What Customers Really Want from Field Service Organizations

When it comes to choosing a field service provider, customers have numerous options available to them. This means that your field service organization needs to stand out from the crowd and position itself as the best option for your customers. However, before you can position yourself as the best option, you need to understand what your customers really want from a field service organization in the first place. 

In this blog we’ll cover what customers are specifically looking for in a field service provider. By understanding what services, solutions, and features your customers really want, you can stand out from the competition and increase your chances of success. Let’s dive into the details of customer desires and demands in the field service industry.

Field Service Customer Experience 

The best way field service organizations can attract, delight, and retain new customers is to provide a positive customer experience. For instance, with a positive emotional experience, customers are six times more likely to buy, twelve times more likely to recommend the company and five times more likely to forgive a mistake.

Likewise, when customers are looking to pick a service provider, a positive customer experience is their top priority. This means that field service organizations need the digital tools and solutions that demonstrate they are capable of consistently providing a seamless and satisfying customer experience. For this reason, it’s no surprise that the three most important capabilities that customers are looking for in a service organization each relate to an improvement in the customer experience.

Three Capabilities Customers Want From a Field Service Organization 

Customer portals are one of the most important capabilities that customers are looking for in a field service provider. In fact, 88% of customers in the United States expect brands to have an online self-service customer portal. This means that it’s no longer an option for field service providers to invest in a digital customer portal solution, it’s a prerequisite if you’re interested in attracting and retaining new customers. Likewise, customer portals are one of the top five trends in the field service industry in 2021. 

So what exactly is a customer portal and why are customers so interested in field service organizations providing one? A customer portal is a digital self-service solution that brings choice and visibility to customers. With full self-service capabilities, customers are empowered to take charge of their own schedules, access real-time information regarding their appointments, and provide feedback after job completion. In essence, customer portals help remove unwanted friction from multiple pain points in the customer journey by allowing customers to take control of their own experiences. In this digital world, customers don’t want to have to pick up a phone or wait to hear back about appointment availability, and they know that if a field service provider has a customer portal, they won’t have to. 

Predictive maintenance has rightfully been identified as one of the top five trends in the field service industry in 2021, and customers agree. With an increasing number of people working from home in 2021, there has been an increase in strain on home appliances exactly when they’re needed the most. Likewise, customers are increasingly investing in devices to make their homes smarter and reduce the need for inconvenient last-minute repairs. As such, customers using these increasingly popular smart home devices are looking for field service companies that can seamlessly facilitate these smart repairs. 

So what qualifies as predictive maintenance and how does it actually work? Predictive maintenance is fueled by Internet of Things (IoT) triggers, and it works by consistently monitoring smart home appliances and home system devices. When certain parameters are out of tolerance, a field service organization is immediately notified and a technician can proactively perform the necessary repairs or maintenance. Customers leveraging these smart devices need a field service provider that is capable of providing this level of technological monitoring and support. To this extent, field service companies equipped with predictive maintenance capabilities are more attractive to modern customers. 

While limiting in-person interactions started off as a health and safety protocol during the pandemic, it helped pioneer virtual service options that have long since surpassed their initial purpose. Moreover, it also highlighted the troubleshooting capabilities of customers and showcased the fact that not every service job actually requires an in-person fix. As a result, customers now expect field service providers to offer virtual service options regardless of quarantine status. 

What is a virtual service offering and what type of technology is required? In the field service industry, a virtual service offering is a repair or maintenance troubleshooting experience that can be completed without an in-person interaction. Virtual service relies on intelligent field service management software that can be accessed by customers and technicians alike. Overall, there is a wide array of virtual service capabilities, ranging from simple media uploads and video diagnostics to Augmented Reality (AR) experiences. With numerous options available, field service companies interested in attracting customers need to invest in field service management software that at least facilitates media uploads and video diagnostics. Moreover, those looking to secure their success in the future and impress customers with innovative solutions, should invest in cutting-edge AR service options. 

Providing the Best Field Service Customer Experience

Before attracting and retaining customers, field service organizations must first focus on improving their own customer experience. With so much of the field service customer experience relying on technology, this requires joining the digital transformation and investing in advanced field service management software. Likewise, by investing in a field service suite with a self-service customer portal, predictive maintenance capabilities, and virtual service options, you can illustrate your ability to provide a positive customer experience and increase your popularity with potential customers. 

See why field service customers love using ServicePower’s intelligent field service management software fully equipped with an intuitive customer portal, predictive maintenance capabilities, and virtual service options.