Field service management is at a crossroads. Customers used to be satisfied with just planned preventative or reactive maintenance, but now expect engaging customer service experiences as well.
So the question is, can service providers manage this shift?
Introducing Total Experience for Field Service Management
The future of field service management lies in the seamless integration of technology, knowledge management, process management, and people. Altogether, customers now expect field service providers to deliver a Total Experience.
A concept developed by analyst firm Gartner, Total Experience (TX) describes the integration of four disciplines: multi experience (MX), customer experience (CX), field employee experience (EX) and user experience (UX).
MX(CX + UX + EX) = TX
In the past, each of these variables were managed in silos. Instead of a Total Experience, customers frequently found themselves unable to adequately access services or left unsatisfied as service delivery failed to meet expectations.
But it doesn’t have to be like this.
Implementing a Total Experience Strategy
Implementing a Total Experience strategy depends on supplying field service management employees and customer end users with the right technology to support their individual processes. It also requires facilitating easy access to the relevant information for requesting and delivering services. For the end user, this means being able to access any number of services at the touch of a button. For the field employee, it means having access to the necessary knowledge and resources to deliver effective services, while possessing the ability to efficiently adjust activities as required.
Without embracing Total Experience, it’s easy to see how a technician’s day might not go as expected. Pre-planned schedules may get thrown out because of new impromptu requests, emergencies and shifting priorities. If the technician is called to resolve a pressing issue but doesn’t have all the necessary information to fix the problem in the expected timeframe, this could lead to unsatisfied customers and potentially frustrated technicians.
Field services are no longer about delivering the bare minimum with little to no customer interaction. Today, field service providers are increasingly in a front-of-house hospitality role. People want to be greeted by a friendly face. If a technician is frustrated with the tools available to provide their service, there is a chance the feeling of frustration may come through during customer interactions. And, ultimately, the aim of a Total Experience strategy is to optimise the customer experience.
The Importance of Frictionless Customer Satisfaction
On-demand, flexible services are the new customer expectation, mirroring the immediacy they increasingly experience in their lives outside the workplace. Everyone wants choice and flexibility, which can create challenges for any service provider used to delivering a one-size-fits-all experience. Effective communication is essential, as any field service employee who interacts with a customer site is also a hospitality service provider.
Where communication breaks down, service delivery friction increases. This can be due to an inability to identify and access available services, inconsistent service quality or inflexible services that don’t meet the needs of dynamic environments.
B2B is now B2B2C
The likelihood of friction impacting the delivery of reliable and efficient services is increasing due to heightened expectations on the field service industry to be a Business-to-Business-to-Customer (B2B2C) provider. This pressure stems from the fact that the actual industrial and commercial facilities and workplaces are now viewed as strategic assets for businesses. They are places for existing employees to interact and collaborate with colleagues, for prospective clients to be wowed and for future employees to experience the energy and culture of an organisation before joining.
Delighting Customers and Engaging End Users
Delivering a Total Experience strategy in field service management that meets the needs of all stakeholders depends on integrating three levels of technology. The first is asset-level automation to support smart, intelligent operations. The second, or system level, concerns solutions that enable services, such as predictive or prescriptive maintenance. The third level enables end-user control and personalisation of service interactions, like mobile field service apps for issuing or responding to maintenance requests.
Total Experience is a strategy to help field service providers meet customer expectations, enhance brand value, optimise costs, reduce employee turnover, and achieve sustainability goals, such as reducing carbon footprints.
Implementing a Total Experience strategy will help field service providers deliver the right experiences to delight customers while building client loyalty. When implemented with the right partners and technology, a Total Experience strategy will make field services more accessible to customers, leading to stronger field service provider loyalty and higher revenues as a result of deeper relationships.
Curious how Planon’s technology can drive your business forward and help you deliver exceptional service? Watch our short video to see what’s possible. Or, if you'd prefer to have an open conversation on how we help field and facility service providers elevate their operations, please get in touch.
