Field service operations
Scheduling, dispatch, routing, and operations vocabulary for running crews and keeping jobs on track.
Glossary
12 terms
- What are maintenance contracts? Maintenance contracts are recurring service agreements where customers pay on a regular schedule for ongoing work. They provide predictable revenue and are worth significantly more than one-off jobs to your business.
- What is a service agreement? A service agreement is the written contract between your company and your customer that defines scope of work, pricing, schedule, and terms. It protects both sides and prevents the disputes that handshake deals invite.
- What is a service area? A service area is the geographic zone where you accept work. Defining it carefully matters because drive time directly eats into profit — a wider service area is not always better for your business.
- What is crew management? Crew management covers hiring, training, scheduling, and retaining field workers. Labor is the biggest cost and biggest challenge for most field service companies, and good crew management directly impacts profitability.
- What is customer retention? Customer retention is keeping your existing customers coming back for repeat service. It costs 5-7x more to win a new customer than to keep an existing one, making retention one of the highest-leverage areas for field service profitability.
- What is equipment maintenance scheduling? Equipment maintenance scheduling is a planned calendar for servicing your mowers, trucks, trailers, and tools. Preventive maintenance costs a fraction of emergency repairs and prevents the downtime that kills productivity mid-season.
- What is job costing? Job costing means tracking the true cost to complete each job, including labor, materials, equipment, fuel, and overhead. Most field service owners undercharge because they do not know their real costs.
- What is route optimization? Route optimization is planning the most efficient path between jobs so your crews spend less time driving and more time working. Even basic route planning can save 30-60 minutes per crew per day.
- What is seasonal demand management? Seasonal demand management is planning for the predictable busy and slow periods in outdoor field services. Smart operators use contracts, complementary services, and financial planning to smooth out the feast-and-famine cycle.
- What is subcontracting in field service? Subcontracting means hiring another company to handle overflow work or specialized jobs you cannot do yourself. It lets you say yes to more work without the overhead of additional crews and equipment.
- What is the difference between commercial and residential service? Commercial field service serves businesses, property managers, and HOAs, while residential serves homeowners. They differ in sales cycles, contract sizes, payment terms, and operational demands — and many companies do both.
- What is upselling in field service? Upselling in field service means offering additional or upgraded services to your existing customers. It is easier and cheaper than finding new customers, and most clients appreciate relevant suggestions.