Protect Service Revenue with Field Service Management
How to evolve your field service management strategy to help mobile workers play a strategic role to increase revenue.
April 20, 2021 - Time to Read: 5 Minutes
Paul Whitelam
SVP and General Manager for Field Service Management at Salesforce.
SVP and General Manager for Field Service Management at Salesforce.
Mobile workers are the face of brands. Today, their role is even more essential, according to research in the fourth edition of the Salesforce State of Service report.
Mobile workers feel an increased responsibility to their customers and their employers. In fact, 85% of mobile workers see themselves as responsible for customer retention. Decision makers are also looking to mobile workers to support broader business goals — and that includes creating new revenue streams.
Discover how to set your mobile workforce up for success with their increased responsibilities.
85%
of mobile workers see themselves as responsible for customer retention.
76%
of mobile workers say their job is more strategic than it was two years ago.
81%
of mobile workers see a direct link between their work and business performance.
Continually train your workforce.
Seventy-one percent of mobile workers say they currently have access to on-demand training, but it’s not enough to help them realize their full potential. The majority (60%) say they still need better training in order to perform their jobs.
Offer comprehensive training for everything from technical to customer service skills with digital learning platforms like Trailhead. Create customized learning paths for your business for onboarding and continued education. Focus on these areas:
Emotional intelligence
Eighty-five percent of mobile workers see themselves as responsible for customer retention. The pandemic puts increased pressure on them: Customers are more anxious, harder to satisfy, and have more complex questions or issues. Empathy matters — and 72% of mobile workers say they have received training on how to be empathetic with customers.
Help your mobile workforce hone emotional intelligence with digital learning resources that teach mobile workers how to actively listen, ask customers the right questions, and communicate clearly and effectively. Train new mobile workers on customer service basics. Pair mobile workers together for virtual role-playing exercises in various customer service scenarios. Regularly review customer feedback to ensure mobile workers are putting their soft skills to use.
Upselling
Seventy-six percent of decision makers at organizations with field service say that field service provides their company with new revenue streams. Mobile workers play a key role in helping companies protect and build revenue, whether that’s reducing churn through excellent service or upselling a piece of equipment. This helps position them as trusted advisors who recommend and sell other solutions, which expands the relationship.
Offer training to mobile workers on the basics of how to sell during service calls. Use Trailhead to help them develop the necessary soft skills for successful selling. Equip them with mobile technology to make it easy for them to demonstrate new products and services and capture potential sales leads.
Make sales a part of their annual goals and offer rewards for each deal as well. Seventy-one percent of mobile workers in high-performing organizations (those that rate their customer satisfaction as excellent) are incentivized to upsell to customers, compared with 49% of underperformers (those that rate their customer satisfaction as fair or poor).
Help mobile workers see their career potential.
Work with mobile workers early in their careers to set short- and long-term career goals. In addition to technical proficiency, include relationship-building, customer service basics, and even sales goals. Encourage mobile workers to regularly review their goals and assess progress.
Further demonstrate your commitment by creating a mentoring program. Experienced techs can shed light on career growth opportunities and help mobile workers see what’s possible within the organization.
Expand your talent pool.
Sixty-three percent of field service professionals say their company is making significant investments in mobile workers by hiring more people and improving technology. Partner with different technical schools to expand your recruitment efforts. Increase your talent pool by offering ways to provide remote service with technology like Visual Remote Assistant. You can employ individuals who may not live nearby but have the proper skill set and technical expertise for your organization.
Turn your mobile workers into revenue protectors.
It’s most important that field service managers help mobile workers see their potential. As a trusted advisor to customers, mobile workers can drive customer retention and help your company protect and build revenue.
The role of the mobile worker isn't the only thing that’s changing in field service. Find out what else has changed — and what you can do to evolve your field service management strategy for the future.
Want more? Get survey responses by role and industry. View the Tableau dashboard.
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Paul Whitelam
SVP and General Manager for Field Service Management at Salesforce.
SVP and General Manager for Field Service Management at Salesforce.
Paul Whitelam is SVP and General Manager for Field Service Management at Salesforce. He joined Salesforce in 2019 as part of the acquisition of ClickSoftware, where he led the global marketing team, working closely with field service management leaders across a variety of industries.
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