Three Tech-Led Changes To Maintain High Levels Of Service And Good Customer Experiences Amid The Skills Shortage

Service organizations, hard hit by the skills shortage, are looking to technology to mitigate the impact of a constantly dwindling talent pool, says Marne Martin, President of the IFS Service Management Unit. With fewer qualified candidates to hire, an aging workforce at or close to retirement, and “the great resignation”, doing more with less has become imperative to keep service operations running smoothly and end-customers happy. It’s the only way to bridge the gap.

Globally, many external factors have led us to the current skills shortage—all of them beyond control of service organizations and have been felt across the industry as a whole. Pressure points include the ripple effect of a global pandemic, an already aging workforce, and competition from a burgeoning “gig economy”. It’s no use waiting for the skills shortage to end—we need to re-think the delivery of our services and utilize technology to make us more effective and turn the tables on the skills gap!

Service skills are in high demand – and human capital is low

Latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the “quit rate”, the percentage of the workforce choosing to leave their current job, is now ~3%, the highest level ever recorded, and unemployment is at historic lows in many labor markets. Attracting the right people is hard enough for any business, but attracting high quality talent during a global skills shortage is even more difficult. The hiring challenge is especially noticeable for the elusive field service technician or engineer—a front line role that continues to rank in the top five most challenging positions to fill.