Resources and Technology Investments for Field Service

Nov 26, 2020 • Features • White Paper • field service management • Leadership and Strategy • Appify

In the third excerpt from a recent white paper published by Appify we discuss the resources and technology investments for field service....

Want to know more? Field Service News Subscribers can access a White Paper on this topic on the link below.

If you have yet to subscribe click the button below to join 30K of your field service management professional peers and subscribe now to access this content and our entire premium content library now!

Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content Appify who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this white paper, as per the terms and conditions of your subscription agreement which you opted into in line with GDPR regulations and is an ongoing condition of subscription.

We asked respondents what resources are currently being provided to enhance the work and on-site performance of their service teams. Nearly 60% of field technicians replied with "online self-paced education (60%)," "peer-to- peer mobile communication tools (55%)," or "mobile technology (57%)."

Very few field technicians (13%) report using augmented reality (AR) software, and fewer than one-third (31%) report leveraging in-person classroom resources.

What Resources Are Being Provided to Enhance Team Performance

Screenshot 2020-11-25 at 21.16.15

How Would You Rate the Mobile Technology You Are Using to Service Your Customers?

Responses to these questions can provide organizations with a better understanding of the types of resources technicians may need moving forward. A venture capital firm's survey found that 80% of the global workforce is deskless1. And, despite these workers' reliance on mobile devices, they rarely seem to be considered when it comes to new technology advancements.

For example, just 5.48% of our field technician respondents feel their mobile technology is "excellent." And, while a majority (54.79%) feels their mobile technology is "good, it gets the job done," a further one-quarter say their mobile technology is "average and just OK."

Screenshot 2020-11-25 at 21.21.29

Are You Looking to Invest in New Technology for Your Service TeamS Post-COVID-19?

Technology investments might be in order, given those challenges. But, 62.9% of managers and above said "no investments planned" when asked if they are looking to make investments in new technology to support their team post pandemic (though we may again here consider the pandemic to equate with any future upheaval organizations may encounter).

Screenshot 2020-11-25 at 21.25.45

How Much Are You Budgeting for New Technology to Support Your Service Teams post COVID-19?

Screenshot 2020-11-25 at 21.26.45

To help determine the types of investments that may help technicians, we asked them to rank,in order of importance, the features they need from their mobile application in the field. Two-thirds (62%) or more of the respondents felt work order information, communication with customers, and maintenance procedures and knowledge base were "very important."

While customer communications and work order information are likely available to field technicians currently, it seems that their tools may be lacking the ability to pass down the organic knowledge base. When a 25-year veteran technician retires, does their domain knowledge leave with them?

Technology decision making must take into account non-traditional forms of data, such as institutional knowledge, in order to provide field technicians with the information and skills they need to succeed.

Look out for the next feature in this series coming next week where we discuss how to measure field service readiness.

However, www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full white paper now by hitting the button below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can do so for free by hitting the button and you can access the white paper instantly upon completing the registration form!