An Investment in Mobile Field Service Software is an Investment in Yourself

Blog, Field Service, Mobile App & Checklist, Technology Trends

Last updated Nov 2, 2023 at 7:25PM | Published on Jun 17, 2019 | Blog, Field Service, Mobile App & Checklist, Technology Trends

When we talk about field service management, often we talk about how it affects the customer. That’s because the customer experience is the most important part of the business. That is how your business succeeded and grows. Without satisfied customers, you have no business to improve. And there would be no reasons to invest in mobile field service software.

However, your investments in field service management aren’t always directed at your customers. In fact, sometimes they are entirely directed at your own staff, agents and technicians. After all, an investment in mobile field service software is an investment in your overall service performance. And more managers are seeing the value in investing in their own people than worrying 100% of the time on the customer. The highest performing field service businesses say their service technician’s interaction with the customers is relationship-oriented. That’s a new skill set for many technicians who aren’t normally the face of an organization. So, increased investment in their success will result in success with the customer.

Investment in training for mobile field service software

A recent Salesforce research paper showed a large difference between the highest performing service teams and the underperformers in the area of training. Overall, 27% of respondents said they were underperforming when asked about their company’s customer satisfaction. 28% said they rate their customer satisfaction as high performers. So, it should be no surprise that when it comes to training, high performers are putting much more focus on it. At the highest, 88% of respondents said they are making significant investments in technician training. Compare that to the low end, where 57% of underperforming companies are making that same investment.

If you’re going to invest in mobile field service software, investing in your technician’s training with it is how you succeed. And if the technician succeeds, the customer experience grows. In fact, Salesforces research shows that high performer field service management businesses are successful because they invest in training today, and in the future. 83% of high performers said they get all the training they need to do their job. Compared to 52% of underperformers who aren’t getting the same training, there is little doubt why they consider themselves underperforming.

Mobile field service software is a tool like any other in that, without the proper training, it can and will be used incorrectly. Or the full benefits aren’t realized, and field service teams will find themselves not optimizing or using automation as they should. The service world is changing and no longer are technicians just making repairs. They are the front-line workers who are salespeople, customer service reps and repairperson all rolled into one. So, they need the training to keep up with the latest innovations, field service management practices and best service performance techniques.

Give Your Field Service Management Team the Technology

Without the right technology, all the training in the world won’t make your technicians perform any better. If you are still stuck with the manual process, there isn’t an amount of training that can compete with the automation of mobile field service software. According to the survey, 85% of high performers said they have all the technology they need to do their job. However, only 49% of underperformers said they do. When you are already underperforming, investing in the tools to make your field service management better is like digging a deeper hole to get out.

Even moderate performers who make up the vast majority of respondents said 75% feel they have the right technology for the job. Having the right technology, combined with the right training is the pathway to success. If you are going to deploy a mobile field service software, you need to be prepared to invest in the training. And if you invest in training, ensure the technology is what your field service management team needs to succeed.

Mobile Field Service Software is About Access

Field service management performance will improve with mobile field service software. That’s because you are giving your technicians something they never had before – Access. On one mobile device, they can have access to all the information they need to succeed in the field. Cloud-based mobile field service software introduces real-time information and increases productivity by giving the technician what they need at all times.

That includes things like on-demand training. More field service management businesses are looking at video libraries and resource documents for technicians. And they are making them accessible through mobile apps. According to the survey, 64% of high performers said they have access to on-demand training. That is compared to 42% of underperformers. Access to training in the field on a mobile app is a way to not leave your technicians stranded when they need help. From a mobile app, they can access video or written documents to guide them through repairs.

Access is the Key to Success in Field Service Management

The key to that success is having this training documentation available on one device. With the field service mobile app having access to the entire mobile field service software, technicians get everything they need from one screen. That’s proving to be valuable in your technician’s training, as they don’t need multiple screens or devices to access information. According to the survey, 62% of high performers said they can find all the information they need on one screen. That means access work order information, contracts, warranties, scheduling, quoting tools, and checklists. But also access to training videos and documentation to guide them through difficult repairs.

Only 31% of underperformers said they could access everything they need for a job on one screen. So, that means they either need a second device or need to communicate with someone to get answers. It’s difficult to do your job without the right tools. And even more difficult when you need multiple tools to do the job that one could do. You would never send a technician to a job site with two tools to make a repair when one tool would get the job done faster. The same applies to mobile field service software and mobile apps. Technicians need access and they need it from one device. It’s no secret that the best performers are not only training the technicians and giving them better technology. But also, are making their jobs easier to complete in the field.