The language of the blended workforce

Mar 22, 2021 • Features • servicepower • Blended Workforce • Managing the Mobile Workforce

In the next feature in our series of excerpts from a new and exclusive Field Service News Essential Guide published in partnership with ServicePower we discuss the complex language of the blended workforce model across different industry sectors and geographical regions...

One of the biggest challenges in establishing meaningful conversation around the blended workforce model is that there are so many synonyms across differing industry verticals and differing regions. So before we begin looking at how the blended workforce can bring value to a service operation and the challenges that must be overcome to fully harness the benefits of the model, let us first clarify some of the language used.

There’s a whole bunch of different names!” Explains Steve Zannos, Senior Director Service Delivery, Electrolux, when we first sit down to discuss Electrolux’s use of the blended workforce.

“Even just here in the US, let alone globally, there are so many names, that are used. We’ve heard terms from factory service to branded service to field engineers and I’m sure there’s plenty more,” he adds.

“There are a number of different terms,” agrees Chris Jessop, Customer Service Director, Ideal Boilers.

“The top level ones tend to be either the blended workforce or the hybrid workforce model. I tend to prefer the latter, because I think that truly demonstrates what we are dealing with. We then have as much confusion internally with terms like direct labour, subcontracted labour agents and then a big chunk of our blended, or hybrid workforce is under what we call a nominated contractor agreement.”

"The critical element is not the terminologies but recognizing the key goals you are trying to drive from this, which is to ensure you have consistency within the customer delivery. The customers’ experience through using a hybrid model should not be detrimental in any way to your customer base..."

- Chris Jessop, Customer Service Director, Ideal Boilers.

“The term blended workforce is getting increasing traction,” clarifies Samir Gulati, Chief Marketing and Product Officer, ServicePower, an organization that provides the specialist technology for many companies to use a blended workforce model effectively.

“Another term that you come across in this discussion is the hybrid workforce, but we’re seeing Gartner and other analysts gravitate towards a blended workforce, I think that’s become the industry norm.”

Of course, in a horizontal industry, like the field service sector, language can often vary from one vertical to another. The conversation around the blended workforce does seem to suffer a lot from complicated terminology. However, the reality is that the concept at least is reasonably straightforward. The blended workforce is one where a company blends its internal workers, and external third-party workers to serve their customers better.

“A Blended Workforce model depends on upon a number of things” explains Adam Gordon, Head of Network Planning and Operations, Ericsson.

“From the Ericsson point of view, we look at the blended workforce and ask what is the best strategic approach for us to leverage benefits that we can pass on to the customer?"

So, what are the types of workforces that a blended workforce model encapsulates?

“There are two types of worker in the blended workforce,” explains Gulati.

“Firstly, there is the employed workforce. This consists field workers that are full time employees of the customer. This is then blended with an external third-party workforce that adds to that workforce to bring a number of benefits.”

“When people mention a blended network, they’re mainly talking about two groups,” adds Zannos.

“The first of these is referencing your ‘badged’ employee that are out there running those service calls for you.

“There’s then a second external workforce that has various names such as a third party workforce, an independent service network or maybe an authorized service network. This is a group not directly employed or connected with the manufacturer, but they serve and work with the manufacturer and help take care of the consumers.”

Adding further insight, Gordon adds, “For Ericsson, a blended workforce is how we utilize our internal resources. We then utilize suppliers or third parties to supplement and reinforce skills that we don’t have. Usually these are areas where the required skills would be a high cost for us to have in an internal workforce, but it’s good niche for a local supplier.”

For Jessop, while the language of the blended workforce is at best cumbersome and at worst overly complicated, the key point is not the words we use to define the blended workforce model, but more understanding what is trying to be achieved by doing so.

“The critical element is not the terminologies but recognizing the key goals you are trying to drive from this, which is to ensure you have consistency within the customer delivery. The customers’ experience through using a hybrid model should not be detrimental in any way to your customer base.

“Introducing an external element to your workforce should always be done as a positive and never as a cost-cutting exercise. Therefore, we try and ensure that no matter what terminologies used, there is a common goal of managing customers’ expectations,” Jessop adds.

Having a clearly defined language of the various aspects of the blended workforce may seem like a simple step to take, but it is critical as it allows for much more effective communication around what is, as we will see as we work thorough this guide, a complex but highly rewarding process.

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