Provide Additional Service During Peak Times
Some industries, such as HVAC, go through peaks and valleys in terms of the number of service calls they take. During peak times, their technicians can be stretched thin and their time blocks filled up with service call after service call. With only so many in-house technicians, the possibility that emergency calls won’t be answered in a timely manner, or that loyal customers will have to wait an exceptionally long time for service is a growing reality. With a subcontractor, however, the service team can grow when it needs to, and keep employee costs low when it doesn’t. By utilizing outsourced service technicians and field service management software, HVAC organizations can ensure that calls are answered on a timely manner during peak service times, while not running their payroll for full-time technician’s high when there isn’t much work to be done. It also gives the organization the ability to take on specialty calls by finding technicians who have a specialized skill set not readily available in their own organization. Or, they can free up the time of their own technicians by allowing subcontractors to take care of the base level service, giving in-house technicians the time to focus on more complex support.
Shift the Overhead Cost of Recruitment
In-house employees make up a significant portion of a company’s expenses, as payroll, recruitment, training and retaining skilled technicians is a costly exercise for a field service organization. By shifting to subcontractors and outsourced technicians, service organizations don’t have to take on any of the additional expenses of a hiring and training technicians, instead relying on a pool of service workers to fulfill their needs. By not having to compete with increasing wages in the industry, or offering training courses for their in-house technicians, service organizations can keep costs lower by utilizing an outsourced workforce. It allows the organization to look beyond what they are capable of doing in-house and makes them a full-service organization, capable of doing any job required, just by finding a subcontractor that has the right skills.
Expand the Business to New Areas
Expansion may be the next step for a field service organization to generate more revenue, and looking beyond their own company’s geographic lines lies an opportunity to grow without needing to take on the costs of administration, warehouses, and administrative offices. Subcontractors can be found in all areas, and by utilizing third-party portals, field service management software integrations and outsourced technicians, any field service organization can grow into additional territory without massive overhead. It’s a more cost-effective way of expansion, and a way to offer support to customers that aren’t in your geographic service location. Organizations that utilize subcontractors have seen the benefits through higher technician utilization, higher service level agreement compliance and higher first-time fix rates. It offers the expertise of an in-house technician, without the overhead costs, and is being embraced by many with the field service space.