ServiceChannel

Vorteile

Service Channel was our mode of communicating all site level service/maintenance needs for 2 years until we switched to a different service. From an end user experience, SC allowed a great deal of customization in pulling reports, had a mobile app (that actually worked even better than the parent web based app) and was very functional for daily use in regards to submitting tickets.

Nachteile

The back end of SC, however, was much more difficult to manage and integrate into a large company. We ultimately switched to software we were already utilizing for other purposes that had service ticket abilities.

Vorteile

Keeping hundreds of work orders time stamped and name stamped. This allows for clear accountability for my team and direct communication with the store staff. All information is stored in one WO and photos/videos can be uploaded to allow for context.
Managing expectations is much easier with the missed ETA alerts and I can easily see where my team needs to focus their efforts.

Nachteile

The PM module is still clunky and doesn't really fit our requirements entirely. It's limited in it's capabilities (for example: many of our locations have different frequencies and schedules for cleaning, this cannot be specified in the PM module).

Vorteile

Having worked with various systems of this type at 3 different Fortune 500 companies and 2 major contractors, Service Channel is a great introductory CMMS program. It is very simplistic in its approach to creating work orders and is by far the most contractor-friendly for those with limited technical experience or back office support. The initial training support is fantastic!

It is one of the most widely used systems today, most likely due to its ease of use. Therefore, there is an abundance of very qualified contractors readily available to support your needs.

Once set up, the electronic payment portion is a outstanding benefit. Extremely effective and easy.

I appreciate the team\account manager dedicated to our account. They are always available and willing to help. Excellent partnership and extremely responsive.

Nachteile

Initial setup and continuing changes are a huge opportunity. The templates for uploading are antiquated and require the creation and review of 1000s of line items of data. Most other comparable systems complete the setup for you. This is not the case with Service Channel. If you have a large portfolio, be prepared to spend 100s of hours setting up. Changes are "clunky" and not intuitive. Recently, the customer interface went through an entire change with no warning or training to the customer. 2 months later and we are still trying to work through the changes.

This is not an Asset Management software. If you are looking to report on individual equipment asset life, this is not the program for you. If what you need is an electronic dispatching and reporting system, Service Channel is perfect!

If you have a large portfolio with multiple providers, the Preventative Maintenance Module is a huge disappointment. It's nearly impossible to correctly load the first time and even more difficult to manage and make changes and corrections.

The Android and iOS apps have extremely limited functionality. Again, another huge disappointment for a company supposed to be on the cutting edge.

Vorteile

The product is user friendly for the end user and allows the owner to easily create and adjust as needed. It can truly handle a work orders need from cradle to grave while handling every possible work flow needed for each work order between creation and close out.

Nachteile

The proposal module needs to have a notes function to ensure that any discussion about potential work is captured in the system; as well the planned maintenance module needs an update to make it more user friendly.

Vorteile

I think one of the things that I appreciate the most about Service Channel is it's constantly evolving. They're always rolling out something new and it's always applicable to what's happening in the industry, not stale data or updates late to solving a problem. They listen, pay attention, predict FM needs and challenges to such a degree that many times if I'm considering a new KPI/vendor communication/report data I check SC first because they've likely thought of it already.

Nachteile

Sometimes I find a few of the developments feel very US specific- at least at the outset, but the whole team is great about tweaking and editing and even rebuilding something to suit our needs.

Vorteile

The thought that goes behind everything is top notch! the easy of use for our users is key to the success of the system.

Nachteile

I've only had one negative experience and it had to do with vendor searching which is linked to fix book, and was quickly resolved

Vorteile

- Possible to be global (languages, currencies...) and adaptable to small-mid local requierements or needs.
- Always there's a solution for special needs we can have

Nachteile

- Not an unique point of contact (3 regions 3 contacts, not efficient in a global set up)

In Betracht gezogene Alternativen

Gründe für den Wechsel zu ServiceChannel

Vorteile

Being able to have everything on one platform is a huge time saver especially in this ever changing industry. From work order creation to invoice approval, the system is extremely user friendly. Also the fact that during implementation it is set up specific to your business needs and as things change, you can make changes!

Nachteile

Implementation process can be lengthy and creating the issues list can be confusing if you don't have a good starting point. You do get set up with an implementation manager who does help guide you through the process.

Vorteile

I like the thought behind it. I think if implemented properly it probably could be a very good tool for managing service/warranty work, but the capacity in which I use it is very confusing. On the plus side, they did offer a training that was about 3 hours long to go in depth into the program and how it should function.

Nachteile

While the concept behind it is excellent, it doesn't quite apply to how I use it. It was set up by a client of ours to dispatch service work, but as a GC it has gotten confusing since we aren't the ones to actually perform the work. I wish the training had been more specific to if you're a GC or a subcontractor. I also think that the owner training should be a bit more in depth as well because even the client who purchased the software has hit some usage roadblocks when it comes to setting up jobs and which features they actually want us to use.

Vorteile

Easy to use software with clean organization. Straight forward invoicing process with clear communications between client and vendor.

Nachteile

I did not experience any difficulty with ServiceChannel.

Vorteile

Ease of use. Reporting.

Nachteile

Lack of easy access to advanced training for people within our organization without much coordination.

Vorteile

The ease of use is especially important for both the vendors, as well as the administrative side. The responsiveness of my Account Executive has been incredible. Having come into the administrative side, I immediately began asking for modifications to the way our organization was using the system. This required some programming changes and mapping changes in Service Channel. The patience of the technical team, their responsiveness, and their willingness to help me to revamp our instance of the software is impressive.

Nachteile

There still is a gap in the flexibility of instance-centric modifications. Either the entire populace of Service Channel users adopt the change regardless of the impact to their use of the system or not, or the changes don't materialize. From the expanding use of the system, I think it behooves Service Channel to tailor the experience on an instance use. I am not as fond of the Fixxbook side of the application. I often find myself wishing for some free-form flexibility for single-use vendors

Vorteile

The product is very affordable and provides a broad array of useful tools (e.g. work orders, RFPs, invoicing, vendor management, analytics, etc.). The user interface is very intuitive and easy to use. ServiceChannel is very customer-focused vendor who is continuously working with clients to improve the product suite.

Nachteile

I have a difficult time coming up with an answer for this question. Any product and vendor can be improved (capabilities, service, etc.). However, ServiceChannel is the best vendor I have seen in its efforts to address customer needs, be proactive in technology to surpass customer expectations, continuously improving their products, and delivering on its promises.

Vorteile

Intuitive. Complete. Easy.

Nachteile

Provides a ton of information. More than we know what to do with.

Vorteile

This was implemented by a large customer of ours to assist with handling invoicing. We have since been able to expedite and work through our payments and invoicing more efficiently than before.

Nachteile

Wish that searching for existing Work Orders was easier or partial/filtered searches would be nice. Beyond that the flexibility and information provided with each Work Order is helpful.

Vorteile

Their very developer friendly API makes it very easy for us to move data from ServiceChannel to our application.

Nachteile

We have not experienced any problems with ServiceChannel thus far, all of the API's are well documented and their support engineers are readily accessible.

Vorteile

I am able to update users, add stores, change vendors, change status's etc. I was never able to do that previously and had to rely on our account manager at Facility Source.

Nachteile

I don't think the Asset Manager Tool is very user friendly. I also have had a few bad experiences with the call center folks not being knowledgeable on how to handle a ticket. There has also been a few times we have had a language barrier.

Vorteile

One of our clients requires us to use this for billing them and updating them on job statuses. It has a lot of features that seems like it would make it easy to access information. As a user It is easy to create invoices and upload documents.

Nachteile

I wish there were a search function to find all related work orders and invoices without having to go to each section and look manually.

Vorteile

Two pros really stand out.
Seamless communication between CH and our vendors.
Ease of use.

Nachteile

There appears to be twitches from time to time. I'll punch in a task # and it will come up invalid. I then punch in the task # again and it retrieves the task. This happens 10-20 times a day.

Vorteile

I like the flexibility and willingness to adjust the software to customers needs.

Nachteile

Training structure with Proview needs to be more involved and catered to the needs of each client.

Vorteile

Attainable data and notes section for audit trail

Nachteile

There is alot of maintenance involved, if we want correct accurate data. Mot SP's are not 100% fully engaged which requires more effort on my part to coach or even do their job.

Vorteile

I like having access to the level of vendors this company has and the organization that this company has.

Nachteile

In the beginning, with me not understanding what the full process was to bring on a new vendor and expecting more help from Service Channel, it was difficult to understand the system and very time consuming. As I have said, one of the most important things that needs to happen is being able to schedule the amount of time needed without interruptions. Now that I understand the system, it is much easier and does not take much time at all to bring on a new vendor.

Vorteile

Real Time, all history is together in one place, reports can be pulled for whatever location, trade or time period you need.

Nachteile

GPS. Have vendors who tell me their techs do not like it as it does not work.

Vorteile

Everything having to do with the life of a work order is in one place.

Vorteile

ServiceChannel has a habit of providing efficiency to front line users and senior level decision makers. The distance between those two is tremendous, so that's no easy task.

Nachteile

What I like least is that some of the Proview reporting isn't as nimble as it could be, which could shorten the decision path. To ServiceChannel's credit however, they do listen and make adjustments when able.

Vorteile

The main thing I like about Service Channel is that it lets me see how my internal team is functioning in their maintenance rolls. I like the ability to assign work to internal or external providers. Processing the invoicing is a big asset, it minimizes the manual labor involved they way we use to process invoices. The Service Channel team is always trying to innovate the software by adding new functions or improving on existing, this is a big win to me as well.

Nachteile

It is apparent to me that the software was built by a number of teams, the use of terminology changes from one function to the next....this throws new user off when trying to learn the system....In training there was always a reference to the work order number but in the application the tracking number comes up first...yes there is a work order selection....to me redundancy in functions and terminology is key for making this easier to use. Some parts of the system do an auto fill function other parts don't but you would expect that it would? There is glitch with the system that generates a large number of emails each night stating our contractors are out of insurance compliance, when their not...this is annoying to me as well as the contractors. It was fixed once before but has come back again but it still hasn't been addressed. It took 4 weeks the last time to remedy the issue...My biggest issue is with using outside contractors, very few have much knowledge in working with Service Channel which causes my team to hand hold them through the process and some seem to never get it.....many don't understand the proposal system, they don't understand listed incurred cost on adjusted proposals....also the RFP system doesn't appear to work correctly. We issue RFP's but they go un-answered as if they were never received, even when working with contractors who seem to grasp the system.

Vorteile

Transparency and Consistency: Everything is transparent; when dispatches were created, who created them, what contractor was dispatched, when the tech was on site if there was a proposal, who approved it, when we were invoiced, who approved it, when the invoice was paid, etc. How one location is managed is how all locations are managed.

Accountability at all levels, for all things: There's never any doubt about what happened when it happened.

Proposal Approvals: Our initial big win with Service Channel was its proposal approval process. Prior to Service Channel, our system of proposal approvals amounted to an excel spreadsheet and a chain of emails that was very hard to manage and impossible to track. Now it clear and consistent and easy to review.

Asset Tracking: We have heavily used the asset tracking abilities of Service Channel for the past 2 years. It's now coming to fruition the results of our effort, having the ability to look at any given piece of equipment and see its make/model/serial information and know how many repairs were made over the past year so we can make the best decisions on whether to repair or replace it.

Preventative Maintenance: We have ultimate consistency in our PM program knowing when dispatches go out, who they go to, and exactly what the scope of work is that we send.

Flexibility: The system is incredibly flexible, not a one size fits all system at all. You can be as creative as possible in its use, tailoring it to your organization's specific needs.

Contractor Compliance: Service Channel has helped our accounting team gain consistency in knowing when certificates of insurance are out of date

System Reporting: It's incredibly powerful. What do you want to know-- average invoice amounts per trade? what contractor are performing well? what are your top 10 most frequently repaired assets? You name it-- you can report on it.

Fluid Accounting Processes: Invoices flow from SC into our Accounting software (with integration) after approval from the field. SC has helped keep our accounting department lean and mean.

SC is a widely used, well-developed system -- one of the biggest and best. They're constantly improving.

Nachteile

Contractor Engagement: Ultimately contractors have to choose to engage and participate in Service Channel and smaller contractors can offer a challenge in their participation. I feel like, if there was one thing I'd improve about the system, I wish it was easier for the contractors to work through their onboarding. The better the contractor experience, the easier for them to navigate, the more contractors that will want to work inside of the system. Without contractor buy-in, the system loses its power.

Pay per feature: While SC does have a very strong base feature set, to upgrade and use certain other features, will cost an additional, small, per-site fee.

You will run into little programming flaws from time to time and have to report them when they pop up, for correction. Because of the volume of clients that SC has and the fact they have to prioritize improvements, sometimes it takes longer for the correction than one might like.

Vorteile

Service Channel are always making improvements and adding features based on users comments. It is very easy to use and understand for the end user. It is very simple to search back on the records and leave notes for the vendors. It is a one stop operation from Work order request to proposals to final invoice. It also has great tools to analyse the the data from every possible angle.

Nachteile

They are always developing and improving the software so as an administrator you have to stay on top of the developments. A little bit of a learning curve for the administrator because there are so many features, but once you have it then you are fine. Adding new Vendors on their Fixxbook program can be frustrating because it is not very intuitive for a new vendor to fill out the forms.

Vorteile

The ease of editing vendors within trades is one of the best functions to use in the business. Pulling reports and the use of analytics is great! Real time data and ease of communicating within our users is one of my favorite feature. I wish they had an AP to match the website. Still a little behind the times in the mobile AP end of this system.

Nachteile

The only part of the software I wish could be upgraded is the AP software. Still very limited and behind the times.

Vorteile

I love almost everything about SC. It starts with how easy the software is to use. I am on it daily whether it is accepting calls for billing out. In their WO Reports section you can look up all calls that have not been accepted, opened, in progress and complete. SC has an app that allows you to check into business using GPS, for some customers you may need to dial a phone number using a store phone but that is easy! I love that you can submit proposals immediately and the notes section provides a perfect spot to communicate with the customer. As a vendor, communication is key, especially when working in high energy, loud, or busy environments.

Nachteile

The only thing I don't love is when you reject a call it stays in your open section of the WO reports. I wish they would have a reject section- they may I just have not come across it.

Vorteile

As a Facilities Manager, high value is placed on ease of use for the field and its versatility. Our staff uses Service Channel for multiple store issues. Repair and Maintenance, Loss Prevention issues including alarm issues and requests for a variety of things, Finance issues including inventory control and auditing matters, Operational issues and requests, overall it is extremely useful and we are expanding its use all the time. One of the nicest features for store associate use is that it is very user friendly, you don't need to be 'techy' to understand it. Creating new service request are made simple by the use of drop down boxes which are self explanatory and the system just leads the user to the next screen... we are very pleased with this tool and will continue using it as we grow.

Nachteile

There have been a number of upgrades of late, which in itself is good, but often causes the system to run slow... there are new 'bugs' that develop as a result of upgrades which do eventually get resolved.

Vorteile

We love using this software to setup our preventative maintenance services to remove the manual entry of the work orders. We also just implemented the weather mapping and bulk work order creation that has been very valuable during this busy hurricane season. We also rely heavily on the custom analytics to provide customized reports for us to provide to ELT.

Nachteile

The only area that could use improvement is the issue list and manual time it takes to create it up front. I would like to see become more of a drop down selection with cells to add information for the individual user.

Vorteile

The analytics and reporting are a wonderful tool. Regular upgrades to the platform continuously make a great product even better.

Nachteile

Getting all end users to begin working in the system was challenging, but I that is not unique to ServiceChannel.

Vorteile

Accessibility to the stores so they can create their own requests.
Issue list(s) can be modified easily on our end.
Easy access to customer service & understanding of our issues.

Nachteile

Lack of project module (now released in 2020)
Harder to use than other softwares/ not as customizable as smaller platforms.
GL code triggered by proposal not WO's GL (will not update automatically)

Vorteile

The software is very user friendly and intuitive.

Nachteile

Some of the features could still use updating. I.e. the planned maintenance dashboard. It could be easier to manipulate PMs within a frequency or change a store to a new frequency without losing pricing

Vorteile

Managing each locations tickets and status is a breeze. Reviewing invoices and proposals all in one place. The customer service and support I find is really efficient and helpful.

Nachteile

I find it clunky it clunky to customize our dropdowns menus for the end users to submit tickets. I may just not be as computer savvy, but that is where the customer service comes in handy and are able to assist.

Vorteile

All features are great! Love the new weather mapping and bulk WO creation. Dashboard for proposals and invoicing is easy to use. Very user friendly. IVR check in and out allows accountability for vendors.

Nachteile

The mobile app needs major updates. WOs in time order instead of random, should match the the site more for functionality, filters need to be updated. When selecting one vendor you have to unclick all the other vendors and then reclick them all when you want to apply all.

Vorteile

ServiceChannel makes it easy to view open and completed work orders to keep track with company spending and helps hold accountability to vendors that service our restaurant.

Nachteile

ServiceChannel could improve the interface of its app to mirror the browser site.

Vorteile

The transparency that this software provides is one of its best features.

Vorteile

Ease of use for the facilities team and for the store team.

Nachteile

I don't care for the new invoice layout.

Vorteile

the customer service is great . it is not the easiest program to use but with their help, it make a difference, especially when you are a person who manage a lot of store and travel a lot.

Nachteile

wish we have class once a week to teach how to use the software with q &a

Vorteile

The variety of modules that are available is the reason that I prefer Service Channel. Each module interacts with other sections to create more value with our data.

Nachteile

There is nothing that i like "least" about Service Channel. I am happy with the product.

Vorteile

I love how user friendly this software is! It is also very interactive, so everyone can access this & update accordingly as needed. It makes my job at the end of the day easier.

Nachteile

When items are not closed out by the vendors or the store teams don't provide updates, it is a lot of follow up on my end to close out all the work orders. It would be great of the software gave reminders directly to the vendor or store teams depending on how long the ticket has been open.

Vorteile

My team used this to view invoices performed by contractors. The interface is pretty easy to use overall for our purposes.

Nachteile

There were some limitations in how the contractor can put in their information.

Vorteile

Provides handy tools for project team management, easy to use

Nachteile

Project management modules still needs to be improved

Vorteile

The transfer from our previous software as easy.

Nachteile

Vendors cannot speak with reps without great difficulty.
We cannot help vendors from our side.

Vorteile

Big Sky is highly configurable and it is easy to add custom features. We were able to replicate a store facilities quality scorecard, eliminating the need for bulky hard copies.

Nachteile

This platform is being phased out in favor of another platform. The replacement platform is also very powerful, though somewhat less configurable.

Vorteile

Excels in managing dispersed portfolios.

Nachteile

Time to create a work ticket takes between 10 and 34 minutes. Vendor on boarding takes a long time to build a network.

Vorteile

Easy to use once it is set up.

Nachteile

Changes to issue lists, trades, and providers can be confusing for someone that does not need to make updates regularly.