Better Communication in Field Service

As with any business, communication is one of the key concepts field service providers need to master to make sure they are delivering their core product in a manner which is effective and efficient and delivers a fantastic customer experience.

With most field service brands made up of a dispersed workforce – split between office staff working at the home base, and a team of technicians out at various on-site customer locations – this factor is perhaps more critical in this business than in a lot of others.

However, it’s always surprising just how many brands in the space are still relying on outdated and outmoded methods of communication and are selling themselves – and their customers – short.

Dispatch and Scheduling

The average day for a field service business is not a simple one. You may think at the beginning of the day you have all your technicians scheduled and routed and from there it’s a simple manner of sending them on their way to begin working through the day’s appointments.

However, it’s rarely long before the admin team is being challenged to add emergency jobs to the list at the last minute and must find ways to get the necessary information out to technicians already in the field while simultaneously having to insert the new appointment into the already busy schedule of the most appropriately placed personnel.

However, thanks to modern automated scheduling and dispatch technology, digitally transformed field service operations are able to perform all these tasks at practically the touch of a button. AI technology can choose the best technician to hand an emergency job to where it will cause the least disruption and can automatically furnish them with all the information they require to conduct the task at hand – including data from predictive maintenance technology if available.

Bring Your Own Device

Whilst it’s true that the field service industry is struggling to attract young people to the business and fill the roles retiring technicians are leaving vacant, people under the age of 30 still account for 20% of the workforce.

This demographic is, generally speaking, more tech-savvy than those which have gone before and relish the opportunity to utilize their own devices in a work setting. This is why, according to research by the Aberdeen Group, 62% of the top performing field service providers have implemented a bring your own device policy for their technicians.

Bring your own device programs are amazing for field service because they not only reduce barriers to digital transformation by reducing the need for the company to purchase expensive mobile devices for their employees, but because they also lessen the need for training on how to use those devices.

With many of the top scheduling and dispatch platforms able to operate through mobile apps, there is no reason not to incorporate bring your own device into your field service operation.

Consistency

One of the main barriers to effective communication in any organization is ensuring there are consistent channels and modes being used to convey valuable information. Gone are the days when some information would be sent in a text, some in an email, or, most primitively of all, scribbled on a piece of scrap paper.

Ensuring communication is clear and consistent will ensure your technicians can get all the information they need to complete their job in a single location, formatted in the same manner every time, and sent straight to their devices. This will reduce the chances of confusing information, crossed wires, missing details, and increase the instances of first-time fixes and customer satisfaction.

Company Culture

Perhaps one of the most cost-effective ways to improve communication within your organization is to work on a culture which promotes and appreciates the free and easy sharing of ideas.

Diversity of thought will almost always bring new concepts and suggestions to the table which the usual pool of decision makers may not have produced on their own. The more people you have contributing to a discussion, the more likely you are to reach a conclusion which works better for everyone.

Also, by making sure your workforce itself represents the diversity of the culture around you, you will also improve the pool of thought within your organization and may yield ideas people from divergent backgrounds may not have even considered.

Final Thoughts

Communication is king in any organization, but perhaps especially so in the world of field service. By improving your use of technology, fostering a diverse culture of communication, and ensuring all comms are delivered clearly and consistently, you will be well on your way to creating an altogether more effective field service machine.

Join us on workshop day to take an active part in addressing communications forward – building dashboards and communication tools that work for you and your client with Vice President of Global Service for Ziehm, Christian Eras, at Field Service Medical 2023, being held in February at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, CA.

Download the agenda today for more information and insights.