Are We Focused on the Right Field Service Management Metrics?

Field service performance has become critical to service companies. It doesn’t matter how big or small they are, the competition is immense. Some of the most measured KPIs in service organizations are work orders completed, technician productivity/performance and customer satisfaction. We have certainly come a long way from making the change from using whiteboards, manual data entry and inventory to now somewhat automating most of these operations. This not only helped operations, but it also started a new revenue generating trend of service contracts. Offering a service contract is easy, but to track them and make sure they are executed properly, well that is another story.

If I were to choose my top-most metric, it would have to be customer success and satisfaction. Not to say service contract revenue, margins and profit are any less but I do believe they all stem from the former. Repeat sells, upsells and long-term customers all attribute to the revenue side of things. Service companies have made that strategic move of focusing on field service management to maintain their service contracts.

Repeat Calls and Upsells

Dispatchers and managers have an integral role in the service quality that is being offered. With automation they can focus on each territory as well as looking after accurate and thorough service completion. Technicians have the guidance to more holistic inspections, processes, systems, and operating personnel. This reduces repeat visits and helps troubleshooting on existing problems, to scale repairs better.

Customer Feedback

Service organizations are now providing performance reports (incidents, resolutions, response time, etc.) as well as reports on productivity, efficiency, and other metrics most organizations consider to be strictly for internal use only. We have certainly come a long way. What used to be internal and personal information has now become a source of pride for companies that are performing well. It has become a way to maintain brand reputation and keep customers pacified that they have chosen the right vendor.

How Many Visits are Your Technicians Making

The term first time fix rate is deeply associated with the field service management world. Manty service companies are now having their technicians visit customers and inspect equipment before service is needed or maintenance is due. These incremental visits are all to make sure that unplanned service or emergency requests are minimized. Preventative maintenance doesn’t work on all business models but has been moulded to fit most.