3 Field Service Trends Today's Leaders Need to Know

Today’s customers want faster, more personalized service and expect companies to deliver. Field service is no exception. Our research found that 74% of mobile workers say that customer expectations are higher than they used to be, and 73% say customers expect a personal touch more than they used to. These expectations underscore the field service management trends we’re seeing.

So, what does this mean for field service workforces everywhere? To find out, Salesforce surveyed over 5,500 service professionals representing 30 countries across five continents. A Salesforce Snapshot Survey of 350 technicians and tradespeople in the U.S. adds more perspective. Here, we explore the top three field service trends leaders need to be aware of to stay informed and get ahead — along with how AI agents built with Agentforce can assist.

Field service teams are racing to keep up with rising customer expectations in the face of a shrinking mobile workforce. Seventy-four percent of mobile workers report increasing workloads.

And though mobile workers play a major, rewarding role in helping customers resolve critical issues, this work can take a toll. In fact, 66% of technicians report experiencing burnout on the job at least once a month.

Mobile workers, both employees and contractors, are often the only company representatives customers ever meet in person, putting them under even more intense pressure to perform. There are also fewer people seeking this line of work. Meanwhile, experienced field service technicians are retiring.

These challenges are further exacerbated by scheduling issues. Nearly half of technicians (47%) report that their appointments don't go as planned due to customer miscommunication, unaccounted-for parts, or insufficient appointment lengths and travel times.

But AI agents built with Agentforce, which can understand and respond to inquiries without human intervention and can reason and act on their own, have emerged as a potential lifeline. Agentforce optimizes the scheduling and allocation of available technicians and resources, enhancing efficiency and allowing organizations to do more with a smaller staff. It also provides AI-powered knowledge management resources, quickly providing answers for less experienced workers and ensuring that institutional knowledge is always accessible.

In addition, 80% of technicians believe that AI agents would enable them to focus on the more fulfilling aspects of their jobs, which initially drew them to their professions. This could help reduce burnout and improve employee retention.

A critical part of mobile workers’ jobs is getting to have human interactions with customers. Valuable customer time is wasted on manual tasks and inefficient processes, such as switching between screens to find information and handling administrative work like job briefs, customer documentation, permit filings, and other manual tasks. Admin tasks take up 30% of an average technician’s working hours — slightly more than the 29% they spend delivering their actual services.

AI can also help ease administrative challenges associated with disconnected data. Respondents estimate that AI agents could take over 35% of their administrative tasks, saving each employee more than two hours per week in a standard 40-hour work week.

With the right field service management software, various departments can get access to the same, up-to-date information. Technicians can see a customer’s past interactions, check service and purchase histories, and much more — all in one place on their mobile devices and from anywhere, even without internet service.

What’s more, connected data helps improve field service sustainability, which 51% of decision makers say is a high priority for their organization. Route optimization uses connected data to make sure mobile workers take the most efficient route. Bonus: less time spent on the road can help to reduce mobile worker stress and burnout. Drones let companies perform visual inspections remotely and collect data in real time.

Connected data isn’t just a field service trend — it’s a way for your team to move efficiently, together.

Mobile teams that aren’t embracing technology like intelligent scheduling, routing, or AI agents are already behind.

By investing in technologies like AI that support process and workflow automation, mobile workers can serve customers faster and better — and grow business. For example, when you use AI-generated summaries of asset service management history and past service interactions, you can prepare your mobile workers before they even arrive at a job site — and identify upsell opportunities in the process.

Our research finds that 79% of service organizations today are investing in AI, and 83% of decision makers plan to increase their investment in this technology next year. In fact, 81% of technicians believe that AI agents could help them perform their jobs more efficiently.

AI can analyze customer information to generate quick and personalized responses to customers, for example, keeping customers happy and giving reps, dispatchers, and mobile workers time back.

By investing in technologies like AI that support process and workflow automation, mobile workers can serve customers faster and better — and grow business. For example, when you use AI-generated summaries of asset service management history and past service interactions, you can prepare your mobile workers before they even arrive at a job site — and identify upsell opportunities in the process.

Technology is poised to continue shaping the future of field service. It’s the companies who adopt technologies like AI agents, augmented reality, and mobile solutions now that will ultimately get ahead of competitors.

To learn more about these field service trends and how to use AI and data to generate revenue, practice sustainability, and help mobile workers do their best work, download Your Guide to AI and Data in Field Service.