Understanding Employee Engagement Among Field Service Teams

By Deirdre Mahon, Zinc

An engaged employee isn’t the same as a happy employee. Believe it or not, there is a difference. Companies can’t possibly have control over an individual’s happiness level. But being engaged at work is quite different.

Let’s start with some basic definitions. A quick Google search unveils keywords such as “the right conditions” or  “to give their best each day”… “committed to organizational goals and values” and words like “motivated to contribute”… or having an “enhanced sense of well-being” come up. I think we’ve all read reports that tell us employee engagement is directly correlated to productivity levels, which in turn translates to satisfied customers. According to Gallup, only 32% of employees claim to be engaged in the US which is pretty sad if you think about it.

Engagement requires more than the basics.

Obvious ways to improve engagement levels include better onboarding and training, providing regular company updates and a forum for feedback on a consistent basis. But what about employees that spend an entire day away from a corporate desk or those who are in front of customers? Arguably one of the toughest jobs in the business. How do you keep these lone-wolves (aka “road-warriors”) engaged?

Clearly, they need more than just a mobile device and a way to move from one customer to the next. Arming such employees with the right technology can make the difference. How can organizations do better at providing direct access to the relevant people and information when on the job? How does a company provide full support when teams are under tremendous pressure to complete jobs quickly and at the highest quality?