Compensation is a difficult subject, and field organizations are challenged with establishing and evolving their plans to attract talent and achieve performance goals. As a field service operations leader with a background in various industries, here are some of my experiences and suggested best practices for you to consider as you either define a new plan or update your current plan based on the continuous changes in the field service market.
Good communication is a key to success for any organization. Most professionals are decent communicators, but there is always room for improvement. I’m not just talking about how you communicate with your customers. I am also talking about communication within your own team, especially between the field and the home office. All of this impacts customers and future product/service decisions. There is a difference between “good enough” and “good” communication. Why is achieving good communication so important? And what can you do to make sure you are there? One technique that has a huge impact is active listening.
Managed mobility providers are uniquely positioned to assist with many field service modernization initiatives including the adoption of next-generation mobile applications and Internet Of Things (IoT) solutions. Mobility and IoT share many of the same challenges: both areas are notorious for their lack of standardization, diverse vendor ecosystem, and multiple technology platforms; these areas have struggled to optimize connectivity and minimize security risks; and there are also the common business challenges of minimizing costs and future-proofing technology selection. Organizations struggle with decisions spanning which device types best fit their use cases; defining the device connectivity and data format; implementing security, governance, and policy across each layer; and ultimately staging, kitting, deploying and managing these business critical operations technologies.
I’m at IFS World Conference in Atlanta this week, where there’s been an abundance of talk about the shift field service is experiencing toward truly being a strategic (arguably the strategic) part of the overall business. Mark Brewer, global industry director for service management at IFS, spoke about the migration to the “experience economy” – how service organizations are moving beyond the goal of delivering stellar customer service to focus on truly offering customers an experience they can’t get elsewhere.
American business author and management professor Michael Le Beauf famously said, “A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all.” But how can a service organization truly anticipate what will satisfy the customer, especially in today’s world where savvy consumers demand ever-evolving and more engaging experiences?
I’ve talked with a number of field service leaders recently about their struggles in finding and hiring good talent. Then last week, NPR posted this article that really caught my eye. The article talks about how there is an anti-trade job mentality being instilled in today’s youth. It made me wonder how much this issue has had an impact on the field technician shortage the industry is facing today.
I moderated a panel earlier this month at Field Service USA on “Demistifying AI” and one of the recurring themes from the participants was how absolutely crucial it is to have a narrow focus when you embark on a project. This idea is applicable whether we’re talking about AI, AR, IoT, or really any strategic shift you’re making. What these participants kept saying is that with all of the change going on in field service today, and all of the cool new technologies there are to easily become enamored with, it is challenging to stay focused on the task at hand.
There have been a great many changes in the global service community over the last decade or two. Things just simply are not the same today as they were just a couple of years ago — and that’s good! Technology has advanced, customers have become both more knowledgeable and more demanding with respect to what they want from their service providers, and most service organizations have taken additional steps to automate their service processes and bolster their service delivery capabilities.
As a field service leader, one of the biggest challenges you may face is finding the right balance of tackling today’s issues effectively while keeping your eye on how to evolve and innovate your business to take advantage of tomorrow’s opportunities. This balancing act looks different depending on the size of your company and your exact role, but I think it’s a common challenge that any of you could sit down with a beer and commiserate about.
Creating an intentional customer focus goes far beyond taking care of customers and achieving acceptable levels of customer satisfaction. An intentional approach also shapes a company’s culture, improves employee engagement and performance, and positively impacts financial growth. Popular tools such as work objectives, surveys, and metrics are a good start but are like small hand tools compared to the “power tool” usage of a true “intentional customer focus.” The end goal is to achieve customer loyalty for repeat sales and referrals, constantly developing strategic customer relationships.
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