Manage Your Team, Engage Your Customers

ServiceFactor (www.servicefactor.com, 800/329-8326) by Team Management System, is a cloud-based service and project management software designed for use by contractors in the office and in the field.

As an integrated solution, it includes quotes (with the ability to present multiple options, such as good, better and best); work orders; intelligent scheduling and dispatch, with scheduling utilizing daily and weekly views, and dispatch based on technician skill sets along with mapping of where calls are located by zone. A dispatcher can assign a single technician or a crew.  

The service agreement module tracks all aspects of maintenance agreements, including automatic billing, inspection schedules, and sending out automatic reminders of upcoming inspections. When a reminder is sent, the customer can click a link that takes them to an online schedule where they can choose the date and time they would like their inspection, which will automatically assign the inspection work order to the proper technician based on their skill level, the zone the customer is located, and the technician’s availability.

ServiceFactor also supports equipment tracking (including alerts on aging or past-end-of-life equipment), purchase orders; project management (job costing) that includes the ability to break down the job into multiple phases, track change orders, and perform progressive billing, including AIA invoicing; technician profitability tracking; complete inventory management, including multiple warehouses and trucks, along with optimum quantities and re-order points; and mobile invoicing.

While office users can access the main system and all its components, technicians in the field use the mobile module, which allows them to clock in and clock out for the day, view the calls assigned to them, view or add customer equipment, fill out forms, generate a quote, generate an invoice, and capture approval signatures. The system automatically records their travel time and working time, as well as tracks their idle time.

Multiple techs can be assigned to a work order, with the primary tech responsible for generating the invoice, while the other technicians are able to view call information, history, and equipment on site, and they can dispatch themselves to the call.

The work order module lets the user see the customer’s pay status, if they have a service agreement, and any past, upcoming or overdue inspections, as well as a list of the customer’s equipment and warranty status (if any) and where the equipment is in its lifecycle.

With the mobile module, the system guides the tech through the steps of a service call, including enabling must-fill fields on various forms management has created based on specific equipment types or the problem reported.

When an invoice is completed in the field, the tech can capture an approval signature and payment and provide the customer with a copy of the receipt. If approved to do so, a technician can also enter a new service call and add a new customer, if applicable.  

Alternately, if the technician does not invoice in the field, the tech can present a customer with a work order and capture an acceptance signature, with all the data and a copy of the signed invoice or work order updated back at the office.

Multiple techs can be assigned to a work order, with the primary tech responsible for generating the invoice, while the other technicians are able to view call information, history, and equipment on site, and they can dispatch themselves to the call.

Dashboards instantly show important KPI information such as work orders, quotes, service agreements, and jobs sold and average ticket/job values, revenue vs. missed revenue, marketing campaign results, technician score cards including average ticket price and average revenue per hour, sales metrics including total sales, costs, gross profit and average invoice amount, active service agreemen billings for the current month, number of planned inspections, agreements expiring, and more.

Types of reports available include: profitability, accounting, service agreement, customer, equipment, inventory, project management, quote, technician, and work order.

The system also includes an online Customer Portal feature, used from any device with internet access, that enables customers to create and schedule service calls, schedule their pre-planned inspections, pay their bills, view their history, view their equipment on site, request a quote, and view existing quotes. 

ServiceFactor integrates with both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop.

Pricing: based on monthly subscription per user that runs from month to month (no long term contract or commitment).

Slingshot by WorkWave (www.getslingshot.com  800/514-7360) is a customer engagement platform for home and commercial field service providers that integrates automated responses and live  sales and customer support answering service capabilities from trained agents 24/7, including interactions via calls (including scheduling of appointments in real time) as well as inbound and outbound text, webchat, and email.

The communications platform utilizes automatic technology while handling routine interactions and new sales leads, account creation, scheduling, and collecting of billing and payment information. The solution can also use customized call scripts. In addition, Slingshot’s call center software offers analytics including review of call recordings and monitoring of campaign and sales performance. 

The communications platform also enables creating and launching outbound sales and retention campaigns for current and past customers. The Slingshot team also supports customer campaigns, cancellations, lost sales opportunities, etc. for its enterprise customer base by building queues and scripts the specialty agents use for the client’s specific needs.  

Patti Feldman writes articles and web content for trade magazines and manufacturers of building products. She can be reached at [email protected].