One of the advantages of QuickBooks Enterprise is the ability to integrate various apps with the software. In some cases these are true third-party apps; in others the app was produced in direct partnership with Intuit. One of the latter is Intuit Field Service Management ES, designed to integrate directly with QuickBooks for businesses that provide mobile service. Here we will give you an overview of the features and benefits of Intuit Field Service Management and how it can be integrated into your business to streamline dispatching, workorder, and technician management.
What is Intuit Field Service Management
Field Service Management (FSM) provides an intuitive dashboard for dispatchers that shows work orders by technician along with each technician’s location and current status, plus details such as time on site, arrival time, and travel time. Rescheduling or reassigning a work order is a simple drag-and-drop procedure. FSM also integrates with Google Maps, and when combined with GPS location data this information allows the dispatcher to see the locations of all technicians and all jobs and schedule those jobs more efficiently based on that information. The easy work order reassignment makes it simple to shuffle work orders among technicians as needed based on the location of newly-received jobs.
Save Time And Money
On the technician side, the first obvious benefit is the elimination of paperwork. Work orders are purely digital, and the dispatcher is updated automatically without the need for the tech to stop and communicate. The system also stores equipment information and service history, so the technician immediately knows what’s been done before and can troubleshoot more quickly and effectively.
The benefits of integration with QuickBooks are tremendous. Part and service pricing for each work order is pulled directly from QuickBooks, so the information is always current, and if you have activated the Advanced Inventory module in QuickBooks Enterprise, stock levels are updated as each job is completed. Invoices are created automatically when the technician closes the work order, and if you take credit card payments in the field, FSM, QuickBooks, and QuickBooks Merchant Services all cross-talk to match work orders, invoices, and payments. The technician can even e-mail invoices and receipts directly to the customer.
Built In Reporting Features
As you might expect, FSM also includes a powerful reporting module. The app includes industry-specific templates (for overall configuration as well as reports), and custom reports are easy to create. Common reports such as work orders per technician, revenue per work order or technician, and productivity are already included.
Additional Features And Pricing Options
FSM offers two optional add-on modules that are priced separately. One is a time card module that uses GPS location data and time stamps from each technician’s mobile device to automatically create timesheets. The other is a service agreement module that feeds contract terms, preventive maintenance schedules, covered equipment, and pricing directly into FSM, which then automatically generates work orders for preventive maintenance based on the contracted schedule.
Pricing is by user per month and tiered based on total user account, with the per-user rate decreasing at 11 users and 41 users. The time card and service agreement modules are priced similarly, though these options are billed directly by Corrigo, the app provider.
Some Additional Things To Know
The main caveat when considering FSM is to carefully review the hardware and other technical requirements. FSM works on QuickBooks Pro and Premier as well as Enterprise, for example, but the Advanced Inventory module is available only for Enterprise. The technician’s mobile app will work (as of this writing) on any Apple device running iOS 5.1.1 or later or an Android device that is version 2.2 or later. However, synchronization between QuickBooks and FSM has some very specific operating system requirements. For example, the Home versions of Windows Vista, 7, and 8 are not supported.
Learn More About Intuit Field Service Management
If your business involves mobile or field service, the weakest link in your organization may well be the paperwork flow between your techs and your office. FSM can provide a purely digital environment that saves time, increases efficiency, and eliminates much of the manual administration required to keep your business running. To learn more about the products themselves, you can click QuickBooks Enterprise or Intuit Field Service Management to be redirected to see details on the products. If you have more questions or would like to find out how Field Service Management can work for your business, just give us a call at 866.949.7267 or click here to send us a message.
