The dangers of boxing yourself in with an FSM-only solution

Shepherd is a NetSuite-native solution. Although CMMS (Computerized maintenance management system) at its inception, Shepherd’s current product portfolio means it can accurately be called an Enterprise Asset Management system, or EAM. Now is also the time to remember that NetSuite is an ERP catering primarily to small and medium-sized businesses. It stands to reason, that Shepherd’s product should also benefit any asset-bearing company for whom NetSuite is a good fit. And if there’s one common feature to SMEs, it is that they want to grow. 

Shepherd, for its part, strives to be the perfect asset and service management option wherever a company might be on the growth scale and wherever they aim to be in the future. That, and knowing what solutions you need (and when), are the topic of this blog.

Built for Growing SMEs

However, Shepherd’s model is not a case of all-or-nothing—taking us back to the point about suiting companies of different sizes, or stages of growth. Quite the contrary: whether only one Shepherd “module” is needed, or the whole gamut, Shepherd’s clients only use what they need, and only add when they want.

The simplest “unit” of service that Shepherd offers is its field service management (FSM) module. A company that only needs a tool for scheduling, tracking, and invoicing for field servicing will be well served with just that feature. The problem is that what you need now may not be enough later and, since most companies prefer to avoid stagnation, it makes sense to get your FSM solution from a company that can extend their services as your need for them grows.

In this sense, the take-home of this entire piece could be the following: only consider an FSM-only provider if you are absolutely certain you have no desire or need to grow beyond that. If you’re more ambitious, find someone whose services can grow with you. 

One decision, many consequences

But now let’s imagine that a company has been making a good reputation for itself servicing certain industrial equipment. What if they could also supply the equipment itself, on a leasing or rental basis? Suddenly, that one income stream (field service contracts), could be married to another (asset rental contracts). That new business opportunity, that new promising investment, will need a management system to ensure the firm’s good reputation does not now sink.

What would you, as a business owner, prefer? To be stuck with an FSM solution with no scope for expansion? Or have an already-implemented solution, where only the system’s reconfiguration is needed to unlock the dormant rental module in a system that is already a familiar and trusted tool?

You may wonder why an FSM cannot be applied to a rental model. Field Service Management is predominantly a labor management tool: the right person in the right place and time. What it does not do is factor in owned assets: their bought cost, maintenance, depreciation, and resale. In other words, with FSM you manage the people who maintain, with some billing and inventory oversight—but no more. 

Nor can FSM help with the scheduling aspects that a rental operation requires, detailing where and when an asset must be, rather than a team member. It also cannot help you substitute one asset for another at a client’s premises for reasons of repair. It cannot allow you to track inventory as well as assets. 

Likewise, despite being focused on the worker, an FSM-only solution will give you no HSW (Health, Safety, and Wellness) oversight. There is no way for you to make HSW part of the process the way it can with Shepherd’s EAM solution. The result is that your compliance with HSW regulations becomes dependent on the discipline of the staff rather than a step in their job completion. 

With CMMS and, by extension, EAM you manage those same people, but also the equipment. That means insights into running costs, spares inventory, depreciation, and returns on investment per asset type, as well as technician efficiency, training needs, auditing data, and automatic contractual adjustments to billing, service priority, or beyond. That is a lot more potential, we think you’ll agree.

Choosing the Right Tool for Growth

CMMS and EAM open the door to producing reports about tracking readings that may shed light on asset condition and use. There exists the possibility to monitor performance KPIs like Mean Time to Response, and Mean Time to Resolution amongst others, any of which could have contractual implications. CMMS makes the machine the deepest record in your system, rather than the technician, as in FSM. If you have or plan to have an asset inventory, think long and hard before limiting yourself to an FSM product that has no scope for expansion.

Add to all of the above the fact that, as a cost, Shepherd typically has a smaller financial footprint than other solutions offering more limited services. When considering this, and the vastly greater potential for business operations all under the Shepherd umbrella, the return on investment grows even further. 

If your company has reached the point where a collection of home-grown spreadsheets is now a liability rather than an aid, and your servicing operations require something more comprehensive to streamline activities, look no further than Shepherd. You’ll have the best value FSM option on the market, and with all the potential an EAM offers there when you need it, and not a moment sooner. Get in touch for a demo.