Paul Webb, Customer Insight & Education at Joblogic, looks at the productivity drain no one talks about in FM.
We talk about labour shortages. We discuss rising costs. But there's a productivity killer hiding in plain sight that nobody wants to address: paper.
Walk into any FM office and you'll spot the warning signs: Job sheets piled high; whiteboards full of scribbled updates; and invoices waiting weeks to be processed because the paperwork's still in someone's van.
Despite digital transformation happening everywhere, over half of field service businesses still run on paper. And it's costing them far more than they realise.
The paper trap
Why are so many FM businesses still clinging to paper when digital tools are everywhere?
In my experience, it is fear, familiarity, and false economy rolled into one. The truth is, businesses feel trapped.
Digital solutions exist, but when your team is already stretched thin, they don't have breathing room for process change. There's genuine fear that switching might cause more disruption than it solves in the short term.
So, you stick with what you know, even when what you know isn’t working.
Death by a thousand paper cuts
Let me paint you a picture.
Your admin spends two hours every day playing detective with missing job sheets. That's 500 hours annually per person, lost to basic admin.
But the operational damage runs deeper. Engineers turn up at wrong addresses. Jobs get logged but not scheduled. Details get misread, leading to incorrect parts or underqualified staff being sent out. Without clear job histories, it becomes difficult to understand what’s been done, what was flagged, and what still needs attention.
I've seen weeks of delays because job sheets are left sitting in vans or finance are left waiting on handwritten timesheets before they can calculate payments. These costs rarely show up on balance sheets, but they quietly chip away at profit, reputation, and your team’s patience.
The human impact you can't ignore
Paper doesn't just waste money—it wastes people.
Engineers spend valuable time writing up notes instead of applying their expertise. Office staff chase paperwork instead of focusing on customer service or strategic planning.
Worse still, this administrative burden creates dangerous blind spots.
Without digital records you’re trusting individuals to store, locate, and interpret critical documents. Certificates expire without warning or reminder, leaving you liable if things go wrong. And when audit time hits, you could be left facing the financial and legal repercussions.
The frustration compounds when teams know better solutions exist. And in a tight labour market, it’s often these frustrations—not the job itself—that cause skilled staff to walk away.
Your digital escape route
There's real danger in thinking ‘we'll sort it next year’. Meanwhile, costs mount, opportunities are missed, and staff get more frustrated. It's a false economy—you're paying with time, rework, and client trust.
But here's the good news: the turnaround can be quick when you approach digital transformation the right way.
Start small, win early. Focus on scheduling and job management first. Pick digital platforms that let engineers update jobs on mobile, giving office staff and your customers real-time visibility.
Choose systems that fit your business. Look for digital tools that can work alongside and improve existing workflows. Remember, support and onboarding matter as much as software—cut corners on setup, you’ll pay later.
Show immediate wins. One HVAC contractor saw 30% faster job completion after going mobile. Two-week invoicing became same day. Digital quotations jumped conversions 13% in three months, and compliance logs became searchable, saving audit headaches down the line. When teams see the benefits, they quickly become advocates.
Phase it. Start with digital job sheets. Add asset tracking and compliance. Phased rollouts with proper support beat big bang launches.
Once you see digital efficiency in action, you'll wonder why you waited.
