How to Keep Frontline Field Service Techs Engaged and Boost Productivity

Problem solving, we are consistently told, is one of the key skills of the modern workforce. That ability to recognize a problem and find creative ways to fix it, is surely worth something. Given the on-going challenges around skilled labor (there doesn’t seem to be one industry where this is not an issue), this is key.

But organizationally, there’s a problem. On a macro level, only 31% of employees report they are engaged, enthusiastic, and energized by their work, according to Gartner, while global consultancy BCG says the current skills ecosystem “is broken.” Individual employees are struggling with engagement, enthusiasm, and energy, while organizations struggle with getting the work done and meeting contractual obligations. Clearly something needs to be done. And this applies to field service, as much as any other industry.

Service teams have been dealing with changes for some time now, especially an aging workforce and competing for new talent. Creating working environments that engage service techs, especially the millennial and Gen Z generations, means rethinking not just roles and the structure of work but also the very tools that workers can and want to use.

A London School of Economics (LSE) report last year suggested that Gen Z, for example, has very specific expectations of working environments and digital tools. Younger employees want access to the same modern technology they use at work as they do in their personal lives as they use. The reports says that these include “a lack of tolerance for latency in communication,” as well as “a frustration with legacy solutions and the inability to expediently source information.”

In field service, we have seen this same scenario play out, especially within organizations with limited to no digital transformation. As a Service Council report finds, organizations are facing a staffing issues due to challenges around job roles and tasks, as much as the availability of skills in the market.

“Difficulties with technician hiring and retention, and loss of [institutional] knowledge through retirement, are likely here to stay,” says the report, adding that 80% of field service techs claim that administration and paperwork is their least favorite part of the job.

By recognizing employee pain points, field service leaders can utilize tools to not just ease burdens but actually improve employee experiences. This in turn can reduce wasted time and improve overall first-time fix rates, a key metric when it comes to managing customer experiences. In the words Sir Richard Branson, if you’re good to your employees, they will be good to your customers.

Digital tools and collaboration

Another growing issue among service techs is so many experienced people are retiring or near retirement age. While digital tools can help with knowledge transfer, they can also drive engagement. Through automated knowledge capture and collation of repair work (no matter how obscure) from colleagues, combined with remote access to the latest tools, parts and methodologies, employees will always feel they have the ability to grow in their work and manage previously challenging field jobs.

With AI-enabled tools to manage admin tasks and mobile devices providing frontline service techs with information at their fingertips, there is an opportunity to dramatically improve customer interactions and collaboration. Today's customers seek an expedited and on-demand service experience, and this extends to field service interactions. This can sometimes translate into a growing preference for self-service options and a desire for faster resolution times on issues they can manage independently. Customers and employees alike want choice and autonomy.

The key here is how to use technology to enable customers, putting powerful collaboration capabilities in their hands, while also enabling service teams to optimize the coordination and management of any technical support work. Tools that enable technicians to collaborate with experts can lead to improved resolution for customers, whether service techs are on-site or working in a remote capacity.

Embracing change

Ultimately, the traditional field service model is evolving fast to include multiple channels and personas. Customers are more vocal and better informed, making service delivery contextual to channels and personas. This demands digital capabilities to manage the different workloads. For any field service technician, knowing your organization has your back by giving you all the right gadgets and tools required to do the job efficiently, has to be a fundamental requirement.

Certainly, with a younger cohort, there is an expectation. Digital tools are essential for frontline service techs to not just have information at their fingertips but also to help manage relationships with customers. Mobile apps, for example, should be used to enable service techs to manage work schedules, complete complex work orders, present service reports for customer signature and provide dynamic pricing of labor, parts, and products in the field.

It is the familiarity with personal technology that service technicians want in the workplace, featuring powerful field service tools that can design and deploy business processes across multiple platforms and devices. It means a low barrier to entry with minimal learning, while delivering a level of functionality that dispels any concerns over laborious administration or the ability to communicate through multiple channels.

Equipping technicians with the right tools and knowledge to resolve issues efficiently and minimize the need for repeat visits is key to satisfaction and AI has a role to play here too. On job completion, generative AI, for example, can summarize the interactions and work performed, to capture and store the knowledge for future reference or even for reporting purposes. It can also support technicians to deliver better experience, speeding-up resolution times by analyzing historical service data and equipment schematics, suggesting potential solutions to technicians in real-time.

These tools also help to provide frontline service techs with a progression path. Upskilling and retraining is increasingly important to workforce retention – 50% of today’s global working population needs to upskill or reskill to stay competitive, says BCG.

The future happiness of frontline service techs relies on three key themes. Firstly, that job satisfaction and autonomy is driven by successful engagements with customers. Secondly, this is only achieved through modern digital tools and services, enabling optimized working conditions and customer self-service and remote service provision. Thirdly, service techs do not want to stand still. They want to collaborate and to learn. The key to service improvements is keeping both your employees and customers happy.