Creating the Mobile Workforce of the Future Through Technology and Training

Transcription

1 Creating the Mobile Workforce of the Future Through Technology and Training A Field Service Whitepaper Presented in Conjunction with ClickSoftware

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY For service-oriented businesses, field staff are playing more important and multifaceted roles than ever before. A more agile, efficient, and connected field team can be a major asset, helping to reduce operational costs, bolster revenue streams, and provide reliable business intelligence. Those individuals also own the only in-person interactions many customers ever have with a brand, making them valuable sales and customer relationship management assets. In order to form such high-functioning field teams, business must aggressively cultivate data on projects and staff. That data contributes to a wide variety of core business goals, from operational efficiency to cost savings. However, many organizations struggle to gather actionable data from their field teams, due in large part to analog reporting processes and disparate systems. 2 Executive Summary 3 Key Findings 4 Research Findings 4 Top Priorities & Challenges Facing Mobile Workforce Management 7 Mobile Workforce Data As A Business Enabler 9 Building the Best Possible Field Team 11 Key Recommendations 12 Appendices 13 ClickSoftware This whitepaper will discuss how service-based organizations can more efficiently collect and compile data, and what business benefits that data can unlock. Those benefits include: better project management, pairing the right staff with the right jobs while avoiding unnecessary overtime; smoother and more accurate reporting and costing processes; and the discovery of new on-the-job sales and relationship management opportunities. 2

3 KEY FINDINGS In today s competitive markets, service-oriented businesses are looking to run leaner and more efficiently than ever before In this service paradigm, it is essential that organizations have job management down to a science. Unfortunately, these businesses often struggle to deploy staff efficiently, reducing the need for overtime and effectively matching technician expertise with job requirements. Luckily, a new generation of solutions, including mobile workforce management solutions, is leveraging data to give business leaders an edge in project planning and staff management. Data-enabled businesses are not only optimizing their staff management, but they are also streamlining their reporting processes Through next-generation workforce management tools, these organizations can streamline reporting processes by integrating real-time payroll and reimbursement information with back-office reporting systems. The result is greater automation with fewer inaccuracies, not to mention that better data also means more accurate job costing and timeline information. To customers, field personnel are the face of the organization, which is why soft skills training is becoming increasingly important Today s field staff must do more than simply fix the issue they are called on to take care of; they must also positively represent their brands and help uncover new sales opportunities. Many of these skills are not part of the traditional field staff tool bag, and therefore need to be prioritized during training. 3

4 RESEARCH ANALYSIS Top Priorities & Challenges Facing Mobile Workforce Management Organizations with employees in the field face unique challenges when it comes to staff management, project planning, and customer relations. On the one hand, field staffs afford these organizations the invaluable opportunity to interact directly with clients, fixing their issues, improving their relationships, and gathering their feedback. On the other hand, effectively managing a field team requires precise coordination of resources, smooth communication, and comprehensive project tracking and reporting. Although the top-cited priority among these businesses is to offer the lowest prices, their top job management concern was overwhelmingly to use staff more efficiently. Staff efficiency is an inherent challenge for serviceoriented businesses, and the ability to maximize staff hours while avoiding unnecessary overtime only gets more difficult as the number of personnel in the field grows. That challenge is further exacerbated by the need to match technician expertise and tools to job requirements. Businesses that successfully optimize staff assignments are turning their field workforces into assets and differentiators, which can be nearly as valuable as offering the lowest prices. A crucial criterion for effective staff management is visibility into the activities of field staff. While nearly three quarters of the business leaders surveyed have at least average visibility into their staffs activities, only 21% believe they have highly detailed visibility. This is important, because a better understanding of technician patterns, behaviors, and project management skills can help leaders improve their staff planning and ensure that field workers are as productive as possible. Mobile workforce management solutions can enhance visibility, which is why 62% of respondents are either using or implementing a mobile workforce management solution. Visibility is critical to effective staff management, because a better understanding of technician patterns, behaviors, and project management skills can help leaders improve their staff planning and ensure that field workers are productive. Unfortunately, only 21% of the businesses surveyed have highly-detailed visibility. 4

5 Pricing is the top priority for service-oriented businesses, followed by being in the right markets and increasing revenues Rate the following in terms of the importance to your business Offer the lowest prices Location Increase Revenue Cut Costs Job arrival times Job completion proofs (signatures, photos, etc) Provide field/mobile workers with the best tools to do their job Provide the best customer service Improve staff productivity Increase back-office visibility of field/mobile workforce Productivity Price competition is at the forefront of these businesses minds, but these businesses are also primarily concerned with increasing revenue and limiting costs. While mobile workforce-specific goals, such as improving productivity and implementing better technology, necessarily trail behind the aforementioned goals, business leaders are coming to understand that a more efficient and bettertrained mobile workforce can help unlock those fundamental goals. Efficiently allocating staff in order to increase job coverage and reduce overtime is the biggest challenge businesses encounter by a wide margin What are the biggest challenges you encounter when it comes to job management? 53% Using staff more efficiently 13% Matching staff numbers and expertise to job requirements 13% Post- project reporting 11% Communicating with clients or customers 5% Understanding project parameters 5% Communicating with staff while on a job Perhaps the most fundamental challenge facing service-oriented businesses is gaining good visibility into the schedules, jobs, and locations of field staff. If dispatchers and backoffice personnel have a better understanding of field techs workflows and locations, they can track and schedule jobs much more efficiently. Better visibility also means faster reporting, since it s easier to stay up-to-date on field employees weekly hours, when they are on a job, and when the job is complete. 5

6 Efficiently matching field personnel to the right jobs is the top priority, followed by accommodating customers preferred service times Rank the following priorities for scheduling jobs top priority lowest priority Getting the right worker, to the right job, with the right tools Preferred time for the customer, even if a few days later Earliest possible appointment Allotting ample time to run preventative maintenance or manage unexpected complications Closest to other jobs to maximize productivity 45% 17% 13% 17% 8% 32% 24% 22% 12% 10% 12% 22% 19% 26% 21% 4% 14% 20% 26% 36% 3% 24% 27% 19% 27% Only 21% of respondents have detailed visibility into their field personnel s daily activities How much visibility do you have into the daily activities of field/mobile staff? 28% Limited visibilty 51% Average visibility 21% Highly detailed visibility Nearly half of all respondents are already using a mobile workforce management solution, with an additional 17% in the processes of implementing those systems Are you using a mobile workforce management solution? 47% Yes 38% No 15% Implementing now 6

7 Mobile Workforce Data as a Business Enabler Service-oriented businesses are grappling with a myriad of new challenges and opportunities. Fortunately, by improving the way they capture and utilize mobile workforce data, those organizations can run leaner and more effectively. Better data is a business enabler, improving project and staff management, facilitating faster and more accurate reporting, and creating more effective equipment monitoring. Given that 53% of respondents noted that using staff more efficiently is their biggest job management challenge, better staff management is perhaps the most important advantage of mobile workforce data. By capturing and activating data such as job details, inventory reports, and employee activities, business leaders can streamline workforce planning and be sure to pair the right employee with the right job. Furthermore, field staff are ideally placed to collect critical customer and job information through mobile forms and surveys. Better visibility into these details also enables businesses to adapt on the fly to new circumstances and emergencies. Although roughly a fifth of respondents are collecting data through mobile-enabled tools and another third are leveraging digital forms and updates, only 16% of the businesses surveyed are taking advantage of end-to-end workforce management software. In addition to improving job and personnel management, mobile workforce management tools also streamline reporting processes by integrating real-time payroll and reimbursement information with back-office reporting systems. That reduces the friction and inaccuracies caused by manual job tracking and frees up back-office resources for other important tasks. Better data also enables organizations to provide more accurate job costing and timeline information to customers and to solve customer disputes more easily. The result is renewed trust and transparency between businesses and their clients. However, with just 7% of respondents reporting that their data collection practices enable them to generate critical insights in real-time, it is clear that many organizations should be prioritizing data collection in It is also important to note that mobile data can dramatically improve equipment monitoring capabilities, tracking equipment usage and potentially helping to locate and recover lost or stolen equipment. 7

8 Digital forms are the most common source of data on the activities of field staff; mobile-enabled tools are also important information sources How do you collect data related to field/mobile staff? 32% Digitally-enabled forms and project updates 21% Mobile-enabled tools and equipment 19% Paper forms filled out by staff and clients 16% End-to-end workforce management software 12% Phone calls and status updates with supervisors Only 7% of respondents believe their field workforce data enables critical real-time insights From a back-office perspective, how would you classify your data collection as it relates to your field/mobile workforce 55% Data collection with siloed views enabling piecemeal analytics 38% Data collection with an integrated view that generates broader insights 7% Data collection that creates a real-time view of operations and generates critical insights Most businesses have automated at least part of their project reporting processes, but only 16% say those processes are very automated and efficient How would you describe your job/project reporting processes, including things like payroll and reimbursement? 20% Very manual 64% Somewhat automated, but still with substantial manual work 16% Very automated and efficient 8

9 Building the Best Possible Field Team Field staff hold some of the most impactful positions in service-oriented organizations. Not only are they responsible for service delivery, but they are also the vanguards of the customer experience. As such, it is crucial that field staff are trained in soft skills so they can make the most out of every client interaction. Although field personnel have traditionally been evaluated based on their service records, they are increasingly being graded on the quality of their client interactions and their ability to upsell during calls. In fact, respondents in the present study indicated that customer feedback is the most important metric for field staff even if soft metrics are weighted the least. Despite being the measurement with the least weight for field staff, 56% of organizations believe that soft skills training is critical to improving operations. Only 13% of respondents called soft skills training non-essential. Similarly, field personnel are crucial assets when it comes to gathering client feedback. More than half of the organizations surveyed for this study noted that better communication is the most common piece of client feedback they receive. For instance, clients are always interested in making sure that projects are on-time and on-budget, and they want to be notified of any project complications. Unfortunately, it has not traditionally been easy for field staff to dynamically communicate with clients when not on-site. For this reason, tools like mobile workforce management solutions can help bridge the gap between customers and field personnel before, during, and after the call. Soft metrics trail behind customer feedback, hard metrics, and core competencies as the most important indicators of employee effectiveness Despite the fact that most organizations claim that soft skills are an important way to track staff performance and improve operations, soft skills-related metrics still lag behind other firm measurements. What weight do you place on each measurement of employee effectiveness? Customer reviews Internally reported hard metrics Core competencies Internally reported soft metrics 16% Weighted Averages 29% 30% 31% 9

10 Despite not being a top indicator of employee effectiveness, 43% of businesses consider soft skills training to be important, while an additional 13% have already implemented that training How important is soft skills training for your field/mobile staff 43% Important to our ongoing operations and underway 31% Something we ve been working on implementing 13% A nice to have, but not essential 13% Already implemented and making an impact in the field Improved communication is the most popular customer request Which of the following do your customers ask for most regularly 56% Better communication 20% Better cost projections and cost transparency 16% Easier scheduling 8% Confirmation of job completion With tools like mobile workforce management solutions, feedback can flow much smoother from customers to technicians to managers and other office staff. This creates a much faster, closed-loop feedback system that enables businesses to quickly learn from each customer interaction. Armed with those insights, businesses can quickly and iteratively improve their product and service offerings, staying a step ahead of industry trends and delighting their customers. 10

11 KEY RECOMMENDATIONS Staff management is a constant challenge, but technology can help turn it into a competitive advantage Technology is at the core of effective job management, and those companies that continue to manage their mobile workforces without it will be at a functional disadvantage. By providing better visibility into technician activities and strengths, data-driven mobile workforce management systems can help optimize scheduling and ensure that jobs are assigned to the technician with the proper expertise. Automated reporting can help businesses save on their bottom lines while also freeing up staff for more important tasks Manual job tracking and reporting creates substantial waste and prevents backoffice staff from performing more essential strategic duties. By integrating realtime payroll and reimbursement information with back-office reporting systems, many mobile workforce management systems can create a more efficient and accurate reporting process. Soft skills and sales training are the next big tools for field staff The exposure that field personnel have to customers puts them in a position to take control of the customer experience, collect intelligence, and educate customers on new product and service offerings. In order to get the most out of every service call, field personnel must be trained soft skills. 11

12 APPENDICES Appendix A: Methodology For this report, WBR Digital and ClickSoftware conducted online surveys of 77 field service professionals representing a number of industries (see Appendix B for demographic information). Survey participants included decision-makers and executives with responsibility for their firms field service management strategies. Surveys were conducted in November and December of Appendix B: Demographic Information How many employees does your company have? 14% 100 or Fewer 23% % % % More than INTERESTED IN THIS CONTENT? WBR Digital produces quality content and digital campaigns for highperforming businesses across a wide range of industries. See how you can put our team of content specialists and marketers to work for your business. How many field workers do you have in your force? 27% 25 or fewer 11% % % % More than 500 What is your business s annual revenue? 35% Less than $100M 43% $ M 22% Over $500M To learn more about WBR Digital s full suite of content, lead generation, and digital branding services, click the button below! Learn More What is your primary industry? 48% Equipment Manufacture/Service/Support 13% Health Care (Inl. Medical Imaging) 9% Computer/Technical/Professional Services 8% Other 5% Utilities-Electric 3% Wholesaler/Distributor 3% Specialty Home Services (Plumbing, HVAC, Appliances) 3% Utilities-Gas & Oil 3% Utilities-Water/ Wastewater 1% Transportation 1% Security Services 1% Construction 1% Cable TV/ Telephone/ISP 1% Insurance/Finance Appendix C: Related Research How Mobile Workforce Management Changes the Game for SMBs, WBR Digital, July

13 RESEARCH PARTNERS ClickSoftware ClickSoftware is defining field service engagement, empowering the world s most customer-centric and demanding organizations to optimize the full potential of every service interaction. With ClickSoftware, field service becomes the new competitive lever to drive differentiation and business value. The Click Field Service Edge Platform arms field service leaders with the smartest technologies, a limitless technology-forward platform, and the knowledge gained from a global community of best practices. Exclusively focused on field service since creating the market, ClickSoftware has managed billions of service engagements and is relied upon by nearly a million field service professionals every day. The company is the recognized market and technology leader by analyst firms including Gartner, IDC and Frost & Sullivan. And, Click is the field service solution of choice for Salesforce, SAP and top systems integrators. More than 350 global enterprises across 20+ industries tap into ClickSoftware for the world s smartest thinking in field service. ClickSoftware. The field service leader. Learn more at WBR Digital WBR Digital connects solution providers to their target audiences with yearround online branding and engagement lead generation campaigns. We are a team of content specialists, marketers, and advisors with a passion for powerful marketing. We believe in demand generation with a creative twist. We believe in the power of content to engage audiences. And we believe in campaigns that deliver results. 13