FSM Vs CRM – The Right Software For You

ZenTrades

FSM Vs CRM - The Right Software For You

Field Service Management
May 12, 2024
9 Min Read

What Are FSMs and CRMs?

Field Service Management Software (FSM) is a tool used to improve the functions and tasks of field service professionals, integrating technology and automation into their workflows. Customer management software (CRM) is a tool that can help control the full cycle of customer interaction with your organization and help maintain that process, no matter the number of customers. It can become difficult to differentiate between the two, but they are actually very unique in nature.

A CRM tool is basically the best helping hand for a business. It keeps track of every customer and each interaction with them, analyzing the relationship and processing different sequences for that customer. It stays with the customer through the whole process of sales and gives them the extra push that can turn out to be a successful conversion by the end of the funnel.

But when you need to make a difference on the field with your technicians, it’s difficult to have CRM software help your guys out here and that’s where FSMs come in to help provide a solution for better mobility. FSM tools can thus provide better features for your teams that can make their lives much more easier and increase the overall productivity of your operations.

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Underlying Differences

Being so similar in their functionalities, it’s important to understand where both of these types of software differ in their functions and features. Here’s a comprehensive comparison of their differences,

CRM	FSM
Uses all available customer data to analyze the best path for that customer and a solid structure for continuous communication.	Field technicians conduct time-intensive operations on field sites that can be automated, allowing them to focus on greater efficiency and effectiveness.
Tracks every interaction with their customers, which leads to continuous interest in the product and a constant reminder of their services, leading to better sales and conversion rates.	Tracking how effective on-field technicians are during their work orders and analyzing what can be improved during these processes can help you better understand your technicians and the support they need during their jobs.
As important as maintaining interaction with customers is, CRM tools not only do that but also help improve your relationships with customers. This leads to a better overall sales funnel approach that doesn’t waste the customer’s time but takes them slowly down the funnel to the final state of a conversion.	Being able to visualize and track the workings of your technicians on every job gives customers a better chance at understanding these processes as well. By keeping this information open to the customers, it increases their sense of trust in the software and also promotes a platform of full work transparency, assuring customers that they are paying for effective services.
After creating proper pathways of interaction with CRM tools, they have the intelligence to modify these sequences and continue down a different path based on the interaction with the customer.	FSM tools provide all the data you’ll need to analyze your full operations process and make changes where necessary. This includes not only the steps of your technicians but also any process related to customer interaction.
Continuous updation of customer statuses and real-time feedback on the best course of action for customers and workers.	Field service software takes advantage of being mobile and accessible on any personal device for your on-field technicians, making their work a lot easier and more efficient, incorporating available resources into the structure of the job process.

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How Can They Improve Your Process?

CRMs

Collaboration: CRM tools promote collaborative efforts of the team and even interaction of outside personnel who are involved in the process of the software. More interaction and development from their sides basically make the whole work process more efficient because of a full collaborative conclusion of what needs to be done.
Data Analysis: Users of the software are opened up to a world of continuous data analysis and feedback, which they can use to better operate their services while also taking into consideration new and more effective ways they can process their data, using the overall analysis of how to improve their systems.

One-Stop Solution: Users need not use any other tool or software to analyze their workflows, improve their processes, or access customer information. Everything is available to them directly in one spot: their CRM database. No need for any unnecessary time wastage switching between products or applications for more data.

Marketing and Sales Automation: Creating workflows and funnels for customers that are fully automated to the point of 0% input from the user’s side. The software takes care of your marketing for you, automating emails, CTA’s, promotion, and SEO tasks, all automated with the preferences and goals of your organization in mind.

Even the whole process of sales pitching and conversion is automated based on certain hook factors and elements of the sales funnel.

FSMs

Know Your Client and Endless Integration: Your FSM tool is your hub for whatever information you will ever need about a job or your customer. Integration with any type of information or software that you need so that you have everything available in one place and do not have to go to multiple other sources for a total compilation of your database.

Efficient Scheduling and Emergencies: Real-time scheduling of any jobs that need to be taken care of for customers within seconds of requesting. Track technicians and workers for dispatching and service at the closest location. This saves a lot of time and energy from the workers’ side and solves the problems of the customers for any emergencies they may have that need to be immediately resolved.

Effective Tracking: Every one of your customers and their processes are tracked in real-time, improving customer trust and satisfaction while also keeping an eye on the processes. Even technicians and their efficiency are tracked in order to bring in a more conclusive report on what can be done to effectively improve your overall processes.

Reduction & No Waste: The reduction of overall costs for the organization is almost exponential. Digitalization of all of the data, no more paperwork ever. More jobs and more work due to time and location optimization. Reducing any sort of liabilities on physical labor of tasks by providing a collaborative solution for your tasks.

Optimization and Automation: Automating any repetitive tasks that need to be done on a frequent basis and creating workflows of automation for any process in the software, that can picked up and used by the user almost instantly. Optimizing the processes for the best output which in turn increases productivity and profits for your customers.

Which Tool Does It Come Down To?

CRM tools help you see the problems from your customers’ perspective. Understanding where they stand and how you can help them is the effectiveness of this tool. It can improve any process within your workflow while providing you with a hub to access any information you would ever need for your processes. It helps understand where your organization, or rather in which aspects, can improve its overall structure while continuing to provide appreciable services.

Field Service Management tools are optimized to provide an easier and more efficient process for your technicians and workers. More tracking and effectiveness from their side is the step that can lead to a much better organizational image for your customers, saving you tons of money and time in the process. Automating what can be and focusing on the more integral parts of your service business is what can be concluded as the best use of an FSM tool.

The Perfect Blend of Both - ZenTrades

After comparing both CRMs and FSMs, it is a easy decision to decide which side you’d want to choose. An analysis of your business and the type of support you require can bring an effective answer to mind, but it does come at the cost of losing some specialized features. This is where ZenTrades comes in.

ZenTrades is not only a field service management software product but it can also be classified as a CRM as well. There’s no need to have to choose between the features of one or the other when you can find all of it in our software.

And to show you how serious we are, we’re giving you a free demo with one of our product specialists, who can show you exactly why you need this software for the exponential growth of your business.