery teams on the job site, package movement, and transit times in real-time. They can also spot potential bottlenecks.
Conclusion
Field service management is essential for any company with field operations. But doing it manually would be such an uphill task with many bottlenecks and downtimes. This is why FSM software providers need to implement industry best practices to improve customer satisfaction.
Some of these practices include understanding their target audiences, keeping up with trends and technologies, partnering with other software companies and industry influencers, and integrating payment solutions with their software.
Stax is a smart option for FSM software companies looking for an online or mobile payment provider with real-time updates, cloud connectivity, and faster processes.
Request QuoteFAQs About FSM Software
Q: What does FSM stand for?
FSM stands for Field Service Management. It’s a system that helps businesses manage their field workers and resources.
Q: How much does FSM software cost?
FSM software monthly pricing averages between $30 and $300. Depending on the platforms you are researching, some may implement usage-based pricing or tiered feature pricing.
Q: What is the difference between a CRM and FSM?
Customer relationship management (CRM) software is a business administration tool that helps a business manage its interactions and relations with current and potential customers. It helps the business make the customer needs the center of its corporate activities.
While FSM software is also a business administration tool, it mainly dwells on helping a business improve its operational efficiency by coordinating its off-site employees and resources.
Q: What is an FSM server?
An FSM server is a computer with special software to provide services to other computers and mobile devices with FSM software.
Q: What is the difference between ERP and FSM?
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software is a business management tool that simplifies daily activities by automating tasks, such as supply chain, accounting, management, and field services. In short, it streamlines workflows and enables the smooth flow of data between them.
While FSM software focuses on field services and off-side workers, ERP targets the admin and back-office side of things.
Q: What is an FSM in business?
Field service management (FSM) refers to the organization and optimization of operations carried out outside the company’s premises.
