Rooftops, basements, utility sheds and sprawling, remote facilities — they’re all your bread and butter in the field service industry. Your contractors head to assignments that may lead them to hazardous places or somewhere that makes communicating with the back office harder than it should be. Workers need to check in, share updates and reference critical information for successful preventive maintenance. Additionally, they must have a clear priority for where to work first, solving the most urgent or valuable issues before any others. This sets up same-day invoicing for the projects that matter most. 
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Field service management software fills the gaps for people who constantly need work order data, scheduling and billing in real time to earn more as a small business or enterprise organization. When you have this software in your pocket, those benefits keep increasing. A mobile field service platform adapts with your workday by telling people where they should be and what every task requires. It also empowers your technicians to quote a customer on the spot, ready for your approval. 

Forget distance, phone trouble or admin headaches — field service software offers guidance and status reports for any team, regardless of how many territories you’re covering. Ever wondered why mobile software can make you a more efficient specialist contracting business? We have three reasons to get excited. 

1. Real-time service updates, anywhere 

Too many field service companies still depend on manual work orders and status reviews. If you’re dispatching service requests via SMS, email or an online messaging tool, that’s a lot of time spent on basic management. Equally, you and your office staff may have to chase details throughout the day. Has work begun? Does the service technician have everything they need for an incredible customer experience? Has a problem arisen, or is the job creeping beyond scope? It distracts you from the potential to win more clients and grow your reputation. 
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Now, think of the alternative … Mobile field service software that shows new and existing field work orders in a single accessible hub. You can instantly see: 

• Which assignments are due, progressing or completed, filtered by types of repairs and critical priorities. 
• Essential information (service histories, warranty agreements, site notes, correct customer rates) for every work order. 
• How long the work was meant to take and actually takes, for a simple variance analysis. 
• Whether changes have been made to the initial service request, with notes and pictures from your employees to explain what they’ve done. 

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Not only is this software a home for work orders and status updates, but it also gets rid of paper time cards — one of the biggest challenges to optimized field service management. You won’t have to wait several days or a week for technicians to submit their hours for every project: The mobile app captures that time for you. No mistakes, no oversights. It helps you bill jobs accurately and determine which employees are bringing in the most cash. 

2. A clear, instant schedule for field service technicians

Laying out exactly what the job demands — including guidance, inventory and health and safety concerns — is just the start of improving what you do best. What about scheduling, too? A technician needs to  know where to go and what their day looks like before they head out. Otherwise, they’ll be stuck on the road for too long, unable to work as much as they could and even risking customer complaints if they arrive late.
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That’s why a mobile field service app allows you to set up and automate schedules which your contractors and office staff can view on their smartphones. The best platform for your business must have:
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Prioritization features

Emergency maintenance or high-value tasks should be at the very top of your agenda. After all, they’re either the quickest or most profitable assignments — occasionally, both! So, mobile software should be able to send alerts for a work order with the most critical priority so that it can be completed and billed as fast as possible.   

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Digital mapping 

There’s no sense driving for half an hour or more between assignments just because field staff can’t plan their routes well. Smarter scheduling offers real-time visualization — for example, a GPS map on a mobile app — to tell your workers where to be. Soon enough, they’ll begin to complete several nearby service requests on the same day. 
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Estimated working hours 

You also want to ensure that a technician can finish the job in one visit. Repeated call-outs aren’t profitable; they take up too much time, fuel and attention. So, while estimated hours are useful as a performance indicator, they’re just as useful for helping technicians complete bigger, more complex assignments without returning later in the week. 

3. Easy sign-offs to speed up your invoice management 

This is one of the biggest game changers to your field operations. Why? Because we’re guessing that the ways in which you generate and approve quotes and bills right now could be better. Are you calling, emailing or texting to get the right info on every job your team has wrapped up? That’s a lot of stress. Plus, it’s holding your profits back. Mobile field service software keeps you on track of billable work and puts more control in your contractors’ hands. They can accurately quote projects that grow in scope, pricing rates, parts and materials, and getting your approval in minutes. 
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For instance, the Operix mobile app lets your field workers tell office staff about new customer requests. They can even give a quote themselves and take the client’s signature on screen. Whether you’re signing off completed work or gathering evidence and approval for extra services, Operix gives you more freedom to upsell and invoice straight away. All the data in our platform — from customer rates to correct working hours — fills out invoicing templates on your behalf. You’re billing without any effort or mistakes. As a result, profitability rises along with your customer satisfaction. 
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Even better? Our mobile app functions online and offline, meaning you’re never left in the dark for field agent updates anywhere. That link stays with you. It’s just another reason why it pays to go mobile with the ultimate field service software. Contact us to learn more! 

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