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How to Choose Field Service Software for a 1–10 Person Team
A short, practical guide and scoring checklist to help small contractors pick a field service management (FSM) app that actually reduces admin work and helps you get paid faster.
Why small teams need a different approach
Small teams can't afford heavyweight enterprise setups: onboarding time, complicated pricing, and features you never use. For 1–10 people you want speed on phones, offline reliability, straightforward pricing, and a workflow that eliminates double entry.
Scoring checklist (use this to compare vendors)
Score each vendor 0–5 for the items below and total the points—higher is better.
- Mobile performance (0–5) — App opens fast, UI is clear, and common actions take a tap or two.
- Offline support (0–5) — Can capture photos, notes, and signatures offline and sync later.
- Scheduling & routing (0–5) — Drag-and-drop calendar, multi-stop route planning, and ETA texts.
- Invoicing & payments (0–5) — Easy invoice creation + online payment links + QuickBooks export.
- Pricing & onboarding (0–5) — Transparent pricing and a quick CSV import or guided setup.
How to run a 30-minute vendor test
Give each vendor the same small test: import 10 customers, create 3 jobs, assign them to technicians, collect a signature & photo in the mobile app, convert a job to an invoice and send a payment link. Time each stage and note where the friction is.
Decision guide
Pick the vendor with the highest score, but weigh "mobile performance" and "offline support" more heavily for teams that operate in low-signal areas. Also consider integrations—Stripe for payments and QuickBooks for accounting are high-value connectors.
Next steps
Read our full Field Service Management guide for a deeper look at the workflows that matter, then try Creative Job Hub's free tier to see the checklist in action.