10 Best Work Order Apps for Service Businesses

If you run a commercial or home service business and you’re in the market for a work order app, there are two main types of software solutions available:

• Work order apps: The primary purpose of these apps is to create and track work orders.  

• Field service management software with work order features: This software integrates work order management with other essential business functions, such as scheduling and dispatching, estimates and proposals, invoicing, inventory, asset tracking, and more.

Compared to field service management software, work order-only apps have some distinct disadvantages to consider, including:

• Workflow inefficiencies: Work order-only apps don’t tend to connect seamlessly with the other apps you use to run your business. This means you (or someone at the office) need to repeatedly enter the same job details from the work order into a variety of other apps or spreadsheets as you progress through the job.

• Increased likelihood of errors: This repetitive manual data entry increases the likelihood of costly errors, such as delivering inaccurate invoices to customers.

• The need to pay for many different apps: Paying for several disconnected apps isn’t optimal financially, nor is having to train your employees to use a variety of different platforms.     

Together, these drawbacks can significantly hurt the efficiency and profitability of a field service business.  As a result, many contractors can benefit far more from cloud-based field service management software like ServiceTitan.

In this article, we’re going to explain how ServiceTitan streamlines work order management and seamlessly connects work orders to the rest of the service business workflow. Then, we’ll share nine other software solutions you can consider as well.

In total, we’ll cover:

10 Work Order Apps 

1. ServiceTitan

2. Jobber

3. Service Fusion

4. FieldEdge

5. ServiceMax

6. Housecall Pro

7. Kickserv

8. ServiceTrade

9. Smart Service

10. Sera

1. ServiceTitan

How ServiceTitan Seamlessly Integrates Work Orders Into Field Service Business Operations

Ensuring that new work orders are thorough, accurate, and easily shareable between field and office staff is fundamental to service business operations because every subsequent step of delivering services is informed by the work order, including:

• Scheduling and Dispatching: Ensuring that dispatchers have the information they need to get the right field technicians to the right jobs and are fully informed when they show up at a business or residence.  

• Creating Estimates and Proposals: Ensuring that estimates and proposals reflect the appropriate solutions (repairs, replacements, etc.) and customer information.  

• Creating Invoices and Getting Paid: Ensuring that invoices and payment information reflect the same job and customer information that was documented in the initial work request and estimate. 

Using a work order-only app might solve some organizational challenges, but it won’t do much to prevent manual entry errors when the same information has to be reentered into different apps throughout the rest of the job.

ServiceTitan’s all-in-one software automates much of the job management process by seamlessly integrating the work order into the rest of your workflow, thus increasing efficiency, productivity, and ultimately profitability.

Let’s look at how ServiceTitan improves and connects these processes. 

Creating Work Orders in ServiceTitan: A Guided Workflow That Ensures CSRs Capture All Necessary Job Details

When calls come in, ServiceTitan’s intuitive Call Booking feature guides CSRs through the process of collecting all necessary customer information, and auto-fills this information into a work order (referred to as the Job Overview page in ServiceTitan). If the caller is already a customer, CSRs can easily access their complete job history, property data, and any associated warranty or membership information. 

CSRs are prompted to complete drop-down menus and text boxes that populate the work order fields, including:

• Job type 

• Job priority 

• Job summary 

• Marketing campaign information

• Additional details, such as security gate codes, notification of pets on-premises, etc.

Techs can then access this information via their mobile device so that they’re fully prepared upon arrival at the job site. 

Crucially, once this information is captured, it doesn’t need to be reentered multiple times throughout the job. Work order tracking is streamlined because all of the details can be entered once and then automatically transferred into the subsequent documents needed to complete the job. 

Seamlessly Move from Work Order Creation to Scheduling and Dispatching

Once the specific job type and priority are indicated in the work order, ServiceTitan displays scheduling options directly from the call booking screen. When the customer agrees to an available date and time slot, the CSR can select an available technician within an arrival window time and book the job.

Additionally, our scheduling system includes:

• Call recordings (which allow dispatchers and techs to reference the original service request when they need clarification about job details).

• Adjustable Capacity Planning (which ensures that only appointments that meet your capacity goals and strategy are available at any given time while also preventing overbooking).

• Website scheduling (which allows customers to book their appointments online without ever talking to a CSR. It still collects all the necessary job details that a CSR would on a call).

• Automated Job Confirmations (which sends appointment confirmation requests to the customer according to their preference — text or email — and then automatically changes scheduled appointments to confirmations on the dispatch board).

Once a job is booked and scheduled, it’s viewable directly through the dispatch board, where dispatchers can access all of the same information and functionality discussed above. 

ServiceTitan’s easy-to-use dispatch board allows dispatchers to perform most of their tasks without having to leave the board. This includes being able to easily see which jobs are unassigned, unconfirmed, dispatched, working, paused, and more. 

Additional convenient Dispatch features include:

• Drag-and-drop functionality that allows dispatchers to easily assign or reassign a tech; confirm or reschedule a job; view property data; and more. 

• An Activity Feed that allows dispatchers to see real-time job activity, such as when maintenance tasks have been completed. 

• The ability to send direct messages and communicate with techs (individually or en masse). 

• Alerts that notify the dispatcher of unusual activity or problems that need to be addressed.

• GPS tracking allows dispatchers and clients (when this notification option is enabled) to track techs’ location as they’re on their way to a job.

• Schedule Optimization and Optimize Technician Route options that help dispatchers prioritize appointments for techs in an efficient way, including identifying jobs in locations where a tech is already working.

Create Estimates and Proposals Based on Work Order Details

ServiceTitan’s mobile app enables field technicians to create professional-quality proposals — strategically designed to maximize profitability — and then present them to customers via their tablets. 

Techs can use customizable estimate templates for increased efficiency, or build estimates from scratch with our built-in pricebook functionality. This allows them to quickly create line-item, flat-rate, or Good Better Best proposals (helping to increase average ticket prices) for customers. 

Additional estimating features include the ability to:

• Add photos or videos to an estimate (to provide visual evidence of damage that needs to be repaired or images of suggested materials/equipment presented in the estimate).

• Include a written summary of the findings, work to be done, or other important information about the job.

• Provide access to financing for big-ticket items right within the proposal, allowing customers to get approved on the spot.

• Present the estimate to the customer on a mobile device (iPhone, Android, iPad, or other iOS device), allowing the client to immediately accept the proposal and authorize the work.

Get Paid Faster with Integrated Invoicing and Payments

Once a job is complete, everything you need to create an invoice and receive payment is already up-to-date and ready to deliver to the customer. 

Simply click on the “Generate Invoice” button, and ServiceTitan generates a professional-looking, accurate invoice that you can mail, fax, text, or email to your customer (including a link where they can pay online).

Additional invoicing features include:

• Customizable invoice templates that allow you to add your company name and logo and choose the colors and fonts in line with your company image.

• The ability to attach videos and photos to an invoice, such as before and after photos of the work done.

• An optional field where you can add service suggestions, warranty information, membership promotions, etc. 

• Automatically store the invoice in the customer database so it’s easily accessible in the future if you need to access the customer’s service history.

Multiple options for accepting payment give customers flexibility and help ensure that you get paid quickly:

• Technicians can take a picture of a check and auto-deposit it immediately using the mobile app.

• Credit card payments can be processed using a Bluetooth Card Reader with a tap/swipe of the card or via a link to a customer portal where customers can pay online.

• Google Pay™ and Apple Pay® integration provide another flexible payment option.

If a customer applied for and was approved for financing through the estimate, payment is already taken care of.

Beyond the Work Order: Streamline Operations with Comprehensive Field Service Management Software

ServiceTitan helps to facilitate every step of a service job, providing user-friendly tools that help prevent common errors or frustrations and ensure a seamless start-to-finish workflow. 

In addition to our complete work order management system and the features we’ve discussed throughout this post, ServiceTitan offers:

• Payroll and time tracking solutions.

• Accounting software integrations with Viewpoint Vista, QuickBooks®, and Intacct.

• Customer relationship management (CRM) tools that help improve office organization and workflow in addition to improving the customer experience.

• Service Agreement Software that helps you streamline preventative maintenance management programs (i.e. process maintenance requests, coordinate maintenance teams, manage maintenance schedules, etc.).

• Field Reporting Software that helps you monitor key financial performance indicators (KPIs), such as CSR and technician metrics, revenue trends, and more.

• Forms and checklists for field and office staff. 

• Project tracking and task management.

• Comprehensive inventory management ​​with barcode scanning for improved tracking of equipment, materials, and parts inventory.

• Fleet tracking for streamlined vehicle asset management.

We help field service companies streamline and improve their work order processes to increase efficiency and grow profits. Want to see ServiceTitan in action? Schedule a call for a free platform tour.

Other Field Service Platforms with Work Order Management Software

2. Jobber

Jobber is a field service scheduling software that also offers a wide range of other features for field service business management. Like ServiceTitan, it offers functionality for estimating, quotes, scheduling, invoicing, and more.

However, when compared to Jobber, ServiceTitan offers:

• More robust, native pricebook functionality

• In-app access to top industry supplier equipment catalogs

• Extensive marketing functionality that reduces the need for third-party marketing hires

• More flexibility and customization for membership plans and recurring services

• Offline functionality for our mobile app that allows techs to work seamlessly (even when they’re out of cell service zones)

• Deeper reporting capabilities that allow business owners to drill down into the sources of their data

3. Service Fusion

Service Fusion describes itself as an “All-In-One Field Service Management Software.” Like ServiceTitan, it offers a wide range of features, including estimates, customer management, scheduling and dispatching, and more. 

However, when compared to Service Fusion, ServiceTitan offers the following as a part of our base product (while Service Fusion charges extra for many of these features):

• Robust membership billing capabilities (bulk membership billing, and automated monthly or annual billing options)

• Scheduled report automations

• Call booking automations for easier job booking and better customer experiences

• Property data to spot sales opportunities and drive revenue

4. FieldEdge

FieldEdge offers a wide range of features like ServiceTitan, including functionality for quotes and invoicing, scheduling and dispatching, service agreements, and more. 

However, when compared to FieldEdge, ServiceTitan offers:

• For residential service businesses

  • Integration with Google Local Services Ads

  • Seamless access to membership information during call booking

  • Adjustable capacity planning to optimize schedules for max profitability

  • Real-time technician tracking

  • Greater customization and drill-down capabilities for reports

• For commercial service businesses

  • Ability to create customer-specific pricing

  • Built-in customer portal with base subscription

  • A suite of project-management and project-tracking tools for longer-term projects

  • Dynamic form capabilities that ensure staff follow best practices and improve data quality

  • Native equipment tracking and inventory management

5. ServiceMax

ServiceMax, like other field service solutions, is designed to provide better visibility into your field service operations. They offer a number of products, such as Asset 360 for Salesforce, ServiceMax core, ServiceMax FieldFX (their mobile app), and ServiceMax Engage (for customer engagement). 

However, when compared to ServiceMax, ServiceTitan offers:

• The ability to toggle smoothly from one feature to another without the hassle of opening multiple windows, programs, or add-ons, which can disrupt workflow

• Advanced customer communication features included in our base subscription (ServiceMax requires an add-on fee)

• Highly customizable visual pricebooks that help grow average ticket prices and increase close rates

• Service agreement features that are more tailored for service businesses

6. HouseCall Pro

Housecall Pro is a mobile field service management software solution for home service businesses. Similar to ServiceTitan, it offers a wide range of features outside of invoicing, such as scheduling and dispatching, estimates, QuickBooks integration, and more. 

However, when compared to Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan offers:

• Greater native pricebook functionality

• Ability to drill down further into reporting metrics and trust your numbers

• Automated tagging features that help increase revenue

• Gated work sequences and customizable forms to facilitate accountability across the organization

• Offline functionality that allows techs to use our mobile app when out of cell service zones

7. Kickserv

Kickserv is another field service management software offering a variety of tools for large and small businesses. Like other FSM software, they provide a mobile app as well as desktop features for job management, scheduling, managing your workforce, and more. 

However, when compared to Kickserv, ServiceTitan offers:

• Mobile app with customer convenience features with stable offline functionality

• Customizable forms and pricing tools in the field

• Two-way SMS text messaging for customer inquiries and scheduling changes

• Pre-appointment GPS Tech Tracking for accurate arrival times

• End-to-End presentation mode: A visual pricing tool and estimate builder with good, better, best options

• And more

8. ServiceTrade

ServiceTrade is a mobile-first business software built specifically for commercial service contractors. Like other FSMs, its functions include scheduling, real-time dispatching, time tracking, payroll integration, and more.

However, when compared to ServiceTrade, ServiceTitan offers:

• Tools to support both commercial and residential service (for businesses that serve both business divisions)

• Greater capabilities to drill down into reporting numbers

• Advanced features for automating the booking process and customer relationship management 

• Robust, built-in pricebook functionality and direct access to top industry suppliers

9. Smart Service

Smart Service describes itself as a field service scheduling software for QuickBooks. Like other FSMs, its functions include scheduling and dispatch, electronic work orders, invoicing, and time tracking, while also integrating with QuickBooks. 

To view these and other differences, check out the feature comparison chart on our comparison page: Smart Service vs. ServiceTitan

10. Sera

Sera is a field service management software for home service businesses. It provides scheduling, dispatching, managing pricebooks, building estimates, invoicing, and financial and KPI reporting. 

However, when compared to Sera, ServiceTitan offers:

• CSR call recordings to ensure technicians always have the context and details they need to provide the best possible service while on jobs

• Greater reporting and inventory management capabilities

• Integrated customer financing to increase average ticket prices

• More robust customer service and product resources

Want to see how ServiceTitan works to streamline your field service business operations? Schedule a call to get a free, live, one-on-one walk-through of the features we describe throughout this article.