ERP and Field Service Management: Why you need both

August 29, 2025

Managing a field service workforce can be a complicated balancing act, especially without the right tools. Many organizations with a field service component use an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to support their field operations, service delivery, and overall workforce. 

But field service businesses that only use an ERP system may miss out on important efficiencies that could help field workers and customers.

In this article, we’ll cover why it’s important to augment your ERP with a robust FSM solution, how the right FSM platform can close the gap between an ERP system’s limitations and the reality of field service operations, and what to look for in that FSM software.

 

But first, let’s cover some basics. 

What Is FSM Software?

Field service management (FSM) software is a tool that’s specifically designed to help companies that rely on field service workers run their operations more smoothly and efficiently. Companies that provide services ranging from heating and cooling repairs and maintenance to mobile vaccination administration and home healthcare visits can all benefit from FSM software.

FSM software is particularly helpful for aspects of these businesses that involve field-specific complexities, like creating schedules for mobile workers with optimized travel routes and managing a variety of technicians’ individual skill sets.

What Is ERP Software?

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software helps companies manage core business processes like finance, supply chain management, strategic planning, manufacturing, operations, and even human resources. 

Often deployed as a group of integrated applications, ERP is a single source of truth for different business functions that used to be housed and managed separately. Since nearly every organization needs to manage these sorts of business needs, ERP software is typically helpful to any company, regardless of the industry or specific services provided.

What Is ERP for Field Service?

For many field service businesses, ERP is the system of record for order management, manufacturing, and supply chain management—a significant aspect of many field service businesses. In fact, supply chain management is such a large part of field service that ERP systems must integrate with (or include features of) finance, HR, or customer relationship management (CRM) tools to be effective. 

At the end of the day, though, ERP is a larger umbrella of business software that offers broad capabilities for field service organization. 

 ERP is commonly used in the field service industry to:

  • Create and track purchase orders, including both new installations and repair orders
  • Manage inventory to track which equipment is in use and ensure the right jobs are scheduled when the necessary equipment is available
  • Track high-level capacity for work orders, depending on the number of workers and their general availability
  • Generate work orders that include the job details and a unique ID for tracking throughout the job
  • Generate invoices based on the type of job, time spent, or other relevant factors
  • Track accounting details, including specific details like the cost of a certain service and high-level data like the highest and lowest revenue sources compared to other assets 

The Gaps in ERP Software

Using an ERP system to track your internal resources is crucial to continued growth and success in field service. But even with a strong ERP system, field workers and managers will find it difficult—if not impossible—to manage day-to-day work solely through an ERP tool. 

Some of the limitations of ERP systems alone include: 

  • Lack of visibility – While an ERP solution offers some key tracking and reporting, FSM systems provide real-time data on a per-technician and per-job basis.
  • Limited ability to track essential job history – Today’s customer expects personalized service that field workers can only provide with access to detailed customer and job documentation. Compared to ERPs, FSM systems go deeper into job history and asset history to help technicians deliver great service in the field.
  • Lacks dynamic and flexible scheduling – Field service scheduling is a complex process with lots of real-time variables: changing availability, new and urgent jobs, traffic and weather conditions, and more. The scheduling capabilities of ERP systems are rigid and static compared to modern FSM software.
  • Offers a limited single source of truth – ERP software captures, manages, and offers visibility into some data, like purchase orders, inventory, and customer invoices. However, its capabilities aren’t robust or specific enough to field service to provide the data necessary to make good decisions about your field service operations. 
  • Doesn’t enable streamlined communication – Though ERP software makes it easier to share information among administrative departments, it doesn’t offer the direct and contextual communications that help field workers remain productive, or help the organization and customer remain informed. With ERP alone, workers on the road may still deal with inefficient phone calls or paper forms. 

How Field Service Management Software Bridges the Gaps in ERP Systems

A robust FSM platform can fill in the gaps that ERP systems leave in field service operations. Let’s review some of the most important ways that an FSM system can augment a field service organization’s ERP system.

Improves Upon the ERP’s System of Record

One of the key differences between field service management and ERP is that FSM is a system of engagement, whereas ERP is a system of record. 

Broadly speaking, a system of record is the authoritative data source for a certain area of a business. In field service, the ERP is the single source of truth for supply chain and order management information.

However, a system of engagement is a platform that workers use to find and share information and communicate and collaborate with others. Often, this might be email or a learning management system (LMS). In some cases, the system of record might be the system of engagement. But most employees—especially workers in the field—need a system of engagement that centralizes information from each system of record. Otherwise, they waste inordinate amounts of time tracking down the right information.

FSM software allows field workers to see—and act on—crucial data, all in one platform. 

Within a field service management platform, a technician can pull work orders from the ERP to see what needs to be done and where; find product data from the supply chain database; and see quotes and invoicing details from order processing. At the same time, their manager can use the FSM scheduling tools to find the right person for each job, based on unique qualifications, availability, and job location.

Increases Transparency Across Field Service Operations

Intelligent FSM software offers a mobile-first approach, with tools that are dynamic enough to support employees on site. Where ERP solutions might provide limited mobile functionality to collect field data, FSM software enables real-time, accurate collection of details like time spent on the road, customer and employee feedback, schedule adherence, and more.

These deep insights across operations improve workforce visibility, resulting in a better, more unified view of what’s working, what’s not, and where you’ll need to adjust. And with increased transparency, you’ll benefit from more accurate resource and capacity planning, more efficient scheduling, reduced costs of service, and improved customer loyalty.

Adapts to Business Needs and Market Conditions

The workflows, priorities, and optimization rules needed for deskless workers can vary widely—especially as the role of field service grows throughout industries like healthcare, technology, and renewable energy. Effective FSM software is flexible and configurable for the unique needs of each field service business, even as those needs change.

Ensure your field service software is adaptable enough to evolve alongside your work and your workforce. Consider factors like:

  • Qualifications – the software should track workers’ qualifications (licenses, certifications, continuing education requirements, etc.), only schedule workers who are qualified, and make it easy to update qualifications as they change
  • Scheduling needs – the system should combine workers’ availability, customers’ locations, and field service business priorities (e.g. minimize expenses or maximize customer satisfaction) to create and optimize schedules based on real-time conditions
  • Market conditions – as customers’ needs and market conditions evolve, the software should empower companies to rebalance job assignment factors, change scheduling rules, and reoptimize based on new field service KPIs 

Easily Tracks Job history and Customer Preferences

While your ERP system tracks and stores basic customer details, like contact information, FSM software is built with the unique goals of field service organizations in mind: to provide the best customer experience during every field service delivery and beyond. 

It tracks detailed data—like a customer’s previous invoices, receipts, and preferences—that ERP systems can’t, all in one centralized place.

If, for example, a repeat customer wants to schedule an appointment with the same technician who serviced their equipment last time, an FSM solution lets you quickly access those details—without having to dig through paper documents or customer files. 

Streamlines Workflows

Though an ERP tool tracks and organizes certain business functions (e.g. accounting, marketing and sales efforts, etc.), it doesn’t offer holistic capabilities to truly streamline operations. 

FSM software, though, includes features that optimize everything from scheduling, dispatching, routing, data collection and analysis, and more. And because everything lives in a single source of truth, every aspect of your field service business can run like a well-oiled machine—without duplicating administrative efforts or using time-consuming, manual processes. 

Improves Communication

Effective communication is essential to strong field service operations. Deskless workers need mobile-first communication tools to stay informed, prepared, and safe in the field; and managers want that real-time workforce visibility. ERP solutions simply aren’t built for that purpose. 

Robust FSM technology puts the power of streamlined communication in the hands of field service technicians, without sacrificing on-site data businesses need to measure productivity and success. Workers are supported by a single app (no more toggling between calls, texts, and emails), and can communicate with back-office workers and customers at the touch of a button. 

Seamlessly Integrates with Existing Systems

Modern FSM software complements your other technologies, so the tech stack is greater than the sum of its parts. Your ERP, CRM, HR, payroll, and other software each provide unique value to your business—and the right FSM solution pulls them together to better fulfill the staff and customer needs, tearing down silos and generating interoperable data for better business decisions.

Essential Field Service Management Software Features

As you consider field service management software to help fill in the ERP gaps, it’s crucial that you choose the right solution. Modern, robust FSM tools can extend the capabilities of what your ERP solution already offers to drive further operational efficiencies and success. 

Be sure to look for technology that offers:

  • Mobile-first functionality – Your field service workers need tools that help them communicate, access up-to-date information, store key information, and more—all on the go. Your FSM solution should be intuitive, user-friendly, and able to work on any mobile device to improve worker safety in the field.
  • Easily sync data with the system of record – Accurately capturing what happens on site is critical for continued good customer service. Your FSM system should let workers easily capture photos, signatures, and forms in the field—all of which should automatically sync to the right system of record. Look for a tool with offline functionality, so workers can take notes offline, knowing everything will sync once they’re reconnected.
  • Flexible and configurable – Your field service software should be adaptable enough to suit your unique needs. Look for an FSM system that empowers you to create custom forms, automation rules, and optimization priorities—and adjust when market conditions or customer needs change.
  • Automated Scheduling and Dispatching – A key part of any FSM solution is its scheduling and dispatching capabilities, which aren’t included in ERP systems. The FSM tool you implement needs to handle complex scheduling elements, like matching the right worker to the right job (based on qualifications, location, preferences etc.), and should update in real time. These scheduling functions should be automated and scalable, so as your business grows, you don’t run into issues that harm customer service—like cancellations, no-shows, or delays—that manual scheduling processes can create.
  • Real-Time Communication – Robust FSM technology should enable mobile employees to communicate any job updates or changes with the back office in real time to ensure excellent customer service. 
  • Optimized Routing – Eliminate frustrating, unclear estimated service windows with FSM software that provides field workers with the best job-to-job routes in real time. That way, customers always know exactly when workers will arrive and field staff aren’t wasting time bouncing around town with a schedule that doesn’t consider travel routes. 
  • Seamless Integration – The FSM solution you implement should easily integrate with and connect the other parts of your tech stack, including ERP, CRM, payroll, HR, and other systems. This ensures your field workers are backed by the power of accurate customer data and are fully prepared for every customer interaction. 

What’s Next? Find the Right FSM Platform to Complement Your ERP System

An ERP solution provides essential value to your field service business and can help empower field workers as they serve customers. But without implementing FSM software that’s purposely designed to support end-to-end field service operations, you’re likely missing out on key business insights, benefits, and overall success.

Skedulo delivers smart scheduling, route optimization, team messaging, and a user-friendly mobile app built for deskless workers. Integrations with other systems—HR, CRM, knowledge base, and more—bring together the most important data points in one streamlined system.

Skedulo is powerful and flexible enough for any field service workforce. Create custom forms, safety checklists, and on-the-job workflows for those in the field. Make scheduling more efficient with custom scheduling priorities and optimization logic that suits your business needs.

Want to learn more about what to look for in an FSM platform? Use our in-depth checklist to find the right FSM software for your organization. 

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