Add scheduling, dispatching, and more to QuickBooks.
4.3/5 (241 reviews)Pros
I've been using Smart Service and iFleet for nearly 4 years and I really couldn't imaging operating our service company without it. I've seen quite a few changes and feature upgrades throughout over the years which shows that the product has great support. When ever I have questions, they are answered right away. The only "complaint" I have if I had to make one would be that I would like to see the front facing camera be fixed within the iFleet app. I have been requesting this to be fix for the entire time that we have been using this product but it seems to go unnoticed. It must be a simple fix as every other camera app on iOS seems to work as intended. The pictures come in reversed which make reading numbers and words impossible. We use the front camera to take picture of product tags that are hard to reach. It would also be nice if the pictures were tagged with the job name and number so that we can easily locate and identify it. Thanks for a great product and all the support that goes into it. Looking forward to using this product for many years to come.
Cons
I've been using Smart Service and iFleet for nearly 4 years and I really couldn't imaging operating our service company without it. I've seen quite a few changes and feature upgrades throughout over the years which shows that the product has great support. When ever I have questions, they are answered right away. The only "complaint" I have if I had to make one would be that I would like to see the front facing camera be fixed within the iFleet app. I have been requesting this to be fix for the entire time that we have been using this product but it seems to go unnoticed. It must be a simple fix as every other camera app on iOS seems to work as intended. The pictures come in reversed which make reading numbers and words impossible. We use the front camera to take picture of product tags that are hard to reach. It would also be nice if the pictures were tagged with the job name and number so that we can easily locate and identify it. Thanks for a great product and all the support that goes into it. Looking forward to using this product for many years to come.
We have been using Smart Service with the IFleet portion for our technicians in the field for about 4 years now. Overall it is a very good system.
Pros
The ease of entering customers, service tickets, time keeping and the GPS tracking are great benefits of this system. For the most part our technicians have been easily trained on the process and it has cut down on a lot of their processing time in the field.
Cons
We have used the "Get Customer" or "Sync Customer" functions many times and since some of our office employees enter data directly into QuickBooks, we've lost a lot of email address and contact information on our customers. This information is critical to our database and it's very frustrating to try to rebuild.
We have several labor descriptions for our business and the work tickets can be set up correctly for the type of labor on a service call, the information transfers to the invoice in QB correctly, but defaults to ONE labor description on the time cards. So I end up having to revise nearly ever time card entry to correct the labor code. Also have to change the service or installation name from the sales rep's name to the actual technician that did the work. This has made the payroll processing a lot more time consuming than it used to be when it was entered directly through the time card entry in QB.
My employer was quite hopeful that Smart Service would be the answer to our scheduling & invoicing headaches as he invested a great deal of money into the software, the iPads, man hours, time away from our regular business days to learn the system, etc. The idea of the system is really good. The implementation in daily business is not so good as it takes real dedication and compliance on everyone's part. He had to rework the inventory on Quick Books so items would be easier for the field guys to find, invent ways to charge mileage as we live in a rural area and Wyoming is huge, rework the labor hours so the men knew how to charge a customer in the field. With all the work we both put into it, the extra training I requested from My Service Depot, you would think that it would run smoothly. Smart Service is only as good as the people's efforts entering the data from a job. If they forget something it can cost the company a lot of money. Since we started Smart Service we have returned to paper as it can be tracked. Having a paper trail is very useful. My employer has returned to invoicing duties as he will know if the men forgot something on the invoice and won't have to eat the cost any more.
Pros
Being able to schedule the field guys is fantastic. I can look at the screen and immediately know if I have a worker available or not. If a person takes the time to learn it the scheduler can be your new best friend. Some of the men really LOVE that they can take photos of the job site, the work, parts that need to be replaced and it stays with that job forever. I love that too. It is very handy.
Cons
Since Smart Service makes a new, unique job in Quick Books every single time you make a job, it makes more sense to have QB in single user mode all the time so a job can be deleted if necessary but my employer uses QB in his office to do his bids and the invoicing so it can be a pain in the neck. There is no way to tell Smart Service to print ONE work order if the jobs are assigned to the department and to the person (indicates who is doing the job) it automatically spits out one for the office that I don't need, one for the job, and one for the human. Once a person's name is entered as a customer there is no way to change it. It is wrong forever. Once it is used in QB it can only be made inactive not deleted. It might be a Quick Books interface problem which is not really Smart Service's problem but if Quick Books runs into a problem and has to close (but they always apologize for the inconvenience ;) ) then I have to close Smart Service, re open QB, start Smart Service, wait for it to go through it's acrobatics (gathering data) before I can use it.
Pros
For the regular dispatching features, I was able to learn completely on my own with no instruction, becoming our in-house "expert." It is intuitive enough that I found solutions for problems that tech support thought had no work-around.
Cons
The program as a whole is outdated and clunky, built around Microsoft Access, limiting its modern application. For example, if you have a customer with 10 locations and 15 total jobs, and they change their billing address, you have to manually go change it 26 times, in a clunky system that is not fast at all.
Adding a new customer takes forever, especially if you have a location and job to enter as well. There is also no feature to have an AP email for their default QuickBooks email, while still have primary contact's email prevalent.
Scheduling is nice that a job can recur indefinitely, but if a job cancels, you have to change its recurrence pattern PRIOR to inactivating the job, or it still comes up on the schedule. It also has no features for a job to occur for a certain period of time, or to recur on a seasonal basis.
If your customers have multiple services per invoice, it is a huge pain. The "Batch invoices to Quickbooks" feature requires the user to post each individual batch one. at. a. time. Again, on a slow, clunky system.
Many of the advanced features have not worked for us at all, or were not as advertised in the demo. Granted, the most annoying part (the scheduler does not work for us) is largely due to our painfully slow cloud system, making it inoperable.
If you want to print a schedule for each employee, be prepared to pay for an upgrade (ours was $600) so they can program a custom report for you, that is iffy on how often it works on the first attempt. (Ours works on the second attempt every time.)
The "Prospect" feature is useless... it doesn't transition over to "Customer" well at all.
It is also impractical to use many features integrated with Quickbooks-- it requires syncing for anything useful, and with a large customer database, that is completely impractical for the frequency required.
Bill your customer a flat rate each month? Forget about it, unless you cheat the system and create two jobs-- one that is the real job for your employee and charges nothing, and one that only your accountant uses.
Bottom line: It's intuitive to figure out basic functions, but there is SO much room for error, and something simple like an updated address once took me 2 hours to complete for our largest customer. They need to do a complete overhaul of their programming and add some basic features before I could recommend Smart Service to anyone. We've found that to make it work, it requires constant ingenuity to come up with a work-around for design flaws.
The transition from the old dispatch program was ok but not great but I don't feel that was Smart Service's issue as much as it was a planning issue within our company. A detailed migration plan should have been written out and discussed in advance so that everything could be addressed. I suggest Smart Service take that lead as many companies just don't understand the devil in the details until it is too late.
Pros
I love that it integrates with QuickBooks in real time. There are pros and cons to seeing every work order in QB but that also allows us to easily see how many times we have been to a customers house. As I said, the devil is in the details and if you just reach out to the customer service rather than struggle with the reports - they will teach you a lot and get you the report you need much quicker than you can do it yourself - until you learn how to do it yourself! The program is very customizable so that it can become what you need.
Cons
I would like the schedule board to act as a calendar too - the default search info isn't what i need but Smart Service can change the defaults - we just haven't it yet - I need to be able to schedule meetings/days off/ appts that are not service calls - in a manner that will allow them to be seen on the schedule without requiring that they be "Completed" 'cause then they disappear.....
Everything is organized for me, makes taking, tracking calls a breeze!
Pros
Basic scheduling is very easy to learn, it only took me a couple of days to start scheduling basic calls. The rest involved mainly learning the service business that I work for in order to discover other needs within Smart Service. There is additional support via Smart Service's monthly webinars on various topics to assist with learning. I've attended 'Service Agreements' which I didn't know was possible until the webinar. I really like the reporting feature, it can generate useful data by request. For instance, pulling reports by customer location; if I want to view which customers live in South San Francisco I can easily create filters to do so. You really don't know how valuable a program is until your without it. We experienced our internet being down for half a day and had to go back to paper scheduling; that made us all realize how important Smart Service is to our business for sure!
Cons
If you misspell a customer name after selecting 'new customer/prospect' and make it to the main customer screen, you have to go into QuickBooks to make the corrections although it is a new customer. It would be better for new customers only to keep it unlocked until save is selected. That would save some time; I don't make constant errors but it happens occasionally. Also, tracking technicians does not seem to work 100%. I've made sure that their tablets are syncing but only have three technicians showing up on the map. Sometimes it can take a long time to load a customer and that delays a call and time. Other than those three minor problems, I can't really think of anything else.
There are certain fields in the moving industry that do not line up with other services. The mapper system seems to be extremely slow and locks up the computer at times when we attempt to use it. Some of the auto populated fields can not be turned off, so our secretaries are having to do double work to get the results we need. We are unable to add items in the field that carry over to smart service that will translate equally into quick books, so again the secretaries are having to go back and double work. At this time this is the program we use, but are in the process of looking at other programs that may be more flexible and less work for the office personal. We have spoken with our sales person and tech support on the issues noted above the I-fleet app that works with smart service the workers are consistantly telling us how slow the app is to respond!
Pros
The scheduling page that shows the number of trucks and color activated during time stamps
Cons
Not flexible for our industry, we keep hoping it will be more appealing to other options, but no luck after many years with the company.
After trying many different types of software for my business, smart service outshines them all. Easy to use, functions in a way that makes sense with our business. It makes dealing with customer orders fast and efficient. Communicating with employees in the field has never been better for us. We can accurately and quickly make sure field techs understand where they should go and what they are to do. We can track revenue by forecasting and reviewing. This software really works. The support team is amazing.
Pros
It accomplishes all that we want out of a software without being complicated to use. It understands what we need to function and flow as a business. Using the software helps us be professional and profitable.
Cons
I can't really say anything negative about the software. I have heard others say they found a cheaper way to operate with software. It is usually people using several different software types or one program that is less quality. To me bad or clunky software/office operations cost money. Smart service is inexpensive when you realize the potential profits from a smooth running operation that is hassle free.
Experience about what not to buy
Pros
job entry is ok. The ability to drop & drag jobs between technicians is nice. Ifleet program worked ok
Cons
When we purchased this software I purchased the dispatching add on called Ifleet for my field technicians. I was told and I quote "Ifleet purchase option _ iphone/ipad smart service add-on with no set up fees or ongoing monthly charges for service or support. That is off of my sales contract. They have turned off my Ifleet because I haven't paid my support fees. My agreement states there are no fees for support but somehow I owe them money, supposedly. Don't believe anything they say as they are just trying to get your money.
I also have issues with the program itself as you need to be able to write computer code to get any kind of reports from the software, the reporting feature is difficult to use. Its interface with QuickBooks is not great which makes tracking receivables and sales difficult. Overall I am very disappointed with this software and I would not recommend purchasing it.
We do enjoys the layout the seamless communication to be able to share from office to field tech. The information does not always sync up.. Causing issues slowing things down in the field. However there are some great features. Would like to be notified when updates are available done. Maybe via email that would be great. Would also be great if a update video to share the following new update features are now available. As is i called in other day with issue found I was five versions behind that there had been so many updates done that I was missing out on when you think I should have been made aware of this via email. Been dealing with so many glitches and set backs that could have been avoid. Disappoints now updated there are way more things to see I'm not even sure how that all work yet can you email me a break down of the newer features and how to... I also think that the fees to add an additional work stations seems high.... Thank you WRP Office
Pros
The layout and client fields and custom features
Cons
syncing can be an issue not being able.
That when re activating job it does not have a easy close option that does not re send invoice to QB and or it fills ifleet with all the past jobs
None. We returned it for a smaller refund.
Pros
Great Dashboard for dispatcher. It allows the dispatcher to customize how they operate and make great decisions. Wish there was a place to park unassigned calls. Nice interface with Quickbooks. Good overall features. Really wanted this product to work for us.
Cons
Serious security flaws that let your techs email your hard earned customer information to their personal email or worse yet your competitor with no tracking. Was told during sales demo this could be turned off with a "radio button". It was our number one reason for buying and explained up front. After purchase and during training we demanded to see how this was to be done and our trainer was honest and said the salesman was wrong and halted the training. They refused to change the mobile app to disable this. Gave them a few days they asked to address this and they could not demonstrate after several tries how this was to be done. The only viable suggestion was to lock down all the smart phones with a 3rd party mobile management software which would prevent our techs from receiving and sending troubleshooting documentation. We demanded a refund which was prompt but not the full amount despite the deception. The upper management will not return calls but instead sent me an emailed legal threat if I dared to review the product online. They actually used the word "Disparage" which is supposed to have a dishonest component to it. Everything here is honest. They plan to sue for liquidated damages for each negative review. Good product, dishonest salespeople and an upper management that doesn't care to try and win a customer or apologize for their salespeople's misplaced exuberance.
Let's do the positives first. The tech support people try to be helpful and are pretty knowledgeable about their software. However, they are never available when you call in. They always have to call back. We have never gotten to a tech on the first call.
To do a quote, Smart Service requires you to create a Prospect which is a duplicate of a Customer. Creating one is easy but once created the Prospect is a separate entity from a Customer. Quotes are created for Prospects only and cannot be created for Customers. Quotes are not sent to QuickBooks so you can't use QB's reports (which are much more flexible). If a quote is approved, it is converted to a Job and is attached to the Customer.
When a job is entered in SS, any part numbers that were listed will be sent to QB and create demand. But if you enter an item after the job is created, it is not transferred to QB to generate demand until the job is invoiced. So when a tech adds an item to a job in the field, QB will show no demand for it. Your QB purchase report will tell you to order items A, B, and C, but it will be missing item D and the quantities for A, B, and C may not be correct. This problem is huge for us.
Job descriptions entered into iFleet will transfer to SS but will not transfer to QB unless you make additional changes to them. So if my tech enters "No trouble found" in iFleet, we have to open up the job in SS and add a period or make some other change for SS to send the new description to QB. This is a nuisance and leaves open the chance to print an invoice from QB without the full job description.
You can't modify the forms in SS without paying SS to do it. So if you want to add your logo, or add/delete what data prints, you have to pay SS to do it.
If you have to update Customer information, such as phone numbers or contacts, you have to do it three times; once in QB, once for the Customer in SS, and once for the Prospect in SS.
If you are adding or deleting items on a job and realize you made a mistake, there is no way to exit the job without saving the changes. The job shows a Cancel Edits button but it doesn't seem to do anything.
If you are a service company that does not have to track part numbers, this may work for you. But if you do anything that relies on part numbers you will be doomed. Scheduling becomes easier but all the front office tasks like invoicing, ordering parts, etc. becomes more difficult.
Linking it to our accounting program allows us to not have to log in customer information twice. Our old program we had to create a customer in the pest control program and then use that information to create them again in our accounting program. I like that we can post the work order and it automatically shows up in our QuickBooks.
Pros
How easy it is to navigate through the work orders and customers. I like that you can post multiple invoices at one time if needed, or even skip multiple invoices at one time, simply by checking a box and then posting the first. I like that it connects so easily with our QuickBooks program.
Cons
I wish it would automatically reset a customer's price information for the following month. We have to change the amount of rooms serviced each month in various hotels. Our previous program would set the amount of rooms back to the base amount of rooms, but this program leaves it at the amount you post each month, so the following month it will show the amount of rooms and price from the previous month. Sometimes our customers get confused.
I have used Smart Service for the last 9 years. The customer support is excellent. They are very knowledgeable and are quick to get back to you if they are not available right away. The updates that you receive are good about fixing any program issues that may arise and they are always adding new things to help the program stay current with the times. I have even asked for certain aspects to be included in the past and they worked to make that happen for me. It's a great program and a great company. I highly recommend Smart Service.
Pros
the scheduler, the ability to post multiple invoices at a time, the ease of adding a new customer
Cons
if I have to change the price on a regular customer service for one service that is the price that remains for the next months service. A previous program we used would automatically reset the price back to it's basic price for the following month when it was a recurring customer.
Very easy to learn, and provides all the functions I need running a mid-sized Plumbing Service Company, and is very easy to teach as the staff grows.
Pros
It's a great value and does so much of what other more expensive and complicated softwares do plus even more in some cases. Service System is so user friendly and very easy to learn as well as teach to new employees as the company grows. We highly recommend it to anyone who asks.
Cons
The support at My Service Depot for SmartService is great. The biggest complication and downfall, which is a big one, is that you can never get support except during standard working business hours Monday through Friday during the day. Being a small company, you can't afford to spend the time down and on the phone with tech support and failing to answer your phones for paying customers looking for service when you are in the trades like plumbing.
GSI has been using Smart Service since 2011. Within the last four years we have started to maximize the different options within the program. Smart Service is so easy to use and the customer service team is very knowledgeable.
Pros
GSI loves how easy the program is to use and the customer service department. Whenever we have a problem the customer service representative fixes it as quickly as possible.
Cons
Overall Smart Service is a great program my biggest complaint would have to be charging for add-on programs.
We purchased the software over a year ago. The product only functions with Quick Books. As we grew the software presented some challenges for us. If you have multiple locations and Jobs under one customer the software slows way down when working/scheduling anything to do with that larger customer. We experienced a lot of errors when adding new jobs/or locations. The help desk worked hard to fix the issues, and for the most part they did. It still very slow when working in our largest customer. For dispatching is it great - the I fleet portion is user friendly for the guys in the field. The finished forms are not great I would like the option to create your own without an extra charge or edit the ones they have. Yes we are happy with the product, but there are some glitches that need to be addressed. 1. Notifying customers when updates are available - via email with needed password. 2. Forms - ability to edit them. 3. size restricting issues. 4. use without QuickBooks for scheduling.
Pros
The integration with QuickBooks - Eliminates double entry.
Cons
The inability to handle larger customers - ability to see previous work within those customers is not functional. Forms created in the program are not very good
Amazing technology that provides our customers with professional and efficient service. Detailed notes, fast invoicing, awesome correspondence records between the customer and our company and ability to email and text through the software encourages success and keeps our company fresh and current. So glad we switched to Smart Service!!!
Pros
Love how easily Smart Service and Quick Books integrate. It has cut our billing time by hours.Thrilled to be able to include our service notes from SS on our QB invoices.
SS is quick to resolve any issues and are constantly improving on the software to make things more detailed and efficient.
iFleet is amazing! I love that I can see where our technicians are to track their routes.
Customer support is excellent and if your concerns always addressed.
Tracking inventory is a breeze.
Vehicle maintenance can be tracked by the office so that we don't have to rely on technicians for oil changes and other maintenance issues.
Software is fully customizable so we can enter our services and descriptions exactly as we want them to appear. .
Being able to email the customer his service order at time of service with his signature on it.
Recording history of past services so that the technicians can review what notes and materials were recorded at each prior service.
Cons
A lot of data entry is required to get the software like you want it. It takes dedicated man power but is well worth it once it is entered in.
Some software glitches can disrupt things for a bit but what software doesn't have these?
Making sure that Smart Service, Quickbooks and iFleet are reflecting the same information for the technicians using the devices so you need to familiarize yourself with where the information is pulling from.
Save time and aggravation of telling and waiting for tech's to turn in paper work; it does not get lost anymore :)
Pros
That it integrates with quick books; is a good reoccurring database of our client with reoccurring work on semi and annual basis. no need for a separate data base anymore. When use with iFleet all work orders come back to the office electronically along with any photos taken, and can be processed immediately if desired; although some customers complained the guy was still in the parking lot when they got the invoice; LOL
the tech also has the ability to make estimates and email to the client right on the spot with our custom made form.
Has reduced our paper consumption by 80% in the first year.
Cons
Sometimes there is a long lapse between windows; generally it is several seconds but at time it can be 15 to 20 seconds.
Having to update the customer list almost everyday; it tedious and with over 10K clients can take a long time.
I have used Smart Service for 4 years now and it is a terrific software. It is very user friendly and easily navigated. We service 3 states - California / Arizona / Nevada - and our technicians have handsets that are in the field. Their feedback is that they like the software and ease of I-pad use when sending the documentation. The only downside is that I do not have enough time to navigate and learn and use all of its functionality. I am not using SmartService to its fullest capacity -- every day I learn a new function that I didn't realize existed. SmartService can fit all of your scheduling needs as it can be set up and programmed to suit your company's particular needs.
Pros
User Friendly; broad functionality in scheduling for tri-State area
Cons
Cannot to job times in timeframe needed-- our technicians work at night -- we can't show job times past 11:55pm
Our chimney sweep and repair business has been using this software for almost 10 years and it has helped us tremendously to track so many jobs, customers, estimates and prospects. I have not seen any other software on the market with as many bells and whistles as Smart Service. It seems they've just about thought of every possible use and need in mind as they continue to take feedback and utilize in regular development updates.
Pros
What I like most about this software are the easy to understand interface screens and help available to make entry and maintenance a breeze.
Cons
I'm still learning the software, but so far I have not been able to see a way to change mass records with an import feature.
Smart Service with iFleet has completely streamlined the way we do business. In the pool and spa industry it has given us an edge on customer service with it's ability to easily track and report detailed transactions, such as model and manufacturing numbers, serial numbers, time stamping, and water analysis results. There are customizable fields built in that allow us to tailor the program to our needs. If we cannot find what we want, their amazing customer support staff is always available to find a solution. Then they go one step further by taking the time to walk us through it step by step. My Service Depot keeps pace with technology and continually works to enhance and improve their products while always being open to suggestions. Thank you MSD Staff, you have been wonderful!
Pros
tracking (time stamps and history) and easy to view color coding, the reports feature
Cons
Integrated mapping and routing
That it links to QuickBooks is a big plus.
Pros
I like the ease of scheduling and tracking where my driver is. I also like the fact that my driver can take a picture for future reference when needed. Especially if we are waiting to do a repair at a later date and need to know which part is needed when we return.
Cons
I wish in the instruction section you could use bold and highlights when you want to make sure something stands out. I would like to be able to schedule a repeating phone call, for example, We have customers that we have repeating jobs every month but need to call the day before to remind them to put up animals or leave a gate unlocked. I would like for the reverse route the schedule when needed.
Pros
We use Smart Service to dispatch our team of 14 Plumbers and Apprentice Plumbers. This would be a Herculean job without the Smart Service technology. With Smart Service, our two dispatchers are able to orchestrate our work orders to match up skills of plumber with customer needs and minimize drive time. If there is a technical problem, Smart Service is very responsive and helpful. The best part of Smart Service software is that it integrates with QuickBooks and I-Fleet Phones.
Cons
Our Plumbers do have a suggestion to improve Smart Service. When the Work order information shows on the Plumber's I-Fleet phone, he sees the main contact name and phone number plus an alternate phone number. It would be helpful if he also could see an alternate name.
be advised that you can't even just purchase the product and use it. You have to pay for customer service to continue to use the product, even when you aren't at fault, when the system is not right you still have to pay for them to fix their problems.
Pros
Functions to schedule jobs is probably the only thing that I use this product for so I don't have many questions or problems, but when you do, its a problem
Cons
lack of customer service help on issues that are with the function of the product. I am able to function in the system as much as i need to, but when the system isn't doing what its supposed to then there is nothing I can do about it other than pay for them to fix a problem that should not exist
I’m sorry that you’re disappointed with the charges for ongoing support of Smart Service. You are correct that we do charge for ongoing support, but that charge includes all product updates including new feature enhancements, call-in and email support, customer training webinars, and continuing use of our web services for our mobile application. We strive to provide the best products and services at a reasonable cost to our customers, and the total cost of Smart Service is among the most competitive in the industry. I see that you recently renewed your support account, and we hope that you’ll take advantage of all of the services that it includes.
I've been using Smart Service and iFleet for nearly 4 years and I really couldn't imaging operating our service company without it. I've seen quite a few changes and feature upgrades throughout over the years which shows that the product has great support. Whenever I have questions, they are answered right away. The only "complaint" I have if I had to make one would be that I would like to see the front facing camera be fixed within the iFleet app. I have been requesting this to be fix for the entire time that we have been using this product but it seems to go unnoticed. It must be a simple fix as every other camera app on iOS seems to work as intended. The pictures come in reversed which make reading numbers and words impossible. We use the front camera to take picture of product tags that are hard to reach. It would also be nice if the pictures were tagged with the job name and number so that we can easily locate and identify it. Thanks for a great product and all the support that goes into it. Looking forward to using this product for many years to come.