As the year draws to a close, we revisit the field service trends we forecast for 2025 today— focusing on those we believed would matter most to field service leaders. This post provides a brief review of the forecast trends, including where they appeared, what we learned, and the practical steps to take into 2026.
Below is a fast read on seven themes from the paper today— what proved out, what shifted, and what to do next.
We thought AI would continue to speed ahead, but with a cooler, more practical mindset. That’s exactly what happened: less flashy experimentation, more embedded AI that quietly improves everyday work (e.g., schedule optimization, guided triage, parts recommendations).
Your next move: Treat AI like infrastructure. Pick two to three high-frequency workflows, such as scheduling, claims, contractor reimbursement (scheduling, parts, claim checks), baseline cycle times, and measure deltas after rollout.
Our trend called out the elimination of swivel-chair tasks across dispatch, parts, billing, and the call center. The operational wins — lower handle times, fewer re-keys, faster cash flow — showed up especially where teams attacked repetitive steps head-on.
Your next move: Do a short audit of everyday inefficiencies. Document every copy/paste, re-key, and status check; automate the top five offenders first.
We highlighted maturing predictive capabilities for staffing, demand, and scheduling. The organizations that benefitted most paired better data hygiene with specific questions (“Where will we be short next Tuesday?” beats general inquiries).
Your next move: Stand up a rolling 8-week forecast (volumes and parts) using historical data plus external drivers (seasonality, promotions) and tie staffing and van stock to those signals.
We said technology would need to act as a force multiplier for every technician. This year proved it out: smarter matching, mobile knowledge, and mentor-on-call patterns helped new technicians ramp faster, and veterans tackle more complex jobs.
Your next move: Build quick-reference ‘guided-fix’ tools into your mobility workflows so techs can go from symptom to solution faster. Add a rotating expert backstop for tricky jobs.
Our paper argued that AI and analytics are only as good as their inputs. Teams that set simple data contracts — field ownership, validation at capture, authoritative sources — saw dramatic improvements in reporting trust and decision speed.
Your next move: Establish a concise data governance guide defining your critical operational fields and ownership rules. Enforce validation where data originates, not after the fact.
We said the conversation would move from “arrived on time” to “resolved fast and well,” bringing CSAT/NPS and repeat-rate alongside jobs-per-day. The shift accelerated as more organizations doubled down on self-service, accurate ETAs, and proactive communication.
Your next move: Track CX right alongside your operations metrics, then close the loop: what did you change, and did customer satisfaction actually improve?”
We saw organizations tightening their focus, looking for fast impact without losing sight of the bigger payoff. The leaders balanced quick wins — like faster job completion and reduced admin time — with steady progress on service quality and customer communication, accelerated by strong implementation teams.
Your next move: Define both quick-return and sustained-value metrics, backed by consistent measurement and shared accountability across business and implementation teams.
What this means for 2026 planning
As you shape your 2026 plans, these themes point to where leaders are already seeing results, and where the next phase of growth will emerge:
The real differentiator heading into 2026 isn’t strategy, it’s action. Focus on one or two areas where improvement will make the biggest impact, whether that’s streamlining workflows, strengthening data quality, or enhancing the customer experience. Measurable progress in even a single area will set the pace for the rest of 2026.
Need a sounding board? We can help map your near-term plan to proven benchmarks.