For small business field service operations, the decision to add a field service software can drastically influence their business. The key is to pick a platform that works best for your field service business. And that must include taking into consideration your choice for CRM and accounting software such as QuickBooks. To get the most out of your technicians, dispatchers and office staff, there needs to be systems in place to assist them in their job. And there doesn’t need to be a competition between the accounting system you have and the field service software you want. So, it’s time to start looking at how field service software can influence the business operations of those who also use QuickBooks Online.
Your Entire Customer Database
One of the greatest benefits for QuickBooks users who want to dive into field service software is that their customer database in QuickBooks is what powers their field service software. Any customer or prospective customer is synchronized with the field service software. So, when call center agents are taking phone calls and building work orders, it’s the customer information from QuickBooks that is speeding up the process. Work orders, preventative maintenance contracts and installation projects all start by attaching a customer and their information that started in QuickBooks.
Where it benefits small business field service operations is in the time it saves and a new connected environment they didn’t have before. Duplicate entries take time. Even writing down a customer name and address on a paper-based work order can result in errors. With our QuickBooks Integration, information is always accurate. Update in one system and it’s updated in the other. Your customer database is important to every aspect of your business. And if you’re going to use field service management software, you need accurate information and a complete database to start building work orders and completing service.
Know Your Inventory
Inventory control can be a concern for small business owners who don’t have the space for lots of extra parts. However, they need some on hand for maintenance requests and during busy seasons, they might need more of one part to meet demand. QuickBooks Online handles inventory numbers with their items list, but dispatchers and technicians need to know what is in inventory as well. When dispatching a call, inventory is selected and added to the work order. That way, technicians know to pick the part up before heading out. Using their mobile app, they can see a list of parts they need for the day.
But without some form of inventory control in their field service software, it is not known if the parts are there. That can lead to angry customers who won’t get their equipment fixed because a part is not in stock. And it can lead to technicians driving between warehouses, wasting time, looking for parts. With the integration of QuickBooks and field service software, dispatchers and technicians can see the real-time inventory numbers from QuickBooks. Knowing exactly what is in stock will help in purchasing and knowing what needs to be requisitioned. It opens up the knowledge to everyone involved and offers greater insight to the people who need parts from inventory.
Invoicing With A Connected System
Perhaps the most obvious question anyone using QuickBooks who wants to also use a field service software will ask is how will invoicing benefit from this connected system. If you are using QuickBooks for accounting, you want your field service software working with your existing system to invoice faster. What small business owners might not be ready for is instant invoicing. Their technicians can still be on-site when an invoice is sent to the customer’s email. And that’s not a bad thing when you want to improve cash flow and customer service.
It works through field service automation. With service rates already built into your field service software, and inventory costs in QuickBooks, automatically invoices are calculated when your technician closes a call. Work orders are sent to QuickBooks to complete the tax calculation, and an invoice is returned to the field service software. Processing work orders into invoices can be one of the most labour-intensive activities small business owners need to complete every day. And if work orders aren’t returned quickly, it can be days to weeks to get an invoice back to the customer. Information can get lost, resulting in the wrong invoice being sent out. With a connected field service software for QuickBooks, information put in through the mobile field service app is turned into invoice information as soon the invoice is closed. It is speed small business owners need to embrace to grow their business.
Small Business, Embrace Field Service Software For QuickBooks
For the small business owner working with QuickBooks who is afraid to dive into a field service software, the benefits outweigh the costs. The two systems work as a team to manage your business and speed up your processes. There isn’t a choice to make between one or the other. You need both to run a successful field service business. QuickBooks will handle the accounting and inventory, while field service software will change your entire service department. Together, they form a team that may seem like an enterprise-level only solution. But in reality, it’s something every small business owner needs to jump on to stay competitive.