Many SaaS startups struggle with predictable, affordable lead generation. Paid ads can be costly, social reach is inconsistent, and cold outreach rarely scales.
At ConnectFSM we tried a different approach. We built a genuinely useful free tool for our market and let it speak for itself. The result has been steady traffic, qualified enquiries, and natural links from industry sites that discovered and shared the tool.
What We Built and Why
Our customers manage field service operations. That includes facilities maintenance, HVAC, electrical, and forklift servicing teams that send engineers to multiple locations each day. One of their silent cost centres is inefficient routing. Extra miles mean lost time, higher fuel spend, and missed jobs.
We created a free route planner that lets anyone enter a starting postcode plus a set of job postcodes and instantly see a more efficient order to complete those visits. There is no login or download. It is a fast, low-friction way to experience the core benefit of our platform.
For readers who want to try it, here is the free route planner for field service. (https://connectfsm.co.uk/free-route-planner-for-field-service-businesses)
How It Works
The demo focuses on simplicity so visitors get value in seconds.
Enter a start location and up to four stops with no email, or up to ten stops if you would like the results emailed.
The tool reorders the stops into an efficient sequence.
A map displays the optimised route with clear markers and a simple line showing the path.
A summary compares total travel time between the two sequences and highlights the saving.
Behind the scenes, our production system takes this much further. ConnectFSM considers skills, job types, working hours, traffic, and existing commitments. The free tool is a doorway into that experience without asking the user to sign up or commit time to a full trial.
The Business Impact
Publishing the tool produced three valuable outcomes.
Qualified interest
Prospects who interact with the planner already understand the value. When they book a demo, the conversation moves quickly to fit, rollout, and ROI because they have seen the time saving for their own routes.
Compounding organic traffic
Useful tools get bookmarked, shared in Slack groups, posted on LinkedIn, and included in resource lists. That behaviour creates a steady stream of organic visitors beyond any short campaign window.
Natural backlinks
Trade publications and industry blogs prefer linking to helpful utilities. The tool gave journalists and content editors something concrete to reference when discussing efficiency or digital transformation in field service. Those links help discovery and support long-term search visibility.
For servicing businesses in particular, the planner demonstrates how to reduce travel between callouts, fit in additional safety inspections, and prioritise urgent breakdowns without reshuffling the entire day.
Why Free Tools Work for SaaS
Free tools are not new, but they remain underused outside developer-focused products. They work because they align incentives.
Immediate value
Visitors get something useful right away. No long copy to read and no account to create.
Proof, not promise
Instead of telling prospects that optimisation saves time, you show them. Trust follows.
Evergreen relevance
A practical tool remains useful long after a campaign ends. It keeps earning attention.
Low friction to share
Teams share tools that make their day easier. That behaviour is what drives links and mentions.
Practical Tips If You Want To Do The Same
Pick one painful problem
Focus on a single, high-frequency task. For our market that was daily routing for engineers.
Make it fast and free
Keep the input short, return results quickly, and minimise any barriers. Ask for an email only when the user gains something by providing it.
Design for embedding
A tool that sits cleanly inside a landing page is easier to promote. Make it responsive, brand-consistent, and accessible.
Offer a natural next step
After showing the result, give clear options. Email me my route. Book a demo. Start a free trial. Keep the tone helpful, not pushy.
Create supporting content
Publish a short guide on route optimisation, a checklist for dispatchers, or a case study showing time saved. Link these pieces together so readers can go deeper.
Pitch value to publishers
When approaching business and trade sites, lead with the problem and the practical advice, then include the tool as a resource. Editors respond to useful, non-promotional content.
Closing Thoughts
For SaaS companies selling into operational teams, trust is earned through usefulness. A free, focused tool can deliver that usefulness in under a minute. In our case it has opened conversations with the right buyers, produced steady organic traffic, and attracted quality links that keep working in the background.
If you would like to see how it works in practice, try our free route planner for field service (https://connectfsm.co.uk/free-route-planner-for-field-service-businesses), explore our job scheduling software (https://connectfsm.co.uk/features/job-scheduling), or learn more about ConnectFSM (https://connectfsm.co.uk).
Read more:
How a Free Route Planner Helped Our SaaS Startup Win Leads and Backlinks
