Field Service Management Software: The Complete UK Trade Guide

Field service management (FSM) software helps trade businesses manage their operations from job scheduling to customer payments. Instead of juggling paper schedules, Excel spreadsheets, and missed calls, FSM software centralizes everything in one place. **Core functions include:** - Job scheduling and dispatch - Customer management - Invoice generation and payment collection - Team coordination - Mobile access for field workers

UK trades face unique challenges that generic software doesn't address: **Payment Speed**: UK businesses need same-day bank transfers via Faster Payments, not 3-5 day delays from US systems. **Compliance**: GDPR compliance, UK tax requirements, and Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) handling. **Support Hours**: UK-based support during GMT business hours, not Canadian or US time zones. **Local Integration**: Native UK banking, SMS costs that make sense, and payment methods customers actually use.

**Job Scheduling** Visual calendar with drag-and-drop functionality. Must handle recurring jobs (weekly cleanings, monthly maintenance) without manual re-entry. **Customer Management** Contact details, job history, payment records. Simple enough for non-technical users but comprehensive enough for growing businesses. **Mobile Access** Field workers need to update job status, add photos, collect signatures. Works offline when signal is poor. **Invoicing & Payments** Generate professional invoices, collect payments via card/bank transfer, automatic payment reminders. UK VAT handling is non-negotiable. **Team Coordination** Assign jobs to specific technicians, track progress, internal messaging for urgent updates.

**Per-User vs Fixed Plans** Most software charges per user per month (£20-50 each). For small teams, fixed-price plans often work better. **SMS Costs** Critical for customer communication but expensive. Many providers charge £15-50/month for basic SMS. Look for included allowances. **Payment Processing** Card processing fees typically 1.4-2.9%. Some software includes this, others charge separately. **Setup Costs** Traditional systems charge £500-2000 for setup and training. Modern cloud solutions should be ready in minutes, not days.

**Over-Engineering** Enterprise features like complex inventory management or GPS fleet tracking add cost and complexity most small trades don't need. **US-Focused Solutions** Popular American software often has poor UK bank integration, expensive international SMS rates, and support during US hours. **Feature Creep** Starting simple then adding features as you grow beats trying to implement everything at once. Most businesses use 20% of available features. **Contract Lock-in** Annual contracts with cancellation fees limit flexibility. Monthly billing lets you adapt as business needs change.