What Are the Current Pain Points and Future Expectations of Buyers Regarding Field Service Software?
The research on the field service software demand performed by Software Advice, a software review website, on a random specimen of thousands of buyers who consulted the website during 2014 for advice on the best software match for their field service business, revealed interesting trends in the buying habits of professionals in the industry. The goal was to discover the answers to the 3 main questions:
- who the buyers are and what they currently use to manage their business
- what they expect from new software
- why they need a new solution.
Key findings reveal the buyers’ biggest pain points, as well as features and functionalities they expect to find in their new field service software in 2015.
Most of the companies interested in the field service software had 10 employees or less and only 7% of companies had over 100 employees. They are coming from heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC, at 12 percent), cleaning services (11 percent) and commercial equipment companies (11 percent).
Surprisingly, the research showed that a majority (54%) of buyers still use pen and paper, Excel or Quickbooks, or other manual methods, to manage their business. The second biggest bulk of buyers, which amounts to 12% of the specimen, is using a commercial field service solution. Finally, the last noteworthy instance of 10% buyers, combines different options to manage various parts of their businesses.
Considering the above mentioned stats, we’re not surprised to find out that our buyers are mostly interested in increasing efficiency. They’re missing necessary features in their current solutions, as well as flexibility and scalability to support their growth. Last but not least, the 4th main pain point is shared by faultiness and the need to reduce paperwork.
The situation with prefered functionalities is quite logical if we take into account the dynamics of field service business. So, we have scheduling that rules the world of field service with 81%, followed by routing and dispatching on one side and integration with other systems on the other – both with 66% of user votes. Work order management was chosen as preferred functionality by 62% of users.
An overwhelming majority (97%) of our buyers are interested in one solution that can handle the entire complexity of field service management. The solution that is mobile, cloud-based and doesn’t require implementation nor advanced IT knowledge.
In conclusion, an integrated cloud-based suite, efficient in tracking workforces and customers and handling the complexity of service life cycle will be the preferred solution for any field service business in 2015.
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John Matthews
