Fostering an engaged, community-oriented field service workforce should be a top priority for field service organizations. A highly motivated team is more productive, less prone to mistakes, and more collaborative.
Technological advancements help field service organizations cultivate engaged workers by enabling better communication and collaboration among team members.
Below we detail some practices field service managers can implement to build a more engaged, community-focused field service workforce to propel their organization forward:
Embrace Digital Transformation
Field service organizations that leverage digital tools can foster an engaged and motivated workforce. Internet of Things (IoT) devices and field service platforms like Gomocha help technicians monitor customer equipment in real-time and prevent problems from causing delays. It’s important to remember that these tools are here to complement field service technicians, not replace them. Technology facilitates the smooth operations technicians need to feel confident and connected in their roles.
While mentoring has traditionally been the way to cultivate an engaged field service workforce, employee burnout, labor shortages, and the retiring workforce has made that more difficult. Knowledge retention and diagnostics platforms, such as service intelligence, can help technicians learn and share knowledge with other team members. Technicians with this technology at their fingertips need less support than those who don’t, increasing productivity and collaboration among team members.
Further, introducing new technologies provides opportunities for field service technicians to learn new skills, take on more challenging work, and elevate their careers.
Provide Field Service Workforce With the Tools to Do Their Jobs Well
Ensuring field service technicians have the information and tools needed to excel in their roles is essential to building a driven, community-oriented field service workforce. Organizations must invest in technologies that make knowledge-sharing and collaboration seamless. Managers should also prioritize regularly asking workers if they have everything they need to do their jobs well.
Moreover, companies must provide training and other opportunities to help workers do their jobs effectively and excel in their careers.
Strike a Balance Between Digital and Traditional Forms of Support and Communication
Field service companies should balance digital means and traditional forms of support and communication. Even as organizations embrace digital transformation, managers must avoid discrediting the value of face-to-face interactions, including providing recognition and asking for feedback from employees. This helps to build trust with team members.
Field service leaders should also encourage digital and in-person collaboration among team members to help build a more community-oriented organization.
When field service organizations work to develop a driven, community-focused workforce, productivity increases, errors decrease, and morale soars. Embracing digital transformation and providing the field service workforce with the tools needed to collaborate and excel are crucial to keeping workers motivated and happy. Further, finding a balance between digital and traditional forms of communication and feedback with employees is the best way to build an engaged workforce successfully.
Resource:
Building a Sense of Community Amongst Our Field Service Workers, Field Service News, FieldServiceNews.com.