How ServiceTrade Gets Implementation Right (When Others Don’t)
After 12 years of implementing field service software for thousands of contractors, one thing becomes crystal clear: successful digital transformation requires more than just good software. It requires a proven methodology, deep industry expertise, and the foresight to navigate common pitfalls that can slow down—or completely derail—your implementation.
At ServiceTrade, we’ve helped over 1,400 contractors go live successfully, more than any other commercial FSM platform. We know the process is complex, and it doesn’t always go smoothly. But we also know where and why things go wrong, and how to make sure they don’t.
The 5 Most Common Implementation Pitfalls (and How ServiceTrade Gets It Right)
If you’re evaluating software partners, here’s what to watch out for—and how ServiceTrade gets it right at every stage.
1. Lack of Ownership Derails the Entire Project
Without a clear project leader on both sides, implementation loses momentum. Communication breaks down. No one knows what’s next. Tasks pile up. Deadlines slip.
ServiceTrade Solution: We assign a dedicated project lead to every customer, backed by a 40-person professional services team. We help you:
Identify your internal champion
Coordinate all stakeholders
Establish clear communication channels
Build realistic timelines with milestone check-ins
We don’t just hope the process moves forward, we drive it forward.
2. Bad Data = Bad Outcomes
Poor data migration leads to lost customer history, broken pricing, and operational chaos. Companies often underestimate how hard it is to migrate clean, accurate data and how long it takes to fix bad imports after the fact.
ServiceTrade Solution: Our expert team includes specialists in data strategy and cleanup. We follow a rigorous validation process:
Accurate transfer of relevant data
Multiple rounds of data review and testing
Verification of synchronized systems at each step
Ongoing guidance on data governance post-launch
Clean data isn’t a checkbox, it’s a cornerstone.
3. Integrations Fail Without the Right Expertise
Accounting and ERP integrations are where many implementations stall. Vendors overpromise and underdeliver, leaving teams stuck with duplicate data entry, reconciliation headaches, and disconnected systems.
ServiceTrade Solution: We’ve successfully integrated with all of the biggest accounting platforms in the industry (see our accounting integrations here). Plus, we offer:
Dedicated accounting integration consultants
Prebuilt frameworks tailored to your software
SLA configuration and permissions setup
Thorough integration testing before go-live
With ServiceTrade, integration isn’t guesswork, it’s guided by experience.
4. Users Don’t Adopt What They Don’t Understand
With many software providers, training is too generic, too short, or too technical. Users feel overwhelmed, frustrated, or worse, completely disengaged. And when adoption fails, ROI disappears.
ServiceTrade Solution: We don’t just train, we teach your team to thrive. Our change management approach includes:
Online resources and clear documentation
Tailored support to address resistance and confusion
Weekly working sessions to solidify learnings.
Business process guidance—not just button-clicking
We prepare your people to own the new system from day one.
5. “Go Live” Is Not the Finish Line
Many vendors treat go-live as the end of the journey. But without follow-through, users fall back on old habits, issues go unresolved, and progress stalls.
ServiceTrade Solution: We ensure post-go-live support and optimization:
Regular KPI check-ins
System usage analysis and coaching
Iterative improvements based on your feedback
Our goal isn’t just getting you live, it’s helping you succeed long after.
Why ServiceTrade Is Different
These pitfalls aren’t theoretical—we’ve seen them happen, especially with customers coming to us after failed implementations with other vendors. Many have told us that our competitors fall short when it matters most: during implementation.
We’re different.
With 1,400+ successful implementations, a team of 40+ pros, and a proven process, we bring both the technical muscle and the change management expertise to guide your team from day one to full adoption.
Our services team includes:
Product-specific implementation consultants
Accounting integration experts
On-site discovery and launch support
Deep experience in parts management, sales ops, and custom workflows
We don’t just turn on the software. We turn your business into a more efficient, scalable version of itself.
If you’re considering new field service software, don’t gamble on your implementation. Choose the partner with the most experience, the deepest industry knowledge, and the clearest process.
Choose ServiceTrade.
Let’s talk about how we can help your business implement the right way, the first time.
Danielle Hardy
VP of Professional Services at ServiceTrade
Top 5 FieldEdge Alternatives and Competitors in 2025
Running a service business is challenging enough without being slowed down by software that can’t keep up.
Established in 1980, FieldEdge is often a top choice for field service software, with over 40,000 users and multiple awards. FieldEdge offers both in-office and on-the-field software for HVAC, mechanical, and fire protection industries. Core functions of the FieldEdge platform include scheduling and dispatching, customer management, price presentations, and a mobile CRM.
It might seem like the right field service management software, but user reviews find several aspects of the platform lacking. From a confusing cost structure to frequent system downtime, FieldEdge might not be as seamless as it appears.
Whether you’re upgrading your current system or searching for your first field service software, there are plenty of FieldEdge alternatives available. In this article, we’ll introduce five leading FieldEdge alternatives that offer more robust tools, greater flexibility, and the efficiency your business needs to thrive in 2025.
ServiceTrade
Jobber
Service Fusion
BuildOps
ServiceTitan
Not quite sure where to start? Reach out to our team and we’ll guide you through the process of choosing the right field service management software.
1. ServiceTrade
ServiceTrade is a leading provider of commercial field service management software solutions. With products for operations, sales, inspections, and parts management, ServiceTrade offers a comprehensive platform for a wide range of commercial contracting industries.
ServiceTrade’s Dispatch and Scheduling dashboard—all your daily information, on one screen.
Service businesses and industries require a specialized approach. From ServiceTrade’s HVAC Service Software solution to Fire Protection Software, we build solutions for your individual business. Get the exact tools and features you need without unnecessary clutter clogging up your dashboard.
Key Features
ServiceTrade offers a cloud-based system for professionals in commercial HVAC, mechanical, refrigeration, electrical, kitchen exhaust cleaning, and fire protection and life safety. Key features include:
ServiceTrade’s Office Coordination suite of tools assists with scheduling, dispatching, and managing service requests. Project management tools help keep budget and timelines on track while Smart AI features help office staff make data-driven decisions.
Create thorough job summaries with the click of a button with SmartSummary.
The Parts Manager tool helps streamline parts operations by giving technicians a simple way to issue purchase orders and access the necessary parts for every project. It also helps eliminate delays and inaccuracies in invoicing by automatically pulling parts and costs directly from work orders for precise billing.
Management Visibility provides essential real-time insights into workflows, KPIs, financial performance, and client information. Turn data chaos into order with easy accounting integration capabilities:
Highlight and fix issues quickly, create powerful reports, and improve operations with forecasting and analytics tools.
All the data you need, in one modern dashboard.
Customer loyalty comes from an exceptional customer support experience. Create a single source for customer data and track service history with ServiceTrade’s Client Communication tools. Build strong relationships from the start with an in-depth customer portal, online quoting system, service link, and Smart AI features to automate communications.
Keep customers in the loop with the Customer Dashboard.
The Sales Manager CRM helps you monitor your progress toward sales goals on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Using streamlined workflows, it guides accounts from prospecting to signing while providing insights on key sales metrics, including sales volume, seller activity, and projected labor hours.
“BlueHat Mechanical has experienced over 40% revenue growth in the last year since building out its sales team and using SalesManager,” says Karim Nice at BlueHat Mechanical. Learn how Sales Manager can help you grow with a personalized demo of our platform.
Efficient and dedicated Sales Success tools are key for scaling service businesses. Improve the sales process with top-notch proposals, customer service, and AI features to help you spot new opportunities.
Drive sales with instant access to critical data and KPIs.
Maximize field technician productivity with tools to organize task lists, equipment service history, and work details. The Inspection Manager tool helps fire protection contractors reduce risk, expedite inspections, and win over customers with instant access to quotes and reports. Technician Timecards, ServiceTrade’s time-tracking app, simplifies the accounting and payroll process—and saves technicians an unnecessary trip to the office.
Digital, user-friendly time cards simplify the payroll process for both office staff and field techs.
The Technician Mobile App contains a powerful suite of tools to help technicians handle every aspect of fieldwork. From GPS time-tracking to streamlined workflow management and signature collections, the mobile app becomes a pocket-sized mobile office.
ServiceTrade’s Mobile App—a powerful tool for field technicians.
Want to see the ServiceTrade platform in action? Get a demo to see why 1300 contractors trust our platform to get the job done.
Pros
ServiceTrade customers think these benefits help our field service management software stand out from the rest:
Consistent platform upgrades and software updates to keep up with changing needs.
Full-service, configurable reporting and tracking features.
User-friendly, modern, and intuitive interface.
Excellent customer support team.
Get a demo to see exactly why our users love the platform and learn how we can help you level up your business.
Pricing
ServiceTrade offers three subscription plans: Select, Premium, and Enterprise. Each plan includes an unlimited number of office users and a specific number of techs.
2. Jobber
Jobber bills itself as an all-in-one field service solution for service businesses like cleaning, landscaping, and contracting.
Key features of the Service Fusion platform include:
Scheduling: Route planning, optimization, and real-time updates.
Estimates: Autopopulates estimates and includes built-in templates.
Customer Management: Contains customer data, notes, and auto-reminders.
GPS Tracking: Tracks service vehicles and driver behavior in real time.
Invoicing and Payments: Integrates with QuickBooks, auto-generates invoices, and tracks payments.
Mobile App: Shows schedules, service requests, and customer information. Generates work orders and invoices, and processes payments.
Pros
Users enjoyed the following benefits:
Automatic client communication via email and text.
Intuitive interface for scheduling and dispatching.
Unlimited users for a single fee.
Cons
Users encountered the following downsides:
Some fields seem to be placeholders that don’t function.
Lack of in-app reporting for field technicians.
Customer support can be lacking.
Integration capabilities with some existing software can be a challenge.
Pricing
Service Fusion offers three membership plans:
Starter: $225/month or $192/month with the annual subscription.
Pro: $350/month or $298/month with the annual subscription.
Plus: $575/month or $489/month with the annual subscription.
4. BuildOps
Founded in 2018, BuildOps is a cloud-based veteran-owned field service management software for HVAC, plumbing, fire safety, and electrical field service companies.
Scheduling and Dispatching: Real-time progress updates, flexible scheduling, and capacity forecasting.
Customer Management: Built-in photo recognition software for equipment, asset tracking, and job management tools.
Mobile App: Standardized workflows, critical worksite information, and customer signature collection.
Pros
Users enjoyed the following benefits:
Simple, user-friendly software and mobile app.
Configurable user and feature access.
Excellent customer support teams.
Cons
Users encountered the following downsides:
Difficult to locate information within the dashboard and app.
Dispatch tools lack information and clarity.
High price point.
Pricing
BuildOps offers a quote-based pricing system. Some review websites suggest the basic BuildOps plan starts at $49/month.
5. ServiceTitan
ServiceTitan is an all-in-one solution for field service management catering to multiple service businesses, including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, and more.
Key features of the ServiceTitan platform include:
Dispatching and Scheduling: Automated tools, custom tags, schedule optimization, and capacity planning tools.
Marketing: Data-driven marketing tools, ROI tracking, and advertising reporting.
Reporting: KPI tracking, contractor monitoring tools, and CSP scorecards.
Integration Capabilities: Intacct and QuickBooks integration.
Pros
Users enjoyed the following benefits:
Consistent software updates and new releases.
Wide range of features.
Easy-to-use mobile app.
Cons
Users encountered the following downsides:
Customer support can be hard to reach.
CSMs are constantly changing.
Tedious, long onboarding process.
Steep learning curve for contractors.
Pricing
ServiceTitan offers three packages: Starter, Essentials, and The Works. All three are quote-based, although review websites suggest the Starter package begins at $398/month.
Looking for FieldEdge Alternatives?
Your business deserves software that moves as fast as you do. It’s time to upgrade to a system that can keep up. With a focus on HVAC, fire protection, mechanical service, refrigeration, and electrical service businesses, ServiceTrade delivers specialized solutions to help your operations run smoothly. Our comprehensive feature set includes:
Operations Platform: A comprehensive service management software that streamlines your workflow, integrates with your accounting software, helps boost sales, and keeps clients coming back.
Sales Manager: Boost your service agreements with Sales Manager, helping you create proposals, manage leads, and retain high-value customers.
Inspection Manager: Improve the inspection process, reduce risk, and discover new opportunities for high-value repairs with Inspection Manager.
Parts Manager: Take control of parts operations with Parts Manager—reduce wait times, simplify ordering, and guarantee proper invoicing every time.
With over twelve years of experience, over 13 million assets managed, and 300+ customer reviews, ServiceTrade is a field service solution you can trust. Our customers agree:
“Each year, for the first three years after purchasing ServiceTrade, we were able to double our revenue – with the same, if not less work. In year four, we were able to get 50% more revenue.” — Gabe Domenikos, Director of Operations at AirLogix
Ready to experience the platform for yourself and learn how we can help you optimize and scale? Book a personalized demo today.
How Digital Inspection Forms Streamline the Inspection Process
Digital inspection forms are a powerful solution for life safety service contractors looking to streamline operations.
However, at present, a majority of contractors in the fire protection business are still using paper. There’s a 60% chance that’s you!
But as the world has come to rely on digitization, and more digital offerings like InspectionManager have come on the market, the age-old tradition of paper-based inspections has begun to make less sense.
If you’re feeling a mounting need to improve the efficiency of your inspections and better manage liability, you’re not alone.
Here is a look at some of the biggest benefits of replacing paper-based inspections with inspection automation software.
More Efficiency and Less Liability Risk With Digital Inspection Forms
A step-by-step set of tasks that lead experienced and novice technicians alike through the process
Ability to easily and legibly document deficiencies found in inspections
Ability to attach digital photos into the form when deficiencies are found
Multiple audit trails with time-stamped actions that prove what work was done, and when
Online access to inspection history information, inspection forms, and much more.
In addition, fire inspection software helps ensure that techs use the right inspection form from the get-go. And required fields ensure that technicians fill out the form completely – with all the data that’s required by Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) for that particular type of inspection.
Digital Inspection Data Makes Creating Inspection Reports Simple
After the service has been completed, the post-service report is what builds long-lasting business relationships with customers, owners, and stakeholders. Once a service has been performed, a digital reporting system like Service Link allows for the fast generation of a professional, easy-to-read, branded report with supporting photos.
This report provides proof that the services actually were performed. It also helps generate additional revenue by highlighting opportunities for improvements or deficiencies that need to be resolved. When stakeholders read a service report and understand what was done and what’s needed, the submission of a service quote for additional work comes as no surprise.
Digital Inspection Software = An Easier Way to Meet NFPA Code Standards
Inspection forms for each NFPA standard (25, 72, etc.) must address all the safety attributes and devices that are contained within that particular type of inspection. The NFPA offers standard inspection testing forms in a PDF format that can be printed and filled out by hand. However, most companies that provide life safety inspection software have their own inspection forms.
If you’re using an inspection form straight from the NFPA, it’s going to meet NFPA standards. However, if you’re using an inspection form from a third-party inspection tool, it’s best to ensure that the forms are routinely updated as NFPA standards change.
Note: With the acquisition of Asurio, ServiceTrade now has a team of code experts who review changes in NFPA standards and modify inspection forms to reflect updated standards and changes in code.
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When it comes to a side-by-side look at paper vs. digital solutions, digital service forms and reports provide transformative, game-changing features and functions that build customer relationships, and also generate more business and profit in the long term.
For more information on ServiceTrade’s digital inspection form capabilities, check out InspectionManager.
SELECTING SERVICE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE (That Keeps Accounting Happy)
You know it’s time. The service work has backed up and it’s becoming difficult to manage your limited labor resources. You’re ready for a new software solution to help take your service department to the next level.
At this point, many commercial service contractors turn to their accounting team for guidance. Why? Because their accounting tools are deeply embedded into company-wide processes. They ensure finances stay on track and customers get billed for services. It’s no wonder leaders are reluctant to disrupt the back office.
But while you should certainly consider accounting when evaluating software, back-office needs shouldn’t drive this decision. The needs of your service department should. In the end, your objective should be to find a robust service platform that will streamline operations, prioritize customer experience, grow service revenue—and also keep accounting happy.
Essentially, there are three options to consider:
All-in-one service and accounting software
An add-on service module to your accounting system
Purpose-built service management software that integrates with your accounting system
Option 1: An all-in-one solution
In your search you’ll probably encounter a few software companies that claim to have it all—all the tools for service management and accounting on one platform. Beware of this “all-in-one” messaging. Because while the software you’re looking for should certainly offer many capabilities and tools, no software to date is purpose-built for both service management and accounting.
Note: Some service software companies will use “all-in-one” messaging while relying on accounting software integrations—an option we’ll cover below.
Option 2: An add-on service module
Most construction-focused accounting platforms have attempted to solve service management for their customers with an add-on module. These types of modules are offered by the creators of Sage 100 Contractor, Sage 300 CRE, and Deltek+ ComputerEase accounting programs.
But these modules have accounting principles at their core. They try to shoehorn the complex work of commercial service departments into something that looks like accounting. For growing service departments, these modules lack the tools you’ll need to streamline operations and put your customers first.
Option 3: A purpose-built service management platform
The best option for streamlining and growing your service department is—no surprise—software built for service management. ServiceTrade resides in this category and has a team of product engineers entirely focused on building and maintaining the best service software for commercial contractors. Now that’s the specialized solution you need.
As for accounting, service management platforms will often integrate with your current system. The complexity of the initial setup will depend on which accounting software your business uses. As a general rule of thumb, if your accounting software is server-based, setting up an integration will be more complicated and costly than cloud-based accounting applications like Sage Intacct.
3 QUESTIONS FOR EVALUATING PURPOSE-BUILT SERVICE SOFTWARE
If you decide to go with service management software, you’ll find yourself with several options. We recommend using software designed specifically for commercial contractors as residential-minded software does not have the best tools for the complexity of commercial service.
We also recommend asking these three questions.
Question #1: Who is driving the decision?
Up until this point, your accounting department has likely led the way on technology decisions because they hold the keys to what has been the most important software system in your business. But prioritizing the needs of accounting above all others when selecting a service management application is a common trap for commercial service contractors.
The good news is you can adopt service management software that keeps your accounting department happy, while also prioritizing the needs of your customers – the group of people whose needs must be driving your decision. This leads us to the next question…
Question # 2: Does this solution prioritize customer experience?
Accounting needs relevant service data so they can deliver an accurate invoice to the customer. But is that all your customers need? Of course not.
Your customers need to know what your techs found on the service call – risks to their business, their severity, and how the customer should address those risks. Strong service management software will empower your techs with tools to collect this information and deliver it to customers quickly and conveniently, which builds trust and generates additional revenue for your business.
Question #3: How will the integration work, and who will set it up?
Depending on which software you’re integrating, you may be working with a third-party integration expert or the service software business’s integrations team.
You can address the complexity of the integration and who will be in charge of setup during the sales process. Ask for referrals from customers who use your accounting software so you can hear directly from them how the application works with your current systems and their lessons learned for what matters most in integrating service management and accounting software.
What Software Buyers Can Learn from Agile Development and Lean Manufacturing
Software companies long ago abandoned complex release processes where comprehensive new versions would show up every few years. So why do software application buyers continue to plan for and tolerate implementation schedules that span several months or in some cases even years? What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, and software buyers need to wisen up and stop being lulled into an unreasonably long technology implementation that will almost certainly not yield the benefits promised during the sales cycle.
What is Agile?
Agile development has been a mainstay in software development for at least ten to fifteen years now. It coincides with the rising popularity (and dominance these days) of software as a service (SaaS) offerings. The basic premise of agile development is that you deploy new technology frequently with the smallest amount of incremental code possible. Agile development also gave birth to the popular notion among technology startups of the minimal viable product (MVP). In all these cases, the idea is to do and learn and do and learn and do and learn – over and over again. Here are the four key principles of agile development from the agile manifesto:
individuals and interactions over processes and tools;
working software over comprehensive documentation;
customer collaboration over contract negotiation; and
responding to change over following a plan.
These principles contrast with the historical waterfall method of software development where you plan and plan and plan and plan and plan and code and code and code and code and code and then deploy and OH SHIT! NOTHING IS AS WE EXPECTED!!! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!!
Agile is so popular because waterfall is simply broken. For so many reasons, but primarily because planning is filled with the flaws of confirmation bias. When development teams have lots of time to plan and code, they avoid real feedback from the market for extended periods of time and just do what they want to do. Agile and MVP concepts force the issue of a reality check as quickly as possible. It’s like the Japanese concept of lean manufacturing: reduce the amount of work in process inventory and you will find the flaws and waste in your manufacturing process. Funny how all these industries, from software development to manufacturing, all ultimately arrive at the same wisdom over time.
Use Agile and Lean Concepts for a Smoother Software Deployment
It’s time for the folks that buy and deploy software to learn from these agile and lean concepts. I cringe every time I hear about a potential customer’s long planning and deployment cycle for a new software package. When they are thinking in terms of several months or even years before the first system capability hits production, they are not thinking about the problem the right way.
The problem
Planning for the perfect system that does everything is the enemy of real progress that could improve the business tomorrow. First, you will inevitably not plan for several things that could improve the business because you have confirmation bias in believing that you really understand what will actually improve the business.
Second, the thing that you believe should improve the business (although it might not) will undoubtedly work differently in production than the staged demonstration that you observed. You simply cannot plan for success when the scale is too big because few organizations (none) have the resources to actually plan and deploy at large scale. It just doesn’t work for all the same reasons that software developers abandoned waterfall and embraced agile.
The solution
So what is the solution? Simple. Small and incremental deployments of minimal viable technology functions that deliver well defined outcomes (a minimum viable deployment, MVD if you will). And then another deployment. And another and another and another. In this manner, any singular failure is quickly discovered and quickly modified to address the flaw that was not visible in planning. The failures will also tend to be small and minimally disruptive. As the principles above direct, let people do, learn, collaborate, and correct instead of thinking you can plan your way to large scale successes.
3 Tips to Put Into Practice
How might this work in practice? First, constrain the timeline to have something, anything, deployed in production and improving the business. Any schedule longer than six to eight weeks from initial kickoff to first production output is too long. Narrow the scope until you can hit the schedule target. You can narrow the scope by feature winnowing or by narrowing the portion of the organization that faces initial adoption.
Second, don’t be overly concerned about integrations and optimizations until primary value is achieved. Primary value is NEVER the elimination of gaps between systems. Primary value is always something more fundamental like faster quoting, easier payment of invoices by the customer, easier scheduling due to a map or routing feature, a better sales demonstration, and/or faster communication to technicians through mobile dispatch.
You can always streamline administration between systems AFTER primary value has been achieved. I cannot tell you how many folks buy on the value of “integration” only to discover the integrated solution is a horrible piece of software that fails to deliver the primary value they were seeking. When the primary value fails, the promise of integration is worthless.
Finally, just say no to any vendor that proposes a huge services implementation requirement for your organization to see first benefit. Force them to absorb the risk or rescope the project until you see value in six to eight weeks. This will eliminate most of the failures you are likely to encounter BEFORE you spend a bunch of money for the simple benefit of learning from a failure.
Forcing the discipline that has made agile development so popular onto the application purchasing and deployment process will speed deployments, minimize expenses and failures, and maximize the amount of innovation your organization is able to absorb. Pay close attention to the key principles of agile enumerated above as you plan your next software purchase and deployment, and I bet you will get a far better result for your organization.
Selecting Service Management Software (that keeps accounting happy)
You know it’s time. You need to purchase software to help streamline your services department. Up until this point, your accounting software has been your biggest investment in technology to run your business.
As tempting as it is to throw away your current system in search for the perfect all-in-one (a mythical unicorn if you ask us), transitioning away from your existing core financial system is risky. On top of that, why change what works for your construction division and back office just to solve the problems in your service department?
While an all-in-one is not the answer, you also know you can’t afford to adopt service management software that doesn’t work with your company’s accounting system.
What are Your Options?
Given that 1) you want to stick with your current accounting system, and 2) you need service management software that works well with this system, you have two options:
An add-on service module to your accounting system
A stand-alone application that integrates with your accounting system
Option 1: Add-on Service Module
Most construction-focused accounting programs have attempted to solve the service management pain point for their customers with an add-on module that talks to the core accounting system. Examples include Sage Service Operations (SSO) as an add-on to Sage 100/300, and FieldEase as an add-on to ComputerEase.
But these add-ons are designed with your accounting system (and ONLY your accounting system) in mind. These modules help gather the relevant accounting information, but how else are they benefiting your company and your customers? More on this below.
Option 2: Stand-alone Application
Integrations may vary depending on what’s possible with your accounting system. Look for a page like this on the application’s website. Integrations with server-based systems require more of an investment than integrations with cloud-based software. You’ll want to ensure the company offering the application has made that investment and knows their stuff. You can address this in the evaluation process during your demo. After the demo, ask for referrals from customers who use your accounting software, so you can hear directly from them how the application works with your current systems.
5 Questions to Help Evaluate Options
Let’s start with the most essential question – one you need to answer for yourself before speaking with vendors.
Question #1: Who Drives the Decision?
Up until this point, your accounting department has likely led the way on technology decisions because they hold the keys to what has been the most important software system in your business. But prioritizing the needs of accounting above all others when selecting a service management application is a common trap for commercial service contractors.
The good news is you can adopt service management software that keeps your accounting department happy, while also prioritizing the needs of your customers – the group of people whose needs must be driving your decision.
Make Your Customers Your North Star
You are operating in a market that is more competitive than ever. You have new competitors that are undercutting you on price, you are finding it more difficult to hire and retain good techs, and your customers are demanding more information, transparency, and convenience.
These customer expectations will only grow. Look at what companies in other industries did to leave the competition in the dust, or worse, put them out of business:
The success of each of these market leaders is in large part due to their relentless focus on meeting customers’ needs and exceeding expectations by delivering an unparalleled customer experience. It’s time commercial service contractors adopt the same approach. A strong service management application will help you do so.
Accounting needs relevant information from service management software so they can deliver an accurate invoice to the customer. But is that all your customers need? Of course not.
Your customers need to know what your techs found on the service call – risks to their business, their severity, and how the customer should address those risks. A strong service management application will empower your techs with tools to collect this information and deliver it to customers quickly and conveniently, which builds trust and generates additional revenue for your business.
Avoid Costly Mistakes – Get Started
So you’re ready to invest in software to improve service management but you need it to work with your current accounting system. You know your decision must be guided by the needs of your customers, not the needs of accounting.
What other questions should you ask when evaluating your options?
To help you along, we’ve developed a simple, straightforward resource for those involved in the software purchasing process for commercial service contracting companies. If your company is ready to take a customer-centric approach to service management software adoption, then it’s time to talk to ServiceTrade.
Cyber Attacks in Fire and Life Safety
In 2019, there’s a fresh wave of ransomware hackers targeting US-based fire and life safety contractors that have legacy server systems. Several have been either forced to pay a bounty or face devastating disruptions when the cyber attack is unleashed. If you believe you are safe because no one is going to notice or care about your business, you are wrong. And the weakest link on your network that hosts your legacy server systems is no match for the professional criminals that are extorting you.
Now is the time to move all of your critical customer operations data to a modern cloud architecture. It is no longer a matter of being competitive in customer operations in your market. It is now about a choice to remain an ongoing business concern or be wiped out by a cyber criminal. The idea that you want to connect all of your technicians and all of your customers to a server on your network for them to collaborate in delivering your service value opens up innumerable vulnerabilities. It is just a crazy idea. If instead, they are all connecting to Amazon’s network (all ServiceTrade applications are protected by Amazon’s security) or Google’s network or Microsoft’s network, you are largely insulated from attack.
No one keeps their financial assets in a safe on their property any longer – they trust a commercial financial institution to be a good steward and use computers to deliver interesting applications to protect those assets while growing their value. It is time to take the same approach with what is arguably the most valuable asset of your business – your customer operations data. Who do you serve? What is the schedule? What equipment do they have? How do they pay you? What is your contract with them? What new opportunities for revenue are at their locations? If this information is protected by Amazon or Google or Microsoft, your business can continue to deliver value everyday. If it is vulnerable because of a legacy server on your network, that value can slip away pretty quickly. Don’t lose what you have worked so hard to build simply because you did not take the time to transition to a modern customer management platform.
Need help buying SaaS software?
You’ll always make good software-buying decisions when you follow the 6 pieces of advice in the Software Buying Guide for Commercial Service Contractors. Download and read it here.
The All-in-one Software Fairy Tale
There is no such thing as an “all in one” software application for anything. Like a unicorn, it is a neat idea (who wouldn’t want a friendly horse with a horn) that is nothing more than a fairy tale. Yet it is probably the most popular unicorn that commercial service contractors (and others as well) search endlessly to discover. And yet it just will not die in the minds of those that seek it.
So what do software vendors do? They play to market bias and adopt the “all-in-one” promise into their marketing messaging. They pique your attention with claims of the elusive all-in-one software. However, when you take a closer look, you find the unicorn is simply a horse with a horn taped to its head. And the vendor trying to sell it to you is a charlatan. Their website sucks. Their technology is server-based. (Which nobody should be buying in 2019). And their LinkedIn page shows they have like 9 employees, with the trendline going down, not up.
We have debunked the idea of a magical “all in one” application over, and over, and over, and over again. So you can imagine my shock when I saw a company that I admire marketing their application as an “all-in-one”.
ServiceTitan: “All in One” for Home Service Companies
ServiceTitan is a very successful company that offers a high-quality, modern customer service application for home services companies. I admire their growth. I admire their management team. I admire their technology architecture. And in their marketing, they use the “all-in-one” label to get your attention. I get the idea. I suppose it just makes sense if everyone is looking for “all-in-one” you might as well have them look at your application and decide for themselves which “all-in-one” is best for them.
But it’s just not true.
How do I know?
Straightaway, ServiceTitan tells potential customers they will need to buy an accounting application such as QuickBooks or Sage Intacct. “Wait a minute!” you say, “I thought ServiceTitan was an all-in-one?” Nope. Not really. That was just marketing.
Second, they promote several other integrated partner applications to their customers so that they can get greater value from the platform. These include GPS tracking, pricing, and online review applications. “Wait, what about the all-in-one?” you declare again. Nope. Sorry.
Finally, they publish extensive documentation for developers to extend the application and integrate it with other applications via their Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). “Wait!” you say again, “A true all-in-one doesn’t have to integrate with other applications because it should already do everything.” Sorry. That’s just not the case.
Separating the ServiceTitans from the Charlatans
So how do I square all of my admiration for ServiceTitan with my historical disdain for companies that, like them, make the “all-in-one” promise? More on that in a minute.
First, let’s answer a more important question. How can you, the commercial service contractor, know how to quickly spot a charlatan promising a unicorn but secretly selling you the same, tired horse with a taped on horn?
Do a little research and answer some basic questions to look for red flags:
What does their website look like? Is it modern and mobile friendly, or does it take you back to the 1990s?
Is their software cloud or server based? No one should be buying server-based software in 2019.
Check out the company LinkedIn page. How many employees do they have? What are their backgrounds? Has the employee count grown in the last few years? Growth is good.
Can their software easily connect with other applications? Look for a list of integrations or search for API documentation. It should be obvious how the software can connect with other interesting applications to further extended its capabilities.
(For a more in-depth resource to help you with vendor selection and software buying, download our free software buying guide here.)
Rethinking “All in One” – What ServiceTitan Taught Me
I’ll admit it. ServiceTitan forced me to stop and table my typical disdain for “all-in-one” promises from software companies. They are a sound company with a high-quality product. And while they may not be an “all-in-one” application, they are “all-in” for their customers’ success. Plus they are very focused on who that customer is – home service companies – and it shows on their website.
My advice to you? Stop chasing that elusive unicorn – stop looking for an “all-in-one” system because – just like the unicorn – it’s only a fairytale. And it’s not what you really need.
Instead, look for the vendor that is “all in” for your success. A vendor like ServiceTitan. They know your business, they understand their strengths and limitations and can connect you with trusted partners who can meet your needs that are outside their scope. They’ve blazed a new trail for companies just like you in your industry who want to be innovative, and they’ve guided hundreds down the path before you. Just like ServiceTitan is “all in” for home service providers, ServiceTrade is “all in” for commercial service contractors. If you want to learn how ServiceTrade is “all in” for our customers, schedule a demo today.
The Road to Success is Paved with Good Integrations
As VP of Customer Success at ServiceTrade, what everybody calls me at work is “that guy who can answer your questions about integrations.” The number of meetings I’ve been called into to discuss integrations with customers has gone up dramatically in 2018. I’ve noticed a theme in a lot of these conversations: customers aren’t really comfortable talking about integrations. They don’t know the terms, they don’t know where to start thinking about it. So today I want to tell you some basics about how to integrate good software with ServiceTrade.
Good software should have an easy-to-find API. If you aren’t sure whether a software application you’re considering has an API, it should be as easy searching Google for “____ API documentation.” No search results is a bad sign! Good software is often found on Zapier.com, which is an integration platform that moves information between web applications automatically. If a software application is on Zapier, you can be assured that it definitely has an API, it’s modern, and that it should play nicely with other pieces of good software. If you’re buying good software, you can avoid getting trapped by bad software decisions.
To set the stage to talk about good software integrations, it’s important to understand that everything in life – including software – has a special purpose. It has one thing it was designed to do and if you expect much more out of it, then you’re going to have a bad experience.
Let’s use an analogy. If you had to choose between those two vehicles: If I want you to hop into one, head around town, pick up groceries, drop off the kids. Which one would you choose?
The car. That’s an easy one.
I’ll ask you another easy one. What if I want you to tool around the bay, do some fishing, and some sunbathing.
Right. The boat.
Let me make it a little bit harder. What if I ask you to do both of those things? What if I ask you to run some errands, pick up the groceries, then head out and do some fishing and some sunbathing, then head on back home?
I think you’d tell me that you’d hop into the car to do the first set of things and head down to the boat to do second of things, then you’d get back into your car to head home. That seems pretty obvious.
But when it comes to software, a lot of people think, “You just asked me to do car things and boat things . . . I’ve got to have a carboat! How am I going to do car things and boat things unless I go buy one of these?”
This looks a little ridiculous, it doesn’t make any sense, and I think it’s obvious when you look at this photo why. This is not a very good car. And it’s not a very good boat.
When you’re looking to solve your business problems, that is the perfect time to be thinking about choosing the right software application for each of your specific problems. It’s also the perfect time to make sure you’re not about to make a carboat-buying decision.
So what should you look out for? If you hear:
“Well, it wasn’t designed to do that, but it could.”
They mean that 8 months and thousands of dollars later, it still won’t do what you want.
“I think there’s a workaround.”
They mean it’s going to be harder and more complicated than you want.
“It doesn’t have all those things you said you needed, but it should get the job done.”
They mean it doesn’t have the things you need and it won’t get the job done.
We do not tell people that ServiceTrade is going to solve all their business problems. We often point out all kinds of things that we aren’t the best choice for like payroll, accounting, truck tracking, payment processing, and sales CRM. We like to talk about ServiceTrade as good software that you can integrate with other good software to solve those problems.
So rather than focusing on making a carboat, focus on easing the car-to-boat transition. Or, bringing it back to software, easing the transition from one piece of software to another piece of software. At the end of the day, that is what integrating is all about – easing the data transition from one system to another system.
But if you aren’t careful, you’re going to end up with a very bad car-to-boat transition.
Let’s define 4 stops on the road to success so we don’t drive a boat into a car.
1. Know what you want. You’re going to have all kinds of questions about how things work, and that’s good. I recommend working a structure around those questions called “if this, then that.” It’s very simple: If this thing happens, then this other thing should happen. If you use this formula to think about what you want to happen in an integration, you can hand this to any software developer and you’ll be way ahead of the game. 2. Document your ideas.
Determine the source of record – where your information originates and what direction that data should sync. Here’s an example using Pipedrive (a CRM) and ServiceTrade.
Create a Flowchart. Create a visual representation of your integration. Check out this example from the online cloud-based application at app.flowmapp.com. I used this tool to document the service workflow for a ServiceTrade customer to clearly demonstrate where ServiceTrade fits into their existing business process. You get a really nice visual representation of your integration and gives you a good way to make sure you’ve covered all your requirements.
Document a scope that includes:
Description
Requirements
Desired user behavior
Deliverables
BudgetFor documentation, use online collaborative tools like Google Apps. The sharing feature and version control of shared files gives you a single source of record for your integration documentation.
Test cases This is a more detailed version of your “if this, then that” thought process. It’s clearly-defined step-by-step processes that ensure that you can test that the integration is working like you expect.
3. Manage the project. Use project management software to organize your thoughts, your plans, and your team around the integration. Take a look at Asana and Trello.
4. Do the work. Who is going to do the work? Is it you? This is the reaction you should have to that question:
There are lots of places to find qualified developers to write integrations for you. The first stop you should make is ServiceTrade. We’ve gotten pretty good at integrating various web apps with ServiceTrade. But we’re not the only game in town, you can look at hiring a freelancer from Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer. With everything you’ve documented, toss it to a developer and let them bid on it. You’d be surprised by what you can get done on these sites.
If someone else is doing the work for you, what are you responsible for? Testing, testing, testing, testing, and testing again. You’ll also be responsible for documentation for the business processes that you want everyone to follow. No matter how obvious steps are to you as the creator, it’s definitely worth documenting it for the rest of your team.
Here’s a list of applications that ServiceTrade customers have integrated with our app to expand the power and functionality of our application. It includes things like CRM, custom notifications to customers, after-service surveys, general data sync for additional file backup or sending notifications to Slack channels, custom forms, accepting credit card payments onsite, the possibilities really are endless.
AI, IoT, M2M, Big Data – The Alphabet Soup of Technology Jargon You Need to Understand (Part 1 of 2)
In 1984 I was seventeen years old and working as an usher in a movie theater when the science fiction thriller The Terminator was released. It was a surprise hit, and I must have seen the movie a couple of dozen times. In case you are not familiar with the movie, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a human-like cyborg, a Terminator, sent from the future with a mission to kill Sarah Connor, the mother of the future resistance leader that is fighting the Terminator’s artificial intelligence master, Skynet. Aside from the obvious standout qualities of Schwarzenegger’s physique (a former Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia) and the incredible strength demonstrated by the cyborg, the Terminator looks and even acts somewhat human. To remind the audience that the Terminator is actually a very sophisticated computer, director James Cameron sometimes displays the action from the perspective of the Terminator.
In these “look through” scenes, the audience is presented with a screen that is apparently the field of vision of the Terminator. The film color quality is replaced with mostly red, white and black imagery. Superimposed on the imagery is a bunch of scrolling text gibberish and some highlighted, flashing square boxes to call attention to certain data elements the Terminator may be analyzing – a person’s body size for suitable clothing, weapons in the hands of potential antagonists that must be foiled, etc. Of course, if the Terminator was really a sophisticated computer cyborg, there would not be an internal display barfing computer gibberish onto a screen in a manner that was readable by humans. Computers do not need human-readable text to operate on data the way humans need it. The computer would simply be ingesting external data via the cyborg’s camera eyes and his microphone ears along with any other external sensors for temperature, pressure, odor, and what not. Based on this observed data, the Terminator would be making judgments and taking actions that would have a high probability of creating a path to accomplish the mission – the termination of Sarah Connor. All of this would be happening without a human readable screen display.
Why am I talking about The Terminator? Why is the detail of the Terminator’s view of the world as depicted by the movie director important? I am talking about The Terminator to illustrate the point that artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of things (IoT), big data, and all of the other alphabet soup puked up on a daily basis by technology media and vendors hyping their products is generally nothing more than the collective, gradual evolution of computers. In 1984, James Cameron could imagine a computer that understands and speaks natural language, sees real-time imagery, reacts to its environment, and takes actions to accomplish the mission. To portray the Terminator as a sophisticated AI being, Cameron showed the audience a visual model that generally represented what computers looked like to the masses in 1984 – a somewhat low-resolution screen with digitized text scrolling on it with an occasional selection option that would become highlighted if you tabbed a cursor to it (remember, the mouse was a new thing in 1984 as the first Apple MacIntosh computers just shipped that year). Cameron could not assume that the audience would make the leap to his futuristic interpretation of an AI-enabled cyborg, so he showed the audience a 1984 computer interface to make certain they got the connection. All this stuff in the media about AI, IoT, machine learning, big data, blah, blah, blah is just the real world catching up to what James Cameron predicted would happen way back in 1984.
Today we are talking to our phone to have it dial our best friend. We are issuing verbal commands to our Alexa assistant to have it order pizza or play our favorite music. Our Nest thermostat is monitoring our habits, such as when we come and go, along with our preferences for ambient temperature in order to take actions regarding raising and lowering the temperature where we live. These common applications of AI would have been totally foreign and inconceivable to a movie audience in 1984. But James Cameron had a vision of what artificial intelligence could potentially accomplish in the future, and he did a really good job presenting that vision to the audience in a way that they could understand it. Let’s do a quick reset on some over-hyped terms – AI, IoT, and big data.
Artificial Intelligence – AI is just the trend toward computers ingesting more diverse data in more formats (i.e. images, audio, natural language, pressure, temperature, humidity, etc.) to enable analysis that leads to judgments and actions related to accomplishing a mission or objective. Because AI is more of a trend than a definitive end-state, AI can simply be classified as Hofstadter, a famous AI scientist, describes it – “AI is whatever hasn’t been done yet.” More accurately, AI is simply the leading edge of new capability for computers to operate more intelligently on a broader diversity of data.
Internet of Things – IoT is simply a trend where more and more things are connected to the Internet to send or receive data or to act upon data received. Historically connections to the Internet were people staring at screens (and increasingly listening to audio speakers) and entering data or responding to data received. “Things,” whether a cyborg like the Terminator or a $10 temperature sensor, don’t need screens (nor keyboards or a mouse or speakers) to send and receive data or to act upon data received.
Big Data – Big Data is simply the collection and analysis of data sets that are too large for humans to effectively parse, analyze, and extract intelligence from using simple programs like Excel. Ever cheaper storage and computing cycles lead to ever-increasing data collection, storage, and analysis. Again, big data is simply a trend and not a definitive end state.
Over time, computers will progress to read a broader spectrum of inputs, make more sophisticated judgments, and take an increasing variety of actions that lead to desired outcomes. No one was talking about AI in 1984 – no one in the mainstream media anyway – because the topic was confined to a small group of computer nerds at top technical institutions like Stanford and MIT. Yet the director of The Terminator could imagine a future where a computer becomes so powerful that it can measure its environment in a humanlike manner, make judgments based upon those measurements, and take intelligent actions to execute a mission – in this case, the termination of Sarah Connor. It is unlikely that anyone who saw The Terminator in 1984 remembers the on-screen effects that Cameron used to connect the audience to the idea that the Terminator was a computer. I bet everyone who saw the movie remembers the Terminator’s mission, however. What was the mission? To terminate Sarah Connor of course.
Whether an innovation can correctly be labeled as AI (or with any other overhyped term of the day) is far less important than whether the innovation helps accomplish the mission. The Terminator’s mission was to terminate Sarah Connor, and the Terminator was extremely well suited for carrying out the mission (although it actually failed in this case). Defining the mission that you would like to accomplish with AI, IoT, big data, etc. is actually much more important, in my humble opinion, than the actual technology you select to achieve the mission. Have you thought about the mission that you want to accomplish using technology?
I believe the mission you are generally attempting to accomplish through technology is to maximize customer equipment performance while eliminating equipment failures so that your customer experiences the least risk, expense, and disruption in their business. The reason that technology is important as an enabler of this mission is because it is generally cheaper and easier to manage (sometimes) than people. If you accomplish this mission, your customer will spend zero dollars recovering from disruptions (lost output, spoiled inventory, damaged property, emergency services) while maximizing the amount of money they spend with you relative to other suppliers.
I will continue this topic next week with real-world examples of how AI, IoT, and big data are being used by service contractors today. I’ll also have some advice to make sure that what you’re building is more like a high-performing Terminator than a cobbled-together Frankenstein monster.
