Survey from Workiz on online trends show customer preference for digital booking and payments when booking home service visits.

To attract and retain customers field service firms should have an intuitive online scheduling system complimented by digital payment options, a study into people's technology preferences has revealed.

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The effect of instant, on-demand products such as Uber, Deliveroo and Amazon has meant customers now expect the same standards in other services which, according to the study, includes the process of hiring a technician to carry out maintenance or appliance repair.

The survey, carried out jointly by Google Consumer Surveys and Workiz, sought to analyse the e-commerce preferences of more than 1,050 people in the US, aged between 18 and 65.

The results reflected the growing digital influence of Millennial and Generation Z who are more comfortable carrying out customer interactions online rather than face-to-face or over the phone, and prefer to use digital wallets rather than physical cash.

The findings showed 44 per cent of respondents would prefer to book a field service appointment online and 35 per cent would pay for that home service online. Furthermore, if the scheduling and check-out process was an intuitive one, then 38 per cent would leave a positive online review.

In order to leave a positive review, respondents cited the importance of real-time communication from field service businesses with 63 per cent saying they would leave positive feedback if firms were transparent in their communication, specifically if real-time communication was utilised.

Commenting on the report, Workiz CEO Adi Azaria said customers now expect a perfect service experience. "Whether it's ease of scheduling or digital payment options, we're seeing that consumers today prefer a seamless interaction with field service businesses," he explained. "The appliance being repaired correctly isn't enough anymore. Customers want the experience to be frictionless every step of the way."