3 Field Service Strategies to Help Telecom Short-Cycle Jobs

The telecommunications industry, like many other industries, is looking to overcome evolving challenges while remaining agile and competitive. Many forward-thinking telecom organizations are taking steps to digitally transform their field operations to meet increasing customer expectations. Disruptive industry competitors know the market fluctuations are taking advantage to separate themselves from the rest. These telecom disruptors are casting aside legacy systems, shifting businesses models, and adopting novel approaches to how field technicians are deployed in the field.

However, telecom field operation transformation is not just “going digital” but also considering the deployment of innovative technologies such as AI & machine-learning, IoT, augmented reality (AR), and more. Moreover, for the telecom industry, it’s about selecting the right field service management solution that integrates all these components into a holistic deployment for improved adoption, efficiency, and ultimately, increased revenue.

In this blog, we examine how the right field service management software can help telecom businesses improve consumer experience, augment technicians’ efficiency, and manage a blended workforce of full-time and contractor field technicians.

Challenges Faced

Today, the telecom industry faces a myriad of challenges: migrating from legacy networks/technologies to more modern infrastructure, increasing customer demands, making strategic choices based on data insights, and an aging specialized workforce.

Customers are also more demanding today in this digital world of instant response. They want control and visibility on the field technician’s arrival times and, when the tech arrives, the customer wants to make sure they solve the problem in a shortest manner possible. Consumers also want the convenience of self-service for various tasks; for example, they want to have the ability to schedule, change, and cancel appointments on their own.

Meanwhile, a retiring workforce, labor shortages, and economic dynamics are causing more telecom businesses to deploy contractor field technicians. But like the customers, the telecom business wants increased control and visibility on the field technician’s arrival, customer service, and overall performance.

Embrace Field Service Management Software That Embraces a Blended Workforce

“Can contractors truly represent my telecom brand in the field?”

That’s a common concern from telecom companies but the answer to the question is a resounding yes, with the right solution.

Some telecom companies are reluctant to deploy contractors into the field because they will be responsible for representing the brand, which businesses need to protect. However, if you’re a telecom company, there is a high likelihood that you will eventually need to hire contractors to support your service ambitions.

Think of your contractors as an outpost of your staff who will represent your company in the marketplace. You naturally want the best to represent your company, after all.

The key to all this is deploying field management software that can help you manage your blended workforce for short cycle service calls. Furthermore, deploying the right field service management software that integrates a blended workforce promotes greater agility and management of a hybrid workforce. Make sure you have the ideal technology in place to deal with this emerging workforce. At the end of the day, customers don’t care if it is a full-time employee or a contractor on the service call as long it is a great customer experience.

Improve the Customer Experience with Consumer Portals

As mentioned, today’s consumers have high expectations and demands; they want the problem solved quickly, on the first visit, control on scheduling, changing, or canceling the service job, and visibility into the field technician’s arrival time.

Consider adopting field service management software that also includes a customer self-service portal to meet the evolving needs of customers.

Modern telecom businesses are recognizing the benefits of a customer-centric strategy that includes customer self-service portals. A customer self-service portal improves customer satisfaction, reduces costly call centers, and empowers customers. This “customer-first” strategy empowers your customers while delivering many benefits to your business.

The customer self-service portal allows customers to schedule, reschedule, or cancel their appointments, find answers, and check the status of scheduled field technicians. In the meantime, businesses can reduce the number of calls to their call centers and reduce the need to hire additional staff. The better the customer experience, the more likely they are to remain long-tail customers and, in some cases, share that positive experience with other prospects.

Overall, empowering the customer can help improve customer satisfaction, brand reputation, and customer retention. And all of this increases revenue while doing less.

Empower Your Field Service Technicians with Efficient Tools

Telecoms need to ensure that their field technicians – whether full-time staff or contractors – are equipped with the right tools and information (equipment, customer history, etc.) to complete the service job quickly.

Key considerations when evaluating field service management software to empower field technicians:

• Integrated solution – An integrated field service management solution allows for ease-of-use and access to real-time data such as customer/appliance information, parts inventory, work order, scheduling, payment etc. 
• Mobile platform enabled – Select a software solution that is mobile-enabled to drive greater efficiency, productivity and autonomy with the mobile workforce. Whether deploying AI scheduling, AR remote access, location-based technology, or other useful technology, the mobile technology should be an integrate component of the field service management software.
• Easy onboarding, quick reimbursement - The top contractors will be pleased to deal with you if you provide quick and effective reimbursement, ensuring that work gets done and clients are happy.
• Schedule Optimization – This refers to the process of scheduling the right field technician, with the right job skills, in the right location, for the right service job. Schedule optimization within field service management software mitigates the risk of sending the wrong qualified tech to a service job.

Overall, when you improve technician productivity, you also provide an exceptional experience to end-customers. Meanwhile, technicians who are empowered will be a more satisfied workforce.

Teaming Up with the Right Technology Partner

Telecom businesses are looking to transform their business and want to make sure they have all the right strategies in place. Having the right field service management software and technology partner can assuage any migration concerns while tapping into the benefits of a utilizing a blended workforce, improving customer experience, and driving field technician productivity.

ServicePower has the experience of working with various industries to stay agile and competitive. ServicePower’s innovation integrated field service management software is one of the industry’s leading solutions and is uniquely designed to help companies manage their field service workforces – even blended workforces of employees and contractors.