In a service-based business, a service management software package is more than just de rigueur … it’s not a question of appearance, it’s a matter of substance. Success turns on maximizing both resources and billable hours. Service management software lets you put your people where they’re needed as it provides them with the information and resources they need to get the job done right.

Service management software is useful for centralized service and repair depots, as well as with mobile dispatched technicians. At its core, the software is used to keep track of service calls, labor, parts, and billing. But it goes far past that.

With the customer information at hand, technicians can be dispatched with the proper equipment to get the job done. Inventory tracking allows the techs to know what’s in stock and what’s on the slow boat. Mobile access through wireless PDAs or laptops can provide quick access to customer data and the knowledge base from the field.

Service management software developers include: BMC Software (Remedy), Data-Basics, Eclipse, Electronic Service Control, Insight Direct (ServiceCEO), Peregrine, Solarvista (formerly Pronto), SilverBack, Tesseract, Vertical Market Software, and a number of others.

Solarvista 6.5, Small Business Edition runs on Windows servers with a minimum 2 GHz CPU and is targeted at small businesses, with a limit of 5 office-based users and 20 field-based personnel. The software is designed for help desks, repair centers, and field service organizations, as it provides for scheduling, inventory, logistics, and billing. Solarvista’s mobile clients run on either Windows CE or Pocket PC devices.

Tesseract bills their Service Center 4.2 as “the worlds first browser based service management system.” The firm’s software is available on a “pay-as-you-go” hosted basis.