Constantly Improving & Great Customer Support

Pros

Customer support is very quick & thorough. There is a chat feature integrated with the software for customer support issues. It automatically creates recurring service work orders, which is nice. You can flag customer accounts as do not service, which disables your other users from scheduling work orders for those customers - this is a new feature that is going to save us thousands in unpaid bills by customers who do not pay their bills. We tried putting them on our own lists, but they sometimes still slip through the cracks. It has phone integration, which not only records calls but also has the ability to track lead sources. I can print pick lists every morning, so I can ensure my techs are fully stocked at the beginning of every day.

Cons

It can be kind of slow at times, although it seems to work well for the most part. In the year I've used it, we've been locked of the system for 24 hours 2-3 times. This was incredibly frustrating, and it would have been detrimental had we print paper copies of every work order. A paperless way to proactively anticipate this problem is to just download a list of pending work orders at the end of each day & to keep a list of your customers in excel or google sheets, so you can access phone numbers and addresses.

It is also more geared towards flat rate pricing, which I admit is more attractive for residential customers. With commercial customers (the bulk of mine being restaurants), I could lose some of my best customers if I switched to flat rate pricing. We track our labor from the time of dispatch until the the work order is completed. If our techs look on FE to see how much time they've spent on a job, they only see the time working - not the time traveling. I've had several jobs go underpriced because a tech forgets goes by the time they see on the software.

17 Happy Years of growth and prosperity with dESCO !!!

Our business has grown from 2 trucks to 10 since we first installed dESCO. We now have 10 times the business and the software has grown right along with us. It does so much more now than then and has continued to improve. With out it I could not manage my business. dESCO keeps track of jobs, quotes, invoicing even out inventory. If you are a small business running lean, making every minute count this is the software you need. I do not think I would be where I am today with out it. By nature I am unorganized, having everything in one place in one program is the way to go if that describes you. John

Pros

The amount of information you have at your fingertips. Jobs, scheduling, quotes, orders, and Customer information. Customer information is key to service knowing what they have done in the past including payment history, and buying habits. Keeping records under the documents tab means not more filing cabinets. Sales reports and receivables reports makes keeping an eye on cash flow easy.

Cons

There is a steep learning curve. Because it does so much there is a lot to learn. This is a big program, that covers a lot of areas.

Field Edge is the Answer!!!

Without a doubt, Field Edge has been the solution our company has been seeking for many years. A cloud-based software that integrates with quickbooks is what we were looking for. This isn't 90's anymore and our company likes to be ahead of the curve so the "DOS" based dispatching software wasn't even an option. We were looking for a dispatching program that would allow for the technicians to invoice in the field in real time and streamlines the billing process. Field Edge has given that to our company and so much more. We no longer have to decipher handwriting, or manually enter in work orders. The office finalizes the invoices or follows up with getting it completed if a return visit is necessary. Quotes are given to our customers while onsite which lowers the chance of the customer getting another quote and lowers the chance of them changing their mind. We also can keep track of customers with agreements, and dispatch routine routes and bill all in a timely manner. There are also GPS and CC Processing integrations which are helpful.

Pros

Quickbooks Integration, Cloud Based, All Inclusive CSR Software, TIME SAVER (at least 1 Hour a Day), Real Time invoicing in the field, Agreement fields, Phone Line integration for marketing tracking, Works on Andriod and I Phone.

Cons

The onboarding process is lengthy if your company is organized the process will be smoother than that of a disorganized company. But let's face it if you're looking for a CSR program you know you have to be organized or get organized to be a successful business. The database has to be set up in an organized fashion and even though onboarding is a process it's for a good reason and in the end, you will be thankful all the work you put into it. The system you build will only function as well as you build it. The onboarding team will build it for you, you just have to get them the information they need!

Great All Round Dispatching Program.

Overall this is a great program that really helps manage time and perform a good assessment on how to serve the client. It holds a lot of info and is a great time saver. There is some time to learn up on the system, but as you use it you see the reasoning and it all fits together. The other good thing I like about this program is the great support and friendly staff. They always answer even the smallest question I have and take the time to help me understand the answer and walk me through it. I am not too savy a computer guy so support to talk to a real person is a must for me. Also these guys listen to our real life experiences out here. They take into account our suggestions with each new update or version. This is important because our environment changes all the time and there is always a newer way to do somehting. This is a good all round product and I highly recommend it.

Pros

Cons... ( Did not have enough room in the Con Section) (See Iver all Recommendation for Pros)

As a dispatching program it would be nice to have a fleet management system. A log to keep track of VIN #, When Tabs are due, Maintenance is due, Truck #, Driver during periods of time, Repair and service Types and dates, ect...

Since there are so many tax variations within the service are we dispatch to it would be helpful that the tax % would print on the dispatch and visble on the dispatch screen. We spend the time inputing the tax codes in the system and then applying it to each dispatch, this would be a good field to add.

Cons

Cons Continued...

Reports are good, but I have noticed that we enter a lot of information on jobs that we cannot sort reports on. For example:
When we breakdown an invoice into ESC we enter the resale of: Labor, Subcontractors, Material, Equipment Fee, Permits, Trip Charge, Rentals, and probly a few other catagories depending on the job....
But the report I would love to run, but can't is...
Each technician's production by department in:
*Labor
*Rentals
*Material
*Sub Contractors
*Equipment Fee
*Trip Charges
* And so on

Also, the paging system is nice... unless you have to page a group of people. It would be great to be able to send a page to just my plumbers with one button or just my HVAC techs or just ....

Best company out there hands down on every level!

We moved two customer databases when switching to FieldEdge. We had many duplicates due to our trying to merge these to databases over the past few years-all prior to FieldEdge. Take the advice of FieldEdge and the time to clean up as much as you can prior to going live. It really made a huge difference for our company!

Pros

Everything! I looked at a lot of companies for a few months before choosing FieldEdge. Their product overall is excellent and constantly getting better with customer suggested updates all year long-yes! They listen to us little guys! Support is superior compared to any other company I have dealt with professionally! Price point-they cannot be beat for the product they offer. Period. The ability to customize so many features within the program truly shows that FieldEdge is dedicated to making a product that works for all types and sizes of companies-you won't find this elsewhere!

Cons

The only con I have is that we have not slowed down enough to fully explore all the extras that make FieldEdge so much more than just a dispatching program! Customer Recall Management, Tracking aging equipment for targeted marketing. These are all things that we cannot wait to begin! And the list goes on and on!

Best decision we made 2 years ago!

We were using a very old software program with a lot of manual entry. We have been able to manage our technicians much more efficiently. Invoicing is streamlined. A lot of statistics we used to guess about are now tracked with FieldEdge-which is so important for growth! We are able to see what advertising truly works and what is ultimately a waste of money and effort! I looked into a lot of programs and have to say there isn't anything I regret about our decision! And the icing on the cake is the customer service. Hands down best of any of the many companies I deal with on a daily basis. Responsive and thorough. They have also integrated with other platforms which is great for having everything in one place. Can't wait to see what they have in store next!

Pros

Ease of use. Reliability. Ability to customize like no other software out there. Consistently listening to their customers recommendations and updating. Best value for price!

Cons

If you can call it a con? We are busier than ever as it has streamlined so many ways we operated that we are able to mange our technicians much more efficiently!

ESC by dEsco in my experience is the best all-in-one software for the Service Industry

Pros

Excellent software that is constantly evolving and growing. Best tech support on the planet. Fastest turn around time when correcting bugs or issues. Well thought out and implemented.

Cons

Some features that should be available are not. They are available in the newer software offered under the FieldEdge name. I think they should have been implemented in ESC before developing new software, or allow migration to the new software at no charge if you are a current annual member for support and mobile versions.

Kathie's Review

I would highly recommend ESC to any A/C contractor!

Pros

I do love the ease of this software // It is extremely "blonde friendly" // Most of it is so simple you can figure it out on your own and not have to call the help desk or anything // Works great with QB // Even my GM and Service Manager can move around in it! // We have never had any glitches during updates like with our old program // The reports are great (hard to fix if you type in anything wrong tho since you have to go thru QB to fix everything) // I've been in the office part of the A/C field for over 20 years and have used several different programs thru the years and ESC by far is the best! I highly recommend this program! // There are things i do not like but for the most part ... ESC is the best!

Cons

I do not like that it does not put the equipment worked on in the history! // You have to pull up the invoice and click on equipment in order to see that info // I do not like that it only prints 4 lines of history on the dispatch ticket itself // Wish it would list maintenance/agreement customers on the dispatch screen and dispatch ticket so you don't have to go from screen to screen to figure that out // Third party billing isn't so great either // Once you complete the job and delete it after the billing you can't go back and look at the invoice or print it out again until you add the job back in .. that's a pain // Wish it was easier to look up sites instead of the billing info ... That has taken me longer to train people on around our office than any of it yet ... they can't seem to get that down yet! I wish you could see more of history with materials without having to go into the invoice itself // and on dates in dispatch ... up arrow should take me UP a day .. not back a day

Maximum Day to Day Efficiency!

Pros

This software is extremely easy to use yet so detailed and organized. As long as all pertinent data is in the system workflows become more streamlined for mobile and office users. Any time we have questions or concerns we get excellent feedback from our Customer Success Manager or the help chat located in the software. They also have an ideas portal that allows you to post an idea that you think may benefit your company where other companies can vote if its something they see as beneficial to them as well.

Cons

We are a strictly commercial HVAC company so sometimes we need specific features tailored to our business model. For example, some of our customers have 10+ units that we need to service but we don't have the ability to apply repair forms to all units. The system basically only allows us to have 1 repair form where we need 10+ repair forms to satisfy all units being serviced. There are other minor adjustments that we see as a con but thats to do our company being strictly commercial and needing them to be tailored to our specific model.

User for almost 2 years now.

FieldEdge easily pays for itself. I have gone completely paperless. Everything is easier, faster, and safer about it.

Pros

I like that it is cloud based, easy to use and updated with new features almost monthly. It has a modern look and feel compared to many other service softwares I have tried out and looked in to. I like the mobile app features and ease of use. I like that it seamlessly syncs to Quickbooks. Desco knows service software.

Cons

Little things here and there that need to be changed to make working in the software easier and that make more sense. They have an "Ideas" portal that you can make suggestions for changes to the software but out of 3 that I have suggested not one has been adapted.

Dispatching software that integrates many of our companies needs in one place

Pros

This is a web based dispatch system that integrates into Quickbooks nicely. It has helped us to streamline our business and work much more efficiently. Love that the Techs can see customer history easily. Almost instant communication between Tech and dispatch. Has many great feature in the price book and dashboard. We can see almost instantly how profitable we are being.

Cons

The largest con is that as a web based system, if they go down your company can come screeching to a halt. Because this has happened several times this year, we have had to put internal back up systems in place. We save a screen shot each evening of the next day just in case the system is down. There are several issues that I would like to see FieldEdge improve on. Their team does take suggestions though and has been making improvements to the software.

Coming Up!

Great program for beginners!

Pros

Staff and support is superb and top notch! Easy to talk to and will have an answer for you very quickly

Cons

Ease of quotes from tablet to other devices will be lost if switching back and forth, Needs to have the opportunity to upload as soon as you're done with any text on one device in order to continue on any device. Have lost hours of work. very fustrating. Also server provider needs to not be knocked out no matter the reason... Field edge needs to have another back up server somewhere else. Lost days of productivity and and income... They simply said I'm sorry and that was it, wish they offered a prorated monthly service fee, so that it both hit our pockets.

Adrian exceeded my expectations with his customer service and willingness to help me with my updates

Pros

The customer service that ESC tech support showed me way exceeded my expectations. Adrian specifically, was such a great help. He came in after hours and even gave me his personal cell number in case I had questions while I updated each workstation individually. I am not a computer savvy person and he made it easy to understand and even fun while we were getting everything updated. I work for a heat and air company in Oklahoma and I would recommend Adrien or any of the staff at ESC to any company. Keep up the great work!!!!!!

Cons

The only con to the program was in the old version that we had as far as running reports. This is why we did the updates.

Love the support team, always so happy and very patient and makes you feel totally good !

Pros

All our Clients info is so easy to access and love how easy it is to use. Its dispatch board is supper easy and the invoicing is great. Also like how you can add different locations under one customer, lets say they have their main home and rental property, you can have it all in one place.. The equipment history and all you have done for a customer is easy to see.

Cons

Only one thing I have found is if you happen to choose the wrong location under a customer and lets say you have a invoice going to another location, you cant correct it, other than that I love this system.

Not Worth the Money-Spend Extra for Something BETTER

I'm not entirely sure who recommended this software to our company President, but I feel they were either paid to promote it or they had not actually used the software themselves. I honestly do not have much good to say about this product. The pros to it are not enough to keep this around, but this decision is not up to me. If it were, I would not have bought this in the first place. PROS: *Dispatch/Scheduling option *Tech Support is very responsive The dispatching and scheduling option is pretty handy. While trying to set up the loo of the dispatch board is not readily obvious, once you figure it out (not help to the "manual"), it's not too bad. There is room for improvement on that side of things, but as it stands, it's good enough to be a pro. Tech support is very responsive, however, to get quality response, I'd definitely call them on the phone rather than contacting them through the internet. CONS: *Not user intuitive *No real user manual; Manual they provide is vague *Webinars are minorly helpful *Bugs in the software that hinder simple tasks *Help Topics are below average-topics do not accurately address issues *Does not keep accurate records of invoice history, dispatch history If you are not comfortable around computers and various software, I strongly urge you to go somewhere else. If you are used to picking apart deficiencies in computer software or are comfortable enough to figure out how to work software on your own without a manual, knock yourself out. While ESC will make your job more interesting (and by interesting, I mean figuring out a puzzle that does not make much sense. Oh and colorful word creation as you bang your head against the desk when simple things aren't working), I wouldn't call it a time-saving product. Seriously, if this is bought up because of its low price, rest assured you will spend a great deal more in administrative hours as you figure ways around the bugs in the software. Don't be a cheap bum-spend the extra coin for something that went through all the processes of software development: analysis, design, development and testing.

The personal service is what makes this product!

Customer and equipment tracking. Repair history. Dispatch scheduling. Service Agreements.

Pros

The ability to have all the information concerning the customer at your fingertips is priceless. This allows us to serve them better.

Cons

Service agreements are a struggle for me. This is probably due to the fact that I've not been exposed to this portion of program as much as others.

Highly Satisfied Customer

CSR was a valuable asset to our company. Her kind manner, determination to solve problems quickly and knowledge of FieldEdge is exceptional. At times the learning curve with FieldEdge became frustrating, yet She remained calm and patient with our team and provided solutions. She periodically checks in on us even though we are fairly self-sufficient, inquiring about our satisfaction and still offering assistance. We appreciate the support Alyson provides.

Pros

FieldEdge keeps our company punctual with customers and the ability to follow through with commitments. It also helps us track well labor hours and parts on order.

Cons

Our least favorite features at the moment within FieldEdge are 1) inability to change most information in a parts request once it's been marked ordered and 2) unlock technicians work orders on the dispatch board.

ESC Review

Our company used DESCO prior to the conversion to ESC. The conversion was quite a change for the people who were used to using the DOS version. We have been with DESCO since 1992. The folks in the IT Department at DESCO were key in seeing that the conversion went smoothly and our customer base, accounting and payroll were not affected by the upgrade. They walked us through each step and we have been using ESC with no difficulty since. I am constantly learning something new that this system will do. The effortlessness in scheduling customers and assigning technicians to service calls is astounding. The Electronic Dispatch Board (EDB) makes seeing how your day is scheduled in advance, trouble-free almost with just a glance you can see what time slots are available for scheduling. The accounting is straightforward. Keeping track of inventory costs on jobs is made much simpler. Having the ability to email customer invoices and statements is uncomplicated and saves a lot on postage. I like that ESC gave the individual company the ability to design their own invoices and make them more personal. Payroll was a little work to set up and learn to use. However, once all the information was put into the system, producing payroll is simple, right down to keeping track of company payroll expenses and generating W2s. Our company just started doing Direct Deposit for our employees two weeks ago, given that ESC has a section in Payroll for Direct Deposit, the ease of making those deposits is made even greater. I would highly recommend ESC. This software was written to accommodate everything you would need to support and run a service based industry. Also, the support offered by DESCO is amazing, they respond to your need for help in a timely manner, they are always professional and friendly, never make you feel dim and will stay with you until your problem is fixed. I am a fan!

We have utilized the ESC program for many years, and their customer support has always been great!

Pros

The program does just what we need. Any time I have had a problem, if it's minor, I chat online with them. I love the ability to do this because it's immediate and I don't have to wait for a call back! If it requires a phone call, they follow through with it and have always solved my problem timely.

Cons

The mobile laptop version our Service Manager tried to use was not good at all. But the version for tablets works very well! All our techs and the Service Manager can access our whole database from the field, which is extremely handy, especially at night and on weekends.

Updates Galore!

Everything has a learning curve. Once I moved past my perceived frustration and opened myself to the possibilities with the tools available, I have found this product is exactly what we were looking for.

Pros

FieldEdge is helping us compete in the digital age. The tools offered in this software make it easier than ever to send reminders, keep track of our customers, and offer professional invoicing. The original on boarding process was easy but overwhelming for me. Once I reached out to my Customer Success Manager with my concerns or frustrations we were lined up with training's and phone conferences and email follow ups to make sure we are getting all FieldEdge has to offer. I am excited to work with a company and CSM that is so focused on customer satisfaction and helping me grow my business.

Cons

It seems to me that FieldEdge is becoming hyper-focused on their customer's needs. Things that frustrated me a month ago have either been addressed in updates or in trainings. As with most things, communication is everything. Once I started reaching out to my CSM and getting a better grasp of how the software really works I have found tons of tools and applications that will help grow my business. This is truly an "ask and you shall receive" type of customer service.