Top Benefits of Subcontractor Management Software
For the majority of field service organizations, managing contractors and subcontractors is a crucial aspect of their daily operations. Any organization that prefers to use more qualified specialists for all maintenance and project work has the option to contract out some of its field service delivery to subcontractors.
However, improper manual contractor management can lead to declines in productivity, service quality, and customer experience. It’s easy for crucial information to unintentionally fall through the cracks because of the inherent complexity of onboarding new contractors and variable data points like contractor scheduling and service coverage demands. This isn’t because field service managers aren’t competent; rather, it’s because they don’t have access to necessary real-time data, automated contractor management techniques, and all-inclusive mobile technologies. That’s where subcontractor management software comes in.
If you run a business that requires you to hire and manage subcontractors, this blog is for you. Here you will find everything you need to know about this revolutionary piece of software, including its definition, importance, benefits, and, most importantly, the best software options to manage subcontractors. To learn more about it, just read on.
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Table of Contents
Subcontractor Management Software: How it Works
Essentially, subcontractor management software is a digital tool that helps you automate your workflow involving subcontractor management. It is a cloud-based, mobile optimized field service software system that helps you automate and streamline your business processes.
Using the software, you can manage subcontractor schedules, dispatch technicians, monitor your field teams in real-time, generate reports and business analytics, and even manage your inventory and other resources. Using your desktop or smartphone, you can view and manage all this information and make necessary changes with just a click.
Most subcontractor management software offers integrated mobile applications for field technicians as well. This means it is not just for business owners or office executives; rather, it helps your subcontractors stay connected with the back office at the same time. Using the app, they can view their schedules, accept job orders, receive notifications, report time, update job progress, share documents and images, access necessary customer information, and even create final invoices to receive payment from the customer right from the job site.
Importance of Subcontractor Management Software
Field service organizations are resorting to contractors in order to rapidly scale their services as a result of the graying of the workforce, leaving them short on staff to meet demand. As a result, field service firms are more and more dependent on contractors to address skills, availability, and location-related personnel shortfalls. A secure, seamless, and effective subcontractor management procedure must be implemented as a result of the increasing number of contractors being included in business workflows and customer-facing services. However, that’s easier said than done.
Turning away business is a formula for catastrophe in the field services industries of today, where margins are already razor thin. You miss out on chances to attract new clients and perhaps upsell them on preventative maintenance contracts, but you also miss out on additional revenue. Although additional money from emergency calls can undoubtedly aid in the expansion of your organization, recurring revenue is wonderful for the bottom line. It will be challenging to hire one without subcontractor management software, though.
Getting them to work, making sure they uphold your standards while representing your company, and paying them on time will also be challenging. In this article, we’ll examine the five benefits of subcontractor management software and how they can help you stop losing out on revenue.
Now you might wonder, “Why would I turn away customers?” Well, ideally, you should not. But there are certain situations where you might have no choice. For example, imagine the following scenario:
All of your technicians are busy when dispatch receives an emergency call. Since each of those clients has a contract with you, you cannot fire them. Even if the repair is quite simple and shouldn’t take more than an hour, you still want the customer’s business because you might end up signing them to a contract in the future. Additionally, you don’t want your business to be recognized for turning customers away. Now is the time to think about using a subcontractor.
If you’re already using subcontractor software, this won’t be an issue. However, if you haven’t yet started using one, you might be turning away business.
That being said, subcontractor management software offers way more advantages than just enabling you to grab more business opportunities. In truth, this is the biggest competitive advantage a business dealing with a large team of staff, vendors, and subcontractors can leverage for growth and productivity. But most importantly, it is the smartest way to increase your profits in today’s age and time.
Sounds too good to be true? Check out the benefits and decide for yourself.
Benefits of Subcontractor Management Software
The ability to use your subcontractors as much as your in-house technicians is one of the strongest features of subcontractor software. Your subcontractors will be available to dispatchers who are using a skillset search to look for a technician who is available. They receive the same dispatch as any of your full-time staff members. You can track their progress just like you would with any other professional, and they fulfill work orders in the same manner. Whether they are your own technicians or subcontractors, it enables you to get properly organized and ensure that the right person, with the right skill set, in the right place, is sent to the job site.
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You should treat subcontractors the same way in the field as you would your own technicians if you plan to treat them similarly in your field service software. Treating them as such can only guarantee that they are working to your standards because they are a representative of your company. So grant them access to the same mobile field service app that your internal technicians use. They can fulfill their jobs without needing a paper-based work order by having work orders pushed to them through a mobile app while they are out in the field.
Use checklists to keep the subcontractor on target and performing according to your requirements for more standard control. Customers should sign the work order when it is finished, and then it should be quickly converted into an invoice after review. You could even go so far as to allow users of your subcontractor management software access to historical service records. They can then see any previous problems and perhaps come up with a quicker fix.
It’s no secret that the demand for service employment in the field services sector can vary significantly. The fact that it is understood, however, does not imply that field service organizations are prepared to properly manage these variations. Many service firms are having trouble finding enough technicians to service their typical geographic locations due to the graying of the workforce, let alone expand when necessary.
The solution to this workforce capacity issue is subcontractor management software. Field service firms are prepared to fulfill demand exactly when it arises by giving them the flexibility to utilize outside contractors. Additionally, firms can expand service coverage for more diverse projects and in farther-flung places with an increase in technician availability, skills, and geographic location. This enables field service companies to concentrate on increasing their earnings while safeguarding the safety of their technicians and clients. Furthermore, the dispatching of technicians can be based on location, which speeds up arrival times and reduces exposure. In addition to being morally proper, valuing customer and technician safety promotes a great customer experience.
An enhanced client experience is among the most significant advantages of contractor management software. This is so because in today’s field service sector, being able to satisfy customers is just as important as being able to give service in the first place. According to market research, for example, 80% of customers believe that a company’s customer experience is just as essential as its goods and services, and 57% of customers claim they have quit using a company’s services because a rival offered a better one. Therefore, customer experience must be taken seriously by field service businesses that are focused on success. Subcontractor software makes that possible.
The software gives clients the freedom to control their own experiences through an intuitive customer interface. A customer portal enables customers to watch real-time technician locations and connect directly with technicians as needed. This prevents clients from being in the dark about technician arrival times or service expectations, as manual service frequently does. By avoiding causes of friction like unmet expectations or communication breakdowns, this promotes a seamless client experience. The built-in EFT payment feature also makes it simple for customers to pay for services electronically.
Not only do you want the customer to pay you at the end of the task, but the subcontractor also wants payment as soon as they are done with the project. The fantastic news is that every strategy we discussed already ensures on-time payment of subcontractors. And you may turn those work orders into payment vouchers for the subcontractor if your subcontractor management software is integrated with an accounting system like QuickBooks, NetSuite, or Microsoft GP.
This is due to the fact that you previously paid them when you onboarded. Examine the work order, and if it’s satisfactory and complete, move it along and have a payment voucher made. Don’t fail to pay your subcontractors on time. By utilizing integrated field service software to quickly pay your subcontractors, you may enhance your reputation as a subcontractor-friendly company.
Best Subcontractor Management Software
Field Promax offers perhaps one of the widest ranges of field management features and tools to manage subcontractors and field employees. From basic FSM capabilities like scheduling, dispatching, estimating, real-time monitoring, invoicing, and time-tracking to advanced supports such as GPS technology, cloud storage, QuickBooks integration, as well as a dedicated mobile app for field technicians, it gives you everything you possibly need to get the job done.
But the popularity of Field Promax lies elsewhere. Despite packing so many features, it offers one of the most user-friendly interfaces you will find in any subcontractor software today. It has practically a zero learning curve, making it easy for anyone to learn how to use the functions in minutes. Besides, Field Promax offers a surprisingly affordable pricing plan to suit any business, regardless of their team size or number of projects. Moreover, Field Promax integrates with QuickBooks, making accounting and bookkeeping easier for you.
Zoho Books is the ultimate accounting and subcontractor management platform tailor-made for today’s business. The cloud-based tool effectively streamlines business transactions, keeps track of revenue and expenditures, automates daily operations, integrates with systems like inventory management software, CRM, and subscription tools, and is available on all mobile devices. It’s also available in different languages, and companies may generate invoices in the currency of their choice for their customers.
Contractor Foreman is one of the most easy to use and most affordable subcontractor management solutions available today. The fully featured software application lets you take better control of your workforce and optimize your resources for maximum productivity.
Contract Foreman offers a smart scheduling and dispatch tool with efficient features like calendar management, estimates, reporting, audit logs, job tracking, billing, invoicing, and third-party integrations.
eSub is a dedicated software program that helps subcontractors speed up projects on the job site. Using its cloud-based platform, it helps your field teams connect with the office and keep track of jobs. It also has project management to help save time with assignment scheduling, keep track of office tasks, manage documents, etc.
Procore is another great project control software that helps manage subcontractors and equipment. It is a cloud-based system that streamlines scheduling and project management tasks, including scheduling, dispatch, monitoring, and time-tracking. You can also create custom reports, manage upcoming and repeat projects, and have real-time progress updates using this software.
As demonstrated above, subcontractor management software has a lot of advantages. In general, field service firms will gain a lot from adopting digital transformation and enabling data-driven decision-making using AI-driven software. This modernization is aided by the use of contractor management software, which also improves client satisfaction and service efficiency and quality.
If you want all these advantages when managing subcontractors, make sure you have the best subcontractor management software for your business. Today, there is no better choice than Field Promax in this regard.
So, what are you thinking? Choose the best for your business.
For More Information, contact Field Promax .
- Automated subcontractor management
- Streamlined contract management
- Risk mitigation
- Improved Communication
- Improved efficiency
- Reduced costs
- Increased accuracy
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