7 Best Field Service CRMs: Benefits & Key Features to Look For

One of the main reasons field service businesses choose customer relationship management software is to improve organization and customer relationships and eliminate the use of disjointed and inefficient methods like paper files and Excel spreadsheets.

Within the broad category of CRM software, there are generalized solutions such as Salesforce, Pipedrive, and HubSpot CRM that serve tons of industries and business types.

But many business owners in the field service industry realize that integrated cloud-based CRM software that’s tailored for specific industries can enhance more than just customer communications. CRM software that’s part of an all-in-one field service management solution can save time and offer benefits to all employees, from field technicians to dispatchers — leading to more booked jobs and increased revenue.

In this post, we’ll explain the key benefits of CRM software for field service teams, including the problems it solves, and outline the features to look for if you're considering upgrading to CRM software for your field service business. 

We’ll also review our shortlist of the best field service CRM software, starting with a deep dive into our own, ServiceTitan, which offers a comprehensive solution for virtually all field service businesses (including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and more) to optimize customer experience, streamline field service operations, and help your business grow.

Table of Contents

• What is field service CRM software?

• 7 benefits for field service businesses that use CRMs

• Features to look for in a good field service CRM

• ServiceTitan’s CRM for field service contractors

• 6 alternative field service CRMs

What Is CRM Software and Why Do Field Service Teams Need It?

CRM software is a customer relationship management system that stores all customer information in one place so you can handle the entire lifecycle of the job for each customer (from taking the first call, to carrying out the work, to providing customer support, and offering and following up on additional services, etc.).

A CRM system helps automate tasks like invoicing and appointment reminders that save field service businesses time and improve the whole customer experience. 

The Conventional Role of a CSR

Office managers and CSRs are responsible for a lot when it comes to managing customers and making sure a field service business runs smoothly. Taking customer calls, writing down job info, dispatching field technicians, updating the customer on technician status, keeping track of follow-ups, and processing payments for jobs are just a few of their tasks.

The Pain of Not Having a CRM

Without a CRM software solution, the best way to do all of these tasks is with pen and paper, Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, and filing cabinets, which can be time consuming and inefficient. Small things like sloppy notes, miswritten information, or lost paperwork can cause big problems and inefficiencies, lead to unhappy customers, and ultimately hurt profitability.

Common problems include:

• Disjointed call booking and scheduling processes that cause missed leads and forgotten jobs

• Mishandling the backlog of weekend calls and not following up on leads

• Poor management of keeping customers updated (e.g. appointment notifications, post-job follow-ups, and tech ETAs)

• Inefficient procedures of raising invoices and processing payments

• No system of monitoring CSR performance

• Missed opportunities for upselling services (e.g. memberships)

Because a good CRM that’s integrated with your field service software centralizes all of your customer and business operations in one place, it solves all of these problems (and more). 

7 Benefits for Field Service Businesses That Use Integrated CRMs

Field service contractors find many benefits to using CRM software, especially when it’s part of an all-in-one FSM software solution. 

Here are the top seven benefits:

Benefit #1: Closes More Deals

CRM software helps you close more deals and increase revenue for your business. 

As we discussed above, not having a CRM leads to disorganization and lost leads, so having a solution that organizes all of your customer interactions efficiently makes closing deals a lot easier (and faster). 

Benefit #2: Saves Time 

CRM software that’s integrated with your field service software keeps all of your customer information as well as your business processes (such as invoicing and dispatching) in one place. This saves a ton of time that would otherwise be spent on manual and tedious processes like handling paper files and Excel spreadsheets.

Benefit #3: Increases Efficiency

Because CRM software speeds up processes and completely eliminates some tasks (for example, manually sending out appointment reminders), it significantly increases the operational efficiency of your business and boosts profitability. 

Benefit #4: Improves Collaboration

Having a CRM system with real-time updates that all of your staff can access (either via desktop or mobile app) keeps business owners, office staff, and field technicians in the loop, reducing miscommunications. 

Benefit #5: Improves Customer Experiences 

A centralized CRM system improves customer experiences through better, more consistent communication, including modern features such as technician GPS tracking and easy payment options, ultimately leading to higher customer satisfaction and repeat business. 

Benefit #6: Lets You Track and Analyze Business Performance

Reporting and analytics features provide a 360-degree view of business performance, from high-level revenue trends to technician and CSR scorecards. Field service CRMs like ServiceTitan help you better monitor the metrics that matter most and hold employees accountable so you can improve business performance. 

Benefit #7: Grows Your Field Service Business 

CRM software can help boost profitability by increasing operational efficiencies, speeding up payment processes, and highlighting unsold estimates and upselling opportunities (such as memberships) so you can close more deals.

Moving from manual business processes to an all-in-one field service management solution is a significant upgrade. 

Here’s our rundown of the key features to consider when upgrading to an all-in-one CRM.

Features to Look For in a Good Field Service CRM

• User-friendly: There’s little point in buying a CRM that’s difficult to use. Find one that offers robust onboarding resources, that’s simple for all team members to use, has excellent customer support, and offers ongoing training.

• Mobile accessibility: Make sure your CRM can be accessed in real-time by your field service technicians when they’re out in the field. Then, they can always be up-to-speed with customer information, update customer records directly, generate estimates and invoices, and keep office staff in the loop.

• Full feature integrations: Check that the CRM has all the features you want (like dispatching, billing, and reporting) and, if it doesn’t, check if it integrates with the software you’re already using (e.g., QuickBooks). 

• Automation: One of the best time-saving benefits of a CRM is its automation function. Ensure yours has automated features such as appointment reminders, text updates, invoice generation, and reports. 

• Reporting features: Not all CRMs include reporting functionality, so be sure to learn about what’s offered in the solution you’re considering. If it has reporting features, try to understand if they fit your specific needs. If it does not, you’ll want to understand how it integrates with third-party reporting solutions. 

• Scalability: Most CRMs will speed up your workflow to some extent. But upgrading to an all-in-one CRM that organizes everything from dispatching to invoicing to inventory means you can scale your business, maintain organization, and never miss out on opportunities. 

Here’s an overview of the seven best CRMs for field service businesses, starting with our own, ServiceTitan. 

ServiceTitan’s All-In-One CRM Software

ServiceTitan is a comprehensive CRM solution for field service business owners. It makes CSRs’ tasks simpler, gets technicians more involved with customer communications, and allows management to analyze day-to-day performance and find ways to improve business. 

ServiceTitan field service software offers:

• Call booking features that capture customer information instantly.

• Scheduling and dispatching to prioritize customer satisfaction and profit.

• Modern customer experience features like Uber-style technician tracking and a customer portal.

• A mobile app that optimizes communication between techs, office, and customers.

• Automated invoicing and instant payments to bring revenue in swiftly.

• Follow-up features that help increase revenue.

• Upselling tools to boost customer relationships and growth.

• Reporting that tracks metrics to improve customer experience and business performance.

• Integrations with other business processes to improve efficiencies and enhance customer satisfaction.

Here’s how it works.

Capture Customer Information Instantly

With ServiceTitan, when a customer call comes in — via phone, web inquiry, or chat — there’s no need for the CSR to juggle a pen, paper and spreadsheet. Our call booking feature automatically shows the CSR if the caller is a new or existing customer and uses templates to guide them through the booking process so that every CSR collects all of the important customer details consistently and reliably. 

If the caller is an existing customer, all of their information, job details, and notes about every communication are stored in one place so they can be quickly accessed, without keeping the customer waiting. CSRs can call the customer by name and also pull up notes or type new ones to log specific details (such as a gate security code). 

For new customers, the CSR is guided through a series of drop-down menus and custom prompts to capture the correct information. ServiceTitan users can also follow their own triage process, such as prioritizing emergencies or particular services.

Having all of this information centralized means:

• Anyone in the company can view the information when they need to.

• Calls are prioritized appropriately.

• There’s no need to pull the customer file from a filing cabinet, call the customer back, finish taking information, and finally schedule a technician and service date.

We even provide examples of call center script templates that can be used in your own specific business. 

Note: With ServiceTitan’s CRM, you can also add a Web Scheduler or Chat to Text widget to your website and give customers an easy way to schedule a job or start a text conversation online without making a call or waiting for a CSR to be available.

Dispatch to Prioritize Customer Satisfaction & Profit

ServiceTitan’s job scheduling and dispatching features save time and are easy to use. While on the phone with the customer, the CSR can view the job history, warranty details, customer location, tech availability, and even technician skill levels — all on the same screen. This makes it easier to book techs for jobs in similar service areas or with specific skills.

Color-coding helps the CSR identify different technicians when viewing the dispatch board where they can book work orders days, weeks, or even months in advance. Scheduling changes can be made with ease (for example, when a customer reschedules or a different technician needs to be assigned). 

So, when an emergency call comes in, the job can be slotted in without manually moving multiple pieces of information, saving a lot of employee time and reducing the risk of errors that could hurt the customer experience (e.g. incorrect tech allocation or even no tech showing up at a job because it wasn’t reassigned properly).

ServiceTitan’s route optimization feature uses GPS tracking to track techs and job progress so that visits can be organized in the order that suits the technician’s location, taking into consideration any traffic delays and conditions. 

Being able to view the precise location of each truck in real-time means that dispatchers can group nearby jobs together and utilize routing efficiently. This makes job management more efficient and allows techs to handle more jobs in a given day or do the same number of jobs in less time, increasing employee experience and satisfaction. 

Customer Experience Features

Whether customers contact you via phone or online, ServiceTitan’s CRM offers the following customer experience tools:

Automated Appointment Reminders & Tech ETAs

Contractors who use ServiceTitan don’t need to worry about making confirmation calls the evening before a visit or about calling the day of the appointment to let customers know when their tech will arrive. 

The software takes care of both with automated SMS — including a link — providing customers with a GPS tracking tool so they can monitor their tech’s arrival in real-time, as well as a photo and some fun facts about them. That way, customers already have a degree of comfort with their tech when they get there.  

Call Recordings for Accountability & Training

With ServiceTitan, every call is recorded and logged into the customer’s account. So, before a tech enters a property, they can listen to the CSR’s conversation(s) with the customer via our Mobile App, arming themselves with every detail that might improve their sales or service call.

The feature is also great in the event of minor confusion — for example, an address number that was inadvertently entered as 612, rather than 621.

Business owners love this feature for the accountability it provides. It allows contractors to better coach CSRs on how to handle customer interactions, as well as how to negotiate with customers when disagreement or nonpayment occurs, with real-time data that is as accurate and well-documented as possible. 

Post-Job Follow-Ups: Reviews 

ServiceTitan also helps with customer follow-ups by sending automatic “satisfaction survey” texts to customers the day after their appointments. This makes it easier for customers to give feedback and saves CSRs time calling to check-in. 

Staying on top of customers’ needs keeps them happy, and happy customers lead to more positive reviews and a bigger book of work orders.

Our Mobile App Keeps Techs Fully Informed On-Site

Many of the features that make CSRs’ lives easier also help field service technicians. 

For starters, ServiceTitan’s CRM eliminates nearly all phone calls between techs and CSRs and puts all customer information right at the technician’s fingertips. 

With ServiceTitan Mobile — available on iOS and Android — techs are always in the loop and can access all customer information when they’re carrying out work, including customer profiles, service histories, prior invoices, voice notes, and more. 

Technicians can store all of their job notes in ServiceTitan’s CRM, including notes from weekend service calls, so they don’t have to keep notepads in their truck or call the office staff from the job site to update them. 

Having a job management solution like ServiceTitan Mobile to manage these tasks helps reduce the Monday workload for CSRs who traditionally don’t work on Saturdays and Sundays. 

Your technicians can also generate estimates, create invoices, and take payments from their mobile device right at the job site. 

Integrate & Automate Invoicing and Payments

ServiceTitan simplifies the payment process for membership agreements and standard services. Techs can create invoices and take payments from their mobile devices on the spot. Customers can enter credit card information directly into their tech’s tablet, or follow a link via text to submit payment online via our customer portal. 

Creating invoices and taking payments in this way is convenient for customers and means revenue hits your bank account sooner, too. 

ServiceTitan’s software integrates with multiple types of accounting solutions, including QuickBooks. So there’s no need to re-enter payment info; everything stays up-to-date and organized for you. 

ServiceTitan also streamlines your internal payroll processes. The time tracking feature automatically documents your technician’s travel time, vendor runs, and wrench time on their timesheets so you can be confident that it’s accurate. 

Follow-Up Functionality to Increase Revenue

Using the Follow Ups menu, ServiceTitan users can efficiently execute a range of post-call tasks that are crucial to maximizing revenue. For example, CSRs can follow up on unsold estimates in a regular, methodical fashion, ensuring that there are no missed opportunities. 

Just by following up on unsold estimates, we’ve seen contractors improve their bottom line by as much as $1 million in a single year. 

Upsell Memberships and Service Agreements to Boost Repeat Business

Selling and optimizing membership agreements can significantly boost relationships with customers and increase revenue. 

ServiceTitan helps field service business owners facilitate memberships and service agreements in a variety of ways, including from a CRM standpoint.

CSRs can select Recurring Service Types from the Follow Ups menu to keep their company (and their customers) up-to-date. That way, nothing gets lost in the system.

Email Marketing Campaigns

In addition, ServiceTitan’s MarketingPro provides powerful add-on features for sending hyper-targeted email campaigns to specific audiences based on customer data already collected in ServiceTitan. 

The software lets you set audience lists that focus on specific customers, such as those to whom you wish to offer memberships, or who have yet to respond to an estimate, so you can follow up at whatever interval you choose and maximize sales opportunities.

Sending targeted emails is easy. Choose from our huge range of email templates, adjust the text to fit your campaign, and deliver to your chosen audience. 

Tracking Metrics to Improve Customer Support

Being able to monitor individual phone calls with customers is great. But ServiceTitan also gives field service business owners a more comprehensive, instantaneous view of their CSRs’ performance, in the form of a scorecard.

Business owners can see how many calls their employees are booking, what percentage of potential business they’re booking, how long they’re taking to do it, and more. They can also zoom in on individual calls to see what might have gone right or wrong, and where improvements can be made. 

In addition, ServiceTitan tracks company metrics and KPIs. This includes total revenue, total sales, total average sales, total job average, call booking rate, and your total conversion rate. You can even look at this over an 18-month trend (or weekly trend) to keep an eye on how your business is running.

Automated Integration with Other Business Processes

While all CRM software tools have features that help you manage customer data and focus on improving the customer experience, they may not integrate with or provide tools for managing the rest of your business operations, such as building estimates or creating invoices.

ServiceTitan provides the features for your staff to manage all your day-to-day customer relationship management (scheduling appointments, dispatching, etc.) along with all of your operational processes (inventory management and invoicing), including: 

• Estimates

• Financing

• Marketing

• Pricebook information

• Asset management

• Project management

• And more

Learn more about CRM software in these articles:

• Cloud vs on-premise CRM

• CRM requirements checklist

• Top 10 service business CRMs

Here’s our lineup of six alternative field service CRM providers.

6 Alternative Field Service CRMs

Commusoft

Commusoft is an all-in-one work order management software designed for field service companies. Used by small businesses, the software helps with job management, quotes, scheduling, inventory management, invoicing, and customer communications. It also integrates with accounting and payment solutions.

Contractors can access customer information via their mobile device, and all data is synced in real-time, so staff are always up to speed on work orders. Techs can also create invoices on the go and email them to customers. Commusoft also provides users with performance reports and charts. 

Housecall Pro

Housecall Pro is an all-in-one service tool that helps field service contractors run their entire business from their smartphone or from their web portal. This solution supports all aspects of the workflow, including job scheduling, dispatching, customer database, invoicing (including QuickBooks Online), and payment processing.

Jobber

Jobber helps field service businesses provide a seamless customer experience and keeps jobs on track, from the customer’s request through to payment.

Jobber is customizable to fit your process, so you can schedule jobs, optimize routes, send quotes and invoices by text, and get paid on-site via the software’s mobile app. 

Jobber is popular with small businesses that want a simple, easy-to-use solution. 

MobiWork

MobiWork helps service businesses with technicians in the field to do their jobs more efficiently. The software provides technicians with logistical coordination, GPS tracking, email/text alerts, dispatching, and invoicing functions. 

This solution is customizable and scalable for mobile workforces from small businesses with a few technicians right up to large enterprises with thousands of field service technicians. 

Procore

Procore software helps you manage entire projects from planning to closeout. The platform caters to specialist and general service industries, including electricians and construction. 

Suitable for large construction enterprises that need to actively manage drawings, documents, and schedules, Procore is easy to use and offers unlimited user access, simple pricing, and instant access to project data.

ServiceMax

ServiceMax, like other field service solutions, is designed to provide better visibility into your field service operations. It offers products such as Asset 360 for Salesforce, ServiceMax core, ServiceMax FieldFX (their mobile app), and ServiceMax Engage (for customer engagement). 

Get a Free Demo of ServiceTitan’s Field Service CRM

There are countless conveniences to a customer relationship management software. Not only are CRMs useful in improving customer relationships, they’re also good for business management in general, and they offer benefits for employees, too. It’s just important to find the right one. 

ServiceTitan’s CRM is a full-featured solution for business owners needing a field service management software to completely enhance their internal processes — it makes CSRs’ tasks simpler, gets technicians more involved with customer communications, and allows management to analyze day-to-day performance and find ways to improve business.