The problem is not that your engineers work slowly. It is that half the day goes on phone calls, driving and paperwork — and none of that gets billed to the customer.
A field system does one thing: it gives the engineer everything they need on a phone before they arrive, and sends the report back without a trip to the office.
Want us to map your workflow?
Tell us how many engineers and how many jobs a day and we will find where the time goes.
When you need one
| Situation | What suffices |
|---|---|
| 1–2 engineers, few jobs | A shared calendar |
| 3–8 engineers | A work order system |
| 8–20 engineers | A system with routing and stock |
| Maintenance contracts | A system with scheduled visits |
Four signs:
- An engineer rings for an address or details more than once a day.
- You cannot say where each job stands without asking.
- Job sheets reach the office days later, or go missing.
- Recurring maintenance gets forgotten and the customer reminds you.
The third costs you cash directly. A job sheet arriving three days later is an invoice going out three days later — and payment landing with the same delay.
What a field system includes
| Element | What it solves |
|---|---|
| Work order | What, where, when, with which details |
| Assignment and routing | Who goes where, in a sensible order |
| Engineer app | History, photos, parts, signature |
| Installation history | What was done last time |
| Planned maintenance | The next visit created automatically |
| Invoicing from the field | Billing the same day |
Installation history is the most underrated. An engineer who can see what was replaced eight months ago fixes the fault in half the time — and the customer reads that as competence.
A signature on the phone closes the loop: it evidences completion, removes the “they never did it” argument, and enables same-day invoicing — see how scheduled visits get organised in booking systems.
What you gain, in numbers
Three measurable changes, in the order they appear:
1. One extra job a day per engineer. It comes from less driving and no trips back to the office.
2. Days to invoice: from 3–5 down to 0–1. The biggest effect on cash flow.
3. Fewer return visits. The engineer knows what they will find and takes the right parts.
The third hides the largest cost. A second visit for a part they did not have on board costs two journeys and one annoyed contact who remembers.
How service quality gets measured overall after the change: digital customer service.
Want the calculation for your own crew?
Send us how many jobs you do a week and we will show what one extra a day means.
The question of location tracking
Most systems offer location tracking. It is not a free-for-all feature.
Tracking employees’ location is permitted only with a clear, documented purpose, proportionate means, and staff who have been informed. In practice that means:
- Tracking only during working hours, never outside them.
- Routing as the purpose, not behavioural assessment.
- Written notice to the team before it is switched on.
- A limited retention period for journey data.
Confirm the framework with a legal adviser before enabling the feature. A system set up without that creates exposure that stays invisible until it is not.
What to check before choosing
- Works with no signal. Basements, warehouses, remote sites — the app must work offline and sync afterwards.
- Speed of entry for the engineer. Over two minutes per job and it will not get filled in.
- Connects to invoicing and the transmission obligations that apply.
- Stock per vehicle, if you carry parts.
- Data export of customers and history.
The first rules out half the systems, and it usually gets discovered after purchase. Test it in an actual basement before signing.
Cost: €25–60 per engineer per month. Indicative ranges — confirm with quotes.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a system for three engineers?
If you do more than 8–10 jobs a day in total, yes. It pays for itself on invoicing time alone.
Will the engineers use it?
If it saves them the trip back to the office, yes. Trial it with one person for two weeks before rolling it out.
Does it connect to my accounting software?
Most connect to the common Greek packages. Get it in writing, not verbally.
What about quotes?
Many systems produce a quote from the field. Useful for repairs needing approval before work starts.
How long does the transition take?
2–4 weeks, with the first two running alongside the old system.
The first step
Ask one engineer to record for three days: how many minutes driving, how many on the phone, how many on paperwork, how many on actual work.
The percentage in that last column is the number you want to improve — and it is almost always below 50%. How a flow gets simplified before it is automated: workflow automation.
Next step
Book a free 30-minute call with the team at The Dev Alley. We will look at your job flow and what can move onto the engineer’s phone.