Learn more about how implementing field service management technology can help you transform customer service & profitability in your business.
With on-demand services such as Amazon Prime, Deliveroo and Uber, customer expectations across every industry are higher than ever.
For field service companies to remain competitive, it’s important to meet these new expectations by innovating and modernising the methods they use to interact with clients.
In contrast, companies that ignore the evolving needs of their clients will lose out to their competitors or, at worst, become obsolete. The shocking reality is that 86% of customers will leave a brand they trusted after just two poor customer experiences.
Did you know, businesses that prioritise customer experience enjoy 5.7 times more revenue than those that don’t?
In this article, we’ll share our top tips for improving your customer service with field service management technology.
Challenges of customer service in field service management
Creating a seamless customer experience in field service management can be highly challenging.
Key challenges include:
⏱️ Long waiting times
⚒️ Low first-time fix rates
🤳 Poor communication
🧰 Technicians with inadequate tools or skills
All of these challenges can cause friction, leaving customers feeling disappointed or frustrated.
In addition, they result in costly and inefficient return visits for technicians, causing an impact on the company’s bottom line.
So, let’s have a look at how implementing field service management technology can help to overcome these challenges.
Top 3 tips for using field service management technology to improve the customer experience
Technology is transforming customer service across a number of industries and the field service industry is no different. Let’s have a look at the key ways field service management technology is helping organisations to improve their customer service.
- Streamline communications 📱
- Only 14% of customers say they are happy with current business communications
- 66% of customers use at least three different communication channels
- 75% of customers think that fast response times are the most important attribute of the customer experience
Research shows that modern customers often expect to be able to manage the whole process from their mobile devices. This means it’s more important than ever for your business to ensure that customers are able to get in touch with them.
For example, customers do not want to sit on the phone for hours to book appointments or wait around all day for a technician to arrive because they have only been provided with a vague time slot.
An effective field service management platform allows you to provide an automated, quick response system to service customers.
Appointments can be confirmed by the customer service team in just a few clicks and personalised emails can be automated at the most crucial points of the buyer journey using a CRM (customer relationship manager) system to fill in the correct details.
Additionally, customers can be provided with a real time job tracking link to see where their technician is and their estimated time of arrival. This functionality provides a range of benefits including:
✅ Enhanced customer experience - customers know when technicians are likely to arrive
✅ Frees up time for back office staff to focus on business growth
✅ Increased employee productivity across the business.
- Increase first-time fix rates 🔨
Modern customers lead busy lives. Therefore, they expect field service organisations to respond to their issues quickly and to fix them during the first appointment.
Unfortunately, when first-time fix rates drop below 70%, they notice a 10% deterioration in customer retention rates.
So, why are first-time fix rates so important?
- A huge impact on customer satisfaction
- Reduced downtime for customers
- Crucial for current customer relationships
- An impact on future sales and referrals
Additionally, low first-time fix rates are costly for the overall business, reducing technician productivity and increasing fuel costs through repeat visits.
The good news is, field service management software can help to increase first-time fix rates.
Job scheduling software automatically sorts scheduling and dispatching of technicians based on a number of factors, including:
🚛 Skill set
🚛 Location
🚛 Vehicle type
The CRM system assigns all details of the booking to the job, which also allows back-office teams to allocate equipment, stock and other assets to jobs. This allows technicians to arrive at every appointment with everything they need to carry out the work effectively on their first visit.
Ensuring that technicians are adequately equipped will set them up to complete the job first time. As such, customers will be impressed at the speed of service.
In addition, technicians will be able to attend more appointments in a day, boosting your bottom line and reputation.
- Ensure data security 🔐
While technology allows you to enhance customer service, it also means that data security is of utmost importance in today’s digital age.
Failure to take necessary precautions can have a detrimental effect on your company. In fact, 71% of people say they would take their business elsewhere following a data breach.
Many companies still use outdated methods for storing customer information, putting them at greater risk of a security crisis. Currently, the maximum fine for GDPR infringements is £17.5 million or 4% of your annual turnover - whichever is greater. Lax security can have a huge impact on your business.
In contrast, modern field service management technology significantly reduces the chance of a data breach.
The right system will provide you with a secure CRM system to ensure that all data is protected against cybersecurity threats.
By using superior technology to manage your customers’ data, you’ll have peace of mind that their information is in good hands. In addition, the reduced risk of a data breach means customers are more likely to remain satisfied over the long-term.
Key takeaways
Improving customer experience is a key priority across a number of industries. Improving customer service can be achieved through:
- Streamlining processes to provide better communications
- Ensuring technicians arrive with the right information, skills and equipment
- Providing the right technology to provide a faster, on-demand service
In addition, each of these elements is essential for improving productivity and profitability across the entire business.
Want to find out more?
Discover how BigChange can make your business grow stronger here and arrange a free demo today.
