This year, FIELDBOSS exhibited at 11 industry tradeshows across Canada, the US, and the UK. We meet hundreds of people at every show but are typically asked the same questions. So, here’s a roundup of the top 10 questions we get asked every time.
Differentiators
1. What makes FIELDBOSS different from other contractor management software? Why should I choose you over your competitors?
- FIELDBOSS differentiates itself from other contractor management software platforms because it is a true all-in-one software with integration to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and is built specifically for the Elevator, HVAC and specialty contracting markets. Being built on the Microsoft Power Platform means we have a global company contributing to our product. The security and innovation that comes with Microsoft and FIELDBOSS combined is unbeatable.
- The FIELDBOSS team also prides itself on providing effective and prompt support to make sure our customers are happy. Customer success drives every feature we create, every best practice we support through our software, and every innovation we bring to the industry. We strive for personal connections with our clients and provide you with everything you need to get the most out of the resources you already have.
Accounting
2. Can I use my current accounting software?
- Yes, FIELDBOSS can work with any accounting system via specialty configured Excel import/export templates.
- However, FIELDBOSS does include integration to Dynamics 365 Business Central, Microsoft’s accounting solution for small and mid-sized companies. Integration to Business Central maintains our real-time job-costing to service, maintenance, and projects within the operations system.
Dashboards & Views
3. Do you have specific views and dashboards that show parts availability and status of jobs?
- Yes – there is a specific work order view for waiting on parts.
- You can also track and monitor a job’s progress from scheduling to assignment, and throughout the job’s progress until completion/payment. Choose how you want to track: by status or even material availability.
- Keep track of parts and material used. Materials and ad-hoc expenses can be logged against each job using the mobile technician app. The result is a powerful, streamlined materials tracking system that reduces admin time, ensures all appropriate expenses are billed, and increases compliance across the organization.
Support
4. Do you have ongoing support? What are the channels of support available throughout – and after – the process?
- Software support is a major red flag almost all customers speak about when leaving another product and moving to FIELDBOSS. With this knowledge, we have made it a companywide focus to offer exceptional and unprecedented levels of support to our customers.
- At FIELDBOSS, we value your time and have a dedicated support department monitoring our support email inbox at every minute of operating hours. By making sure we have staff available with the skills to resolve your issues, we resolve over 80% of customer service requests the same day they are made.
Updates
5. How often do you release updates to your product?
- With software developing at ever faster speeds, the solution that seems like the perfect fit right now could quickly become outdated in the next 6-12 months if their development isn’t up to pace. This is why we offer updates to our product every single year. Our new functionality and enhancements are driven by existing customer requests, our consulting experts, technical advances from Microsoft, and the ever-changing field service industry.
- Enhancements – As the industry changes, government regulations come into place, your business expands and your customers’ requirements grow, so do your expectations or needs from your software. Our ability to offer customers system enhancements whether they have been with FIELDBOSS for 1 month or 5 years, allows you to feel confident that we are here to help, no matter what the future throws your way.
Data Security
6. How does your solution protect and secure my data? Do I need to keep my server/where is my data located?
- FIELDBOSS is built for the Microsoft cloud, so you have peace of mind that a global company is supporting our software, offering high-level security and world-class data integrity. The Microsoft Cloud security means you are always protected and future proof.
Mobile App
7. How does your mobile app work when the user has no service?
- The FIELDBOSS mobile solution is built on the Resco Mobile CRM app. Resco is among the leaders in providing world-class offline mobile solutions. While offline capability is currently being added to mobile apps by most CRM vendors, it is not an easy task. Offline doesn’t only mean to add a local database support and provide the CRM data when the app is disconnected. Offline means that ALL the features and functionalities of the mobile CRM app are available when the app is disconnected – with no limitations.
Job Costing
8. How does FIELDBOSS handle job costing and profit margins?
- FIELDBOSS has real-time job costing on every work order offering real time job costing for repairs, maintenance, and projects. Get detailed costing, margin, overhead and profit on every job as it happens. Labor costs are tied to individual technician burden rates and there is integrated purchasing and inventory management for actual and committed material costs through Dynamics Business Central.
Health & Safety
9. What tools do you have to manage health and safety requirements?
- FIELDBOSS Mobile has many health and safety checklists that help your contractor business methodically ensure that all procedures are clear, consistent, effective and can be created in a way that is easy for your field staff to access and complete. Contractors can tailor their health and safety checklists in ways to mitigate injury and illness risk that work for their specific company and unique requirements.
- The Health and Safety checklist feature within FIELDBOSS is designed to assist technicians in assessing and identifying workplace hazards that might affect their health and safety while doing a service activity. The Health and Safety checklist feature is built right into service activities and is interactive, customizable, and reportable!
The Great White North
10. Where are you based out of? What accent is that?
- We are Canadian, eh! We are based out of Toronto. (Real Canadian’s pronounce it “Tuh-ronno). We also have an office in Manhattan, New York.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about FIELDBOSS, please contact us or schedule a personalized demo. We hope to see you at the next show!