A No-Nonsense Review of Service Fusion

Building an all-in-one field service management software sounds like a tall order, but that’s Service Fusion’s sales pitch in a nutshell.

Tailored for small to mid-sized businesses, Service Fusion has concocted its own blend of features to enhance its customers’ field productivity while also improving their internal efficiency.

From scheduling and invoicing to customer management and even VoIP phone software, Service Fusion claims to have everything you need to run your field service business smoothly.

But is Service Fusion really as good as it claims to be, or is it just another app that overpromises but underdelivers? In this in-depth review, we’ll examine Service Fusion’s key features and honestly assess everything it has to offer—warts and all.

By the end of this article, you’ll have a clearer understanding of whether Service Fusion is the right fit for your field-based business needs.

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What Is Service Fusion?

Service Fusion was built to help field-based businesses streamline technician dispatching and customer management.

Founded in 2014, it serves HVAC, plumbing, electrical, appliance repair, home security, and other businesses that dispatch service techs in the field.

Service Fusion isn’t as comprehensive as other self-proclaimed “all-in-one” field service management software. However, it’s a decent choice if you’re looking for a cloud-based solution to schedule service requests, manage customer relationships, and auto-generate invoices.

Service Fusion was sold to EverCommerce in 2020. Today, its Texas-based remote team continues to serve nearly 4,000 service contractors from over 20 residential and commercial service verticals.

Service Fusion Overview

Service Fusion promises to simplify how field-based businesses manage their service requests and technicians.

To accomplish this, it blends multiple features in one cloud-based platform. These include:

• Built-in time tracker
• Drag-and-drop service scheduling
• GPS location tracking
• Invoicing and on-site payments
• Basic customer management
• Service call tracking

Sign-Up and Onboarding

Service Fusion doesn’t offer a free trial. If you’re interested in learning more about its features, visit its website and provide your contact details. A sales rep will contact you to arrange a demo.

As soon as you sign up with Service Fusion, you will be given account access and personalized onboarding.

A dedicated customer success manager is assigned to each new Service Fusion customer. This one-on-one onboarding assistance ensures your move to the platform will be as smooth as possible.

The success manager will be with you for the first 60 days, giving the free technical assistance you need to integrate your account with third-party tools, migrate your company’s data, or help your service techs warm up to the software.

The initial setup was a bit overwhelming, but I appreciated the granular control you have over every aspect of your account. Most options and fields are self-explanatory, but there are some you may be unfamiliar with that might require assistance from the Service Fusion team.

Service Fusion offers a wide range of customization options – here are notable ones:

• System access permissions: Grant employee access to specific areas of the company’s Service Fusion account and specify which employees can view, edit, or delete items.
• Notification preferences: Configure the notification settings to ensure technicians are alerted whenever a new or modified job is assigned.
• Invoice generation: By allowing invoicing prior to job completion, your service techs can create invoices anytime during the job lifecycle. You can also let Service Fusion automatically create invoices when jobs are created.
• Mobile app permissions: Customize what service technicians can see or do on their Service Fusion mobile app. For instance, you can control who can view or change job assignments and which contacts the technicians can email from the app.

Service Fusion also has pre-built job statuses with their corresponding color codes. Each status has a specific color, so employees can easily see at a glance if a job is open, completed, delayed, canceled, or dispatched.

Some of the default job statuses are locked, so you can only customize a newly created item and a few of the pre-built ones. This is a bit limiting, especially if you’re coming from a previous platform with existing color preferences your team is already familiar with.

I also think the dizzying number of color codes defeats the purpose of task organization. It takes time to get used to them, and they can potentially complicate how your team views and manages jobs.

Unlike other field management software I’ve tried, Service Fusion is trickier to understand. Its support articles lack depth, downloadable guides are gated, and video tutorials are few and far between.

Basically, you’ll have to learn everything on your own — but at a slower pace, no thanks to Service Fusion’s limited support content.

The Web App Experience

Navigating Service Fusion’s web interface was a breeze. There were no cluttered designs or flashy features to distract first-time users.

The dashboard gives you a quick look at your company’s current numbers, from the number of customers added and invoices issued to the number of scheduled jobs and your company’s average revenue for the given time period. This data gives you a snapshot of your team’s performance and keeps you on track with the company’s financial health.

You can infuse the web interface with your company’s branding. Aside from adding your company logo in the left uppermost corner, you can also change the default color scheme to your brand colors in the Company Preferences section.

Service Fusion’s customer database keeps everything you’d want to know about your customers in one place.

Use the search function to find a customer record based on address, name, contact details, or any of the tags you created when you first entered the customer information into the database.

The individual customer record shows everything you need to personalize your interaction with that customer. If the account is flagged as a highly valued client, you’ll see a VIP icon.

From this page, you can also quickly create a job or estimate and let the system auto-populate customer details. This is a better alternative to creating it from the home screen, where you have to manually enter the details yourself.

You can also create jobs directly from the dispatch screen. If it’s a maintenance job, you can set up a recurring schedule and send automated reminders to your customers.

The Mobile Experience

Service Fusion’s mobile app can be accessed using your desktop login credentials. Its mobile interface is minimalistic, with feature icons neatly placed on the screen, so everything is just one click away.

When you first open the app, you won’t see your current task or job assignment listed anywhere on the home screen. Instead, you need to open the “My Work” icon to view all the jobs assigned to you.

Service Fusion gets brownie points for organizing the jobs into three tabs: Past, Current, and Future. As their names suggest, the jobs are organized according to their timelines.

Past jobs are categorized as either complete or incomplete, with detailed information such as the date and time when they were carried out.

For current jobs, there’s an integrated calendar you can click to view any scheduled job in the current time period.

A map also comes in handy if you want to see your current job’s exact location, provided it’s a Google-verified address. This is different from the “Map View” section on the home screen, where you can have an eagle-eye view of all jobs scheduled in the system.

To view job details, click on any job entry in the “Current” section. You’ll immediately see what type of job it is and its description. By scrolling down, you’ll find the “Notes” tab, where technicians will find any special instructions.

The job page also has the “Info” tab, where service techs can find specific details about the customer. This is useful whenever they want to review job information upon arriving or while on their way to their customer’s location.

From the same section, service techs can also provide their pre-work and post-work signatures, insert completion notes, and upload photos – all of which serve as solid proof of work.

The number and types of icons the worker will see on the screen depend on the permissions set by the manager on the company’s Service Fusion account.

For example, if you’ve never been granted access to a customer list, you won’t see the corresponding “Customers” icon on your mobile screen. Similarly, you’ll be restricted from creating new jobs through the “Create New” icon if you weren’t granted permission to do so.

A “Refresh” button is visible in the top left. It works exactly as it says: If you think the app isn’t showing updated information, hit this button, and the app will reload instantly.

It’s a nice touch, but it also gives the impression of unreliability. If the app is capable of whipping up real-time data, then there’s no need for a feature like this in the first place.

The customer database is accessible from the mobile app’s Customers section. Each entry displays everything you need to know about the customer, including service agreements and a detailed job history. It also shows the customer’s phone number, which you can text or call straight from the Service Fusion app.

Overall, Service Fusion’s mobile app is a bit clunky, especially when you try to get invoices out or view large datasets while in the field. In addition, Service Fusion doesn’t work well in remote rural areas.

You’d think that a software company primarily serving field-based businesses would invest in bolstering its mobile app’s offline functionality. But Service Fusion apparently doesn’t think it’s a priority, so users have to contend with the possibility of losing their job data when the internet goes off while they’re in the field.

Perhaps a basic caching capability would have made a huge difference. By allowing field workers to continue using the app even in low- or no-reception areas, Service Fusion can significantly improve its reliability.

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Service Fusion Key Features

Time Tracking

Service Fusion’s mobile app allows field workers to log their hours through its clock-in/clock-out buttons on the home screen.

I appreciate the simplicity, but Service Fusion’s time-tracking functionality felt half-baked. Unlike other field service software with more sophisticated time trackers, you can’t tag the time to any project or cost code.

It’s no different from start/stop timers you’d typically see in browser-based apps designed to track remote computer work, not field-based activities.

Service Fusion’s time tracker also lets you take a break, but there are no reminders or upgraded features that let the system auto-insert meal breaks for you.

The “Time Logs” section, accessible when you click the six-box icon on the upper right, displays all your time entries. Again, there’s no option to link your time to tasks so you’ll only see your clock-in/clock-out entries for each day you worked.

Dispatching

Service Fusion’s dispatch screen lines up all your service technicians vertically and displays all the scheduled work orders assigned to each.

You can switch between a weekly view or a daily view for a more granular look at each technician’s availability. With this information at your fingertips, it’s easier to decide at a glance who to assign urgent service calls to.

Simply right-click the space corresponding to the date and time when you want to dispatch the request and select between job or estimate. This will open a new window where you can supply specific details about the task and the technician you will assign it to.

I would have liked it more if Service Fusion simply opened a small window where you could enter all job-related details without leaving the dispatch screen.

In addition, the dispatching page and the calendar are separate, so you’ll have to juggle the two tabs if you want to view your team’s scheduled jobs from different angles.

To be fair, Service Fusion’s job creation window gives you access to many customizable details, which warrants opening the page in a separate tab.

The job page lets you view each customer’s service agreements and determine immediately whether the account is in or out of warranty.

For residential customers, you have the option to flag the account as a gated property. Provide the access code so the technician can enter (with the customer’s permission, of course) without making repeated calls.

Service Fusion also allows you to add photos, upload documents, and track equipment history. For recurring jobs, you can easily set start and end dates, as well as define parameters for automatic work order creation.

Meanwhile, technicians can add completion notes, check off diagnostic tasks, and leave internal notes that are only visible to your team. Additionally, you can set up reminders for customers or technicians through email, text, or phone calls.

GPS Tracking

Service Fusion’s app can quickly generate detailed driving directions using whatever map application is linked to your account. This integration simplifies the process of getting to job sites, reducing the hassle of navigating unfamiliar routes.

From a management perspective, the “My Team” section is incredibly useful. It shows each service technician’s location on a map updated with real-time GPS data.

This feature makes it easy for managers to make informed dispatching decisions based on technicians’ proximity to the job location.

Service Fusion is also equipped with GPS feet tracking for your team’s vehicles. Installing the wired fleet tracking unit requires basic handyman skills, but Service Fusion provides a video tutorial to guide you through the process.

Once installed, it can track the vehicle’s number of trips, total distance driven, total idle time, and driving behaviors. These insights are invaluable for monitoring fleet performance and identifying areas for improvement.

Meanwhile, the “Track My Tech” feature on Service Fusion’s mobile app allows customers to see how far away the technician is, the estimated time of arrival, their name, and even a picture. It also provides the ability for customers to contact technicians directly from within the dispatch software.

Invoicing and Payments

Using Service Fusion, field technicians can generate invoices on the spot.

They can add time, expenses, and corresponding receipts before sending the invoice directly to the customer. It helps maintain accurate records and ensures all job-related costs are accounted for.

For residential customers, the software integrates with your merchant services provider, allowing you to accept cash, credit card, or check payments directly in the field.

These payments are automatically mapped over to QuickBooks as paid in full and moved to the payment folders, so you always know the job’s status.

The invoicing process is equally efficient for commercial customers. Service Fusion pulls the email address from the work order, enabling you to email invoices directly.

The ability to create an invoice template summarizing the job, payment terms, and a link for credit card payment simplifies the process for both you and your clients.

Technicians can also attach relevant photos or documents and send the invoice from the field, ensuring that all necessary information is communicated clearly.

For customers who prefer paper invoices, a wireless printer can be used to print and hand over an invoice on the spot.

Service Fusion allows you to convert jobs to digital invoices with a single click and collect digital payments using FusionPay. This eliminates the need for in-person visits to collect cash or checks, giving your customers multiple ways to pay online.

Service Call Tracking

ServiceCall.ai is Service Fusion’s AI-powered voice-over IP phone system. It’s a robust tool designed to help service contractors track phone calls and link them to estimates or jobs.

From a functionality standpoint, ServiceCall.ai excels at tracking the customer’s journey from the initial contact to payment. The dashboard is packed with insights into call statistics, referral sources, agent performance, and conversion ratios.

Managers can easily see the reasons behind calls and their outcomes, which is critical for improving business processes. The personal inbox for text messages, voicemails, and transcriptions, along with the ability to create shared inboxes for different departments, ensures that communication is streamlined and nothing falls through the cracks.

Customizable call flows for various scenarios, such as marketing campaigns or specific customer requests, add a layer of flexibility that can be tailored to specific business needs.

The reporting and analytics features of ServiceCall.ai are particularly useful. Access to detailed reports on call performance and lead conversion allows businesses to track and analyze the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns.

The option to review recorded phone calls for training and quality control purposes is an added bonus, ensuring that customer interactions are always up to standard.

Integrating Other Business Apps With Service Fusion

Service Fusion offers a wide range of pre-built integrations to streamline field service operations.

One of the most valuable integrations is with QuickBooks. This bi-directional synchronization ensures customers, products, services, job deposits, invoices, and payments are updated between Service Fusion and QuickBooks.

As a QuickBooks Solution Provider, Service Fusion offers discounts on QuickBooks products, making it a cost-effective choice for businesses looking to manage their accounting.

Service Fusion also instantly syncs with Profit Rhino’s flat-rate pricing integration, which ensures accurate pricing and profitability.

FieldPoint helps drive efficiency in enterprise and mid-sized service businesses. Meanwhile, tools like Broadly, pulseM, Podium, and Birdeye assist in managing customer reviews and communication.

Beyond the native integrations, Service Fusion offers a range of additional integrations through its open API. This allows businesses to create custom integrations tailored to their specific needs.

Service Fusion Might be a Good Fit for You If…

Service Fusion offers a range of features designed to simplify your workflow, improve communication, and provide valuable insights into your business.

Service Fusion might be a good fit if you’re looking for a:

• User-friendly interface that makes it easy for your team to get up to speed quickly.
• Drag-and-drop scheduling to effortlessly manage and assign jobs.
• Built-in call tracking to keep detailed records of customer interactions.
• Fleet tracking capability to monitor your vehicles and optimize routes.
• Quick integration with QuickBooks for streamlined accounting and financial management.

You Might Not Want to Use Service Fusion If…

While Service Fusion offers a range of features designed to streamline field service management, it’s important to consider some potential drawbacks that might impact your decision.

Service Fusion might not be a good fit if you’re…

• Needing advanced time tracking features for detailed labor management
• Working with large datasets, whether in or out of the field
• Looking for extensive invoicing customization to tailor your billing processes
• Managing large customer lists in your company’s database
• Operating as a very small team with a limited budget
• Requiring comprehensive reporting functionality for in-depth analysis
• Needing offline capability to continue working without an internet connection

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Service Fusion Cost/Pricing

Service Fusion bundles its features in three service packages — Starter, Plus, and Pro.

It has transparent pricing with a fixed monthly fee for each plan. With prices clearly indicated on its pricing page, you’ll know it’s more cost-effective than other similar software with a quote-based pricing strategy, like ServiceTitan.

The monthly cost ranges from $195 to $495 — too steep for a very small service business handling five or fewer technicians. However, businesses with a larger workforce can potentially get a better ROI as Service Fusion does not cap the number of users who can use the platform.

Service Fusion’s cheapest plan, Starter, offers entry-level features like invoicing, customer management, and scheduling. The Plus plan also has all the basic features, with a few additions like job costing and inventory management.

The Pro plan has the biggest price tag. It offers Service Fusion’s complete set of features, including those in the lower-tiered plans, plus fancy features like a customer web portal, open API, and progress billing.

Unfortunately, Service Fusion offers neither a free plan nor a free trial to help you warm up to its platform. The only way to see how the software works is to request a personalized demo from its website.

Service Fusion Reviews

Service Fusion is praised for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive feature set, including QuickBooks integration and GPS fleet tracking.

On the flip side, users have reported issues with mobile app performance, limited offline capabilities, and challenges with customer support availability and setup processes.

Check out the following verified user reviews to get a more detailed perspective.

iOS user MNsecuritech praised Service Fusion’s desktop and mobile apps but criticized the lack of mobile browser functionality and restricted app features for field technicians.

Really good, but definite room for improvement. ⭐⭐⭐
“The whole Service Fusion desktop program and mobile app are great, overall. But I’m in a position where I need many of the desktop browser features, while on the road, and it’s just not made for this. There is no Mobile Browser usability to speak of, and the app features are so restricted (even with full permissions) that it’s literally only suitable for the technician to get the job at hand done. Any feature requests or general bug reporting can only be submitted from the desktop browser, making it impossible for the field technician to submit them with an accurate description.”

Brian Martinez found Service Fusion’s web software more reliable than its mobile app, which is slow, buggy, and poorly designed.

⭐⭐ 
“Service fusion web software is good. The app however is terrible. It’s hit or miss if your uploaded notes or photos actually upload, does not work at all without service so if you rely on this for location mapping good luck, app is slow and buggy. And the app is ugly. Can’t hire a decent UI designer?”

Albert N. valued Service Fusion’s simplicity but noted challenges with ServiceCall.ai setup, customer service hours, and training methods.

Need a lot of work ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
“Pros: Simple if you know how to organized your team.

Cons: Service call a.i. needs a lot of work for a new set up and to many missed calls as customer service told me that if i didn’t like head sets that i was still on time to switch back. As i was having a hard time to fix the settings. You guys need to find a different way to train someone on this new system. Also have customer service available on Easter time as they all start at Pacific time and we have to wait 3 hours to get someone to help you early.”

Our Score (and Why We Chose It)

Reviewing Service Fusion required me to test each of its offerings and compare them to the company’s available documentation. It helped me determine whether its features work as they should.

Furthermore, I tapped into my extensive hands-on experience with other field service management software to gauge how well Service Fusion compares to its competitors.

In the end, I consolidated all my observations and gave Service Fusion an objective rating based on our standard scoring factors:

Sign-Up and Onboarding: While the initial setup is relatively smooth, more detailed instructions or product walkthroughs would be beneficial for those unfamiliar with field service software.

Ease of Use: The software boasts an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible even to non-tech-savvy users. However, the mobile app could use some improvements, as users have reported it being less reliable and slower than the desktop version.

Features and Functionality: Service Fusion offers a comprehensive suite of features, including drag-and-drop scheduling and GPS fleet tracking. Despite its extensive functionality, Service Fusion’s time tracker, reporting, invoicing, and offline capability could be more robust.

Customer Support: It is generally responsive and helpful, but limited availability in different time zones can be a drawback. Users have also mentioned that the initial setup guidance could be more thorough to prevent recurring issues.

Value for Price: Service Fusion offers competitive pricing with no long-term contracts, but small teams might find it a bit pricey.

Integrations: Service Fusion offers native integrations with QuickBooks, FusionPay, and more, along with an open API for custom integrations. This flexibility is great for businesses needing to connect various tools, though some users suggest simplifying the integration setup process.

Service Fusion Alternatives

Exploring software alternatives can provide insights into different functionalities, pricing, and user experiences that might align better with your specific needs.

Below is a comparison of five notable alternatives to Service Fusion.

Final Thoughts

While Service Fusion excels in dispatching, it also underdelivers on a few fronts. Its basic time-tracking functionality lacks advanced features like geofencing and the ability to tag each logged hour to specific projects or cost codes.

Service Fusion also lacks offline capabilities, so your job data are always at the mercy of your phone’s internet connectivity.

Workyard tops the list of Service Fusion alternatives for its advanced GPS time clock. It can allocate hours to cost codes, allowing you to track your team’s labor costs effortlessly.

Workyard also works offline, which means your techs can work uninterruptedly without the threat of poor connectivity obliterating their job progress and files.

Discover how Workyard’s GPS time clock can help your business save on labor costs, or sign up for its 14-day free trial to see first-hand how it compares to Service Fusion.