Field service FAQ
Questions service operators actually ask
Long-form answers to the operational, software, and trade-specific questions field service businesses search. No filler.
Hiring
Should I hire an apprentice (W-2) or a 1099 contractor?
Apprentice (W-2) wins for steady multi-year demand and trades requiring tribal knowledge. 1099 contractor wins for variable demand, seasonal work, or specialized capabilities you don't need full-time. Misclassifying either creates real IRS liability.
Should I lease or buy a service truck?
Buy when you drive 20K+ miles a year, keep trucks 6+ years, and equity matters. Lease when you scale fast (swap every 3-4 years), value cash-flow flexibility, and stay under typical 12-15K/year mileage caps.
When should I add a second truck to my service business?
Add the second truck when you've been turning down work for 60-90 days, your calendar is fully booked 2+ weeks out, and you can model 80%+ utilization on the new truck within 90 days. The trigger isn't capacity — it's consistently overflowing demand.
What makes a good field service dispatcher?
A good dispatcher reads the day faster than the calendar can update. They know skill matching, parts availability, customer history, and tech personalities — and use that knowledge to keep techs productive when reality diverges from the plan.
Operations
What's the difference between dispatch and scheduling?
Scheduling is putting jobs on the calendar. Dispatch is what happens after — assigning jobs to specific techs, monitoring real-time status, and reacting when reality diverges from the plan.
What is first-time fix rate (FTFR)?
First-time fix rate is the percentage of service calls resolved on the initial visit — without a callback, second trip, or escalation. It's one of the highest-leverage operational metrics in field service because every truck-roll has a fixed cost regardless of revenue.
What is a truck roll?
A truck roll is any dispatched visit to a customer site. It has a fixed cost (drive time, fuel, technician labor, dispatch overhead) regardless of whether the visit produces revenue — which is why field service economics live and die on minimizing unnecessary truck rolls.
What is recurring service revenue?
Recurring service revenue is income from contracts that repeat on a defined cadence — weekly lawn, monthly pool, quarterly pest, annual HVAC tune-up. Predictable, customer locked in, and the difference between waking up to a calendar full of work and starting every Monday at zero.
How do I know if my service area is too large?
Your service area is too large when drive time exceeds 25-30% of total work time, when first-time fix rate drops because techs lack stocked parts for distant jobs, or when route optimization can't get you above 6-8 jobs per truck per day.
What's the average ticket size by trade in 2026?
Average ticket varies dramatically by trade: HVAC $325-$550, plumbing $275-$475, electrical $275-$500, lawn care $40-$80 per visit (but $1,500-$3,500 annual contract), pool service $100-$200/month, roofing $5,500-$12,500 (full reroof). Below industry median is the operational red flag.
Software
What is field service management software?
Field service management (FSM) software coordinates work that happens at customer sites — scheduling, dispatch, quoting, invoicing, and crew tracking — in one shared system that the office and the field can both see in real time.
What's the difference between FSM software and CRM?
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tracks the customer relationship — leads, sales, conversations. FSM (Field Service Management) tracks the work — jobs, dispatch, technicians, invoices. They overlap at the customer record but solve different problems.
What's the difference between two-way SMS and SMS notifications?
Two-way SMS lets the customer reply and the office sees the conversation. One-way SMS notifications are automated reminders sent from a no-reply number. Two-way is real customer communication; one-way is just system alerts.
How do I calculate ROI on FSM software?
Sum the time savings (dispatch + invoicing + scheduling), the revenue gains (faster quote acceptance, captured recurring revenue, FTFR improvement), and subtract the platform cost. Most operators see ROI in 2-4 months on a 3-truck-and-up operation.
Trade-specific
How often should you tune up an HVAC system?
Twice a year is the standard recommendation: AC tune-up in spring (March–May), heating tune-up in fall (September–November). Annual single-tune-up works in mild climates where one of the two systems gets light use.
How often should you have your chimney swept?
NFPA recommends annual chimney inspection for any wood-burning fireplace or stove. Sweeping is needed when the inspection finds 1/8 inch or more of creosote buildup — typically annually for regular wood burners, every 2 years for occasional users.
What is soft washing?
Soft washing uses low-pressure (under 500 PSI) water combined with biodegradable cleaning solutions to safely clean exterior surfaces — roofs, siding, fences, decks. Unlike high-pressure washing (3,000+ PSI), soft washing won't damage shingles, paint, or wood.
Should I buy annual or quarterly pest control service?
Quarterly is the standard residential plan in most regions — covers seasonal pest cycles. Annual works in mild climates with single peak season. Monthly is overkill for most homes (commercial often justifies it).
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