Field Service News | Covid-19 (2)

Measure What Matters

Nov 11, 2021 • Features • Digital Transformation • Aquant • Covid-19 • customer experience

Aquant, has recently published the 2022 Service Intelligence Benchmark Report, now available at Field Service News, which offers an in-depth analysis of field service performance and customer satisfaction in a year of talent shortage, COVID service...

This feature is just one short excerpt from a report published by Aquant

www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full report now by hitting the button below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can do so for free by hitting the button and registering for our complimentary subscription tier FSN Standard on a dedicated page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soo as you are registered.

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 Aquant 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.

In this comprehensive data report, Aquant analyzed how service organizations and their workforce measureD up against industry benchmarks.

We also explored service performance from a customer perspective. Aquant analyzed more than six million service tickets to reveal:

A snapshot of the overall industry and how companies measure up against each other
The reason why hitting your KPIs rarely equates to outstanding customer experiences
The spiraling impact of a missed First Time Fix (FTF) event
An increase in the workforce skills gap
COVID-19’s impact on service

We provide recommendations to:

Start making immediate business improvements by looking at service performance in a comprehensive way
Boost the customer experience in the short-term and long-term
Upskill a team in the face of a talent shortage
Succeed amid post-Covid service disruptions

KEY FINDINGS

KPIs Are Only as Meaningful As How You Measure Them

First Time Fix is a Distorted Barometer of Service Quality

Organizations that monitor KPIs in isolation may think they are hitting their numbers and providing great service. However, there’s a good chance that they are providing sub-par customer experiences.

Organizations that measure FTF rates at seven days or 14 days actually have much lower long-term success rates than their dashboards reveal. This is because fixes marked as complete on day one often require additional visits on day two through day 14 to fix a persistent problem that may have been incorrectly or inadequately addressed on the first visit. For example, if you wrap a leaking hose with duct tape to stop a leak, you’ve put a bandaid on a problem without fixing the root issue. The customer may call to reopen that ticket when they discover another leak in the following week.

86.6% is the FTF rates when measured in 7-day windows
81.5% is the FTF rates when measured in 14-day windows
75% is the FTF rates when measured in 30-day windows

The other argument against relying too heavily on FTF rates is that high values often mask other issues, such as:

Employees who shotgun parts to hit KPIs
High labor costs due to labor to over-reliance on industry veterans

Service Organizations Suffer a Wide Customer Experience Gap

The way organizations provide service today is not in tune with customer expectations. Even with an average FTF rate, one in every four jobs requires at least one repeat visit.

Variations on FTF measurements are one reason for the disconnect. Other contributing factors include:

Lack of insights into an organization’s core health
A workforce labor shortage
Inability to connect the dots between service performance and customer experience
Reactive vs. proactive service

The Knowledge Gap Is Getting More Expensive

In 2021, service organizations faced even larger hiring challenges than in the past. This has left the industry with tens of thousands of unfilled jobs, and some reports estimate there will be an industry-wide shortage of three million skilled trade workers in the next five years.

The bottom quarter of the workforce costs organizations 84% more than the top quarter. That’s 4% higher than last year.
The top 20% of the workforce (service heroes) has a 75% FTF rate. The bottom 20% of the workforce (service challengers) has a FTF rate of 59%.

COVID's Impact on Service

Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR) increased during COVID, showing that jobs were completed faster. Part of that increase is attributed to more service organizations adopting remote resolution technology. This technology helps customers address minor issues themselves through self-service solutions. It also enables service organizations to diagnose—and even repair—issues without the need to send a tech on-site, thus reducing time and costs.

This is also a sign of resiliency across service organizations, many of whom were able to adapt in the face of ever-changing circumstances.

Screenshot 2021-11-10 at 20.19.49

The Opportunity

The insights in this report, gleaned from actual service data, provides a path to service improvements through a multi-step process.

Learn how to accurately identify your organization’s core service problems by better understanding the patterns in your service data
Use those data patterns to drive actionable service recommendations—for management-level decisions and in-the-field fixes
Plan proactive customer experience enhancements
Make more informed workforce training and hiring decisions to shrink the skills gap

How We Compiled the Data

Aquant gathered and analyzed actual anonymized service data from more than 76 leading service organizations. The data in this report was measured before an organization deployed Aquant’s AI solution.

The report measures:

76 organizations, including service divisions within OEMs and third- party service organizations across manufacturing, medical devices, capital equipment, HVAC, commercial appliances, and more
More than 6 million work orders
More than 31,000 technicians
$7 billion total in service costs

An average of 3 years of service data per company

Key Terms and KPIs
Screenshot 2021-11-10 at 20.39.56

How We Define the Service Workforce
Screenshot 2021-11-10 at 20.40.52

How is this Report Different from Standard Service Benchmarks?

• We analyzed real service data to understand the health and outlook of organizations instead of relying on service executives to self-report KPIs. Data sources included service tickets, CRM data, parts information, and more.

• We charted the skills gap. This makes it easy to extrapolate how much an organization can gain in efficiency and cost savings if the entire workforce was able to perform more like your experts.

• We analyzed the data using the Aquant Service Intelligence Platform, which includes a Natural Language Processing (NLP) engine built for the service industry. This lets us dig deep into data ranging from CRM and parts inventory to service tickets, handwritten records, and other information that never makes it into any databases. We are able to draw out patterns and recommendations based on raw data.

Field Service News subscribers can read the full report now.

This feature is just one short excerpt from a report published by Aquant.

www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full report now by hitting the button below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can do so for free by hitting the button and registering for our complimentary subscription tier FSN Standard on a dedicated page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soo as you are registered.

Customer Service 2.0

Nov 04, 2021 • Features • White Paper • BigChange • Covid-19 • Leadership and Strategy • EMEA • customer experience • Customer Service

In this final feature from a recent white paper published by BigChange, we explain why businesses are increasingly looking at customer experiences as a new source of competitive advantage.

This feature is just one short excerpt from a white paper published by BigChange.

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 registering for our complimentary subscription tier FSN Standard on a dedicated page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soo as you are registered.

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 BigChange 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.

USER EXPERIENCE AS COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

The field service sector is incredibly competitive.

Fewer than half of field service firms are currently profitable. A quarter of reported losing money in the 12 months to July 2021 and one in eight fear they could go out of business in the next year.

With costs rising, especially for fuel and materials, the scope for field service businesses to compete on price is getting smaller.

Businesses are instead looking at customer experiences as a new source of competitive advantage.

Our survey looked at what ‘good’ looks like in the sector, and the evidence suggests that standards are getting more exacting.

Two-thirds (68%) of leaders say ‘Good’ customer service now means same- working-day fixes for reactive jobs.
And nine out of ten say within 24 hours is the minimum.
Two-thirds (65%) say good service involves the customer being kept fully informed digitally with precise arrival-time updates, details of who is doing the work, confirmation of work completed, and instant invoices.
More than half (54%) say that, when it comes to operations, a ‘good’ system is one in which every part of operations – from job scheduling to invoicing – is automated and optimised within a single system.

When it comes to customer service, the bar is rising quickly.

The Amazon Effect

The Amazon effect means customers are demanding better. Rapid progress in online retail has created an expectation for quick, reliable, effective services and real-time digital updates in all walks of life.

What does it take to deliver good customer service for field service firms?

68% of leaders say 'good' service meands same-day fixes for reactive jobs
65% say good service involves the customer being kept fully informed

54% say a single system optimising activities is essential for good operations

Let's Grow Stronger

BigChange is the complete Job Management Platform that’s helping field service businesses across the UK to win more work, take control of their operations and deliver winning customer experiences. Bringing together job management, mobile workforce applications, CRM, finance and business intelligence into one simple to use and easy to integrate platform, BigChange liberates you from inefficient paper-based processes and the complexity of multiple different technology systems that hold your business back. Loved by office and field teams alike, our customers are achieving industry leading results and return on investment. The BigChange team is committed to customer success and no matter your sector or whether you have a mobile workforce of 10 or a 100, we’re here to make a big difference to the way you work and to help your business grow stronger.

This feature is just one short excerpt from a white paper published by BigChange.

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 registering for our complimentary subscription tier FSN Standard on a dedicated page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soo as you are registered.

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 BigChange 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.

How Companies Can Achieve Successful Service Delivery in the New Normal

Nov 03, 2021 • Features • Martin Summerhayes • Digital Transformation • Covid-19 • Digital Symposium • GLOBAL

Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Martin Summerhayes, Head of Digital Transformation Services at MDB Service Consulting.

What Are The Core Fundamentals of Great Service?

Nov 01, 2021 • Features • Martin Summerhayes • Digital Transformation • Covid-19 • Digital Symposium • GLOBAL

Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Martin Summerhayes, Head of Digital Transformation Services at MDB Service Consulting.

Martin has over 30 years of experience in the service industry in the UK working for organisations such as HP, the Metropolitan Police and Fujitsu, and he focuses on leading key clients to a successful transition of services into new, agile, ways of working.

During the conversation, the two discuss a wide range of topics related to the acceleration of digital adoption during the pandemic and what this means for the future of service organisations.

In this excerpt from that conversation, Martin and Kris talk about the importance of keeping in mind the core fundamentals of great service as technology evolves and companies embrace digital transformation.

Want to know more?

FSN Premium subscribers and FSN Elite members can access the full-length interview plus many, many more in the Field Service New Digital Symposium. If you have an FSN Premium account you can access the video on the button below. If you are currently on our FSN Standard subscription tier you can upgrade your subscription by clicking the link below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can join 30,0000 of your field service management peers by subscribing to FSN Standard for free to gain access to a monthly selection of premium content or select either FSN Premium or FSN Elite for even more resources. Click the button above to visit our subscription page to find out more.

The Difference Between Effectiveness and Utilisation

Oct 29, 2021 • Features • Martin Summerhayes • Digital Transformation • Covid-19 • Digital Symposium • GLOBAL

Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Martin Summerhayes, Head of Digital Transformation Services at MDB Service Consulting.

5 Enemies of Growth - What is Hitting Field Service Firms Hard?

Oct 28, 2021 • Features • BigChange • Covid-19 • Leadership and Strategy • EMEA

In this third feature of a series of excerpts from a recent white paper published by BigChange, we analyse the key issues that hit field service businesses in the past 12 months.

This feature is just one short excerpt from a white paper published by BigChange.

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 registering for our complimentary subscription tier FSN Standard on a dedicated page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soo as you are registered.

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 BigChange 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.

Despite rapid growth, businesses with field-based teams reported three key issues that had materially hit their business in the past 12 months.

Covid-19 and its consequences

81% of businesses said the pandemic had hit turnover or profits in the last 12 months. Four in ten reported that it had led to staffing difficulties.
Expensive materials and fuel

Three-quarters of companies say the rising cost of materials (76%) and fuel (74%) are hurting their business. In the 12 months covered, pump prices for petrol rose by 18% t o near-record levels; diesel leapt by 16%.

Firms expect the same factors to dampen or even eliminate profitability in the next 12 months.
Staying within the rules and regulations

Compliance challenges – including those stemming from the pandemic – are hurting firms. Two-thirds of field service companies say that new regulations hit their profits in the year to July 2021.

In the last 12 months, more than half breached industry regulations in ways that led to a fine, loss of reputation or loss of work. A quarter (25%) incurred financial penalties for breaches.

The risk of accidentally contravening rules and regulations increases as companies expand rapidly. Two further issues for firms also emerged in our analysis.
The productivity pinch point

When it comes to employment, the trades have outperformed the rest of the economy in the last year. The number of people working in field service firms increased by 48%.

But this increase was slower than the 70% rise in workloads.

Firms anticipate further growth in workloads (74%) in the next 12 months, and a lower increase in the extra employees they will take on (54%).

There will be pressure on already busy field service teams to work even more efficiently.
Rising debt levels

The amount of debt taken on by field service businesses increased by 50% over the last 12 months.

While some businesses have used finance to underpin their expansion activities (average debt increased by 43% at firms reporting good profit and growth prospects), the biggest increases in debt levels were among loss-making firms borrowing for survival.

Average debts were up 117% over the last 12 months at businesses that said they were struggling and feared going out of business and increased by 61% at loss-making firms where leaders believed a turnaround was possible.

Access to Government-backed finance made it easier for most businesses to borrow last year. This debt will add an additional cost burden to some already struggling firms.

STATE OF THE FIELD SERVICE SECTOR

Demand and workloads are soaring. Essential costs are on the rise. And recruitment is challenging. Many firms in the survey have addressed these challenges by pushing hard to improve productivity.

Where is time and money lost in field service businesses?

2Poor management oversight: 27% said difficulties getting complete and up-to-date management oversight stops them from working as efficiently as possible. 82% want oversight of all parts of operations in real-time.
Outdated technology: Clunky legacy workforce-management systems that couldn't keep pace with the demands of today were an efficiency issue for 27% of firms.

Poor planning and workflow: 24% say that wasted time between jobs, including travel, is harming efficiency efforts.

As a result, many are now looking to optimise operations with technology.

Less strain, efficiency gain: The rise and rise of job-management technology

73% of field service businesses increased investment in technology in the last 12 months. Technology spending increased by an average of 54% year on year.
Firms expect to keep up these rates of tech-spending growth into 2022 as they turn to technology for management oversight, process automation, job scheduling and route planning.

Year on year company growth was faster, on average, for users of field service management technology. And those growing quickly are doubling down on technology: they are more likely than other firms to invest in it over the next year.

Productivity

Where is time and money lost in the field service business?

27% say difficulties getting real-time insights harms efficiency
27% of firms felt outdated technology was an efficiency issue

24% say wasted time between jobs is harming efficiency

This feature is just one short excerpt from a white paper published by BigChange.

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 registering for our complimentary subscription tier FSN Standard on a dedicated page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soo as you are registered.

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 BigChange 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.

Is Now the Time to Re-evaluate the Key Performance Indicators of Your Company?

Oct 27, 2021 • Features • KPIs • Martin Summerhayes • Digital Transformation • Covid-19 • Digital Symposium • GLOBAL

Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Martin Summerhayes, Head of Digital Transformation Services at MDB Service Consulting.

During the conversation, the two discuss a wide range of topics related to the acceleration of digital adoption during the pandemic and what this means for the future of service organisations.

In this excerpt from that conversation, Martin and Kris explain why now might be the right time for service organisations to reevaluate the KPIs that indicate success within their field of operations.

Want to know more?

FSN Premium subscribers and FSN Elite members can access the full-length interview plus many, many more in the Field Service New Digital Symposium. If you have an FSN Premium account you can access the video on the button below. If you are currently on our FSN Standard subscription tier you can upgrade your subscription by clicking the link below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can join 30,0000 of your field service management peers by subscribing to FSN Standard for free to gain access to a monthly selection of premium content or select either FSN Premium or FSN Elite for even more resources. Click the button above to visit our subscription page to find out more.

Successful Digital Transformation: Learning From Failures

Oct 25, 2021 • Features • Martin Summerhayes • Digital Transformation • Covid-19 • Digital Symposium • GLOBAL

Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Martin Summerhayes, Head of Digital Transformation Services at MDB Service Consulting.

During the conversation, the two discuss a wide range of topics related to the acceleration of digital adoption during the pandemic and what this means for the future of service organisations.

In this excerpt from that conversation, Martin and Kris discuss how failures in the process of implementing and adopting new technologies are actually a learning point and can help organisations move forward and achieve a successful digital transformation.

Want to know more?

FSN Premium subscribers and FSN Elite members can access the full-length interview plus many, many more in the Field Service New Digital Symposium. If you have an FSN Premium account you can access the video on the button below. If you are currently on our FSN Standard subscription tier you can upgrade your subscription by clicking the link below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can join 30,0000 of your field service management peers by subscribing to FSN Standard for free to gain access to a monthly selection of premium content or select either FSN Premium or FSN Elite for even more resources. Click the button above to visit our subscription page to find out more.

How the Pandemic Has Changed the Approach to Digital Adoption for Companies and Customers

Oct 22, 2021 • Features • Martin Summerhayes • Digital Transformation • Covid-19 • Digital Symposium • GLOBAL

Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Martin Summerhayes, Head of Digital Transformation Services at MDB Service Consulting.

During the conversation, the two discuss a wide range of topics related to the acceleration of digital adoption during the pandemic and what this means for the future of service organisations.

In this excerpt from that conversation, Martin and Kris discuss how much the impact of COVID-19 has accelerated digital adoption even for those companies and customers who were very reluctant to approach remote services before the pandemic.

Want to know more?

FSN Premium subscribers and FSN Elite members can access the full-length interview plus many, many more in the Field Service New Digital Symposium. If you have an FSN Premium account you can access the video on the button below. If you are currently on our FSN Standard subscription tier you can upgrade your subscription by clicking the link below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can join 30,0000 of your field service management peers by subscribing to FSN Standard for free to gain access to a monthly selection of premium content or select either FSN Premium or FSN Elite for even more resources. Click the button above to visit our subscription page to find out more.

ARCHIVE FOR THE ‘covid-19’ CATEGORY

This feature is just one short excerpt from a report published by Aquant

www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full report now by hitting the button below.

This feature is just one short excerpt from a report published by Aquant.

www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full report now by hitting the button below.

This feature is just one short excerpt from a white paper published by BigChange.

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

This feature is just one short excerpt from a white paper published by BigChange.

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

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Further Reading:

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Further Reading:

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Further Reading:

This feature is just one short excerpt from a white paper published by BigChange.

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

This feature is just one short excerpt from a white paper published by BigChange.

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

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Further Reading:

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