Field service management refers to the precise management of a business's assets utilized in or en route towards the customer's property, and not on business property. It involves an extensive range of tasks involving the transportation of goods and equipment between the customer's premises and the business location. Some of these activities may include material handling and transport, where vehicles such as semi-trailer trucks, transport carriers, cable assemblies, and forklifts are used to facilitate the transportation of goods. Other tasks may include such activities as warehouse operations, stock warehousing and storage, unpacking, and trucking and warehousing. This management technique is very essential for a wide range of industries that depend heavily on a regular clientele flow of products and other resources.
The field service management software includes a variety of tools for tracking inventory, pricing and auditing the accounting records of employees and customers. The software can be operated at the business level, for a single facility or for the whole enterprise as a whole. The main components of the software include: invoicing, billing, collection, and payment systems. Invoicing is a system used to send individual bills to customers, which the latter have to pay before they receive their next invoice from the company.
Collection is the process of collecting payment from field services customers for services rendered. The field services software also includes a software tool for collection, which is used for the purpose of collecting outstanding balances from customers. The field service management software also provides a means for computing and analyzing the costs incurred by the company in providing its various field services activities.
Invoicing software provides a number of features and options for field service management software. It allows a user to customize the payment terms for invoices based on volume and frequency of services rendered and contains built-in calculation and templates for pricing of invoices. In addition, it has an integrated personnel management system that includes an ability to track employee records, perform multiple deposits, print checks, set up and reset hours, and perform other related activities. A good field service management software also enables the establishment to generate invoices quickly and efficiently. Some programs have a built-in scheduler that enables the operator to schedule various jobs and generate reports for each job at a later time.
The field service management software, in addition to being efficient in managing and collecting invoicing and collecting payments, is also capable of providing timely notification about the status of jobs in progress and alerts the operator if there is a problem or complication with one of the jobs in progress. For instance, if a driver needs more fuel or oil refills, it will send an alert to the control station. This feature further extends the capacity of the system. The software can also send data regarding maintenance, harvesting, and pick up two manufacturing facilities and warehouses. With these tools, it becomes easy to handle real-time operations and achieve excellent efficiency.
Other features in field service management software are inventory management, bar code scanning, and management of payment transactions. The inventory management software generates barcodes, which are unique to every item being tracked, and this feature assists with product tracking and simplifies tracking of sales, inventories, and payments. Barcode scanning permits the operator to enter specific codes into the inventory management software, and again, simplifies the tracking process. Last, but not least, is the capability to track payments, both by debit and credit cards. This feature makes it possible for an operator to make payments to vendors and suppliers and to establish accounts payable.