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A top-rated field service customer experience yields results far beyond end user satisfaction scores. Designing and measuring satisfaction means end-to-end visibility. An organisation can decide where and when to deploy automation; leading to loyalty and future returns. In this post, we'll introduce five actions for your field service business to examine and improve the customer experience.


ACTION 1

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With self-service appointment booking, your customers can manage their appointments 24/7 in a branded web portal. Should a booked appointment no longer fit into the calendar on the part of the customer, the rescheduling can be done conveniently via the portal. Services of this kind, which are provided online, are now important components of actual service provision and a real booster for the customer experience.


ACTION 2

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Ask short, clearly defined questions when taking works orders. The customer indicates online or in a telephone conversation exactly where the problem is by answering a small sequence of questions, and consider adding value by giving the option to upload photos or videos. Once the task has been recorded in the system, all those involved in the process can access recognised answers and photo assets thanks to digital document management. In this way, everyone knows at all times how the instruction matches the customer requirement, and no information is lost (reducing the need for dispute management). Paperless working becomes an immense and cost-effective advantage and the customer does not have to repeat their request with each new contact person.


ACTION 3

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Understand what your customers really want. 75% of companies believe that their customers' expectations and buying behaviour is likely to change out of long-held and generational habits. As many as 77% believe that customer demand for more personalised services offers an opportunity for growth (Sopra Steria Consulting, 2019). Software that can always be adapted and optimised to customer needs offers a particular competitive advantage. This is because it is crucial across the field service customer experience that a company can quickly and easily adapt its processes to the wishes of its customers, and entertain 'fringe market' requirements.


ACTION 4

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Continually refine the handling of priorities. If a customer has an urgent problem that cannot be fixed via remote phone or video assistance, they shouldn't have to wait weeks for a field service technician to solve it. Route scheduling software such as FLS VISITOUR will help at this point and schedule customer appointments according to a variety of priorities. This way, urgent problems are given priority over regular maintenance and no customer feels they have to 'shop around'.


ACTION 5

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Be there for your customers with a balance of contact times and channels that benefit all parties. It goes without saying but is often underestimated: an important part of the customer experience in the field service is that the customers feel supported and understood. After a self search of FAQs, and before a phone call, live chats in which the customer can have questions answered directly by a human will boost scores. In this way, the customer is in good hands and is more satisfied than with the generic answers bots provide.

WELL-TESTED CUSTOMER JOURNEYS AND THE IDEAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Does your field service business recognise and train for customer experience touch points that occur offline? The punctual arrival of a field force at a customer's premises is particularly crucial. This can be ensured through designing optimised routes and tours. Good preparation is also important. The bridge between customer enquiry and dispatch should have preliminarily 'solved' the customer's problem before arriving at the location. This way, your field force, be it employed or sub-contracted, have all the spare parts and tools with them. The customer does not have to describe their problems again and in order to achieve the highest possible first-time-fix rate. Well-prepared staff will ensure the customer that they've have been listened to and understood throughtout their service journey. By using route planning software and the aforementioned digital tools with clear journey oversight, your service technicians will always be dazzling.

WHAT IS THE SECRET TO CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IN FIELD SERVICE?

One thing is clear: there is no one big secret to the perfect customer experience in field service. Rather, there are many different pieces of the puzzle. Software solutions such as appointment portals play an important role, as does direct contact with the customer. Up to this point, we have seen that every decision regarding a field force should be based on recognising and preparing for customer requirements before a ticket is raised. Furthermore, software solutions such as FLS VISITOUR, FLS MOBILE and FLS PORTAL help companies work more effectively and efficiently.