Focus on Your Field Service Software, Not Your Competitors

Contract Management, Press Releases

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Last updated Oct 4, 2018 at 11:03AM | Published on Oct 4, 2018 | Contract Management, Press Releases

We have talked extensively about how the field service space is becoming more competitive each year. Growth is happening in every industry, customer demands are increasing, more field service organizations are popping up or are purchasing field service management software to push their service delivery to fresh territory, creating a competitive market.

You can’t ignore what is happening in the field service industry and the potential field service software gives organizations in their day-to-day work, but it can come at a cost, especially if you are trying to keep up with the Jones’ or are trying to mimic what your competition is doing.

Like field service software, service delivery isn’t a one-size fits all model. There are many ways to deliver excellent service, use field service software tools to make your company more efficient and better understand where you are going wrong using analytics. But there must be some room for creative thinking and innovation to succeed. And if all you are doing is keeping up with your competition, how do you ever expect to pass them in the market?

Your Field Service Software, Your Innovation and Your Goals

Everyone thinks that they must beat their competition, so they target in on them, on their market, their practices and their strengths and try to win against them on their playing field. They may purchase the same field service management software as their competition and think, “They have succeeded with field service software, so I will succeed with it as well.”

Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case, if ever. Field service software is not a one-size fits all product, but rather is highly customizable and adaptable to allow for plenty of different innovation, variance and ways to achieve success. And that is why when it comes time to purchase a field service management software, the only questions you need to be asking are, ‘What does my organization want to do better?’ ‘How will this make my technician’s more efficient?’ and ‘How can this change how we deliver service?’

The focus needs to be fully on you and your service delivery, because while service in the field service space may seem all the same, it’s not, and everyone has their own way of doing things. So why would you focus on your own competition when you can focus on yourself and make you a better organization. Why play catch-up when you can lead the industry and be an innovator?

The best field service organizations are ignoring their competition and focusing on their customers, as the world of field service is going towards one where a great customer experience is the most important thing. So, their feedback is more valuable than trying to copy what someone else is trying to do in their house.

Many field service organizations are asking their customers how they want their service, and then are asking their field service software providers to produce a product that will achieve those objectives. That’s the beautiful part of customizable field service software, as the modules can be tailored to your customers, your business and your innovative ideas.

Think Outside the Field and Think of the Service

When field service organizations think of competition, they think of the shop down the street, or that large provider that offers national coverage. Those are all valid competitors to look at, but not the only ones you need to be focused on. In fact, you need to look outside the field service space and out of the field to see the competitors that are going to create hidden problems for you in the future. Or ones that are going to make you think of innovative ways to use field service management software.

As mentioned, customers are wanting a better customer experience, and plenty of that ideal is coming from the service industry in general. It’s not just about field service anymore, but rather service, as customers are looking at how the service industry is treating them and asking, ‘Why can’t my field service provider be like this?’. Think of Amazon, Uber, Google, and Netflix, all companies that are excelling at meeting the new on-demand world we live in. Customers want instant access and on-demand service and they are getting it in the shopping world, the driving service industry and for their home entertainment. And the field service industry is next.

Our values in service come from more than just what one sector is telling us, and if another service provider can offer a better way of completing service, consumers will begin to wonder why other service organizations can’t do the same thing. The great part is, this is easy innovation for a field service organization, without dealing with a direct competitor. While these companies become the bar for how service should be delivered, there is still plenty of time for field service organizations to set the bar for how service should be delivered in the field and deliver an ‘Uber-like’ experience with field service software as the backbone.

The smartest organizations are looking at the entire service industry and picking the aspects that will help create a valuable customer experience in the field service industry. They are seeing ways that other companies are providing seamless service delivery and are starting to enact it in their own business. That’s because they aren’t just focused in on the field service competition, but rather, they are looking at the entire service industry as a competitor, and noticing how feelings about service are changing.

Be the Field Service Champion that Your Competition Wants to Be

When you narrow your focus to just your competitors in your own field, you limit innovation and a chance to use field service management software in a way that will generate the most positive experience for your customers. In this competitive market, you don’t want to be a follower, you want to be the one others look at and want to mimic. That’s why you need to look at your own company needs and what others in the service field are doing to see what your customers are expecting from you, and what they will be thinking in the future.