Perhaps you’ve heard about service management software before but are unsure what it can do. Or maybe you don’t know anything about it but need a new solution to manage your lost customer details and never-ending paperwork.
For those unfamiliar with service management software, here is a quick overview and some top benefits it can have for your business.
What is Service Management Software?
A service management system can help you manage your job sheets, clients, staff, sales and more, all in one central database. Perfect for big or small businesses, it is packed full of useful features to ensure your team stays connected. Improve field management with job apps, suitable for a range of service industries, from plumbing and electrical to HVAC and security.
For companies that are still on the fence about service management software, it’s worth considering the benefits on offer. Here are five of the biggest.
Benefits of Service Management Software
1. Efficiency
The efficiencies of service management software enable you to communicate with and serve your customers in new ways. Compatibility with other systems, such as Xero, Sage, Microsoft 365, Quickbooks and more, means you can connect every stage of your work. A streamlined process across the systems you use to manage your business means less paperwork and more time to do the real work.
Maybe you already use accounting software Xero for your expenses. You can make your entire sales process seamless with service management software that is compatible with Xero. This way you can ensure your clients are synced across the programs and all expenses are accounted for.
A well-implemented job management system can replace slow and dated manual processes. But service management software isn’t just about increasing efficiency.
2. Professionalism
Service management software gives you the ability to move away from tools like spreadsheets. These tools can be useful for certain processes but fall short in a variety of areas. Having all your business information in one central database gives you a professional edge over your competitors. Making the switch from spreadsheets to service management software is simplified with data migration tools. So you don’t need to worry about losing or manually adding your data into your new system.
All employees will have the ability to access the details they need, whether in the office or onsite. So, if one of your engineers needs to call a customer, they can quickly find the client details using a job management app. Without needing to call back into the office.
Letting your customers know you are using service management software will give them peace of mind that you are a forward-thinking and organised business. In turn, this can result in increased jobs and repeat business.
3. Teamwork
In service companies, the customer lifecycle is typically managed by more than one person. You might have a sales team gathering leads and selling your product or service. Then the engineers will then view these new sales when attending jobs.
The use of multiple platforms allows employees in different departments to effectively manage their customers and to see the big picture at any time.
For example, the quote/order might be created by someone in the sales team using Clik Service. The engineer can access the job sheet onsite using Clik Remote or Clik Jobs. Everyone is working on the same project, continually connected by management software.
4. Increased accountability
When companies lack the tools to manage their customers, customers can fall through the cracks. This could lead to impacting customer loyalty and affect your business’ image for prospective customers.
Service management software helps ensure that this doesn’t happen by adding a layer of accountability to the process.
A well-implemented service management system helps employees across departments understand their responsibilities throughout the customer lifecycle. When those responsibilities aren’t met, it’s easy to identify what went wrong, where, who fell short and how to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
5. Improved customer experience
In the long run, the biggest benefit is that their use leads to a better experience for your customers.
Customers are more easily and accurately looked after, their needs identified. Because the status of a company’s relationship with them is accurately tracked in the CRM, companies can interact with them meaningfully at the right times. Leading to better customer communication, more sales and higher customer retention.
Your customers can also take control of tracking their ongoing jobs using a web-based platform. They can log into Clik Remote from their home and raise incidents, manage their sites or accept new quotes. This is all instantly visible back in your office in Clik Service.
Choosing the right program for your business is important to ensure jobs are managed correctly. See how our service management software can help your business with a free demo.
This post was first published in April 2015 and has been edited with updated information.