Evaluation of software tools in the domain of field service management

In the digital era, companies are switching from manual workforce management to the use of integrated tools, which automate planning steps and provide effective electronic business management solutions. The market for such software is growing rapidly. In addition to established software providers such as SAP and Oracle, many smaller software companies are now providing their independent software packages. Companies that have decided to deploy a field service management tool now face the challenge of evaluation and selection criteria. This paper gives a detailed overview of existing tools in the domain of field service management and elaborates an approach for the evaluation of the tools. The approach was applied to evaluate the tools in the service processes of industrial companies. SAP Field Service Management was ranked as the top product in a case study. The tools from Odyssee and Salesforce received significant ratings in the categories that refer to their functional aspects. The results of the study can be used by corporate management to support decision making for selecting software applications.