• Replies 13 replies
  • Subscribers 2 subscribers
  • Views 0 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related

Tips for managing subcontractors in FieldPulse?

Nadia Petrov

We're expanding our reach into adjacent territories and have begun partnering with certified subcontractors for overflow work and specialized services. I am curious how others are incorporating third-party technicians into their FieldPulse workflows.

Specifically, I would be interested to hear about:

  • How you structure subcontractor access — dedicated user licenses, shared dispatch accounts, or external coordination
  • Whether you require subcontractors to use the mobile app directly, or if your internal team handles documentation on their behalf
  • How you handle customer-facing elements (notifications, portal access) when work is performed by non-employees
  • Any contractual or compliance workflows you've built into checklists or documentation requirements

Another way to frame this: for those who have moved beyond simply "tracking" subcontractor jobs to truly integrating them into your operational framework, what proved to be the critical shift?

We want to ensure we're setting both our internal team and our partners up for success without creating unnecessary administrative burden or customer confusion.

  • We went through this last year when we added HVAC partners to our electrical operation. Here's what actually worked:

    Dedicated licenses, not shared accounts. Yes, it costs more. But shared accounts create audit nightmares and you lose visibility into who's actually doing what. We negotiated a reduced rate for our subcontractor partners — worth asking your CSM about.

    Mobile app requirement, but with guardrails. We give them Technician role only, restrict customer pricing visibility, and require photo documentation at three checkpoints. If they won't use the app, they don't get the work. Full stop.

    Pro tip: Create a custom checklist template specifically for subcontractor jobs with extra fields for license verification and insurance confirmation. We catch compliance gaps before they become problems.

    Also — and this is something I wish we'd done from day one — set up a separate service type for subcontractor work. Makes reporting cleaner and protects your core metrics from getting diluted.

  • In my experience, most subs won't touch your app if they have their own system. Waste of time trying.

    We just have our dispatcher handle all the FieldPulse side. Sub does the work, texts us photos, we upload and close it out.

    Not elegant but it works. Tried the full integration route — abandoned after two months.

  • in reply to Art Kowalczyk

    Art, this is a valuable counterpoint. Another way to think about it: perhaps the question is less about "integration" and more about where the operational burden should sit.

    For smaller subcontractor relationships, your approach may indeed be more efficient. For larger or recurring partnerships, the visibility and standardization benefits of direct system access might justify the onboarding investment.

    Did you find any particular pain points in your initial attempt that led you to abandon it? Understanding what created friction might help us evaluate where on that spectrum our current partners fall.

  • in reply to Art Kowalczyk

    Training mostly. These guys aren't employees — they don't get paid to learn your software. Every hour I spent onboarding was an hour they weren't billing.

    Also the support burden. They'd call us when the app acted up, not you.

  • Oh this is so timely — thanks for starting this Nadia! We're about to onboard our first plumbing subcontractor and I've been wondering the same things.

    A few questions if you don't mind:

    1. Do you let subs see your full schedule or just their assigned jobs? We're worried about them seeing customer info for other jobs

    2. How do you handle when a sub cancels last minute — do you have a backup workflow?

    3. Has anyone used the customer portal with subcontractor jobs? Does it show the tech name or can you mask it?

    Really appreciate any insights — our team is excited but also a little nervous about keeping everything straight!

  • Pro tip: Use Teams to silo your subs if you have the feature. They only see their team assignments, can't browse around.

    Second pro tip: Set up automated status updates so customers get notified even if the sub forgets. We learned that one the hard way after a sub went radio silent for 6 hours and the customer blew up our phone.

    Re: portal — it shows whatever name is on the user account. We create accounts with generic names like "ABC Plumbing Partner" instead of individual names, keeps it cleaner and protects turnover.

  • in reply to Josh Mercer

    Oh the generic name thing is genius — thanks so much Josh! Setting that up today.

  • Hi Nadia — great question, and one we hear frequently as customers scale their extended workforce strategies.

    A few resources that might help as you think through your approach:

    • We recently published Tips for Rolling Out FieldPulse to a Field Team of 50+ which includes a section on mixed employee/contractor environments
    • The user role permissions documentation covers how to restrict customer pricing and job visibility — worth reviewing before provisioning accounts

    We want to make sure you're set up for success with this expansion. I'm happy to connect you with a few other customers in similar situations if peer conversations would be valuable — just let me know and we can set something up.

  • im a sub for 3 different companies and fieldpulse is actually the nicest app of the bunch tbh

    the one i hate makes me log in with a diff code every job and loses my photos half the time

    so if youre worried about adoption id say make it easy and ppl will use it. the companies where i have to text pics to a dispatcher are the ones i drop first when i get busy

  • in reply to Tyler Hatch

    This is genuinely useful perspective — thanks Tyler. The "text pics to dispatcher" workflow Art mentioned gets us through the day, but Tyler's right that it creates friction for the relationship.

    We've had subs specifically mention they prefer working with us because "your system actually works." Didn't realize that was a competitive advantage until just now.