What is Field Service Management Software?

What is field service management (FSM)?

Field service management is the process of coordinating work carried out by engineers or technicians at customer or asset locations - covering everything from job scheduling and dispatch through to parts, compliance and reporting. FSM software automates and connects these processes in a single system, replacing spreadsheets, phone calls and paper-based workflows.

What does field service management software do?

Field service management software connects engineers, jobs, assets, parts and customers in one system - giving service businesses full visibility and control over their field operations.

What does FSM software include?

Most FSM platforms cover the following core functions, though the depth of each feature varies between providers:

• Managing work requests as they come in
• Scheduling work and allocating tasks to the right engineer
• Engineer mobile app with job details and data capture
• Stock and parts management
• Managing purchasing
• Preventive maintenance scheduling
• Customer management including billing and invoicing
• Reporting and analytics on activity and operations across the business
• Time tracking of engineers
• Compliance and safety check-lists

For more information on standard FSM features, take a look at our article: Key Features of Field Service Management Software.

Advanced FSM features

More sophisticated platforms go beyond the basics to support complex operations:

• Integration with other software and tools (such as telematic systems for equipment)
• Inbuilt modules for managing hire equipment contracts
• Mobile engineer location tracking
• Ability to track part requests, progress and delivery
• Modules for managing sub-contractors
• Customer portal
• AI schedule optimisation

What sort of businesses need FSM software?

FSM software is used by any organisation that sends engineers or technicians to customer sites or manages equipment in the field. This typically includes commercial equipment service companies and hire businesses.

Equipment Servicing

Commercial equipment manufacturers, dealers and service providers who offer after-sales servicing are among the most common users of FSM software. Customers typically purchase a service plan covering scheduled maintenance and emergency repairs, meaning the service team needs to manage high volumes of planned and reactive jobs across a large asset base.

Industries where this is particularly common include:

• Material Handling equipment - forklifts, conveyors, pallet jacks and warehouse machinery
• Lifting & Access equipment - cranes, scissor lifts, tail lifts and elevated work platforms
• Ground Support Equipment (GSE) - aircraft tugs, baggage loaders and airside vehicles
• Medical devices and equipment - where compliance, calibration records and audit trails are critical

Hire Companies

Similarly, companies which offer the hire of commercial equipment will also have similar maintenance and repair needs. For example, a forklift hire company will need to manage the servicing of the whole fleet of forklifts to make sure they can be hired out reliably. If a breakdown does happen, the company will also need to co-ordinate sending an engineer out to fix it.

This group of businesses typically also needs FSM tools to help them manage their hire contracts and asset availability. Knowing the whereabouts of each asset and the hire status is a must when a customer calls up wanting to make a new booking.

To read more about how field service management tools can help hire companies, read “What to look for in a Field Service Management Tool as a Hire Company”.

What are the benefits of using an FSM tool?

Less Paperwork and Room for Error

One of the main benefits people told us of using a field service management tool was reducing paperwork and improving operations.

Take job notes, for example. Engineers would traditionally hand write job notes, maybe take some photos on their phone, and then pass the job notes back to the office. Someone in the office would then type the notes up, add them to the right file and (if the engineer had also sent the images across) attach the photos. The report would then be attached to an email and sent with an invoice to the customer.

As well as being a time-consuming process, there are so many opportunities within this flow for mistakes to be made. From handwritten notes not being legible, to images still sitting on an engineer’s phone months later.

With field service management software, the engineer would input their notes, usually following a specific format within the mobile app (with prompts for images where needed). This would then be sent to the office and straight onto the client, without any opportunity for misinterpretation or errors.

Here is just one example of FSM software helping to reduce paperwork and room for error, for more take a look at our article: How to Reduce Paperwork with Field Service Management Software.

Improved First-Time-Fix Rate

A key metric for many service companies is their ‘first time fix rate’. Essentially, this is the percentage of issues that were fixed within the first engineer visit.

Having a high first time fix rate is beneficial in a number of ways. Firstly, the customer’s (or businesses’) equipment is fixed quickly, and normal operations can continue sooner. In a situation where the running of that piece of equipment is directly linked to profit, you can see why this is so important. (For example, warehouse automation equipment and hire equipment.)

Secondly, the fewer journeys and less time the engineers spends on the job, the sooner they can move onto the next job.

To read more about first-time-fix rates and how FSM software can help, take a look at our article: How Field Service Management Tools Can Help You Increase First Time Fix Rates.

Fewer Equipment Breakdowns

One thing companies without service management software tend to struggle with is being proactive when it comes to servicing. Keeping track of when hundreds of assets require their next service, and which service is due, can be an almost impossible task if done manually. And if not impossible, at the very least, time-consuming and vulnerable to human error.

Field service management software helps businesses schedule planned preventive maintenance at the required intervals. This means equipment is much more likely to be kept running smoothly and avoid any unnecessary breakdowns.

This in turn, often equates to an increase in revenue. For example, a GSE operator whose ground support equipment is out of service during aircraft turnarounds faces immediate operational consequences. Keeping equipment running isn't just a maintenance priority - it directly affects the ability to operate.

Happier Customers

One thing we get asked a lot is whether we can help companies communicate to their customers that they are now using a FSM tool. Why? Because improved servicing efficiency means customers get a much better experience. Improvements in this area depend on what the company were doing previously, but generally, customers are likely to see the following improvements:

• Faster response from engineers – resulting from streamlined scheduling and improved comms between office and engineer
• Higher first-time fix rates, meaning fewer repeat visits and faster resolution for customers
• More preventive maintenance conducted
• Less unplanned downtime, as preventive maintenance is scheduled and tracked automatically
• Improved communications

For more benefits of using field service management software, take a look at “19 Benefits of Field Service Management Software You Never Thought of”.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between FSM and CMMS?

FSM software focuses on managing field engineers and the jobs they carry out at customer sites. CMMS (Computerised Maintenance Management System) focuses on maintaining assets and equipment, typically for internal maintenance teams. Some platforms - including Service Geeni - cover both use cases.

What is the difference between FSM software and ERP?

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems manage business-wide operations including finance, HR and procurement. FSM software is built specifically for field service operations - engineer scheduling, job management, asset tracking and compliance. Some businesses use both, with FSM software either replacing field service modules within their ERP or integrating alongside it.

What does FSM stand for?

FSM stands for Field Service Management. It refers to the systems and processes used to coordinate engineers, jobs, assets and parts for organisations that carry out work at customer sites or in the field.

What size of business uses FSM software?

FSM software is used by businesses of varying sizes, but the complexity of your operations matters more than headcount alone. Platforms vary significantly in their capabilities - lighter tools suit smaller teams with straightforward job management needs, while more advanced systems are built for larger engineering teams managing high asset volumes, compliance requirements and complex maintenance schedules. Service Geeni is designed for organisations with larger field teams maintaining critical, complex equipment - typically where downtime has a direct operational or financial impact.

How is FSM software different from a job management system?

A job management system typically handles job creation, scheduling and completion. FSM software goes further - connecting jobs to assets, parts, compliance, customer records and reporting in a single system.

How to choose FSM software

The key factors to consider are the size of your engineering team, the complexity of your asset base, whether you need compliance and audit trail functionality, and how the platform integrates with your existing systems. If you're looking for a comparison of the leading platforms, our guide to the best field service management software is a good starting point. For a breakdown of what to look for before you decide, read our guide to choosing field service management software. If you're ready to see how Service Geeni works, you can also explore the platform.