Choosing the Right Home Service Management Software for Your Business

After all, your plumbing or appliance repair business is up and running, you have customers, you manage to bill them (at some point), and your techs get to their jobs on time (well, usually).

But deep down, you know your home service business could be a lot bigger and better. You just don’t have time to solve those scheduling and billing issues that keep popping up or to improve your team management skills.

But you can improve your business processes with little effort.

In fact, home service management software is changing the way home service providers do business. This is why top managed service providers strive for quality service and ease the management process.

What exactly is home services management software?

Home service management software, also referred to as field service management software is an all-in-one digital solution to run your field service business with ease and efficiency.

With smartphones and tablets in almost every hand across the world, home service management software has exploded on the market. And it has made all the difference for home service businesses.

According to a recent study, nearly 75% of businesses using mobility tools have seen an increase in employee productivity, while the rest have witnessed an increase in customer satisfaction rates.

Ultimately, home service management software helps businesses succeed and scale by automating business processes that were once relegated to pen and paper, lengthy phone calls, and misplaced calendars.

Historically, field service businesses have faced organizational challenges. And with so many moving parts to the home service industry, customer satisfaction took a back seat.

As long as the job got done, right?

Wrong. Your customers have a significant impact on how well your business performs. Will they hire you for repeat business? Will they refer you to all their friends? Or will they bash you for being two hours late to a service call (without updating them) and for billing them 3 months after the date of service?

Home service management software helps the business owner and his/her employees be punctual, responsive, proactive, and efficient both in the office and in the field.

Home service management software typically includes features like:

1. Invoicing and online payments
2. Automated customer alerts, updates, and reminders
3. Online and chatbot booking
4. Employee tracking
5. In-app service phone system
6. Route optimization
7. Back office accounting and systems integration

If you need a type-A organized secretary—and a digital one at that—look no further.

What kind of businesses need home service management software?

Businesses in the following industries, as well as others that perform service calls, can benefit from home service software:

• Carpet Cleaning
• Plumbing
• Locksmithing
• Junk Removal
• Garage Door Repair
• Appliance Repair
• Electrician Services

In fact, experts predict that businesses that require scheduling, dispatching, and route optimization solutions will become the largest segment using home service management software as these tasks are crucial to their functioning.

Home service management software in practice

To really understand how home service management software works, consider the following scenario.

Jimmy Smith, plumber, and owner of Ace Plumbing, recently incorporated home service management software into his business (and feels like he’s finally entered the 21st century!).

After his morning coffee, he opens his phone app and checks his schedule for the day. He sees that his tech Roy has three jobs at the edge of town, Floyd has a large bathroom installation that will take most of the day, Richard is on vacation, and he (Jimmy) will be meeting with new customers and providing price quotes for laying new pipes.

The app signals an alert. Floyd’s installation has to be rescheduled as the bathroom sink never arrived. He’s already called the customer and rescheduled the visit in his colorful drag-and-drop mobile calendar.

As Jimmy climbs into his van, he checks the app to get driving directions to his first estimated appointment. It has already generated the best routes for Jimmy as he travels from one customer to another. He sees that Roy’s invoice from yesterday has already been paid online, and he notes that the payment has been registered in QuickBooks.

Before driving off, he checks in with his team via the messaging system, answers a service call that he forwards to Floyd, and reviews his employees’ timesheets while waiting for the customer to open her door.

Jimmy thinks about his upcoming plumbing quotes and considers the solutions he might offer his customers while his home service management software handles all that backend business.

And that’s just the beginning. Home service management software offers an endless array of automation tools. Service businesses can now outperform competitors, grow their customer base, and increase profitability. But with so many field service software options on the market, how do you know which one to choose?

Top 3 home service management software solutions

Researching a home service management software solution that includes the features your business requires is a crucial first step.

Here are some specific examples of what to look for:

• If you want to charge your clients on-site, a credit card processing feature is important.
• If you need to be available outside of normal business hours, chatbot integration is essential for live interaction, even when you’re out of the office.
• As a business owner, it’s important to know where your techs are and how much time they spend on a job. A feature that enables techs to clock in and out adds transparency and accountability to your business.
• If you have multiple techs on the road, an application that optimizes service routes will lower fuel costs and enable you to schedule more jobs in less time.
• If you tend to get absorbed in your work, reminders, and alerts will keep you on track.
• If your customers complain that they can’t get you on the phone to schedule an appointment, online booking will solve that issue.

In addition to specific features, it’s wise to choose software that enables customization. By generating a list of your business needs, you will see clearly which software is the best fit for you.

Let’s examine some of the top home service management software solutions out there.

1) Workiz

Workiz home service management software is making a serious dent in the market. It features job scheduling, GPS monitoring, call tracking, customer notifications, invoicing and payments, and a comprehensive Service Phone system. With many customizable options, Workiz aims to provide value to small to medium on-demand field service businesses in appliance repair, junk removal, plumbing, landscaping, and other industries. For those employees that cringe at the thought of discarding pen and paper, Workiz’s straightforward platform and user-friendly design make the transition painless.

2) Marketbox

Founded in 2019, Marketbox’s software serves mobile and virtual workforces like beauty salons, home healthcare, yoga and wellness, personal trainers, and home services. Its top features include scheduling, invoicing and payments, and route optimization.

3) Connecteam

Connecteam’s home service management software focuses on employee management. It has a number of features that foster employee communication, tracking, scheduling, task management, and training. The business owner can manage his/her non-desk employees more effectively with this all-in-one app.

Conclusion

The future is here. Now that smartphones and tablets are in every corner of the world, it’s just a matter of time before most service businesses adopt home service management software to streamline their processes, improve customer service, and scale their businesses.