Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Aly Pinder Jr, Program Director of Service Innovation and Connected Products at IDC. Aly is a seasoned expert in the field service industry,...
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Aug 05, 2021 • Features • Aly Pinder • Covid-19 • Servitization and Advanced Services • GLOBAL
Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Aly Pinder Jr, Program Director of Service Innovation and Connected Products at IDC. Aly is a seasoned expert in the field service industry, technology and innovation and he always thinks forward and spots the upcoming trends in the industry.
During the conversation, the two discuss a wide range of topics related to the evolution of service, the rapid changes and challenges that occurred during the last year and what organisations should do to adapt and prepare for the future.
In this final excerpt from that full interview, the discussion turns to whether the pandemic has slowed down the move to servitization for field service organizations.
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.
Further Reading:
- Read more about Servitization & Advanced Services @ www.fieldservicenews.com/servitization
- Read more about the impact of COVID-19 in the Field Service industry @ www.fieldservicenews.com/covid-19
- Read exclusive articles by Aly Pinder on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/aly+pinder
- Follow Aly Pinder on Twitter @ twitter.com/Pinderjr
- Connect with Aly Pinder on LinkedIn @ linkedin.com/in/aly-pinder-jr
Aug 03, 2021 • Features • Digital Transformation • field service management • Marc Tatarsky • Covid-19 • Leadership and Strategy
In this new article for Field Service News, Marc Tatarsky, SVP of Marketing at FieldAware, discusses what organizations in the field service sector should expect as the world gradually reopens for business.
In this new article for Field Service News, Marc Tatarsky, SVP of Marketing at FieldAware, discusses what organizations in the field service sector should expect as the world gradually reopens for business.
As we enter just past the halfway point of 2021, it feels as though the trials and tribulations of the last 24 months are finally working their way into the rearview mirror. While the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t entirely behind us, much of the world is indeed getting back to a new normal of operating, and the global economy is kicking back in. With the global vaccination rate reaching over a majority of the population in many countries (well over 50% and rising), summer vacations are starting to kick in. Airlines are adding flights, global business events are beginning to go back on the calendar, and many businesses are re-evaluating their office policies.There is no doubt that the ramifications of COVID-19 are still being felt. Some of the effects of a paused global supply chain are still creeping up in many unanticipated areas – chip manufacturing shortages, surging lumber prices, and even a national chicken wing shortage in the US. But as the dust begins to settle and we analyze some of the lasting repercussions from our survival responses to COVID-19, several unique business model implications have risen to the top. For example, within the service management sector, one lasting transformation has been the consumerization of the end-to-end service experience.
THE RAMIFICATIONS OF THE PANDEMIC WILL STILL AFFECT THE FIELD SERVICE SECTOR AS COMPANIES QUICKLY TRY TO ADAPT TO THE "NEW NORMAL"
Something interesting happened when the service industry was forced to deal with the global pandemic. A blurring of B2B and B2C customer experience (CX) expectations occurred. New biosecurity requirements forced many field service organizations to adopt new processes and technology quickly. They needed to fulfill requirements to be accountable for the timing and biosecurity of their dispatched resources. In addition, businesses and employees of all levels were exposed to the art of the possible in their personal customer experiences regarding home deliveries, food services, and other remotely delivered services. The patience for working with an organization that doesn’t take a 360-degree view of customer experience is waning.
Businesses expect the same level of service and data continuity for their business interactions as they do with their consumer interactions. Consumer industry giants like Amazon, Uber, and Netflix are leading the way. Raising the bar of expectations for what customer satisfaction and customer experience can be for all businesses resulting in elevated expectations for understanding past and future service history à la Netflix and point-to-point transparency and status monitoring à la Uber as well as a true 360-degree buyer experience à la Amazon. Businesses expect their B2B interactions to incorporate many of these consumer experiences and have increasing demands for a truly transparent customer experience.
"One of the most critical elements of any modern field service management system is interconnectivity and data transparency across various systems of record."
Field service organizations raced to adopt new processes and technologies to accommodate expanded service delivery requirements as part of their required response to COVID protocols. However, many of these efforts were rushed into production, leaving the overall customer experience somewhat flat. Now that the new normal operations are stabilizing, advanced service organizations are taking a closer look at their execution models and identifying necessary enhancements and optimizations to deliver the customer experience anticipated. They know the patience for adapting to and getting the workflows right has shortened, and B2B expectations have risen.
One of the most critical elements of any modern field service management system is interconnectivity and data transparency across various systems of record. With the rising consumerism of the service experience, customer data, history, and the workflows associated with field activities must be thoroughly interconnected and transparent. It is not sufficient to have a closed-loop field service workflow. The workflows must interact and leverage data and insights across the organization to enable a seamless 360-degree customer experience.
While this sounds intuitive, many single-vendor solutions lack the functionality or easy connectivity to accomplish this task without significant customization and professional services investment. A best-of-breed approach can often offer better ROI and additional functional advantages by providing unconflicted integration, improved specialized usability, and scale. This flexibility and robust field service-specific capabilities help meet the changing needs and requirements of the service organization – now and in the future.Many field service segments are bracing for a surge in demand and must be agile to respond. For example, infrastructure service organizations such as renewable energy must not only contend with macro demand pressures created by a global sustainability push but, in the US, a looming federal infrastructure mandate. As both sides of the aisle start to come together to work through the pressing infrastructure challenges in the US, it appears a significant, albeit slimmed down, infrastructure bill is gaining support. This new federal legislation, combined with the global focus on sustainability and reduced carbon emissions, has set the stage for the next wave of demand in a segment that had raised customer experience expectations accelerated by COVID-19 activities. This surge in demand and hyper-focus may create a new mini “crisis” in the supporting field service management activities. Leading vendors in the segments impacted by this surge (and similar surges) will need to closely evaluate their service delivery model to ensure they can deliver on the rising expectations and capitalize on the boom in demand.
Further Reading:
- Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digitaltransformation
- Read more exclusive articles by Marc Tatarsky on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/marctatartsky
- Read more News and Features from FieldAware @ /www.fieldservicenews.com/fieldaware
- Learn more about FieldAware @ www.fieldaware.com
- Connect with Marc Tatarsky on LinkedIn @ www.linkedin.com/in/marctatarsky/
Are Organisations at Risk of Taking Shortcuts to Adapt to the Rapid Changes Brought by the Pandemic?
Aug 03, 2021 • Features • Aly Pinder • Covid-19 • Servitization and Advanced Services • GLOBAL
Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Aly Pinder Jr, Program Director of Service Innovation and Connected Products at IDC. Aly is a seasoned expert in the field service industry,...
Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Aly Pinder Jr, Program Director of Service Innovation and Connected Products at IDC. Aly is a seasoned expert in the field service industry, technology and innovation and he always thinks forward and spots the upcoming trends in the industry.
During the conversation, the two discuss a wide range of topics related to the evolution of service, the rapid changes and challenges that occurred during the last year and what organisations should do to adapt and prepare for the future.
In this final excerpt from that full interview, the two discuss the risk for field service organisations of taking shortcuts and making the wrong decisions to adapt of the changes that happened so fast during the last year.
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.
Further Reading:
- Read more about Servitization & Advanced Services @ www.fieldservicenews.com/servitization
- Read more about the impact of COVID-19 in the Field Service industry @ www.fieldservicenews.com/covid-19
- Read exclusive articles by Aly Pinder on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/aly+pinder
- Follow Aly Pinder on Twitter @ twitter.com/Pinderjr
- Connect with Aly Pinder on LinkedIn @ linkedin.com/in/aly-pinder-jr
Jul 27, 2021 • Features • Aly Pinder • Covid-19 • Servitization and Advanced Services • GLOBAL
Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Aly Pinder Jr, Program Director of Service Innovation and Connected Products at IDC. Aly is a seasoned expert in the field service industry,...
Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Aly Pinder Jr, Program Director of Service Innovation and Connected Products at IDC. Aly is a seasoned expert in the field service industry, technology and innovation and he always thinks forward and spots the upcoming trends in the industry.
During the conversation, the two discuss a wide range of topics related to the evolution of service, the rapid changes and challenges that occurred during the last year and what organisation should do to adapt and prepare for the future.
In this final excerpt from that full interview, the discussion focuses on the role of technology in transforming service delivery.
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.
Further Reading:
- Read more about Servitization & Advanced Services @ www.fieldservicenews.com/servitization
- Read more about the impact of COVID-19 in the Field Service industry @ www.fieldservicenews.com/covid-19
- Read exclusive articles by Aly Pinder on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/aly+pinder
- Follow Aly Pinder on Twitter @ twitter.com/Pinderjr
- Connect with Aly Pinder on LinkedIn @ linkedin.com/in/aly-pinder-jr
Jul 23, 2021 • Features • Aly Pinder • Covid-19 • Servitization and Advanced Services • GLOBAL
Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Aly Pinder Jr, Program Director of Service Innovation and Connected Products at IDC. Aly is a seasoned expert in the field service industry,...
Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Aly Pinder Jr, Program Director of Service Innovation and Connected Products at IDC. Aly is a seasoned expert in the field service industry, technology and innovation and he always thinks forward and spots the upcoming trends in the industry.
During the conversation, the two discuss a wide range of topics related to the evolution of service, the rapid changes and challenges that occurred during the last year and what organisation should do to adapt and prepare for the future.
In this excerpt from that full interview, the two discuss the importance of the role of the service engineer and how the traditional service delivery positions itself with the mass adoption of remote services.
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.
Further Reading:
- Read more about Servitization & Advanced Services @ www.fieldservicenews.com/servitization
- Read more about the impact of COVID-19 in the Field Service industry @ www.fieldservicenews.com/covid-19
- Read exclusive articles by Aly Pinder on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/aly+pinder
- Follow Aly Pinder on Twitter @ twitter.com/Pinderjr
- Connect with Aly Pinder on LinkedIn @ linkedin.com/in/aly-pinder-jr
Jul 21, 2021 • Features • Aly Pinder • Covid-19 • Servitization and Advanced Services • GLOBAL
Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Aly Pinder Jr, Program Director of Service Innovation and Connected Products at IDC. Aly is a seasoned expert in the field service industry,...
Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Aly Pinder Jr, Program Director of Service Innovation and Connected Products at IDC. Aly is a seasoned expert in the field service industry, technology and innovation and he always thinks forward and spots the upcoming trends in the industry.
During the conversation, the two discuss a wide range of topics related to the evolution of service, the rapid changes and challenges that occurred during the last year and what organisation should do to adapt and prepare for the future.
In this final excerpt from that full interview, the discussion turns to whether the pandemic has slowed down the move to servitization for field service organizations.
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.
Further Reading:
- Read more about Servitization & Advanced Services @ www.fieldservicenews.com/servitization
- Read more about the impact of COVID-19 in the Field Service industry @ www.fieldservicenews.com/covid-19
- Read exclusive articles by Aly Pinder on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/aly+pinder
- Follow Aly Pinder on Twitter @ twitter.com/Pinderjr
- Connect with Aly Pinder on LinkedIn @ linkedin.com/in/aly-pinder-jr
Jul 15, 2021 • Features • Digital Transformation • Aquant • Covid-19 • customer experience
In the first article of a series of excerpts from a recent white paper published by Aquant, we look at the importance of providing exceptional customer experience in the post-pandemic world.
In the first article of a series of excerpts from a recent white paper published by Aquant, we look at the importance of providing exceptional customer experience in the post-pandemic world.
This feature is just one short excerpt from a white paper published by Aquant
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 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.
The acceleration of digital technologies in every sector from grocery delivery to banking created customer expectations that are higher than ever. And there’s every indication that it will remain this way.
Customers want effortless service interactions. To win hearts and wallets, you have to provide interactions that go beyond “good.” Every interaction should feel personalized while also aiming to wow. For service organizations, the expectation is that you’ve joined all the dots before a service ticket is placed.
For many organizations who are already in the midst of transformation projects, the question is how to pivot technology adoption and service delivery to achieve those goals. For some, Net Promoter Score (NPS) has been the best way to do that. They monitor loyalty and metrics and give companies intel on how users feel about services — but in the current landscape, where time is money, there are a few drawbacks. Often, the feedback is too ambiguous, arrives too late, and lacks full context, rendering companies powerless to change outcomes.
NPS can’t tell you why a customer left a particular rating, doesn’t explain why clients are loyal, and doesn’t provide guidance on how to improve your services. When measured alone, NPS leaves a lot of room for interpretation and little for prevention.
Additionally, NPS won’t help service leaders innovate, nor can it help teams achieve opposing business goals. There is a need to improve customer experiences, but it’s likely you’ve also been tasked with hitting other goals including cost savings and service efficiencies.
A better way to deliver exceptional experiences, manage relationships, and work towards larger company goals is to use preexisting service data as a guide. Innovative organizations are looking at artificial intelligence’s (AI) capabilities to surface critical data and bring insights and knowledge to the forefront. Organizations are realizing that it can take twice as much effort to repair a broken customer relationship than maintain a healthy one. To start predicting customer issues before client relationships sour, use data to contextualize your current offerings and relationships.
Strenghten Relationship by Defining Them
Modern technology is convenient: clients can research and decide to go with another manufacturer or provider at any given point. Therefore, you need to do everything in your power to earn and keep your customers’ loyalty. A good way to start is by making sure that you are differentiating your products and services.
Yet isolated answers can’t provide the big picture, even with the help of KPI data. It can still be a challenge to see the underlying health of your organization or customer relationships.
Seemingly-healthy dashboards may be one issue away from bubbling over, making it more crucial than ever to adopt the right tools to unearth and manage your metrics.
Consider the Following:-
If you were the customer, why would you choose your company’s product or service?
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Do your goals align with your clients’?
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How are you ensuring that you’re meeting customer expectations?
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Are you measuring your clients’ loyalty beyond NPS?
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Are you at risk of losing any customers?
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If your largest client decided to choose another product or service, how would this impact your business?
This feature is just one short excerpt from a white paper published by Aquant.
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 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.
Further Reading:
- Read more about Aquant on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/aquant
- Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
- Read more about Leadership & Strategy @ www.fieldservicenews.com//leadership-and-strategy
- Learn more about Aquant @ www.aquant.io
- Follow Aquant on Twitter @ twitter.com/Aquant_io
Jul 14, 2021 • Features • field service • Covid-19 • Leadership and Strategy • Sam Klaidman
In this new article for Field Service News, Sam Klaidman, Founder and Principal Adviser at Middlesex Consulting, analyzes the advantages of hiring for attitude and training for skills.
In this new article for Field Service News, Sam Klaidman, Founder and Principal Adviser at Middlesex Consulting, analyzes the advantages of hiring for attitude and training for skills.
Introduction
According to ToolingU-SME “Relentless turnover in the manufacturing industry is threatening companies focused on driving productivity and profitability. Finding talent is one of the biggest challenges in the industry, so losing employees, whether entry level or seasoned, significantly compounds the problem.” And the same dynamics apply to field service and technical support technicians. And according to Forbes, “Companies that create annual budgets will find their 2021 budget busted because of the rapidly increasing rise in the price of talent – both for internal employees and for talent provided by third-party service providers”.
Why do you need a replacement strategy?
In the May 5, 2021 issue of Thomas Insights, I published an article titled The Silver Tsunami: As Older Employees Plan for Retirement, It's Time to Plan for the Future of Your Workforce. The article went into detail about older employees preparing to retire and what you can do to prepare for that inevitable situation. Now we are seeing the effect of what some people call “the great crew change.” This is the voluntary churn of large numbers of employees from all disciplines in their business. Why is this churn happening now? While you may have reduced your workforce because of the pandemic, the voluntary exit will accelerate within the next few months. Here are some of the reasons:
- As the situation at home returns to normal, many older workers will feel comfortable moving into the next phase of their lives
- As jobs open up, many people will convince themselves that “the grass is greener” at another employer
- Companies more desperate than yours will offer large pay increases or sign-up bonuses to fill their vacancies
- Companies that used the last 18 months to improve the tools and processes they provide their employees will attract the younger employees who grew-up with digital technology
Where Will I Have a Problem?
If your technology is old, somewhere between 5 and 10 years, expect trouble with your younger and technical savvy employees. You can also expect turnover in clusters if you have some managers who do not relate well to their employees. And most importantly, expect employee churn in the customer facing sales and service departments.
- Sales because their world has changed from face-to-face to virtual meetings and customers who now reach out to potential suppliers when they are about 75% of the way through their buying journey. Also, in many industries trade shows are now obsolete!
- Service because the technicians are reading about remote support and if you implemented it, some will miss the travel and in-person customer interactions and will look for a company that has not yet caught up with competitors. And if you did not implement it yet, the rest will look to work at a more advanced company.
To make matters worse, Sales and Service people are extra important to your business because they interact with all your customers. And the Service people interact during the whole time the customer owns your equipment while the Salespeople only interact with customers when there is a new selling opportunity. This means that replacing, or preparing to replace, your service team is the most impactful area for you to focus on.
What is the single most crucial decision I can make when I prepare my Service technical employee replacement strategy?
Good service people have a lot more skills and attributes than just knowing how to fix inoperative equipment. These are the areas where customer facing field and help-desk engineers (in person and virtually) must excel:
1. Technical skills
2. Understand business; basic finance, logistics, P&L, Sales, and Marketing
3. Understand business processes and systems
4. Customer relationships. They should be their customer’s trusted advisers.
5. Negotiating
6. Communications
7. Creativity and problem solving
8. Soft skills including listening, empathy, and how to avoid confrontation
9. Self confidence
10. Accountability
11. Adaptability
12. Loves learning
13. A sense of urgency.
Considering the breath of skills, abilities, and personality traits in the list, I recommend that you make a firm commitment to hire for attitude and train for skill. In the opening paragraphs of the 2011 Harvard Business Review article Hire for Attitude, Train for Skill, the author describes the reinvention of a primary-care clinic that was producing great results. They did it by redefining the jobs and throwing away the old playbooks. When asked how he found the right people for these unique positions, the practice’s leader, Dr. Rushika Fernandopulle, said “We recruit for attitude and train for skill,” … “We don’t recruit from health care. This kind of care requires a vastly different mind-set from usual care.”
And the July 1, 2021 issue of Industry Week included an article titled One Job, Two Good Candidates - Would You Hire for Attitude or Aptitude? The key conclusion was:
“And what are they finding? That “hard” skills are increasingly transient, and "soft” skills — or “personal habits and traits that shape how you work on your own and with others” — are what’s worth investing in when it comes to human capital.“
What is the single most crucial decision I can make when I prepare my Service technical employee replacement strategy?
There are only two things you have to worry about:
1. Before you start the hiring process, you must get HR on board
2. After you hire someone, you must have a detail training plan to on-board the new hire
As you start trying to hire candidates based on their attitudes, soft skills, and personality, you will need lots of help from HR. Here are some of the areas where HR will be critical:
- Training the interview team on how to evaluate these soft attributes.
- Figuring out how to compare post-interview notes and fairly evaluate all candidates.
- Identifying sources of candidates. When I was hiring field service engineers, I loved hiring people who were leaving the military. My first preference was the nuclear navy followed by air force line mechanics. People from both groups had a terrific ability to quickly learn complex technical topics with minimal instruction and they excelled at many of the soft skills and attributes you will need.
- Communicating with these non-technical people and learning to not dismiss a candidate because she doesn’t physically meet your image of a great field service technician.
By the time you are ready to make an employment offer, you will need a detail training outline, schedule, and list of resources. In fact, an outstanding candidate should ask you how she will receive her technical training before accepting an offer. No really suitable candidate will accept an offer unless she is convinced that you will build on her skills and help her succeed in this new role. Once your new hire shows up for work, you must make sure that she has a productive on-boarding experience that reinforces the idea that she made the right decision to join your business. There is nothing worse for an organization than to have a new employee quit in the first days after joining the business.
Conclusion
It may take a while for your business to learn the advantages of hiring for attitude and training for skills but keep working at it because this is the future!
Further Reading:
- Read more about Leadership and Strategy @ www.fieldservicenews.com/leadership-and-strategy
- Read more exclusive FSN articles by Sam Klaidman @ www.fieldservicenews.com/sam-klaidman
- Find out more about Middlesex Consulting @ www.middlesexconsulting.com
- Read more articles by Sam Klaidman on Middlesex Consulting Blog @ middlesexconsulting.com/blog
- Connect with Sam Klaidman @ www.linkedin.com/samklaidman
Jul 12, 2021 • Features • service excellence • technology • Aquant • Covid-19 • Leadership and Strategy • GLOBAL
In this article from Aquant, we look at three tips to scale appliance and food repair businesses rapidly with the help of easy-to-use AI tools.
In this article from Aquant, we look at three tips to scale appliance and food repair businesses rapidly with the help of easy-to-use AI tools.
Service businesses are busy in 2021, and all indicators point to steady — or even above-average demand — lasting for the foreseeable future. Typically, high demand is great for business, but nothing has been typical about service in the last year. Many companies, especially owner-operator repair businesses, are turning away customers and additional revenue because they’re at capacity.
What Challenges Do Service Companies Face?
While industry demand has outstripped technician supply for at least the last decade, most businesses were able to manage — but COVID exacerbated the challenges of a sector already pushed to its limits. Some of the biggest contributing factors include:
● A lack of qualified appliance repair techniciansService businesses, from home appliance to food equipment repair and maintenance, are experiencing such a high volume of service requests that the search for qualified technicians has reached a tipping point.
“Repair companies are triaging calls, hiring new employees and navigating backlogs from the broken supply chain for parts,” states the Washington Post. That was just one account of many from an in-depth article that details the extent of the gap between service provider availability and customer demand across the country.
But rapid hiring, especially when paired with a scarcity of parts, puts added pressure on service providers who are already maxed out. Sound familiar?
What Challenges Do Service Companies Face?
New, easy-to-use AI tools are available to help service companies of all sizes upskill a new crop of employees quickly. This ultimately makes it possible for your business to take on extra demand while still providing exceptional customer experiences.
1. Upskill the New Workforce Quickly to Slash the Skills Gap
The workforce shortage is not new. Skilled trade positions, particularly technician and engineer roles, have been the hardest to fill. There are other obstacles compounding the issues, too.
The Baby Boomer retirement wave is in full swing. Your most senior techs are leaving and taking all their repair knowledge with them.
Millennials and Gen Z employees approach work differently. The two youngest generations leave jobs nearly twice as often as their older counterparts. This result is an increasing skills gap, and most in the industry don’t have the resources or budget to spend months or years training employees.
A better solution: Hire motivated employees with minimal appliance repair experience and quickly turn them into seasoned experts in weeks instead of years. That’s possible using technology that provides accurate recommendations with as much ease as a Google search.
How Aquant helps: Our service engine has digested and analyzed every major home appliance and food service equipment repair manual, combining them with real-life best practices from veteran, certified technicians. The intelligent tool is easy enough for any member of the workforce to use. That empowers every member of the workforce to perform as well as your longest-tenured employees.
When knowledge is easier to acquire, employees can work on honing soft skills like customer service and relationship building.
3. Offer Clients Remote Resolution Options
How many times have technicians been dispatched to a job site, only to arrive and find that the solution was as simple as hitting the restart button or flipping a switch? Customers don’t want to wait days for a solution that they could have fixed themselves in minutes. And your business can’t maintain wasted truck rolls in the face of a demand avalanche.
A better solution: Train customer support to resolve less complex issues during the initial customer call. Instead of having them flip through manuals or consult decision trees (which takes time and can be frustrating), give them options to triage issues in a matter of minutes using an intelligent, digital tool.
How Aquant can help: We’ve created an intelligent — and evolving — database of service information based on millions of service tickets. Using the smart triage system, your support agent walks through two to four service issue scenarios with the customer, and the tool identifies the most likely solution. If it’s a simple fix, you can guide the customer through remote resolution.
Increase the Number of Brands You Support While Scaling Up
In addition to helping your technicians solve problems faster and more accurately, Aquant is like a cheat sheet for repair and maintenance companies. With data from all the top major home appliance and food service equipment brands, you have access to a pre-populated database with the information any technicians need to get the job done, regardless of the brand.
Further Reading:
- Read more about Aquant on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/aquant
- Read more about Service Leadership @ www.fieldservicenews.com/service-leadership
- Learn more about Aquant @ www.aquant.io
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