Sage Service Operations brings field workforce management capabilities to more contractors

Sage Service Operations is not just for the service side of a contractor’s business. Yes, it streamlines the dispatch and tasks of field service technicians, but the software also offers field workforce capabilities that can be used by any contractor—whether you do service work, new construction, or a combination of both.

Remote time entry and approval

Capturing hours worked on the job can be a painful process when done manually. With paper timecards, reporting is often incomplete and comes in late to the people who process payroll. Another side effect is that your job cost numbers won’t accurately reflect your most current labor costs—one of your biggest risks for losing money on a job.

To address these issues, Sage Service Operations now offers comprehensive mobile time entry and approval. Among its many time-saving features, the software lets you:

• Configure different workflows depending if the time is related to work orders or jobs
• Have multiple levels of reviewers such as project manager, supervisor, and payroll administrator
• Capture punch in and punch out information for the day, lunch, and breaks—a requirement of certain states

Time information from Sage Service Operations also integrates with payroll and job cost accounting in both Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate and Sage 100 Contractor. So there is no double entry of information, less hassle processing payroll, and more up-to-date labor cost numbers.

Job scheduling

Even the best-laid construction plans can’t account for all the scheduling changes that occur on a day-to-day basis. Sage Service Operations now helps you make sure the right people and equipment show up when and where they’re supposed to. Just schedule your employees, equipment, and different subcontractors through the software’s dispatch board. Then monitor schedules in a number of ways, including by job, work order, even cost code.

If you’re a visual person, like me, you can also pull up a map to graphically see where everyone and every piece of equipment is scheduled. It’s a great way to identify any conflicts that need to be corrected.

Field reporting

For contractors who need a better way to handle field reports, Sage Service Operations already has had that covered for a while now. Use the software to document site activity, capture photos, and protect yourself in case of a dispute.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published November 2016 and has been updated for relevance.