RESOURCE CENTER

Enhancing the Customer Experience in Field Service

The how-to guide for improved satisfaction and loyalty

December 8, 2020. Time to Read: 4 Minutes

Customers expect great experiences

Give a customer five minutes and a mobile device and they can line up a rideshare or buy a new pair of shoes. If they change their mind, they can quickly update or hit cancel. Convenience is key: 84% of customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services.

84% of customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services.

But many field service organizations are falling short with long service windows, mobile workers who are unable to resolve issues, or worse — workers who don’t show up. Most of the time, dissatisfied customers don’t even bother complaining — they just move on, and companies spend valuable resources trying to replace them.

The majority of service decision makers (82%) agree that their company’s customer service must transform to stay competitive. In the coming pages, you’ll learn how to improve the entire customer experience by streamlining dispatching schedules, ensuring exceptional day-of service, and offering added value with every service call.

Chapter 1. Streamline dispatch and scheduling

Chapter 2. Provide exceptional day-of service

Chapter 3. Drive ongoing customer engagement

Chapter 1: Streamline dispatch and scheduling

Move beyond manual processes.

Multi-hour service windows have long been the industry standard, but these don’t meet modern expectations. Customers don’t want — and aren’t able — to carve hours out of their day to accommodate a service visit that only takes 30 minutes. In fact, 71% of consumers say that valuing their time is the most important thing a company can do.

71% of consumers say that valuing their time is the most important thing a company can do.

Move beyond manual processes for a better service experience. From the very first customer interaction, field service organizations can lay the foundation for positive customer relationships by streamlining dispatching and scheduling with intelligent automation.

Put customer needs first.

Flip the scheduling process to put customers’ needs first. Offer shorter service windows at times that are convenient for customers. To do this, look at the highest peak service hours and offer additional booking windows.

Self-service capabilities enable customers to arrange appointments through their preferred communication channel — phone, email, text, or webchat, for example — and on the device of their choosing. Use this functionality to advise them on what they need to do to prepare for a safe service visit, such as wearing a mask, cleaning the workspace, and social distancing. Customers also receive notifications about their service status and the estimated time of their field service worker’s arrival.

Create precise schedules.

Match field service workers with time allocations and ensure they come equipped with the right parts by connecting field service operations with a customer relationship management (CRM) system. This enables a single view of data across customers, staff, and equipment.

“71% of customers expect companies to communicate with them in real time.”

Salesforce Research, 2019 | State of the Connected Customer

The result? Customers appreciate the easy and convenient scheduling experience, while companies create the smartest schedules for their mobile workers, saving everyone precious time.

Chapter 2: Provide exceptional day-of service

Keep customers informed.

Customers want to stay in the loop — just like the experience they have when they request a rideshare. Enable dispatchers with the capability to send automatic updates to customers on the status of their assigned mobile worker, including real-time location tracking and exact arrival time. This eliminates frantic phone calls that tie up dispatchers to ask about ETAs and gives customers time to clean the workspace for the technician or vacate the premises.

Improve first-visit resolution.

When a mobile worker arrives, they get straight to work, armed with essential job information from their mobile device. This includes task lists, asset history, customer information, and parts needed. They also follow safety guidelines, including wearing a mask, social distancing, and cleaning the workspace after they finish the job. First-visit resolution improves because field service workers understand the problem they’ve come to solve and have the online and offline capabilities to guide them through the process.

Manage disruptions without customers ever knowing.

There will inevitably be last-minute hiccups, but a connected field solution manages the unknowns to enhance customer satisfaction. Get ahead of any disruption — a broken-down car or an employee who has called in sick — to automatically shift schedules and match available mobile workers with the right skill sets and equipment to the services needed within a geographic location.

When a substitute mobile worker arrives on the scene, they have special instructions (e.g., beware of the dog) and other pertinent information available in their field service app. Prepared, on-time field service workers produce customers that are satisfied the job was done right and when promised.

Chapter 3: Drive ongoing customer engagement

Salesforce Astro with a chart, helping mobile workers

Make the most of real-time data.

Traditional service models and tools are not designed to seamlessly collect and analyze service data as it comes in. After all, these systems are often manual and primarily designed for scheduling. But without robust and actionable data, there’s no easy way to drive continuous improvement in field service.

A single view of data makes it easy to measure service trends such as demand, job time, and work type. This helps to identify best practices and areas to improve efficiency.

Understand field service worker performance.

Too often organizations only learn about the quality of their service as a result of negative feedback. Collect customer feedback by sending a timely request to customers after the call is complete and asking them to assess their experience.

Prioritize customer satisfaction.

The good news is that service organizations don’t have to employ an arsenal of data scientists. Use intelligence to deliver role-specific insights and key performance indicator (KPI) metrics to enhance decision-making and allow for testing to compare different business scenarios. In addition, review customer surveys for meaningful insights about ways to boost satisfaction.

Exceed customer expectations.

Astro with field service rep reviewing positive performance

Leading field service organizations are offering high-quality customer experiences that deliver satisfaction at every touchpoint.

As a next step, think about key areas to improve. Is it a shorter service window? Timely and accurate communications about service updates? An improved first-time fix rate? Effectively implementing customer feedback?

Leading field service organizations are offering high-quality customer experiences that deliver satisfaction at every touchpoint.

Discover more ways to enhance the customer experience with Salesforce Field Service.

70% of Customers Prefer On-Site Service, Even Now — Is Your Field Service Ready To Deliver?