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Field Service is evolving in front of our eyes. Aly Pinder, Senior Research Analyst at Aberdeen looks at what we need to do now to embrace the future...

Many things aren’t as they were for your father or grandfather. Technology moves at such a rapid pace that even I have lost track as to what is the latest and greatest social media platform that has revolutionised the internet, or at least the lives of teenagers.

Even though it is easy to dismiss either end of the technology spectrum – should our business jump at the latest trend or will we save money and heartache by staying the course that was paved by our legacy systems back in the early 2000s?

Both strategies have their faults and may lead to hard times, but I propose there is a middle ground that is necessary for field service.

As much as we would all like to bury our heads in the sand and not accept that the world around us is changing, field service has evolved.

[quote float="left"]Customers expect better service every day, management has seen the light in regard to the value (i.e., profitability) that field service can drive, and our service teams are getting older and are deciding to move on. So why hasn’t field service adapted?

Customers expect better service every day, management has seen the light in regard to the value (i.e., profitability) that field service can drive, and our service teams are getting older and are deciding to move on. So why hasn’t field service adapted?

 

Why are we so reluctant to change as the winds around us continue to sway.

Partially it’s because changing a global network which has become accustomed to doing things a certain way is difficult. Also, no one wants to be wrong, this is our livelihood. But we can no longer sit back and let the rest of the technology world pass the field service industry by as we move in 2015 and beyond.

Not only have customers changed, but almost as importantly the field service technician within your businesses is changing and service leaders must begin to react to keep and hire the next wave of field service heroes. This isn’t easy, but below are three trends which will play a big role in the success of organisations as they move into the future of field service:

Use the tools that make your techs more productive.

As more and more millennials enter the field service workforce, organisations must begin to adapt to their preferences and strengths. In Aberdeen’s recent research report, Emerging Workforce in the Field: Tech-Savvy to Technician (December 2014), the average age of the field worker was 32 years old with approximately one fifth of the workforce under 30.

This isn’t quite a wave of millennials just yet, however a top challenge for many organisations is the ageing workforce and retirement. Why wait to adapt to the changing needs of your workforce?

Despite the (negative) buzz, millennials aren’t that different from previous generations. But they have grown up in an age which they have always had access to the internet and a connected device. They expect to have this capability at work too. Organisations that provide these workers with the latest technology, much of which is moving towards a more consumer look and feel, will have a better chance of hiring the best of the next crop of technicians.

BYOD is not dead in field service.

The wave of excitement for BYOD (bring your own device) has waned a bit since the thoughts of this strategy revolutionising IT. Concerns around security, device proliferation and management, and a decrease in productivity led some organisations to turn away from BYOD.

However, as seen in Aberdeen’s BYOD: A Flood of Devices in the Field report (December 2014), nearly two-thirds of top performing companies currently leverage some level of BYOD within their field service operation.

These top performers found that this strategy had no negative impact on key metrics such as SLA compliance and service margin, while slightly improving employee satisfaction. And as we all know, happy employees make happy customers.

Create the right incentives to drive the right behaviours in field service delivery.

As customer expectations as to what great service is continues to change, the field service team also needs to evolve. No longer is it good enough to just show up within a four or two hour window, resolution is the name of the game for many customers. Furthermore, the way organisations are differentiating in this 21st century economy is through service, and the quality of service being provided.

[quote float="right"]This may seem like marketing or consumer jargon, but even in B2B environments customers have begun to expect a heightened experience and more value-add services.

With this shift scheduling technologies must ensure that the right technician with the right skills and the right service attitude shows up to work with the right customer. This may seem like marketing or consumer jargon, but even in B2B environments customers have begun to expect a heightened experience and more value-add services.

 

This is both a threat, but also an opportunity for the savvy service organisations that adapt to this changing environment and ensures that technicians aren’t only showing up to turn a wrench, but are equipped to solve customer needs.

The field service environment is not stagnant. However, too often organisations work under the mindset that customers will not leave, profitability will continue to grow, and technicians will always do the right thing. The challenge many organisations are facing as we enter 2015 is that the status quo will not be acceptable, and the field service organisation will need to evolve in order to excel.

The opportunity is still great, but the leaders will do well by adapting to the needs of their customers and technicians.

 

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To read Aly Pinder's latest white paper sponsored by Trimble Field Service Management which looks at why Generation Y is a good fit for field service click here

 

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The field service industry has, in previous years, been a subject of concern for having an ageing workforce. However, as the industry continues to evolve, a major trend has been the emergence of young, tech-savvy and collaborative workers writes Trimble Field Service Management's John Cameron

According to Aberdeen Group’s latest report, ‘Emerging Workforce in the field: Tech-savvy to technician’, approximately one-fifth of the current workforce is under 30, with the average age of a field service technician being 32 years old. Field service organisations must therefore recognise what the needs of this new workforce are, in order to keep them for the long haul as well as to attract the next pool of young talent.

Flexibility and Mobility

Technology is recognised as an aid to achieving key strategic objectives. It is therefore important for organisations to understand how the [quote float="left"]Tech-savvy workers don’t want to be tied down by legacy technologies. They want the freedom to engage with the latest advances

influx of young workers use, process and engage with technology. A key factor to consider is flexibility and mobility. Tech-savvy workers don’t want to be tied down by legacy technologies. They want the freedom to engage with the latest advances and utilise technologies they are used to in their personal lives.

 

There has been much debate around ‘Bring Your Own Device’ strategies, where employees have the ability to connect their own technical devices to their company’s network instead of using a device owned by the company. Aberdeen Group’s report found that 62% of the top performing field service organisations have incorporated a BYOD strategy as a result of a more tech-savvy workforce and 43% are more likely to give technicians access to social media and collaborative tools to facilitate knowledge transfer.

Visibility and collaboration

A major characteristic that the emerging field service workforce encompasses is the ability to be collaborative, and this is a trait that will help transform service and the relationship with the customer. Organisations must therefore capitalise on this by developing the collaborative tools needed to help the workforce perform as experts in the field and resolve customer needs quickly.

Collaborative tools, such as smartphones, tablets and laptops offer users the chance to take advantage of mobile apps. Indeed, mobile apps offer technicians the ability to share, store and view job data while out in the field, providing them with a virtual link to the back office. Critical information such as daily tasks, customer histories and billing can be accessed on demand. Furthermore, locations of nearby teammates can be retrieved on a mobile device and a real-time connection provided through social networking, enabling them to seek assistance in order to resolve a problem first-time.

 

Having the tools and capabilities to work more collaboratively, and having access to real-time insight, empowers the workforce to make more strategic decisions. The speed of communication via social and mobile allow them to solve problems more quickly and ensures resolution is not delayed because of lack of information.

Customer service excellence evolves with the emerging worker

It is now widely regarded that customers of today are much more demanding, expecting a quick fix on the first visit and a valued experience as standard. For the field service technician, who is often the only contact a customer will have with the business, there role is therefore more than one of just operational necessity; it is a role of strategic significance.

[quote float ="left"]There is a strong focus on the importance of emotional intelligence as an enabler to deal with the wide variety of changing customer service relationships

As a result, field service organisations seek field workers who have desirable attitudes and attributes for customer service. In particular, there is a strong focus on the importance of emotional intelligence as an enabler to deal with the wide variety of changing customer service relationships. Aberdeen Group found that the top performing field service organisations outperform their peers in regard to retaining the field heroes that they have, but almost as importantly, they are able to find, hire and train the next field service heroes.

 

These top organisations achieve this by capturing as much knowledge from seasoned workers before they retire so that they can pass it on to the up and coming youths of the industry. Indeed, 70 per cent of top performing field service organisations are more likely to provide technicians with a knowledgebase of recorded training videos and images.
 
Get the white paper associated with this feature here

 

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Resource Type: White Paper
Provided by: Trimble Field Service Management
Author: Aly Pinder Jr, Senior Research Analyst, Service Management. Aberdeen Group
Title: Emerging workforce in the field: Tech Savvy to Technician

Download: Click here to download this white paper 

By downloading this white paper you agree to the T&C's outlined here

Synopsis:

With Trimble’s ongoing focus on empowering mobile workers Trimble have teamed up with Aberdeen Group to publish a new report looking at the emergence of a new mobile worker in field service. Written by leading field service analyst, Aly Pinder, this paper takes a closer look at how technology is affecting and driving the next generation of field service workers. Are millennials that different from their predecessors?

What are their weaknesses and strengths? And most importantly how do they fit within the evolution of the field service industry itself? With the field service industry facing a rapidly growing issue of an ageing workforce it is even more important than ever to understand how to attract and engage with the next generation of field workers.

Report Highlights:

• 62% of top performers have incorporated some level of BYOD strategy as a result of a more tech-savvy workforce
• The best-in-class are 33% more likely to implement visual collaboration tools to improve communication between technicians and remote experts
• The best-in-class are 70% more likely to provide technicians with access to a knowledge base of recorded training videos and images
• The Best-in-class are 43% more likely to give technicians access to social media and collaborative tools to facilitate knowledge transfer.

Overview:

Replacing good workers is never an easy task and unfortunately the majority of companies wait until it is too late to address what is a lurking problem. In fact, Aberdeen’s Talent Acquisition 2014: Reverse the Regressive Curse report, highlighted that 60% of companies were reactionary in regard to talent acquisition and only recruited when they had an opening, instead of actively recruiting prior to an open vacancy becoming available.

The problem then faced is not only finding the next great field service engineer as a reaction to a departure but also understanding their needs and motivations as much as possible in order to retain their services for the long term. What makes this challenge even more complex currently is that we are in a position of flux when it comes to our workforces.

 

The fact is that the available pool of workers is changing swiftly. Currently the average age of a field service technician is 32 years old, with approximately one-fifth of the current workforce under 30 (as reported in the recent Aberdeen research on Mobile Field Service). So as field service companies bring in new workers from this next generation, dubbed millennials or generation y they need to consider how these workers will begin their journey with the team and manage the way in which this new breed of engineers will use, process and engage with technology.

Finally, to further compound these challenges there is the spectre of an ageing field service workforce to contend with. So, not only is there a need to make the transition from one generation of worker as seamless as possible, there is also a pressing timeframe to contend with as well. To get this transition right, first time around, field service organisations must consider at east three questions as they try to continue delivering exceptional field service with the next generation of field service workers.

• What do your customers want?
• How can you attract the next generation of great field service engineers?
• How does the next generation of field worker help the evolution of mobility in the field?

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In many respects the next generation fits perfectly with the way field service is evolving. So whilst there are some fairly negative connotations associated with the millennial/gen y age group – sharp attention span, sense of entitlement, “I will be CEO in less than two years’ etc. these misconceptions of the industries youngest workforce are not where our attention should lie. Whilst this generation of field workers may be different from their forbearers, they aren’t necessarily worse.

They may have some drawbacks, but when it comes to the evolution of excellent service, they may be just what is needed to wow future customers.

The emerging field service workforce embodies a number of characteristics that will help transform service and the relationship with the customer. These workers are young (30 and under) technology savvy, (they grew up with computers) and collaborative (social networks are a way of life.)

 

These traits and preferences help these workers attain and evaluate data faster than ever. But the integral part is how quickly that data is turned into answers and insight. To find out more about how companies overcome the challenge of an ageing workforce and take advantage of the next generation of great field engineers,

Trimble Field Service Management are offering this white paper for download now

Click here to download this white paper

 

 

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