10 Field Service Industry Management Trends
No one knows better than a field service industry business owner the importance of thinking beyond the short-term and looking into the future. Doing this means being prepared and remaining competitive in an increasingly cutthroat and competitive environment.
This is why these business owners need to be aware of emerging field service industry trends beyond what is happening right now, so they can pivot their business strategies more appropriately and achieve greater business success.
With this in mind, in this article, we look at several field service trends that are emerging and which need careful attention if you want to continue to thrive. Let’s take a closer look.
Current field service management trends
We have carefully curated several of the most important trends in field service management to help you make more informed decisions. Here is our list of trends that you need to be looking out for and making the relevant adjustments so that your business remains competitive.
1. Contactless field service and support
Although the Covid-19 pandemic is officially behind us, it is important to know that some of its key attributes remain prevalent to this day. In particular, we are talking about health and safety precautions that many in the field service industry need to take to ensure that their customers are safe.
For example, a garden service provider doesn’t need to physically interact with the customer to ensure the service is performed. There simply needs to be an arrangement made prior for a key handover or access to the premises.
All this can be pre-arranged through a workforce management software that enables a customer to give their service provider instructions on how to enter the premises to ensure that the support or service performed is as contactless as possible.
2. Cashless and mobile payments
Another remnant of Covid-19 is the rise in cashless and mobile payments. And nowhere has this been more prominent than in the field service industry where cashless payments are now the norm.
If you are using field management software to accept payments, this trend is expected to continue into the future and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Streamlining and optimising automated payments can also mean that you catch every sale and don’t miss out on future payments.
3. A focus on self-service
Customers today are increasingly seeking self-service options. And you can help them access your business and book your services through an online platform that is connected to your field management software.
Once a service is booked, the system will automatically assign a technician or expert to that customer and the service will begin.
In addition, your field management software can also automate reminders or confirmations of booked appointments as well as ensure that your technician has all the information they need to perform the job.
4. Use of advanced technology
Field service management software is becoming ever more advanced. It means taking data from multiple sources and enabling you to read, interpret and analyse the findings to help you make decisions for your business.
This type of advanced technology is also an excellent way to help the members of your team avoid repetitive and mundane tasks while also ensuring that your processes are optimised as you make data-driven decisions.
5. Backend process automation
In the past, many field service management businesses used to have call centres to make bookings. With the self-service option being made available, you rarely need customer-facing technology and support staff.
Even your backend processes that send email reminders for appointment confirmation can be automated. In addition to this, with the right field management software at your fingertips, you can also ensure that you have all the data in one place through a single platform that pulls information from various different sources to ensure that your operations are as streamlined as possible.
6. Mobile technology
Because there is such a great emphasis placed on technology, it is worth pointing out that the use of mobile phones will become ever more important in the future.
Not only will your customers be using their mobile devices to book your services but your employees will also need to be connected to your field management software to know at what time and at which address they need to be in order to carry out their job.
7. Predictive maintenance
Another important trend is that of predictive maintenance. What does this mean? It means predicting problems or scheduling upcoming maintenance before the last minute and as a preventative measure as opposed to a reactive measure.
This means that if you have serviced someone’s oven and you know that in terms of the manufacturer’s guidelines the thermostat needs to be replaced every 12 months, your team can remind your customer of that scheduled maintenance. And as such, you and your team can offer your customers a seamless experience by forecasting and better predicting when your services will be needed.
8. Data
Data is a big trend in field service management because few decisions can be made without it. However, if your data is in one place, easily accessible and which enables you to draw insights at a click of a button, your business will perform better than your competitors. But in order to do that, you will need to rely on accurate and reliable field service management software.
9. Optimised customer service and experience
The saying “the customer is king” rings true to this day and this sentiment will continue to play a critical role in how businesses serve their customers.
Combining the fact that you want to continuously bolster and improve your customer experience, you will need to ensure that they are not kept waiting, that they have access to accurate information and that you perform a high-quality service that warrants a return service. All this can be achieved through the use of the right field management software geared toward customer relationship management.
10. Performance management
Of course, you also need to consider the performance of your team on the field. Since they are not at the office but rather out servicing different customers’ homes, you have very little feedback about how the service was performed and at what levels of quality.
However, with the right software at your side, you can quickly get feedback from your customers about the performance of your technicians out in the field. Later on, you can use that information, alongside other performance metrics, to ensure that you optimise your team’s performance, have a better time dealing with customer complaints and reward employees who go above and beyond.
Concluding remarks
Although the space of the field service industry is in a constant state of flux, it’s necessary to remain on top of trends to anticipate the future better and to ensure that your business remains at the forefront of your industry.
With this comes the need for the right field management software to help you improve your customer service and performance as well as raise the standards in your organisation, among many other perks.
With ServiceOS software that helps you streamline data, customer service and team performance, field service business owners can stay relevant and improve their performance.