Investing in job management software can be a big step for businesses of all sizes. It’s a substantial change to day-to-day management, but the benefits can be massive.
There may be signs that something needs to change in your business. Have a look at these 10 signs you should invest in job management software.
1. You are still using Excel and paper job sheets
What used to be the go-to solution for job management has evolved over the years. Now, sole use of spreadsheets and paper job sheets are a thing of the past.
Spreadsheets can be useful for storing information and creating visual charts to display data. But when you have a growing customer base, expanded product inventory and multiple engineers to track, it can start to get confusing.
We know accidents happen, whether that is a spilt coffee or an unexpected rainstorm. Paper-based job management has many potential pitfalls around every corner.
Adapting your job management to a paperless approach not only results in more exact work, but it saves your company money in the long run. The switch to job management software is easy with the right data migration tools. Combining those separate spreadsheets into one, easy-to-navigate system means you don’t need to spend time searching for the information you need.
2. Your clients are demanding more reports
It’s competitive out there. To meet your clients’ needs, you need more proof.
With service management software, it is a different story. Create custom reports and see the visual proof in the form of customisable graphs and charts. Email the documents your customers need straight away, without having to send them in the post.
Want to give an even smoother customer experience? With web-based job management software, your customers can log in and check on their job progress. Not only can it make customer communication easier, but it can also give your clients reports on their ongoing work and help them manage specific sites.
3. You have a messy paper trail
Having to rely on engineers to manually transfer paperwork is time-consuming and frustrating. You’ve got invoices that need to be processed, but your engineer with the completed job details is currently navigating a long drive from the site to the office. It can take a long time to get physical paperwork from one place to another.
Perhaps your engineers have dropped off their paperwork at the office, but there are some mistakes. You can’t make out who filled in which job sheet and they’ve already left for the day. Delays can easily add up, resulting in jobs being behind schedule and leaving customers unhappy with your service.
Wouldn’t it be better if engineers could instantly send their filled in job sheet or certificate back to the office?
Instantly see changes in the office or accept and complete NICEIC certificates in just a couple of clicks. Set up action lists so your engineers fill in all the necessary fields and carry out essential health and safety checks before completing a job. You’ll be able to get the job completed and the invoice processed before the engineer has returned to the office.
4. You struggle to match invoices to jobs to customers
One system for job sheets. One for invoices. One for your customer database. And none of them talks to each other. There is a more straightforward way.
It can be difficult to keep track of previous jobs for a specific client based on memory alone. Connect the dots between quotes, jobs, invoices and more to make future work easier. Each department fulfils its step of the process, resulting in thorough and consistent records.
5. You regularly lose job sheets
We all lose things from time to time. But problems can arise when important documents or details go missing on a regular basis. How often have you heard “I left it the van”?
Make it easier for your engineers and ensure fewer mistakes are made by embracing digital job sheets. In the digital age, most of us don’t leave home without our phones. So why not give engineers the ability to take their jobs with them on their devices. Both apps and web-based software have their benefits and could be the solution your workforce needs.
Check out the video below for a look into how field job management software works.
6. You’re struggling to meet deadlines
Are you burning the midnight oil trying to complete tenders or quotes for their deadlines? With so much work piling up, time is precious. It can be difficult to juggle everything and get it done on time.
If you find yourself missing deadlines regularly, take away the stress and manage your workload better. Add deadline dates to the diary and schedule reminders to give you better control over your time. Update customer records in the CRM and set up call backs to make sure clients receive the service they expect on a prompt basis.
7. Your client records are disorganised
With a growing customer base, it can be difficult to keep track of crucial details. Are you losing track of when you last visited them, or what their service rate is?
Perhaps you spoke with a client last week and jotted down a few notes from your conversation. But without a reliable system in place, you’ve already lost the note with those contact details on to get the invoice settled.
Diaries and physical address books can’t cut it when clients have multiple sites and multiple contacts. But with effective CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software, customer details are safe and easily accessible for you and your team. Keep notes, documents and record communication so every client is accounted for and managed efficiently.
8. You don’t know where your workforce is
Trying to assign a job but not sure who the nearest available engineer is? There’s software for that.
With map integrations, you can easily pinpoint the locations of existing jobs and see who is working where and when. Check the engineer’s schedule and easily drag and drop new jobs to assign and let them know instantly.
Tired of reaching the voicemail of your engineers when trying to get job updates?
Field service management software gives your workforce the flexibility they need to access their jobs onsite. All changes made onsite will then be instantly sent to you back in the office so you can keep an eye on the progress without frequent lengthy meetings or phone calls.
9. You’re wasting hours on job admin
Buried under reams of paperwork? Job management software could be the answer.
Having all your documents, jobs and customer details in one centralised location means you spend less time constantly checking your business progress. Manage engineers without frequent phone calls and update your customers on the progress of their jobs without the long email threads.
Stop wasting time on admin and focus on the real work.
10. You want to grow your business
Growing your business also means growing your management. More engineers to keep track of, an increasing number of clients and the phone won’t stop ringing. You need to set up a better solution to manage everything at once.
As business picks up, it’s more than just the management that needs a helping hand. All those little hand-written processes that didn’t seem to take that long suddenly become manually intensive when mass multiplied. Time rapidly disappears and working hours become longer and longer.
Thankfully, embracing technology can result in less time doing the paperwork and more time growing your business. It’s easier to keep track of equipment, schedule your workforce and manage customer details. Meaning you have more time to concentrate on expanding your business geographically and internally.
Job Management Software: The Clik Service Way
Any of this sound familiar? It might be time to see how job management software can give you better control over your business. Try Clik Service, our job management software for free and see the benefits for yourself.
Keep on top of every element of your field service business with the best in class job management software. Clik Service is your all-in-one platform for job management, scheduling, planned maintenance, inventory management, invoicing, quoting, client communications, reporting, and more. Schedule jobs and track them from start to finish. Send jobs to engineers when they’re out in the field and get updates when work is completed or a quote is accepted. Connect your onsite workforce with the office and take your organisation to the next level, without any headaches.
Your centralised hub for everything from job sheets to invoices, quotes and CRM. Manage and streamline every process of every job with Clik Service.
Try Clik Service For Free
This post was first published in February 2018 and has been edited with updated information.
