If you want to hire and retain the next generation of field service technicians to replace the ones who are retiring, then you need to start thinking like a marketer. 

A marketer looks at every campaign through the lens of their target audience. In this case, your target audience is the field service technician you want to recruit. A marketer first performs an in-depth analysis called a Buyer Persona profile, which goes beyond figuring out the usual demographics to paint a picture of not just what a person is, but who they are. 

This means uncovering the personality of your ideal field service engineer. What motivates them? What are their hobbies? Where do they search for information? In many Buyer Persona exercises, you give the target audience a name and a photo (albeit, a fake stock photo) so that your marketing campaigns are literally created for “Susie” or “John”.   

Has your organization dedicated the resources to identify who you want to fill the shoes of your retiring technicians? Have you profiled your best employees to help aid in this process? Why do they enjoy their job? What makes them loyal and motivates them to provide a superior customer experience? This is the kind of intimate knowledge that you need to craft a targeted, enticing job description. 

But writing the ultimate job description is just one piece of the puzzle. Once you’ve recruited, hired and trained your technicians, you then need to retain them. Enter the concept of the Technician’s Experience, or TX. Creating a great TX means giving your front-line workers what they want. Do you know what the next generation of field service technicians want? If not, let me share some insight. 

I surveyed nearly 50 millennial field service technicians for a webinar entitled Win the Talent War for Millennial Technicians, and I’m happy to share the results with you. When asked, ‘Why did you choose to become a field service engineer?’, here are some responses I received:

"I was not cut out for a cubicle."
"Wanted to stay mobile and not tied down to a desk."
"Drawn to the fact that field service is ever-changing."

Another question was: ‘What kind of company do you want to work for?’ The most poignant response I received was: ‘A company that cares and shows that I make a difference.’ When asked, ‘What advice would you give companies hiring millennial technicians?’ The best response was: ‘Give them something to own, and provide them with the right tools and timely feedback.’     

These survey results pinpoint what millennials crave most from their profession: to make a difference, and to learn and experience new things. In order to create a great TX, you must empower millennial technicians to achieve their professional goals of:

1. Solving customer problems;
2. Working collaboratively;
3. Helping to drive innovation;
4. Learning how to use the latest tools and technology.