To close the skills gap, field service businesses need to think outside the box. This is where subcontractors come in. But how can you easily hire them?
To close the skills gap and continue to scale, field service businesses need to think outside the box when hiring. This is where subcontractors come in.
Whether you need an extra pair of hands to pick up the workload, or a skilled expert to complete a specific job, subcontractors go beyond simply maintaining business as usual.
🔎In fact, you could be looking at a 20-30% saving over hiring full-time staff.
Let’s look at how to hire subcontractors and how networking with other businesses can unlock opportunities to expand your reach even further.
HIRING FIELD SERVICE SUBCONTRACTORS: 4 SIMPLE STEPS
1. SELECT REPUTABLE SUBCONTRACTORS
One of the best ways to find qualified and reputable professionals is by connecting with like-minded companies. In fact, networking is responsible for around 80% of all job fills.
However, networking with other businesses can be a lengthy process and take time away from you that could be better spent on company growth activities.
Fortunately, when you use a field service management platform like BigChange, you’ll have instant access to a network of trusted field service organisations at your fingertips:
- Simply post your business on the network for free.
- Start receiving connection requests immediately.
- If you have a particular project that you need subcontractors for, you can add requirements such as skill set, qualifications, and rates.
This approach guarantees that only the best people for the job will represent your company — and your customers won’t notice the difference.
2. PUT A LEGAL AGREEMENT IN PLACE
As with any business agreement, make sure that you protect yourself and your subcontractors legally. Although they are not employees, subcontractors still have rights, and you must ensure that you are aware of them before putting together a contract.
In your contract, you may wish to specify the following:
- Payment dates and the amount
- Working hours
- Clauses stating who is responsible in the event of unsatisfactory work
- A minimum notice period for both the contractor and your business, should you wish to terminate the contract
- Details of who supplies the materials
- Clauses stating how you or the subcontractor will deal with complaints
Putting a contract together reduces the likelihood of discrepancies and eliminates confusion over responsibilities.
3. MAKE COMMUNICATION A PRIORITY
Did you know that over 50% of high-performing businesses regularly invest in tools that aid communication? Maintaining contact is even more imperative for field service businesses, where most of the workforce is scattered across the country in various locations.
With field service management software, you can:
- Gain complete visibility over who is working for you and where.
- Easily keep track of your active jobs and ensure subcontractors carry them out to your usual high standards.
- Maintain customer satisfaction with consistency in service.
- Set mandatory workflows and risk assessment forms that subcontracting technicians must complete from their mobile devices before beginning the work.
- Review results instantly with real-time access for your back office team to mitigate any potential issues.
Then, once the subcontractor has completed any work, they can attach photo evidence to their forms and capture customer signatures as evidence of a satisfactory job. The job management platform stores all information, so you will also have an extensive record of the project and the person who carried it out for future reference.
4. DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
In a market where competition for clients is fierce, brand consistency is everything. Customers appreciate it when they can recognise your brand, and businesses enjoy a 33% increase in revenue as a result. But how can you maintain consistency when subcontractors are representing your field service business?
The solution lies with job management software like BigChange.
For instance, with BigChange’s Mobile Application, your subcontractors will have access to all the features your usual technicians have. Consequently, they can provide your customers with company-branded documents and invoices, so it’s evident that they’re a representative of your business.
Not only are electronic documents more convenient for your customers, but they also eliminate the amount of admin work required from your back office team. By liberating your staff from time-consuming processes, they can continue focusing on scaling your company.
JOB MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE MAKES NETWORKING WITH OTHER BUSINESSES A BREEZE
With70% of field service companies expecting the ageing workforce and resulting skills gap to cause significant issues within the next five to ten years, hiring subcontractors will be more commonplace.
That’s why it’s so important that companies look for new, innovative ways to continue delivering excellent service to customers.
With the BigChange Network at your disposal, you can harness the power of networking from the comfort of your chair and instantly collaborate with thousands of professional subcontractors worldwide.
Aside from simply helping you complete projects on time with limited resources, subcontractors also allow you to expand your reach into new locations, building your client base and boosting your bottom line at the same time.🚀
MAKE HIRING AND MANAGING SUBCONTRACTORS SIMPLE WITH BIGCHANGE
As the talent shortage grows across the field service industry, it will become more necessary to outsource work to grow.
The good news is, with field service management software there is now a viable option to hire field service subcontractors.
This means you can easily complete large projects on time and to a high standard, move into different markets and open growth opportunities with an expanded workforce.
The BigChange Network, for example, gives you the opportunity to collaborate with thousands of trusted field technicians:
- Gain full visibility over your entire workforce.
- Provide customers with the same level of service they’re used to.
- Maintain consistency with personalised, company-branded templates.
- Improve overall field service operations.
Grow bottom-line revenue without growing headcount: Discover how BigChange can make your business grow stronger, arrange a free demo today.
