AI OCR for gas station operations
- 20K+
- transactions processed in a single day
Field Service Automation Software
Field service automation software that ends phone dispatch and paper job sheets.
Field service is hard to run on manual processes. Jobs booked in one system, dispatched by phone, tracked on paper, invoiced two days later. Technicians driving past each other's jobs. Parts ordered from memory. Customers chasing status updates because no one told them anything.
We build custom field service automation software that connects scheduling, dispatch, work order management, and invoicing into a single workflow, for service businesses that run technicians in the field every day.
Intelligent job scheduling and technician dispatch with route optimisation
Mobile work order management, job cards, checklists, and parts on a phone or tablet
Automated customer notifications from booking confirmation through job completion
SLA tracking and escalation alerts for jobs approaching or breaching response targets
Recent outcomes
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6× deeper insights
Text-based interviews converted to automated phone calls
AI Automation · Ops
20k+ txns day one
Manual invoice OCR across 40+ gas stations
Loyalty · Retail
1,062 users in 4 weeks
SuperValu & Centra loyalty platform with receipt validation
SaaS · Logistics
2,000+ shipments yr 1
Multi-carrier shipping hub for Indonesian eCommerce
4.9
on ClutchThe problem
Sound familiar?
Are your dispatchers spending hours on the phone every morning routing jobs that a system could schedule automatically?
Are you invoicing customers days after job completion because your field teams submit paper job sheets that someone has to re-key?
Short answer
The average field service first-time fix rate sits near 75%, so about one job in four needs a repeat visit (Aberdeen Group). RaftLabs builds custom field service automation software for operators across the US, UK, Europe, Canada, and the UAE, connecting scheduling, dispatch, mobile work orders, and invoicing. A validated v1 launches in 10-16 weeks.
Key takeaways
- RaftLabs builds custom field service automation software for service businesses running technicians in the field every day
- A validated v1 covering scheduling, dispatch, and mobile work orders launches in 10-16 weeks, then grows with invoicing, parts, and integrations
- A first phase starts around $40,000 for a 10-50 technician operation; the full platform grows toward $120,000 as you add invoicing, parts tracking, and integrations
- Price is scoped and locked in writing before development starts with no surprises on the final invoice
Trusted by
The morning that starts with a whiteboard and a phone.
It's 7am. A dispatcher stands at a whiteboard, phone to their ear, working out who goes where. Two technicians will drive past each other's jobs before lunch. A third is waiting on a part nobody ordered. Yesterday's job sheets are still in a van, so yesterday's invoices haven't gone out.
None of it looks like a system failure. It looks like a normal Tuesday.
Now the schedule builds itself overnight. Jobs land on the right technician by skill and location, the route is already optimised, parts are logged against van stock, and the invoice goes out the moment the job is marked complete.
The whiteboard is the least interesting thing in the room. The workflow underneath it is the product.
Field service businesses aren't short on demand. They lose margin to coordination: dispatchers on the phone every morning, paper job sheets riding around in a van for two days, customers calling to find out where a technician is. We build custom field service automation that connects scheduling, dispatch, work order management, and invoicing into a single workflow. RaftLabs has been shipping production software since 2015, with systems running across logistics, retail, hospitality, and utilities, and holds a 4.9/5 rating on Clutch.
This pays off when technicians in the field are your operation.
Everything on the left should already be true for your business. Even one thing on the right, and an off-the-shelf tool is the smarter first step.
A fit
01
You run technicians in the field every day, a 10-50 person operation booking around 20 jobs a day.
02
Dispatch still runs on phone calls and paper job sheets, and invoices go out days after the job is done.
03
You have accounting, CRM, or mapping tools the system needs to connect to.
Not a fit
- A one- or two-technician operation where a shared calendar already covers scheduling.
- You're happy with an off-the-shelf field service app and don't need custom workflows or integrations.
- The work isn't scheduled field jobs, so there's no dispatch or routing to automate.
What we build
What a field service automation build includes
- 01Job scheduling and dispatchIntelligent scheduling that matches every incoming job to the right technician based on required skills, GPS location, available time slots, and priority tier, evaluating the full day's job list simultaneously. When a job overruns, the system calculates the downstream impact and flags options: reallocate, notify the customer, or escalate before an SLA breach. Route optimisation and configurable SLA rules run underneath it, so dispatchers work the exception queue rather than building every schedule from scratch.
- 02Mobile work order managementA native or progressive web app that gives technicians everything they need for each job on their phone or tablet: job details, site access notes, equipment history, and structured checklists. On-site they log time and parts, capture geotagged photos, and take customer sign-off, and marking the job complete triggers invoicing and updates inventory automatically. For inspection-led operations, see our inspection app development service.
- 03Technician routingTurn-by-turn navigation from job to job with real-time traffic, integrated into the mobile app and built on Google Maps or Here Maps with live GPS tracking. Multi-stop route optimisation runs at the start of each day and when the schedule changes, minimising total drive time, and technician GPS location feeds live ETAs, nearest-technician assignment for emergency jobs, and a time-and-location audit trail per visit.
- 04Customer notificationsAutomated customer communication across the full job lifecycle via SMS and email, eliminating the call volume of customers asking for updates they should have received automatically. Booking confirmation, day-before reminder, a technician-on-the-way notification with a live tracking link and ETA, and a job completion summary with the invoice, each template configurable by job type.
- 05Invoice generation and paymentInvoices generated automatically the moment a technician marks a job complete, using recorded labour time, parts at catalogue price, call-out fees, and contract rates, then emailed to the customer and filed to the job record. A Stripe payment link cuts the payment cycle from weeks to days, and accounting integration to QuickBooks, Xero, or Sage pushes invoice data in real time, so invoicing happens the moment the job closes instead of days later.
- 06SLA tracking and escalationReal-time SLA monitoring for every open job, tracking response time, on-site time, and total resolution time against contracted targets, with parameters configured per customer, priority tier, and job type. A visual dashboard flags jobs green, amber, and red, surfacing at-risk jobs to dispatch automatically. For contracts with financial SLA penalties, the real-time breach alert is direct revenue protection.
What a bad dispatch process actually costs
A field service business running on phone-based dispatch and paper job sheets loses money in ways that are hard to see individually but add up fast. Technicians driving past each other's jobs. Two-hour gaps between appointments because no one optimised the route. Jobs invoiced three days after completion because the paper job sheet was in the van. Customers calling to find out where the technician is because nobody sent them anything.
None of these feel like system failures. They feel like operational friction. But at 20 jobs a day across a team of 10 technicians, the wasted hours are a material cost.
The metric that ties it together is first-time fix rate: the share of jobs a technician closes on the first visit. Independent field service research puts the industry average near 75%, which means roughly one job in four needs a return trip. Every repeat visit burns a slot another job could have taken. Automation lifts that rate by getting the right technician, the right parts, and the full job history to the door on the first visit, not the second.
- average field service first-time fix rate
- ~75%
- Aberdeen Group
- jobs need a repeat visit at that rate
- 1 in 4
- Aberdeen Group
- of customers want better first-time fix rates
- 57%
- Aberdeen Group
How scheduling and dispatch approaches compare
There are three ways to run a field schedule. Custom automation only earns its cost past a certain volume and integration depth. Here is the honest trade-off:
| Scheduling approach | Best for | Where it breaks down |
|---|---|---|
| Manual whiteboard and phone | One to three technicians, predictable jobs | Falls apart past roughly 10 jobs a day. No route logic, no audit trail, no live status. |
| Off-the-shelf field service app | Standard job types, few integrations | Rigid workflows force your process to fit the tool. Per-seat pricing climbs at scale, and deep accounting or CRM links are often out of reach. |
| Custom automation (what we build) | 10-50 technicians, custom workflows, existing accounting, CRM, or mapping tools to connect | Higher upfront build. Only worth it when job volume and integration needs justify moving off a packaged tool. |
Field service by industry
HVAC Software, scheduling, dispatch, maintenance tracking, customer portals for HVAC companies
Plumbing Software, job management, emergency dispatch, and invoicing for plumbing businesses
Electrical Services Software, job cards, compliance tracking, materials management
Pest Control Software, route planning, treatment records, recurring service scheduling
Landscaping Software, crew scheduling, job costing, customer portals for landscaping companies
Moving Services Software, quote management, crew dispatch, item tracking
How many jobs does your team run per week, and how many hours go into dispatch coordination?
Tell us the operation, team size, job types, and current tools. We'll scope the automation.
How it works
From scope to shipped
Every project follows the same four phases. Scope is locked and price is fixed before development starts.
- Week 101
Audit and scope
We map your current dispatch process, job types, technician workflows, and integration points. You leave week 1 with a written scope document and a fixed-price quote. No development starts without your sign-off.
- Weeks 2-302
Design and architecture
Workflow maps before production code. System design decisions made here cost ten times less than the same decisions made in week 8. Mobile screens, dispatch dashboards, and integration architecture are locked before the build starts.
- Weeks 4-1203
Build, integrate, and QA
Working software at a staging URL by the end of sprint one. Bi-weekly demos with your operations team. QA runs in parallel with every sprint, not as a phase at the end. Integrations with your accounting, CRM, and mapping tools are built and tested during this phase.
- Weeks 12+04
Launch and post-launch support
Production deployment with monitoring activated on launch day. 8 weeks of post-launch support included in every project. Your dispatch team gets hands-on training before the first live day.
Pitfalls we plan around
Field service software fails in predictable ways. We design for these from week one, not after the first bad week in production.
- Connectivity dead zones
- Technicians work in basements, plant rooms, and rural sites with no signal. The mobile app is offline-first: job details, checklists, and parts logging all work with no connection, then sync automatically when the device is back online. A dropped signal never blocks a job.
- Technician adoption
- A tool the field team resents gets worked around, and your data goes with it. We keep the mobile flow to the fewest taps that capture a complete job, test it with real technicians before launch, and train the team hands-on before the first live day.
- Dispatch conflicts and overruns
- Real days do not follow the plan. Jobs run long, emergencies jump the queue, technicians call in sick. The system flags the downstream impact and offers options (reassign, reschedule, notify the customer) instead of silently breaking the schedule and leaving dispatch to find out from an angry call.
What field service automation costs
Where you land in the range depends on scope, not negotiation:
- First phase from $40,000
- Core dispatch and scheduling for a 10-50 technician operation. The full platform grows toward $120,000 as you add mobile work orders, invoicing, parts tracking, and integrations (accounting, CRM, mapping). Where you land depends on scope and the number of job types.
- Validated v1 in 10-16 weeks
- The first working version reaches a staging URL within the first 4 weeks, then grows. Full go-live depends on the number of integrations and the complexity of your job types and SLA rules.
What it costs
Custom field service automation, priced before we start.
A connected workflow covering scheduling, dispatch, mobile work orders, and invoicing, scoped and quoted in writing before development begins.
Starts at $40,000
For a 10-50 technician operation, the first working version lands on a staging URL within 4 weeks. Start with core dispatch and scheduling, then add invoicing and reporting as the rollout expands.
For most 10-50 technician operations, the system pays for itself within the first year through reduced admin overhead alone.
No hourly billing
Once we scope your first phase, that price is locked in writing. No hourly billing, no change fees absorbed into the final invoice.
One team, start to finish
The team that maps your dispatch process in week 1 is the team that ships it. No offshore handoff after the contract is signed, and 8 weeks of post-launch support included in every project.
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Read moreFrequently asked questions
Field service automation software replaces the manual coordination work that runs a field service operation, phone-based dispatch, paper job sheets, manual invoicing, and status updates by text message. Instead, jobs are scheduled and assigned automatically based on technician availability, skills, and location. Technicians receive job details on a mobile app, complete digital job cards, record parts used, and capture customer sign-off. Invoices generate on job completion. Office teams see the status of every job in real time without calling the field. The result is faster job cycles, fewer errors, and complete records for every job.
Automated scheduling works by matching job requirements against technician profiles, skills, certifications, current location, schedule gaps, and travel time. When a job is booked, the system identifies the best-matched available technician and assigns it, either automatically or with a dispatcher confirming the suggestion. Route optimisation groups jobs in the same area to reduce drive time. When a job overruns, the system identifies the impact on subsequent jobs and flags options: reassign, reschedule, or notify the customer. Dispatchers focus on exceptions, not on manually building a schedule from scratch every morning.
Mobile work order management gives field technicians everything they need for each job on their phone or tablet, job details, customer history, site access notes, equipment information, and step-by-step checklists. Technicians record arrival time, work completed, parts used, and any issues found. They capture customer sign-off digitally on-site. Photos and notes attach to the job record. When the job is marked complete, the office team sees it immediately, triggering invoice generation and closing the job in the system. No paper job sheets. No re-keying. No delay between job completion and billing.
Parts management in field service automation tracks van stock per technician and warehouse inventory in real time. When a technician uses a part on a job, they log it in the mobile app, deducted from their van stock automatically. Low stock triggers a replenishment request. If a technician needs a part not on their van, the system identifies who has it and where the nearest stock is, cutting the return visits that manual parts tracking makes routine.
A first phase covering core dispatch and scheduling for a 10-50 technician operation starts around $40,000. The full platform grows toward $120,000 as you add mobile work orders, invoicing, parts tracking, and integrations (accounting, CRM, mapping). RaftLabs scopes the work, calculates the cost, and locks the price in writing before development starts. There are no surprises on the final invoice.
A validated v1 covering scheduling, dispatch, mobile work orders, and invoicing usually launches in 10-16 weeks, then grows as you add features. The first working version at a staging URL is available within the first 4 weeks. Timeline depends on the number of integrations, the complexity of job types and SLA rules, and how quickly your team can provide feedback during the bi-weekly sprint demos.
Work with us
Tell us what you need. We'll tell you what it would take.
We scope Field Service Automation Software in 30 minutes. You walk away with a clear cost, timeline, and approach. No commitment required.
- Scope and cost agreed before work starts. No surprises. No obligation.
- Working prototype within 3 weeks of kickoff.
- Pay by milestone. You see progress before each invoice.
- 60-day post-launch warranty. Bug fixes, UI tweaks, and deployment support. No retainer.
- All conversations are NDA-protected.