If you own one of the 30.2 million small businesses in the United States, you likely already know about QuickBooks and how it can help the accounting side of your business.
What you may not know is that if you have people that go out into the field, there’s Intuit Field Service Management. This helps you run your business more smoothly as it integrates seamlessly with QuickBooks.
Keep reading to learn more about QuickBooks field service management and to see how it can help your business grow and thrive.
What is Intuit Field Service Management?
Intuit Field Service Management is a software program created by the same company that makes QuickBooks. Field Service Management is designed specifically to help businesses track employees that are working outside of the main office.
Electricians, plumbers, home security technicians, and nurses that provide in-home care are all examples of employees that may work outside of your central location. To help you stay connected with them, you can use a program like Intuit’s Field Service Management.
This software program can integrate with the following QuickBooks Desktop versions:
If you have one of these versions of QuickBooks, you can easily add on Intuit Field Service Management and jump right into gaining the numerous advantages that come with it.
Benefits of Using Integrated Field Service Management Software
Next, let’s look at some of the ways integrating field service management software with your existing QuickBooks subscription can help your business.
1. Track Inventory
Once a product, tool, or piece of equipment leaves your office, it can be nearly impossible to keep track of. However, knowing where all of your inventory is and whose hands it’s in is essential to prevent loss.
With Intuit’s Field Service Management software, you can more easily track inventory to make sure the customer is getting the correct number of items and that your equipment isn’t disappearing unexpectedly.
2. Save Time
One of the biggest advantages of this software program is that you can schedule jobs within it. This allows you to save time since you don’t need to jump back and forth between two different programs. Once a job has been completed, it’s easy to send invoices and track payments.
You’ll also save time by avoiding the need to learn an entirely new system. Since Intuit makes both QuickBooks and Field Management software, they are similar enough that it doesn’t take much time to learn it.
With all the time you’ll save by using this program, you can focus more on the things that really matter for building your business.
3. Manage Work Orders
Field Management software also allows you to manage your work orders. This can help you improve your customer service because you can see exactly what work needs to be done that day and where.
4. Integrate Time Cards
When you have separate programs for time cards, payroll, and business accounting, it can get complicated. That’s why QuickBooks is so well-loved by so many business owners. It brings all of those things together.
With the time cards feature, you can see how long an employee was working at a certain site. Then, you can easily add that time to the program and be able to pay them for it.
5. Access Customer Service History
One of the ways you can provide better customer service and get valuable data about your customers is by having a service history for each customer.
When you have easy access to a customer’s service history, you can get context while speaking to that customer. Then, you have a list of dates, services, or purchases made so you can stay on the same page as that customer.
Another benefit of having this is that you can understand your current customers better. This gives you a better idea of how to reach out to new customers since you know your target demographic.
6. Send Mobile Invoices
A common concern when sending employees out into the field is how to ensure you get paid. Although you could send a pre-printed invoice with them, what happens if there are additional charges while the service is being rendered?
To resolve this issue, Intuit Field Service Management software allows you to send invoices to your customers from anywhere. Your employees can do it while in the field or you can do it from your office.
If you expect payment in full at the time of service, then this is the best way to make sure that happens.
7. Get Real-time Field Updates
With Intuit Field Management software, you don’t have to wonder what’s going on with your employees while they’re out in the field. You can track their movements with GPS technology to ensure they arrive safely.
It also makes it easy to get updates throughout the process so you know how things are going and whether or not your help is needed.
8. Save Money
There are a few ways that integrating this program will help you save money. The biggest one is not having to pay for a second program for field management when you’re already using QuickBooks.
One of the other ways is by using the mapping feature. This is especially useful when scheduling appointments. By mapping out the most efficient route for a repair person, you can save on gas and allow more people to be serviced in a day because less time will be spent driving.
You’ll also save money with better inventory tracking and an improved ability to track employees that are in the field.
Besides that, you also can make money by using customer service histories to make follow-up phone calls. If you use these to get positive online reviews, you can build up an excellent reputation for your business which can lead to even more sales.
Need Help with QuickBooks?
Now you know why so many small business owners are already using Intuit Field Service Management with their existing QuickBooks software. As you can see, there are a number of advantages that will help your business grow.
If you need help setting up this add-on or have any other problems with QuickBooks, contact us today. We’d be more than happy to provide you with a free product demo so you can see exactly how this software program can benefit you.
