Field Service Management Software Guide for Small Businesses

Direct store delivery (DSD) businesses are now taking advantage of field service technologies that help them maximize their customer base engagement and sales opportunities. 

From pricing and payment features to data synchronization and route tracking, we’ll have the essentials you need to know about field service management software for small businesses.

What is field service management software?

Field service management (FSM) software help DSD and delivery companies eliminate manual tasks and limit errors, inefficiencies, and time-consuming tasks. 

FSM solutions are platforms that help distribution centers, DSDs, and other types of businesses oversee and take control of the distribution (portion) aspect of their supply chain. FSMs will automate certain tasks, like data synchronization and route notifications, while providing you with insights to drive sales and improve your structures.

How is field service management software for small businesses different?

As a small business, you will have different delivery needs and challenges from larger enterprises. Most of these challenges come with things like scale, cost, and maintaining the satisfaction of your current customer base who expect all the services and X that larger companies can afford to offer. 

While you may not have as many orders to fulfill as a larger enterprise, you want to know that you have the capacity to scale if you need to. This kind of scaling usually happens with your drivers landing sales in the field, so you want to make sure you have the kind of technology that empowers your drivers to service customers while they’re on the road. 

Another big concern is pricing. Small businesses don’t have a lot of room to squander their earnings, so discerning whether a flare-rate or per-user pricing model makes more sense should be a priority.

Field service management software features for small businesses

What field service management software features should small businesses be looking for in a platform? The best field service management software will allow you to:

• Synchronize data across all your devices.
• Provide drivers with a flexible mobile POS system, so they can do more in the field. 
• Track inventory levels in your truck. 
• Access real-time data from your drivers.
• Access client profiles and sales histories.
• Automate invoice deliveries so you get paid faster. 
• Accept orders and payments in the field. 
• Auto-calculate promotions and discounts. 
• Give customers multiple payment options. 

How to select field service management tools for small businesses

Choosing a field service management tool comes down to identifying your needs and prioritizing solutions that can help you optimize your supply chain and drive sales. 

Here are some important questions you should be considering when selecting a field service management system:

• What’s my budget?
• How many users will I have, and is a flat-rate pricing option more affordable?
• How many systems and data points will I need to synchronize?
• Does the software empower drivers to drive sales?
• Does the software automate tedious tasks processes for purchases, invoices, route reassignment, and route notifications, among others?

An advanced field service management software, like Prism, will give your small business everything it needs to manage routes, control inventory, automate your DSD operations, and drive sales.  The software is also unique in that it will allow your business to scale.  So, if you are a small business with five trucks looking to grow organically or through acquisitions, Prism's software will be allow you to make that growth transition without a glitch.

The importance of field service management tools for DSD and route sales

DSD businesses have a lot of disparate moving parts. You have to manage your vehicles, drivers, inventory, data, customers, invoices, equipment, and more. A field service management software can help simplify these complex processes and synchronize your systems so you have complete oversight, all the time. 

A field service management tool will help you to track, streamline, organize, and manage all of these moving pieces with ease

Field service management software selection criteria and checklist

Make sure you have a checklist and criteria that fits the need of your business. In most cases, the best field service management software for small businesses will have:

• Affordable and flexible rates.
• Features that allow you to automate various aspects of your management process.
• Access to real-time notifications and updates.
• Greater access to data and streamlined processes that improve the customer experience.
• Features that allow you to save money and time by eliminating tedious manual tasks.
• .Access to your system via the web, mobile, and cloud gateways. 
• Flexible point of sale systems. 
• Multi warehouse inventory control so you can prepare for future orders with confidence. 
• Advanced route tracking that makes your rates more efficient and gives you weather/traffic updates to maximize your deliveries. 
• The ability to integrate with major accounting packages. 

Final thoughts: Field service management software for small businesses

This guide might seem like a big ask for FSM systems, but a modern solution, like Prism, can offer all of the above and more.

To learn more about Prism’s pricing, features, and capabilities that will grow your business, try the demo today.