Field service companies exist in a highly competitive environment where customer gratification is the key to success. The three key field service stakeholders that need your attention:
- Employees
- Customers
- Regulators
Each group has different wants and needs, which every field service company must consider for a successful business. Understanding who these stakeholders are and what they want from the company makes it essential to prioritize different work issues from the most important to the least.
By understanding the priorities, field service organizations can focus on delivering value to stakeholders and improving overall performance.
This blog article will take a closer look at the most important stakeholder groups and discuss how to meet their interests best. Keep reading to learn more valuable information!
As we briefly mentioned, there are three groups of stakeholders in field services: employees, customers, and regulators. Depending on the company’s priorities, one group may be more important than the other.
In any case, all three groups must be considered when making decisions affecting the field service organization. The challenge is to find a balance that meets the needs of all groups while still making a profit.
Let’s take a closer look at each group and what field service strategy to follow when working with this category.
Customers
Let’s start with the most vital thing – customers. Customers are the lifeblood of any field service organization. They are the ones who use the products and services.
The customer’s needs should always be a priority when making decisions affecting the field service company. A good way to keep customers happy is by providing excellent customer service. It includes:
- responding quickly to customer inquiries,
- addressing problems efficiently,
- offering fair prices.
Another way to keep customers happy is by constantly innovating and improving the products and services offered. It shows that the company cares about its customers and is always looking for ways to enhance its experience.
Regulators
The next category of field service stakeholders is regulators. Regulators are government agencies or organizations that set the rules and standards that companies must follow. In the field service industry, regulators can influence how companies operate.
For example, regulators can set standards for field service safety and compliance. To avoid fines, field service companies must ensure they follow these standards. In terms of field service’s strategy for working with regulators, there’s one critical rule of thumb:
- It’s essential to stay abreast of regulatory changes so that the field service company can adjust its operations accordingly. If your company fails to comply with these requirements, regulators can impose costly fines on the company.
Also read: Field Service Operations: 7 Most Important Field Service Technologies
Employees as part of stakeholders in field service operations
The last most important stakeholder is the employees. The employees provide on-site service and most often interact with clients. Employees are often not scarce in companies and fall into different categories, which we will discuss below.
It is essential to treat employees well and provide them with the resources they need to do their jobs well. It includes things like proper training, safety equipment, and fair wages.
Maintaining happy customers requires excellent customer service. Employee happiness increases the likelihood that they will deliver superior customer service. As you can see, everything is interconnected, which means a different strategy needs to be tailored to each category of field service worker:
Service Engineer/Technicians
These are the service employees who provide on-site service. They are responsible for repairing products and making sure they meet customer expectations.
It is necessary to invest in their development to keep these employees motivated. It includes proper training so that they can handle different types of repairs. Field service organizations should provide adequate safety equipment. In addition, service engineers and technicians should be fairly compensated for their work.
Management
The management team ensures that field service operations run smoothly. They develop strategies, allocate resources, and supervise employees.
It is essential to give managers tools like FSM software to do their jobs well to keep them motivated. It is imperative to provide access to data, adequate staffing levels, and proper training. Furthermore, managers should be compensated on time.
Field service is a complex operation requiring many various stakeholders’ coordination. By understanding the role of each group, you can develop a strategy for working with them.
Service Managers
Service managers are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the field service team. They develop schedules, assign work, and dispatch technicians.
Giving them the tools they need to do their jobs well is essential to keep service managers motivated. It includes access to data, adequate staffing levels, and proper training.
Office Managers/Dispatchers
Office managers and dispatchers are responsible for scheduling service appointments and dispatch technicians.
It is crucial to arrange the proper working conditions to organize the work of field service technicians. It includes the right equipment for the job, access to the correct data, and competent training in the early stages. And, of course, do not forget about fair payment.
Controllers/Accountants
Controllers and accountants are responsible for the financial aspects of field service operations. They develop budgets, track expenses, and process invoices.
It’s essential to give them the tools they need to do their jobs well to motivate controllers and accountants. It includes the right technology for the job and access to the correct data.
Customer Support
Customer support is responsible for assisting customers before, during, and after service appointments.
It is essential to give them the tools they need to do their jobs well to keep customer support motivated. It includes access to data, adequate staffing levels, and proper training. Furthermore, any business should pay customer support fairly for their work.
Field service is a complex operation requiring many different stakeholders’ coordination. By knowing the role and challenges of each group, you can develop a robust field service strategy and build a high-performance field service team. Doing so will keep your customers happy, avoid costly fines, and motivate employees.
FAQ
What do you mean by service strategy?
A service strategy is a plan that outlines how a company will provide services to its customers. It includes the goals, resources, and processes needed to deliver the service.
What are some examples of service strategy?
Some examples of service strategy include developing a customer service plan, creating a marketing and staffing plan.
How can I improve my field service?
There are many ways to improve field service, but some of the most important include:
- Improving communication between field service employees and customers.
- Improving coordination between field service employees and other departments.
- Improving training for field service employees.
- Improving technology used by field service employees.
- Improving payment and benefits for field service employees.
Most of the above can be addressed by using good service management software.
What is the most important thing to remember when creating a service strategy?
When creating a service strategy, the most important thing to remember is to align it with the company’s overall business strategy. Doing so will ensure that the two are compatible and that the service strategy supports the business strategy.
