The Evolution of Field Service Technician

The evolution of the augmented reality field service is nothing if not a testament to the evolution of technology, as we know it. At one time, the field service technician was little more than a service provider — someone who provided a service to a customer then went on his merry way. Today, however, the field service technician is someone who has become a trusted advisor on all things a business needs from a provider. Let’s take a look at this evolution, and how it’s paralleled to the evolution of field service technology as a whole.

Field Service Technicians: Then and Now

• There’s a major reason why the role of the field service technician has changed so much over the years, apart from the growing technological changes: companies are switching their focus to customer service, and are counting on their field service technicians, in a way, to deliver the full experience.

• According to a report by Aberdeen, 63% of the organizations that they polled are relying on the field to deliver their value. What this, then, means is that the field service technicians can’t just be knowledgeable in their field of expertise. Rather, they also need to be receptive to the customers’ needs and wants and be in tune to that when they are both fixing and up-selling products.

• Let’s take a cable television as an example. When the technician is called out to the field to repair a faltering service, that technician should listen to the customer’s complaints — and compliments — about the service he or she ordered, and use that feedback to provide an informed upsell of services. Field service support software makes it possible now.

• So, if the cable television field service technician finds out that the customer has an affection for movies and home improvement shows, he or she can suggest that the customer upgrade his or her service to include premium movie networks and home improvement network packages. In this way, then, field service technicians are becoming all-inclusive in their products and services offerings. In other words, it’s no longer just about going into a customer’s home, doing the job, and going home — it’s about being a full-fledged representative of the company.

Technology Empowers Field Service Technicians

• Before the existence of field service management (FSM) software, the technician’s tasks were manually tracked by other employees. Even granting the best of circumstances, this meant that their work could have been — and, often was — misrepresented or otherwise mistaken, undervalued, and even under-reported. Even as computer databases started to enter into the business, they were still subjected to human error.

• But all of that changed when FSM software came along, thus providing both increased productivity and accountability for field service employees and management.

• The same report from Aberdeen reported that FSM software and field technician software do a lot more than just empower the employees of an organization — it actually entices younger field service workers to come and work for the company. What’s more, statistically speaking, if a company does not deploy some form of FSM software, they run the risk of not enticing younger workers to their organization. And, if a company fails to entice younger workers to their organization — especially as the older ones retire out of the company — they run the risk of failing altogether.

• Technicians that have access to FSM software report that they can access data in real-time, which allows them to have access to all types of customer information in addition to providing them with safety and information that will make their job easier.

• Alstom is one such company that saw an increase in employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, and productivity when it began deploying FSM software. Alstom, which was recently bought by corporate giant GE, is one of the biggest and best manufacturing companies in the world thanks to their smart use for FSM software and augmented reality field service software.

Data Mobility is Essential in the Field

• As today’s augmented reality field service continues to become more mobile, FSM software has to become just as mobile as well.

• Ian Heidt, CEO of HouseCall Pro — which was one of the first to integrate their FSM software with mobile technology — says that mobile technology is now essential for growing companies, even as the technology continues to evolve. “To arm technicians with tools to complete the business process on the spot, such as mobile apps that offer digital automation, eliminates administrative work and maximizes operational efficiency. Further, mobile apps offer organizational connectivity, through built-in communication platforms that can increase the effectiveness of operations,” he said.

• It, therefore, stands to reason that mobile technology will continue to transform field service technicians, and vice versa.

Blitzz’s FSM Technology is Mobile and Evolved!

One of the things that we, as a company, take pride in is our ability to evolve with the times and adapt our FSM technology to accommodate the needs of today’s empowered field service technician through visual support. Our video-powered remote assistance platform is customer-centric, data-driven, and offers exceptional support.