Top Field Service Trends for 2024: Employee Empowerment

As we continue our series on the technology trends that will likely be in the 2024 spotlight, next up is trend #6: employee empowerment.

Today’s multi-generational workforce can be a challenge to manage as expectations and working styles vary greatly between generations.

Today’s workforce is made up of four distinct generations:

• Baby Boomers are the eldest, born between 1946 and 1964.
• Generation X follows, born between 1965 and 1980.
• Generation Y (more commonly known as Millennials), born between 1981 and 1994.
• Gen Z, born between 1995 and 2009.

Managers must understand their workforce. This means understanding the generations and their priorities. Research shows millennials make up more than 1/3 of the U.S. workforce. Gen X takes up 1/3 of the workforce, while boomers represent 1/4 and Gen Z, about five percent.

What Employees Want

As Baby Boomers retire and Generations X-Z fill those roles, the next generations bring with them a different perspective on job fulfillment. They have strong opinions and high expectations of what they want from employers. HR teams know that Generation X is credited with popularizing work-life balance. Generation Y is well-known for job-hopping. Generation Z wants fulfillment and a sense of purpose.

And, because skilled workers are in such demand, field service organizations (FSOs) are striving to provide an empowering workplace that will help recruit and retain qualified individuals from multiple generations.  

Generations X-Z have high expectations for the technology they use in their job. Growing up with computers and digital devices in their hands, these workers expect their workplace technology to have intuitive user interfaces much like consumer devices. They want screens optimized for mobility and user navigation that anticipates needs, offering convenient dropdowns and auto-fill options for forms.

Outdated solutions contribute to workplace churn as today’s workers, even the Boomers, have little tolerance for poor user interfaces, slow systems, or lack of applications to aid convenience. Too often, employees dissatisfied with the company software tend to find their own apps and tools to download, such as GPS mapping tools, apps for notetaking, and YouTube how-to videos. These unsanctioned downloads can add to system security risks and jeopardize the network. Ransomware often worms its way into the network through careless downloads of employees.

What Employees Get

Fortunately, modern field service solutions, like those from ServicePower, provide capabilities that support multi-generational worker expectations, helping to create a positive, rewarding worker experience. Here are some examples:

• Automation replaces the need for tedious data entry. Processes are streamlined, saving workers time and boosting productivity.
• Role-based dashboards push data that is relevant to the user’s workstation or mobile device. Screens are tailored to the role and personal preferences for how the information is organized and displayed.
• Self-guided onboarding and training videos are preferred over classroom training, letting workers set their own pace for learning. An easy-access knowledgebase lets workers look up answers to questions anytime, anywhere.
• Self-service reporting tools are easy to use so workers throughout the organization can run their own reports on topics that apply to their roles or goals.
• Thanks to access to information about customers, products, parts, and scheduling, field workers can make well-informed decisions in the field, helping to foster engagement and job satisfaction.
• Dispatchers, too, benefit from modern solutions and optimized scheduling tools that speed scheduling, aligning the right technician to the right service request. Scheduling tools reduce frustrations and save time, allowing the dispatcher to focus on exceptions.
• Workers and their managers may set goals and personal Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that can be easily tracked through reporting or dashboards. For technicians, KPIs often focus on productivity, such as first-time fix rates. Recognizing employees for meeting their KPIs helps foster pride and a sense of achievement.
• Technicians can also be encouraged to play the trusted advisor role as they engage with customers. This can be supported by providing easy access to information, such as availability and costs of replacement parts and units. Then, field sales can be supported through point-of-sales tools, like signature capture and credit card processing. Some organizations offer spiffs to reward cross-sell and upsell efforts, further reinforcing a positive, rewarding workplace.
• Managers appreciate advanced analytics that helps them monitor the big picture as well as the ability to drill into data points to delve into triggers and context. Digital twins can help explore what-if scenarios and consider strategic options.

Staggering Results

Not only do employees benefit from a positive workplace; the company, too, sees gains from a more productive workforce that is motivated to up-level performance and goes the extra mile for customer satisfaction.

Forbes reports that companies with highly engaged employees experience 147% higher earnings per share compared to the competition. High-engagement workplaces earn 8% more revenue per employee and a 63% improvement in shareholder return.

With modern field service software, employees will receive the fulfillment they seek, plus they can be highly efficient and productive, while risks are controlled and team policies are reinforced.

Read the full Top Field Service Management Technology Trends for 2024 report here.