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Best Service Dispatch Software for 2024

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Last Updated: June 14, 2024

Published Date: July 25, 2023

Are you tired of the endless chaos that comes with managing service dispatch operations? Well, fret no more! In this article, we’re diving into the world of service dispatch software, including field service management (FSM)—the superhero solution that can rescue your team from the clutches of disorganization. Whether you’re a small business or a bustling enterprise, we’ve got your back with a vibrant lineup of software options to streamline your dispatch processes and bring peace and order to your operations.

Whether you’re a small business looking to streamline your dispatch operations or an enterprise seeking scalable solutions, we’ve got you covered. We’ll highlight top service dispatch software options, their unique functionalities, and real-world success stories to help you make an informed decision.

So, join us on this informative journey as we unravel the power of service dispatch software and equip you with the knowledge to take your field service operations to the next level.

Jobber: Best for construction
Housecall Pro: Best for electrical
ServiceTitan: Best for HVAC
ServiceFusion: Best for plumbing
FieldEdge: Best for trucking

Software	Work Order Managementr	Real-Time Dispatch	GPS Tracking	Try
	Excellent	Great	Great	Try Jobber
	Great	Excellent	Excellent	Try Housecall Pro
	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Try ServiceTitan
	Good	Great	Good	Try ServiceFusion
	Great	Excellent.	Excellent	Try FieldEdge

Top FSM service dispatch tools

Jobber: Best for construction

Pros

Easily schedules and tracks the usage of equipment and workers
Job tracking
Real-time communication through mobile app
Stores and manages documentation

Cons

Does not include construction-specific features
Cost prohibitive for small companies

Online Booking: This feature allows your clients to request work through an online form directly integrated into your website. All requests come into your Jobber account for easy review and scheduling.

Client Hub: A self-service portal for your clients where they can view and approve quotes, check appointment details, pay invoices, and print receipts online. This streamlines client interaction and enhances customer satisfaction.

Scheduling: Using the intuitive drag-and-drop interface, you can schedule jobs, assign tasks to team members, and manage your team’s overall schedule. This feature enhances team productivity and efficiency.

Invoicing and Follow-ups: Jobber simplifies the billing process by allowing you to generate professional invoices and automate follow-up reminders. This accelerates the payment process and helps maintain steady cash flow.

Mobile App: Jobber’s mobile app lets your team access their schedules, client information, track time, and update job progress while on the go. This improves communication, efficiency, and record-keeping accuracy.

Free Trial: New users can try Jobber for free for 14 days, no credit card needed

Core

Price: $39/user/month or $29/user/month (billed annually)

Ideal For: Businesses looking to organize their operations—from quoting to scheduling to invoicing—in one place

Key Features: Everything in Lite plus schedule and manage jobs, online request form, online booking, lead management, over 20 built-in reports, 1-on-1 product coaching, access to Jobber app marketplace

Number of Users: 1

Connect

Price: $169/month for up to 5 users, or $129/month for up to 5 users (billed annually). Extra users can be added for $39/month each.

Ideal For: Businesses aiming to build efficient processes to better connect their team and impress customers

Key Features: Everything in Core plus automated reminders, automatic payments, QuickBooks Online sync, online booking, Zapier Integration

Number of Users: Up to 5

Grow

Price: $349/month for up to 15 users, or $219/month for up to 15 users (billed annually). Extra users can be added for $39/month each.

Ideal For: Businesses aiming to scale with powerful sales and marketing automation tools

Key Features: Everything in Connect plus quote add-ons and images, job costing, automated quote follow-ups, two-way text messaging, ability to tag and manage leads

Number of Users: Up to 15, with the option to add more at an extra cost

Jobber’s selection as an optimal construction FSM tool is grounded in its wide-ranging features. Their online booking feature streamlines work requests, while the Client Hub enables self-serve client interaction. Scheduling is made intuitive with their drag-and-drop calendar, and the invoicing and follow-up system expedites payments. Jobber’s mobile app offers real-time access to schedules and client information. Additionally, it accommodates growth with scalable pricing tiers.

Founded in 2011 was created to help small home service businesses organize their operations. Today, Jobber supports numerous industries, including construction, offering features like online booking, scheduling, invoicing, and a client hub. With a robust mobile app, it enables seamless communication and real-time updates. Jobber, headquartered in Edmonton, Canada, continues to innovate, supporting businesses worldwide in becoming more efficient and customer-centric.

HousecallPro: Best for electrical

Pros

Real-time dispatching
Job management
Invoicing and payment
Estimation and bidding
Customer management

Cons

Lacks a sophisticated inventory management system
Lacks detailed electrical estimations
Does not support granular time tracking

housecall pro

Estimates: Housecall Pro enables you to create, send, and follow up on job estimates from the mobile app or online dashboard. Customers can approve estimates online, making the process seamless and efficient.

Live GPS Tracking: Track your team’s location in real-time with Housecall Pro’s live GPS tracking feature. This allows for efficient routing and provides insights into job progress.

Automated Marketing: Housecall Pro provides automated postcard and email marketing tools. You can send targeted email campaigns, thank-you notes, and reminders to customers, aiding in customer retention and growth.

Customer Management (CRM): With Housecall Pro’s customer management feature, you can keep track of customer information, job history, notes, and more, providing a personalized service experience.

Online Booking: Housecall Pro offers an online booking feature that can be embedded on your website or Facebook page, letting customers easily schedule appointments.

Review Management: The platform helps you gather and manage customer reviews, a crucial part of maintaining and improving your business’s online reputation.

Basic Plan:

Price: $49/user/month

Features: Optimized solutions for your business, including credit card rates as low as 2.59%, drag & drop scheduling, real-time dispatching, paperless invoicing, easy estimates, customizable text notifications, in-app employee chat, job cost tracking, review generation, price book management, online booking, employee time tracking, custom local phone number, customizable dashboard, mobile payment processing & tracking, competitive consumer financing, saved key performance reports, instant credit card payouts, mobile app for iOS & Android, and Pro community membership.

Essentials Plan:

Price: $129/month for 1-5 users

Features: All Basic Plan features plus QuickBooks integration, detailed job & estimate reporting, visual price book, flat rate pricing, custom checklists, technician performance tracking, equipment tracking, premium review management, employee GPS tracking, postcard & email marketing, expense cards, live website visitor chat, and Zapier integration.

MAX Plan:

Price: Contact for pricing, accommodates 1-100+ users

Features: All Basic and Essentials Plan features plus advanced reporting, open API integration, key account onboarding specialist, escalated phone support, and the ability to add users for $35/mo each.

Add-Ons Included: Sales proposal tool and recurring service plans (These add-ons are an extra cost per month for the Basic and Essentials plans with a total value of $80).

Housecall Pro’s real-time dispatching and live GPS tracking foster efficient coordination and routing, vital for electricians. The platform’s invoicing and payment system streamlines billing and expedites payment cycles. With detailed estimates that can automatically convert to a job, customer communications are smooth. The online booking feature simplifies appointment scheduling for customers, increasing accessibility. Housecall Pro also places a heavy emphasis on customer management, with tools to track customer information and history, thereby enhancing service personalization and customer satisfaction.

Housecall Pro, established in 2013, states Its mission is to empower service professionals to operate their businesses efficiently. The platform offers a variety of features including scheduling, dispatching, invoicing, payment processing, customer management, and more. Initially serving home service industries, Housecall Pro has since expanded to accommodate various businesses, from electrical and plumbing to cleaning services.

Visit Housecall Pro

ServiceTitan: Best for HVAC

Pros

Includes industry-specific software
Comprehensive job management
Visual pricebook
Inventory management
Training portal

Cons

Reporting limitations
No offline mode

Visual Pricebook: This feature allows businesses to create visually appealing and interactive presentations for clients to better understand and choose from the services offered.

Sales Proposal Tool: It helps create detailed and professional sales proposals to communicate clearly with customers and close more deals.

Marketing Analytics: ServiceTitan’s marketing tools provide robust analytics and tracking capabilities to understand the return on investment of various marketing efforts.

Intelligent Dispatch: The software features advanced dispatch capabilities to optimize technician routes and schedules, leading to increased efficiency and productivity.

Training Portal (ServiceTitan University): It offers a platform for training employees, keeping them updated with best practices and how to use ServiceTitan effectively.

Per Technician Plan: $125 per technician, per month. This plan is ideal if you have a fluctuating number of technicians as you only pay for each technician using the software.

Flat Rate Plan: $398 per month, regardless of the number of technicians. This plan could be more economical if you have more than three technicians using the software regularly.

ServiceTitan, designed specifically for home services, is an excellent choice for HVAC field service management. Features like Visual Pricebook and Intelligent Dispatch, cater precisely to the unique needs of HVAC businesses. The Sales Proposal Tool assists in preparing detailed proposals, enhancing customer interaction and boosting sales. With built-in Inventory Management, tracking parts usage and reordering becomes efficient. The Training Portal ensures employees stay updated with the best practices. Marketing Analytics provide insights into ROI on marketing efforts, while seamless Finance Integration makes financial management hassle-free.

Founded in 2012, ServiceTitan is a leading provider of workflow management software for home service businesses, including HVAC, plumbing, and electrical. Born out of the real-life experiences of two tradesmen’s sons, ServiceTitan has a deep understanding of the unique challenges within these industries. With a cloud-based platform designed to boost revenue and streamline operations, the company now supports thousands of home service businesses. ServiceTitan provides a suite of features like Visual Pricebook, Intelligent Dispatch, and Sales Proposal Tool, helping businesses to deliver superior service and grow.

Visit ServiceTitan

ServiceFusion: Best for plumbing

Pros

Estimation and quoting
Scheduling and dispatching
Inventory management
Customer management

Cons

Inventory tracking limitations
Inefficient job costing
Limited access to certain features for field technicians

Estimates & Job Management: ServiceFusion allows businesses to create, manage, and track estimates and jobs in real time, helping to streamline operations.

Customer Management: With the customer relationship management (CRM) system, you can keep track of all your customer information, including service history and equipment details.

Scheduling & Dispatch: The drag-and-drop dispatch board allows for easy assignment and reassignment of jobs. Recurring jobs can also be automatically scheduled.

Inventory Management: Keep an eye on your inventory levels, track the parts usage for each job, and manage vendor relationships.Invoicing & Payments: Generate professional-looking invoices and accept credit card payments in the field, with automatic syncing to your accounting software.

Starter Plan:

Price: $126/user/month (billed annually)

Unlimited Users

Features included: Customer Management, Estimates & Jobs, Scheduling & Dispatching, QuickBooks Integration, Invoicing, Payment Processing, Project Management, Reporting, Text Messaging Alerts, Estimate Option, plus optional Add-Ons (Job Photo Uploads, Inventory Management, Job Costing, Custom Documents, eSign Documents, Customer Web Portal, Progressive Billing & Recurring Invoicing, ServiceCall.ai, GPS Fleet Tracking, FusionPay powered by PaySimple).

Plus Plan:

Price: $186/user/month (billed annually)

Unlimited Users

Features included: All Starter Plan features plus Integrated Voice & Text, and additional optional Add-Ons.

Pro Plan:

Price: $339/user/month (billed annually)

Unlimited Users

Features included: All Plus Plan features plus Open API Integration, and additional optional Add-Ons.

With comprehensive customer management, scheduling, and dispatching tools, it streamlines operations for plumbing businesses. The integration with QuickBooks ensures seamless financial management. The ability to generate estimates, manage jobs, and track inventory simplifies project execution. ServiceFusion’s reporting capabilities provide insights into business performance, while features like text messaging alerts and GPS fleet tracking enhance communication and efficiency.

ServiceFusion’s comprehensive platform combines features such as customer management, scheduling, dispatching, invoicing, and reporting to streamline operations. ServiceFusion caters to various industries, including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and more. By integrating essential aspects of service management into one user-friendly platform, ServiceFusion enables businesses to improve efficiency, enhance customer service, and drive growth.

Visit ServiceFusion

FieldEdge: Best for trucking

Pros

Job management
Route optimization
Mobile app
Inventory management
Customer management

Cons

Lack of advanced dispatching
Complex setup and configuration

Advanced Dispatching: FieldEdge offers intelligent dispatching capabilities, allowing trucking companies to assign jobs based on factors such as technician availability, proximity, and skill set, optimizing routing and resource allocation.

Parts and Inventory Tracking: FieldEdge includes comprehensive inventory management tools that enable trucking companies to track and manage their parts, supplies, and equipment inventory, ensuring efficient stock management and timely replenishment.

Mobile Time Clock: FieldEdge provides a mobile time clock feature, allowing drivers to clock in and out directly from the mobile app, streamlining time tracking and payroll processes.

Flat Rate Pricing: FieldEdge supports flat rate pricing, enabling trucking companies to offer upfront and standardized pricing for specific services, enhancing transparency and simplifying the billing process.

Integration with Vehicle Tracking Systems: FieldEdge integrates with popular vehicle tracking systems, allowing trucking companies to combine FSM functionality with real-time GPS tracking of their vehicles, enabling better fleet management and improved visibility into driver location and performance.

Ranges from $100 to $150 per user per month with the purchase of an annual subscription.

FieldEdge offers real-time dispatching, efficient scheduling, and advanced GPS tracking to optimize our fleet management. Its robust analytics provide actionable insights to boost operational efficiency. Its cloud-based platform guarantees secure data storage and accessibility, which is critical in managing our trucking operations on the go. Plus, the seamless QuickBooks integration allows effortless invoicing, maintaining our financial records accurately.

Founded in 1980, the company initially created ESC, a Windows-based software. However, recognizing the growing demand for cloud-based solutions, they rebranded as FieldEdge in 2015 and focused on providing an advanced, cloud-based FSM platform. The software is designed to streamline operations, improve productivity, and drive customer satisfaction for businesses in the service industry, including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and others. The platform offers features like real-time dispatching, digital work orders, and dynamic dashboards, making it a robust tool for modern businesses.

Visit FieldEdge

Key components of dispatch scheduling software

Work Order Management: The ability to create, assign, and track work orders in real-time.

Real-time Dispatching: A key feature that allows instant allocation of jobs to technicians based on their skills, location, and availability.

Route Optimization: This function provides the most efficient travel routes for field staff, saving time and fuel costs.

GPS Tracking: Allows managers to monitor field staff location in real-time, ensuring transparency and efficient dispatching.

Availability Calendar: A system to manage the schedule of all technicians, helping to prevent overbooking and conflicts.

Communication Tools: These facilitate instant messaging or calls between dispatchers and field technicians.

Reporting and Analytics: To analyze job performance, technician productivity, and help in decision making.

Integration: The software should easily integrate with other systems like inventory, billing, and CRM to provide a seamless operational experience.

These components, when effectively combined, can greatly enhance the efficiency and productivity of dispatch scheduling.

Who uses dispatch management software

Dispatch management software is used across various industries, primarily by organizations that require field services or have mobile workforces. This includes sectors such as logistics and transportation, where companies use it to manage fleets, assign routes, and track deliveries.

In the field services sector, businesses like HVAC, plumbing, electrical services, and pest control utilize dispatch software for efficient scheduling and routing of technicians. Emergency services like ambulance and fire departments use it to ensure swift response to distress calls.

Utilities companies use this software to manage repair and maintenance tasks, while cable and telecom companies use it to handle installations and service requests. Waste management services use dispatch software to schedule and route their collection vehicles.

In the tech industry, IT and network service providers use dispatch software to manage their technicians’ visits to client sites for installations, maintenance, or repairs.

ALSO READ: Field Service Scheduling Software Guide

Importance of service dispatch software for your business

Dispatch software plays a pivotal role in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of your business operations. Its key function is to streamline the process of scheduling, routing, and dispatching field workers, crucial for industries such as logistics, field services, utilities, and emergency services. With real-time dispatching capabilities, your team can allocate tasks dynamically, minimizing delays and boosting customer satisfaction.

Route optimization features ensure your field workers use the most efficient paths, saving on time and fuel costs. GPS tracking enhances transparency, allowing you to monitor progress and ensure worker safety. Furthermore, advanced analytics provided by such software offer invaluable insights into your business operations, facilitating strategic decision making. The integration of dispatch software with other business systems such as inventory, billing, and CRM creates a seamless operational experience, enhancing overall productivity.

Looking for the latest in FSM solutions? Check out our FSM Software Buyer’s Guide.

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TechnologyAdvice is able to offer our services for free because some vendors may pay us for web traffic or other sales opportunities. Our mission is to help technology buyers make better purchasing decisions, so we provide you with information for all vendors — even those that don’t pay us.

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Methodology and selection process

At TechnologyAdvice, we assess a wide range of factors before selecting our top choices for a given category. To make our selections, we rely on our extensive research, product information, vendor websites, competitor research and first-hand experience. We then consider what makes a solution best for customer-specific needs. By defining business needs, we can determine the essential features organizations in various sectors require, and select platforms that will cover all bases. Reputable providers known for their ease of use and customer satisfaction are added to our compilation list for further analysis. We then evaluate each solution on the list based on the features they offer, considering the platform’s usability, integration capabilities, customization options, mobile access, and any other relevant functionalities. Price plans, hidden fees, customer reviews, and customer support are also assessed in the selection process. Technology Advice writers will often take advantage of free trials and demos to get a first-hand user experience of available software. Finally, we curate a comprehensive list based on the previously stated factors, ensuring readers have the necessary tools to make an informed decision.

FAQ

Dispatch software is a digital tool used to efficiently schedule, assign, and manage tasks for field workers in real-time, ensuring optimal resource utilization and enhanced service delivery.

The top features of dispatch software include work order management, real-time dispatching, route optimization, GPS tracking, availability calendar, communication tools, reporting and analytics, and seamless integration with other operational systems.

Staff Writer

Aron Vaughan is a TechnologyAdvice Staff Writer focused on coverage and research in the fields of Business Intelligence, Sales, and IT software categories. During his career, he has covered a wide array of cutting-edge tech topics from Artificial Intelligence to Sustainable Energy, Augmented Reality, and more. With a background in journalism, he is dedicated to crafting articles that inform readers and deliver the best possible answers for data-driven decision making.