Service Autopilot Reviews

“Poor customer service

Pros

I really appreciate the Dispatch board and the scheduling tools. They make it easy for me to keep my clients informed with current, accurate information.

Cons

I find Service Autopilot's customer support disappointing. It seems under-resourced and I often struggle to reach an agent. Phone lines take a long time and on several occasions I had to wait for a callback.

“Service has gone downhill

Pros

I like that it provides automations and all the essential features I count on.

Cons

Around two years ago the company got sold to a credit card firm and I've been uneasy about what that means. The service has really gone downhill. It takes forever to get any issue fixed. They only want to respond via email and the replies are always incomplete. A report we�ve been using for years stopped working six months ago and they still haven�t done anything about it.

“Keeps getting pricier

Pros

For my everyday work, I rely on it to handle production management and sales tasks.

Cons

I've noticed the prices keep rising while I don't see any improvement in the service quality. It is not scalable as well.

“Not what I expected at all

Pros

I got this recommendation from friends in the industry and I thought it was worth a try.

Cons

It's really frustrating that they are not available for Canadian users with QuickBooks Online.

“Love the bulk invoicing feature

Pros

The automated invoicing is a game-changer. I can invoice everything with just one click, which makes my life so much easier.

Cons

I've had some syncing difficulties, like having to duplicate invoices just to reconcile with my accounting software.

“Fairly good experience

Pros

The routing board is incredibly helpful for managing my routes. It really makes organizing everything easy!

Cons

The loading speeds are slow and there are bugs. Managing large projects has also been a real struggle.

“Great choice for SA users

Pros

The ease of use and efficiency really impress me. It's super easy to use and it saves me a ton of time!

Cons

It's easy to bid on maintenance projects but when it comes to construction, it gets a lot harder.

“Wouldn't recommend at all

Pros

Honestly, I can't say anything good about them. They were horrible!

Cons

THEY WERE HORRIBLE! It's been so difficult to get in touch with anyone, especially when I wanted to cancel. I've been trying for over three months now and they're still charging my card. I can't get through to anyone and it's absolutely ridiculous!

“Service could be better

Pros

The way automations and forms are integrated really helps save some money. It's super convenient.

Cons

QuickBooks Online integration didn't work well at all, which led to billing issues. The company was bought by a credit card processor, so now I don't even have a choice of processor. This means my rates keep going up. The company's focus shifted and the customer service just keeps getting worse. I've been on hold for over 40 minutes multiple times. When they do respond, they don't always address the problem, and their answers are unclear. I've been waiting months for a resolution on an issue, and the software just keeps getting buggier with every update. There are only a few reps who really know what they're doing, and they're often delayed in responding. This poor management has caused issues for other businesses too. I really can't recommend this software anymore especially with the price hikes.

“Avoid this one, seriously

Pros

There are a lot of extra features but the way they advertise the software doesn't really match how it works in practice.

Cons

None of the bells and whistles work like they should. Customer service is terrible, I can't get a call back. The mobile app is useless; I can't even view estimates from the field and I can't see other contacts out there. The form capabilities look outdated and they created a new form section that only works on the new app, which is honestly the worst application I've seen for field service software. Every update seems to create more glitches and I don't see any real upgrades.

“Been with SA for a lot of years

Pros

It is fantastic! It keeps everything running smoothly, and I can rely on it for daily operations.

Cons

I found it pretty complex and I had to study it to really get good at using it.

“Good product

Pros

We're really liking the automation feature. It's saving us time, and it only takes 21 days to close, pretty neat!

Cons

I've been really disappointed by the speed of the development team lately and the customer service is no better.

“Overall amazing prodcut

Pros

I really enjoy the CRM side of things, especially how it pairs with the marketing and reporting functions. It makes managing everything easier.

Cons

One of the biggest issues for me is that we can't job cost since there's no way to track the actual materials used.

“Don't sign up, it's not worth it

Pros

Signing up online was very easy. We tried the software out for a few months and didn't really have any complaints about it. In the end, though, we decided to cancel the subscription because it just wasn't the right fit for our company at that time.

Cons

Cancelling was such a problem for me. There's no way to end the subscription through the app or online, you have to call customer service. And just so you know, the "click-to-subscribe, call-to-cancel" subscription model is actually illegal according to the FTC.

“Go for something else

Pros

The software does a great job with routing and dispatching. It makes organizing logistics a lot simpler.

Cons

The payment processing, client portal, accounting, customer service and IT departments have all been a nightmare. There's no option to add credit card processing to invoices, and the options for charging sales tax are awful.

“High-quality software

Pros

I don't think I'd have seen a huge improvement in my business without this software. The automations are super functional and really boost productivity.

Cons

It's a bit complicated to use as a beginner. The helpful videos are nice but they don't give you enough time to fully get used to the tools. Plus, I think the pricing is just way too high.

“automations need a little work but its greatt

Pros

It is very user-friendly, even for new hires. It's easy to pick up, and the customer support tools and tutorial videos are very helpful. Service Autopilot is great for task management, whether you're in the field with a mobile device or in the office with a desktop. It's flexible and keeps everything moving smoothly.

Cons

I really wish the automations feature was easier to set up. It takes a lot of practice and training to get it right, but all the other features in Service Autopilot are really simple to set up and use. This is honestly my only complaint about the software.

“Perfect for small landscaping businesses

Pros

It's a solid CRM and works great for client-facing interactions.

Cons

They've been struggling to implement new developments and there's no way to do complex estimating. We've outgrown Service Autopilot and now mainly use a different solution.

“Ability to communicate with my clients

Pros

Being able to message my clients directly was a plus and I found the wide-ranging, user-friendly interface very helpful.

Cons

Personally, my biggest drawback was that I couldn't include live weather data in any of the reports I generated.

“Ease of assigning services to teams

Pros

I've been able to keep track of a wide range of services and easily assign them to different teams without any issues.

Cons

There's a lot to learn and I need to watch several things closely, especially the QuickBooks synchronization which can be tricky.

“feels like it's slipping

Pros

It packs more features than any similar platform I've used. It handles everything from simple scheduling tasks to advanced automation, functions that other providers force you to purchase as separate add-on projects.

Cons

Lately I've noticed the company has been slipping since it was acquired by a credit card processing firm and it feels like they purchased it more to lock customers into their payment system than to maintain a quality software business. I think it's a real shame because it used to be an excellent company before the takeover.

“Transormed our operations

Pros

Been using this software for about a year and it can do an incredible number of things. I still haven't discovered all of its capabilities. The automation features, in my opinion, completely transformed how we operate. It also simplifies routing and scheduling dramatically, making those tasks far easier and more efficient than any other programs I've tried before.

Cons

This isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. For a tiny outfit with just a few people or a couple of crews out on the road each day, it probably feels like overkill. From my perspective, it's ideal for mid-size to larger teams. That said, I've noticed the app can be a bit glitchy at times. It isn't instantly user-friendly for everyone and requires some time for the team to learn. Once you get past the learning curve though, it becomes simple and very effective to use.

“Saves me money

Pros

It's cutting my costs and letting me avoid hiring extra staff, thanks to so much automation!

Cons

I honestly have no complaints. I enjoy every feature and often tell others to try it.

“Stores leads and staff record

Pros

I rely on Service Autopilot as the central point for our whole operation because it stores every lead, client and staff record. Its automation features have noticeably boosted our efficiency and simplified many processes, making system management much easier and more productive.

Cons

In my experience, it isn't simple to set up or use. It becomes less daunting only if you're the kind of person who likes to dive into new software and figure things out by poking around. Even after I learned the basics, there are so many moving parts that I'm constantly finding something else to adjust in the workflows. What frustrated me most is that since Clearent (a credit card processor) bought SA a couple of years back, both support and the platform's overall reliability have declined. I still run into days when the system drags, pages and functions load very slowly which at times makes it effectively unusable for stretches. Another major limitation for me is the closed API which means I can't link it easily with other tools we use. They've been working on a version 3 for years now and keep it in beta but from what I've seen it feels less user-friendly and more cluttered than the current version 2, rather than an improvement.

“Allows us to handle bidding and scheduling

Pros

We can smoothly handle bidding on a job, winning the contract, setting up the schedule, dispatching the crew, carrying out the work and invoicing for it with this software. The end-to-end workflow is amazing.

Cons

As someone new to it, I found it a bit complicated. It is incredibly feature-rich and can do a ton which can feel overwhelming when you're just getting started. There are numerous steps you must follow to complete office tasks correctly.

“On the decline

Pros

I manage records for up to 1,000 clients each year and I find the dispatch board really helpful for organizing and monitoring their jobs.

Cons

My experience lately has been frustrating because the dispatch board was recently reduced to a 90-search window, while we require at least a year's worth of visibility to manage all our jobs. Response times have become painfully slow. Sometimes the system crawls which is extremely aggravating when I'm trying to get work done. Running reports is clunky and the available templates are too limited for our needs. I've also noticed that font sizing is inconsistent. Selecting 14 pt doesn't produce an actual 14-point appearance and some sizes aren't even offered. They've added a Tickets feature but it triggers ticket creation at times we didn't request one and I don't fully understand its purpose. The client page history was reworked and now the list is excessively long and harder to scan. To see whether an email reached a client I now have to open a different tab instead of viewing it directly on the client page like before. I could go on about the many small changes over the years that, cumulatively, have made the system more complex to use. I've considered switching vendors for a while but I'm uneasy about difficult it might be to transfer all my data to another provider.

“Various automation options

Pros

When it comes to scheduling, I really like how flexible it is and how many automation options it supports.

Cons

I do notice it can be sluggish sometimes though overall it's pretty reliable and performs consistently.

“Saves us from manual errors

Pros

Our entire business is run through Service Autopilot. If we didn't have it, we'd have to bring on at least two more office staff members and honestly I shudder at imagining all the errors and mix-ups we'd likely have, since SA takes care of a large portion of our day-to-day tasks automatically.

Cons

I really wish it were easier for me to create custom reports without jumping through hoops.

“Essential part of our business

Pros

We've used this program to plan our crews' routes, keep track of clients, speed up our estimating workflow and overall it's been a major factor in our company's expansion. We truly don't think we'd be at this point today without it.

Cons

Most difficult part was getting comfortable with everything since there are so many capabilities packed into it and that means it can take quite a while before it's completely rolled out in our operations. Fortunately, Service Autopilot offers training sessions that we attended and those helped smooth the onboarding process.

“They don�t let me cancel

Pros

I've been charged for the service, then charged to be taught how to use it and when I try to cancel they make it impossible. They never answer their phones or ever call back

Cons

My calls go unanswered. They make canceling the service impossible. It costs $340/month still.

“Unfinished features

Pros

It's getting difficult to spot anything I actually enjoy about this anymore. Features that appealed to me back in 2014 are either unfinished or only partially functional.

Cons

Trying not to turn this into a long rant but I feel like it is packed with half-baked features that never get completed and the team seems to chase the next trendy word like 'Automation' instead of fixing what's broken. My reporting experience is abysmal, honestly the reports are the second worst part of the system and I can get better results in Excel. The absolute worst for me is invoicing. When a customer makes a partial payment, I'm unable to apply that partial amount to an invoice. The system insists on full payments only. To deal with it I end up creating a new invoice for the remaining balance and applying the earlier payment to the original invoice after reducing it to show it as paid. It's complex and frustrating and this kind of workaround shouldn't be necessary.

“Most adaptable system I've seen

Pros

One thing I like most about this software is that it lets me design my own service management system from the ground up. In my experience, Service Autopilot is the most adaptable platform I've used. It includes nearly every feature I can imagine needing to run a service-based business that supports a large customer base.

Cons

There's definitely a steep learning curve and I thought the training sessions were on the pricey side. Still, I believe the investment of my time, effort and money is worth it.

“Solved a lot of our problems

Pros

I've found this software solves so many of the problems we had and even several we weren't aware of by bringing our client records and their requirements together into a smooth system across our multi-service company.

Cons

In my experience, there are a few minor shortcomings in certain features but I generally manage to work around them without much trouble!

“Expensive and full of bugs

Pros

What drew me in were the automations and I also found their dispatch board to be simple to use.

Cons

Over the past year they've gone through three different acquisitions and each time I've watched them raise prices, remove features and promise a new version of the platform. To be frank, 18 months later that new version still isn't available, while the legacy system feels abandoned. Every software update they push seems riddled with bugs and frequently strips out genuinely useful features. A few weeks after one of those updates I even received an email from the team telling all users they had "no idea" so many people relied on a specific feature which made me question their understanding of customer needs. In my experience these folks shouldn't be steering anything tech-related. For example, when I wanted to track Google Ads conversions I couldn't do it. Trying to port a Twilio number in? Not possible. Wanting to sync with my email? Nope. Integrations with other platforms? Forget it, there's no proper API. I also discovered that you can't realistically train office staff and have them fully up and running in two weeks using this software. Reliable credit card processing and captures are a problem too, I spent days reconciling approved versus captured transactions and if I hadn't checked closely I wouldn't have noticed discrepancies until I balanced the books. Giving customers a portal where they can log in and submit requests? Not supported. The list goes on. From where I sit they're light years behind competitors, every release is packed with bugs and their suggested work-arounds are just temporary band-aids. In the end I found I was spending far more time managing this platform than I would if I had just used a bird feather and some paper.

“Problematic QuickBooks integration

Pros

The map measurement tool actually works reliably which I appreciate. Having everything consolidated in one place makes my workflow simpler.

Cons

The QuickBooks Online integration is constantly problematic. The balances between the two systems are almost always incorrect. I've noticed there's a lack of consistency across different functions. Rather than helping me run my business, I end up spending my day managing the software. I could list the problems for hours. On top of that, they try to upsell add-ons when the existing features don't even work properly. For example, if I pause a customer's service via the Master job but the job was already dispatched, the crew still goes out to the field even though the Master job is on pause.

“Support is lacking

Pros

It included a map feature for measuring properties accurately.

Cons

Honestly, the system felt overwhelmingly detailed and it took forever to get any hands-on help. We were told the initial training would be scheduled but it took four weeks which meant we were basically left to figure everything out on our own during that first month. There are a lot of tutorial videos available yet there wasn't a live person to walk us through them or demonstrate real-world workflows so watching clips didn't translate into understanding how to apply features. I found even small tasks like getting our logo to appear on an email unnecessarily confusing and time-consuming. The templates were especially unclear in terms of how to use them and after struggling for a while we finally abandoned it and switched to LawnPro. That app is simple to use and budget-friendly. While it lacks some of the advanced features and bells and whistles of Service Autopilot, in my experience it has everything we need to do the job well.

“offers solid features!!

Pros

I like the platform's powerful feature set and how smoothly it connects with other applications.

Cons

Customer support left me feeling like my account wasn't a priority. They implemented a tiered pricing structure and removed our previous plan without giving any heads-up. When I asked why our bill had gone up, I was told about the new tiers and that because only a handful of customers were affected, they deliberately opted not to notify us of the change. That whole experience made me feel brushed off and pretty frustrated.

“Terrible mobile app

Pros

I've found the platform offers a comprehensive feature set, supports advanced customizations, includes a solid form builder, handles complex scheduling needs and their customer support has been excellent.

Cons

My experience however has been marred by poor execution of otherwise useful features. I also find the mobile app dreadful, the interface full of bugs and painfully slow to load and exported XLS reports won't open properly on OSX or iOS. The styling feels stuck in the past, like software from two decades ago which makes working in the field very frustrating. On top of that, Service Autopilot is partly owned by a payments company that doesn't provide competitive fees for small businesses.

“Not happy with the upgrades

Pros

Its fairly simple to use and I appreciate that it offers a mobile app which makes accessing it even simpler and more convenient than relying solely on a desktop.

Cons

Unfortunately, many features were altered during so-called 'upgrades' and in my experience those changes have stripped useful functionality away from the product. There are also basic tools for employee scheduling that seem like obvious inclusions but simply aren't available and this shortage of capabilities ends up putting extra administrative burden on our HR team and on me.

“Very disappointed!

Pros

I appreciate how estimates are presented, the ability for customers to e-sign them and the forms feature, although the app itself is pretty glitchy.

Cons

The software feels over-engineered. Its help sections skip a surprising amount of detail during step-by-step instructions which left me having to puzzle things out on my own. It's absolutely not user-friendly. Teaching this to our office team has been nearly impossible and incredibly time-consuming. I've burned through countless wasted hours trying to track down why parts of the system don't behave as expected and if you don't follow a specific sequence exactly the right way, everything can break. Believe it or not, it's 11 at night and I just spent three hours trying to figure out why a job I dispatched was missing one task and why other jobs that did appear on the dispatch board suddenly had no job notes attached. I went back and re-scheduled and adjusted that job in six different ways, trying multiple approaches to fix it but nothing stuck so now my crew is left clueless about what they need to do tomorrow. When I reach out for help, support rarely gives a clear, simple solution and sometimes it sounds like the system confuses them as much as it does me. The concept is excellent for landscape businesses and I like the idea but whoever designed this clearly didn't think every workflow through. I'm very skeptical about the promised new version, though I suppose we'll wait and see. Overall, I'm really disappointed.

“Has become a burden

Pros

At first I really liked it but once the team changed the way hours are recorded in the software I grew to despise it. What was supposed to make our work easier has become a recurring issue that I just can't escape from fast enough.

Cons

I'm frustrated because you don't seem to hear what the real issue is, you're not addressing it and all I get are excuses instead of proper fixes.

“Great product with friendly team

Pros

Honestly, I love everything about it. I rely on pretty much all of their features and each one genuinely saves me time and helps me do a better job for my clients. The team behind it is brilliant. I bill every client by credit card and I'm paid the next day almost without fail. My workflow is as simple as selecting all the invoices for the week, clicking "charge cards," and that's it. Their merchant fees are the lowest I've ever seen which is a big win for my business. The automations feature is priceless to me and has transformed how I work. For example, when a new client is added I automatically send a welcome email, a FAQ letter and even mail them a pack of brownies with a welcome card. After spring and fall cleanups I notify clients by text or email to let them know the job is done and they always appreciate it. Renewals used to be so stressful but now an automation sends an offer in the spring and clients simply click or text back to my office number through Service Autopilot. If they don't respond, SA handles the follow-up. I also use their QuickBooks sync so my accountant can log in and find everything ready for tax time. I could keep going, this software is great and their support is so friendly that I recommend giving them a call.

Cons

Sometimes it feels like they can be a bit braggy. I'll be honest they're the best tool I've used, no doubt about it but it can come across like they're showing off. I'd prefer if they paced new feature releases a touch slower so they don't intimidate other companies or users. Dominating the competition is one thing but completely humiliating them feels unnecessary. I probably sound dramatic and I'm a fan but this has bothered me for years and I needed to say it, a bit more compassion and modesty would make them even more likable.

“Way too many bugs

Pros

In my experience the software is planned to include a lot of features. The developers aim to enable many powerful capabilities. For example, automations really help take pressure off our office team.

Cons

I've run into far too many issues. My team and I have filed literally hundreds of bug reports that still haven't been addressed. Support will log a ticket but I rarely see anything actually resolved. Every day we're forced to double-check dozens of items because Service Autopilot either fails to capture data consistently or records it wrong. It feels like they don't have a proper quality control process in place. They even pushed a heavily promoted live broadcast to showcase new features recently and that presentation fell apart too. I couldn't help but laugh a little because it only reinforced my belief that SA consistently drops the ball when it comes to delivering a reliable experience for customers.

“Annoyed with the unreliability

Pros

It has a lot of features including routing, assigning jobs to crews, managing client data and more

Cons

I've lost count of the problems, there are just too many. It's become a running joke in our office. The app is glitchy and even after three years of using it we keep uncovering one bug after another. Payments we've entered have mysteriously disappeared and simple capabilities like reliably searching for payments or other records are inconsistent. It feels like the team is in such a mad dash to ship the newest feature that they never stabilize the older ones. The snow-plowing functionality is completely different from the lawn-care side which is bizarre and forces me to learn two separate methods for building routes and dispatching crews. Overall it's frustrating and makes daily operations harder than they should be.

“Nice time tracking feature

Pros

I appreciate the automatic billing, being able to track dispatched jobs and manage dispatches and the foreman's app works reliably. Overall work tracking and time tracking perform well for me.

Cons

Have had problems with the QuickBooks sync and I notice occasional glitches when adding jobs in the field, plus from an owner's perspective the mobile functionality is very limited.

“Excellent value for money

Pros

We've discovered that this program packs a huge range of features for the price, offering far more capability than you'd expect for the cost. It's a modest investment for a tool that ends up saving both time and money in many different ways. We had initially been using a system built just for lawn care to manage a variety of service tasks and it simply wasn't meeting our needs anymore.

Cons

At first it required a real investment of my time to figure out exactly which features would suit me best and that learning curve can be intimidating. Still, if you commit the time to learn the platform, I believe it pays off and the software ends up working well for you in the long run.

“Not suitable for accounting operations

Pros

I find it simple to receive payments and generate invoices.

Cons

Honestly, scheduling client appointments isn't very convenient. There are so many steps and several different windows to complete a single action. If maintaining smooth, consolidated accounting is important, I would seriously reconsider using this platform. Its bookkeeping features are frustrating and when I call support they repeatedly tell me, 'well, this isn't accounting software.' A number of relatively simple improvements could make it much friendlier for accounting workflows like syncing with QuickBooks to reflect credits and refunds automatically. Instead I end up juggling two applications that don't integrate cleanly. If I need to pull detailed service call histories for customers, this won't work. It's really a dealbreaker for my operations.

“Lovely automation features

Pros

I really like the automation features. They let me send automated messages for marketing, collections and more and include automated arrival preferences as part of that Automations feature set. From the app I can text clients directly and create To Do's for my team which helps keep everyone organized. Job Costing looks like it could make it much easier for me to assess whether I should raise prices on under-performing accounts. Overall it's saved me a lot of time entering leads.

Cons

I've been put off by the closed API because it feels like you commit to this platform and can't integrate as freely. You end up owning and being owned by this one piece of software. Support isn't available on my schedule and I've had to wait for callbacks that sometimes come at inconvenient times. The company's rapid growth and the push to add features fast seems to have created a backlog of unresolved issues. I also wish I could open a client account directly from the calendar because that simple workflow is missing. Syncing with QuickBooks Online has caused me headaches at times and scrolling through a client's receivables is awkward since you have to click to load more transactions.

“Easy to use

Pros

It's great that scheduling is built directly into the platform. I find it simple to handle and it really helps me keep track of my clients.

Cons

For my part, I sometimes struggle to work out the schedule and decide what arrangement suits me best to keep everything organized.

“Convenient for estimating

Pros

Found the estimating tools extremely easy to manage.

Cons

I often work out in the field and I've noticed the app takes a long time to load which makes on-site work frustrating.