Software Options for Field Service Companies – A Comparison of Dynamics 365, Fieldpoint, and Key2Act 

By Adam Hallbeck | April 13, 2021

Any company that dispatches employees to job sites to complete service work requires a solution to help streamline those requests for efficiency, accuracy, and profitability. From midsize to enterprise, there is a robust field service option available that takes advantage of the Microsoft platform for complete end-to-end business management. There are three main software options for field service companies. In this article, we’ll walk through a comparison of Dynamics 365, Fieldpoint, and Key2Act, highlighting the functionality, price points, and ideal users for each.  

Dynamics 365 Field Service 

Firstlet’s talk about Dynamics 365. Think of the Dynamics 365 platform as you would the apps on your phone. You can add new apps to help you accomplish the different tasks specific to your business. However, unlike your phone apps, these apps integrate and work together in harmony, sharing information and allowing cross-collaboration between your teams. Field Service is one of these apps. 

Dynamics 365 is part of the entire Microsoft business suite of products – which also includes commonly used apps like Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Power BI and more.  

The Field Service solution is a robust offering that provides full capabilities for any organization that sends field technicians on site. Examples may be construction, manufacturing, utilities, HVAC, property management, or equipment maintenance.  

Field Service includes most of the features you will need right out of the box. As with any app on the Microsoft platform, you can easily customize the solution to fit your specific needs or business processes. That means that if your processes change, you have complete operational scalability to update the system will little headache or effort required.  

Best Suited For 

  • Companies that have a heavy field service need 
  • 50+ service techs 
  • Primary industries: 
    • Industrial Equipment Manufacturing 
    • Utilities, Oil and Gas 
    • Health Care, Medical 
    • Fire and Life Safety 
    • Equipment MaintenanceMechanical Services, or Specialty Contractors 
    • Property/Facilities Management 

ERP Integration Options 

Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain, Dynamics 365 Business Central 

Cost of Ownership 

erp integ. cost of ownership


Field
point and Dynamics 365

A solution for mid-market to enterprise-size businesses, Dynamics 365 with Fieldpoint is able to help manage all areas that a field service company needs at an affordable price point.  

Fieldpoint integrates with Dynamics 365 Business Central, an app in the Microsoft platform that serves as the ERP foundation for a business. While Fieldpoint includes the field service capabilities you need to manage work orders and technicians, Business Central includes ERP core functionality such as financials, reporting, warehouse management, manufacturing, and much more.  

From case intake and work order generation through routing, scheduling, asset management, work order completion, and billing - information is updated in real-time and every team member can access the information they need to complete their job.  

The functionality included in Fieldpoint is on par with D365 Field Service but comes at a lower price point for implementation services.   

Best Suited For 

  • Mid-market and Enterprise level companies who have any field service need 
  • 15+ service techs 
  • Primary industries: 
    • HVAC, Refrigeration 
    • Industrial Equipment Manufacturing  
    • Equipment Maintenance, Mechanical Services, or Specialty Contractors 
    • Fire & Life Safety 
    • Utilities, Oil and Gas 
    • Health Care, Medical 
    • Property/Facilities Management 

ERP Integration Options 

Dynamics 365 Business Central, Microsoft Dynamics GP, NetSuite, Quickbooks  

Cost of Ownership 

erp integ. netsuite cost of ownership

Key2Act and Dynamics GP 

Key2Act is a popular option for businesses that utilize Dynamics GP for their ERP solution. Dynamics GP, formerly Great Plains, is a solid on-premises solution that steadily gained popularity among SMB businesses throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Today, Dynamics GP is infrequently sold as a new ERP solution, but that doesn’t mean the product doesn’t have a strong share in the market.  

The Key2Act solution integrates with Dynamics GP and provides the field service functionality that businesses need to complete service work. Key2Act is modular-based and requires separate purchases and implementations of each functional area.  

The list below includes the main module are available. Each bullet point below is an additional optional module and functionality.  

  • Service Management: manage service, maintenance, and repair processes.  
    • Global Filtering for Service Management 
    • Refrigerant Tracking 
    • SOP Custom Billing 
    • Maintenance Contracts 
    • Master Contracts 
  • Job Cost: track and manage all phases of your jobs from planning to completion.  
    • Advanced Sub-Contractor 
    • Project Level Billing 
  • Equipment Manager: track status, location, and utilization of equipment.  
    • Purchasing 
    • Rental
    • Sales 
    • Transport 
    • Scheduled Maintenance 
    • Finance Leasing 
    • Tire, Brake, and Fuel Tracking  
  • MobileTech: allows field techs to manage service calls and job appointments.  
  • Schedule and Mapping: a tool for dispatchers and resource coordinators to view, set up, and organize appointments and work assignments. 
    • Schedule
    • Job Scheduling
  • Clock: time and expense management solution. 

Best Suited For 

  • Companies that have any field service need 
  • 5+ service techs 
  • Primary industries: 
    • HVAC, Refrigeration 
    • Fire and Life Safety 
    • Equipment Maintenance, Mechanical Services, or Specialty Contractors 
    • Property/Facilities Management 

ERP Integration Options 

Microsoft Dynamics GP 

Cost of Ownership 

erp integ. gp only cost of ownership

Remain competitive and profitable with a field service solution built to fit your needs. Learn how technology can help your organization by reaching out to the field service experts at Stoneridge Software.   

Ready to Learn More? 

Make plans to join our upcoming webinar to learn more about Business Central with Fieldpoint.

 Moving to the Cloud: Today's Solution for Leading Field Service Companies 

Wednesday, April 21 

2 – 3 p.m. CT  

In order to remain competitive, drive efficiencies, and optimize your service management experience, today's field service companies need a modern solution that empowers members on every team including accounting, scheduling, field technicians, and management.  

During this presentation, you’ll learn why so many field service companies are implementing Dynamics 365 Business Central and Field Point to: 

  • Quickly route calls and dispatch the right tech to the right job site
  • Empower field service techs with the information they need on any mobile device
  • Calculate project bidding, estimating, and job cost
  • Make business decisions based on business insights and data

Register today to save your seat and learn how your business could benefit from a modern field service solution. 

Register

To learn more about Dynamics 365 Field Service, visit our youtube channel. We have a variety of videos that showcase the features and functionality included in this solution.  


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