What has technology ever done for us ? Think about it for a moment . Look at the way we shop , take care of our finances , travel and consume entertainment . Over the last decade , technology and mobile devices have radically changed the way we access information and services , so it ’ s unsurprising that in our business relationships we demand the same level of service . Today , in the electronics sector , we expect service providers to solve our problems faster , better and cheaper . Yet when it comes to embracing technology to meet customer demand , service companies are holding back .
When asked why , they reveal numerous concerns and questions : Can I afford it ; are the end results worth the effort ; and will it take too much of my time to learn ? They also ask whether it is difficult to install and who will help if something goes wrong , as well as how to make sense of all the new data .
Despite these concerns , it ’ s worth noting that in a survey of UK and European field service companies , almost 60 per cent stated customers are demanding faster response times . They don ’ t want to wait for appointments . More importantly , if you cannot meet customers ’ demands , the internet has made it easy to find alternative contractors . Consequently , if your business is working off paper appointment books or manual spreadsheets , you face a huge challenge .
Boost productivity
So , let ’ s take a closer look at how technology can help increase productivity and customer satisfaction .
Paper-driven business operations are both labour and staff intensive . They also create timescale lags . Whether you are invoicing or simply checking account balances , every manual process takes time . Technology provides automation , leading to fewer process touch-points . Processes
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‘ The decision to invest in technology to manage your service business should not just be about cost ; it should be about the resulting benefits .’
Technology provides for fast and accurate call scheduling .
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are streamlined , labour is reduced and common errors are eradicated .
Beyond that , automation provides an audit trail , making management reporting easier . Instead of having to dig out purchase orders , invoices and payslips to work out job profits , real-time information and reporting are available at the click of a button .
But that ’ s not all . Technology also provides service companies advantages in the form of fast and accurate call scheduling . From shopping to watching TV , consumers today expect to be able to schedule services easily , at times suitable to them . The same applies to business dealings where customers expect the greatest up time , with the least amount of interruption to their operations .
First-time fix
According to a 2016 Aberdeen Group report , not being able to resolve issues on initial visits is the number one customer complaint . Of course , improving first-time fix rates is not just about attending appointments on time . It ’ s also reliant upon technicians having the right parts in their vans and access to information such as service histories .
A recent McKinsey workforce productivity study , for example , found that without technology , service companies found five to 10 per cent of all jobs logged were cancelled every day . It also revealed that 10 to 12 per cent of all jobs ran longer than planned . Put these figures together , and you can see that without technology , up to a quarter of jobs go wrong in some way .
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Measurable improvements
From reducing administration overheads to enhancing customer satisfaction , technology provides measurability and analysis of every aspect of service companies ’ work . The resulting reports drive continuous performance improvements .
To sum up , the truth is that the decision to invest in technology to manage your service business should not just be about cost ; it should be about the resulting benefits . Research tells us that service companies embracing technology to increase operational efficiency and improve customers ’ experience can expect to reap rewards . Figures indicate : A 22 per cent increase in service revenue ; a 12 per cent increase in contract renewals ; and a 26 per cent increase in productivity .
If you could free up 26 per cent of your field service personnel , as well as up to 50 per cent of your admin staff , what would you do with the extra capacity ? Would you reduce your cost base , or would you redeploy your staff so that you can grow your business ? Ultimately the choice is yours , but it ’ s a nice dilemma to have .
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Automation provides an audit trail , making management reporting easier . |
52 | August 2017 |