The State of Preparedness of Field Service Organizations post COVID-19

 


Background


There is a prospect of hope in the down-scaling the lockdown. Not only at home, but globally there is movement towards a status that we once knew and now more than ever highly appreciate. This movement is gradual and slow with the imminent danger of a movement back towards total lockdown (again).

Despite this gradual movement away from total lockdown, there is the certainty that things will never be the same again. Some items have changed and will stay changed despite the eventual annihilation of the COVID-19 virus.

This change is true especially for businesses. To date, much has changed for businesses. Working remotely from home and contactless engagement is to name but a few of the important changes.

But what will happen to businesses in the event of a total removal of the COVID-19 threat? This question also applies to field service industries. Industries that deliver a client service away from a physical office. How do these industries prepare for the eventual post-COVID-19?

 

This paper seeks to address some of the issues pertaining to a post-COVID-19 world for field service industries.

 

Drivers for the post-COVID19 environment


A multitude of drivers, or forces, are at play to cause a re-thinking of business models. A comprehensive list of these drivers is not possible, for industries differ from each other. Also, within industries, there are individual differences to consider.

 

Field service organizations might find it difficult to deliver services efficiently in the new environment. An indicator of business efficiency is the organizations ability to satisfactorily deliver service in a timely and secure manner. Back office tasks performed manually may result in slower-than-required service delivery with an increased risk of error by an overburdened staff performing dull and repetitive tasks. Increase in speed and accuracy of task performance is of key importance. Spending time on monotonous tasks, i.e. copying and pasting of customer data between different systems, manually producing financial statements and invoices, compiling e-mail and snail mail, populating Excel spreadsheets to produce management information is at best a demotivator for staff and drastically cuts down on the level of job satisfaction and job engagement.

The normative principle is that the lesser the need to redo work due to errors, the more efficient will be the processing in a shorter time period for a smaller cost.

 

Business owners can re-think their current business models by answering the following questions in terms of their current operations:


  • What can be done to ensure that the business will survive the current situation?
  • What plan of action can be followed to adapt to the new market conditions?
  • What technology can be embraced to provide the business with the best possible advantage for the new market conditions?


Business owners must accept that the need for social distancing to slow down community transmission and remote collaboration are obvious examples to embrace new technology and processes. These requirements and the adoption of new technologies do not have the luxury of time. To survive, requires rapid and swift adoption. 


The use of paper money to conclude service transactions has been declining rapidly during the state of lockdown. The use of non-cash and mobile payments are soaring currently. Contactless operations have become the new normal in an abnormal environment.

Physical offerings, like office space, are being replaced with virtual entities. Office space previously required for backroom operational staff is diminishing. A telephone call can easily be answered from home, meetings can be set up in a virtual conference room and field technicians can be allocated and scheduled  based on their distance from the customer.

Organizations that are unable to upscale their digital offerings to provide a sanitized contactless operation will find a competitor willing and able to meet those client requirements. Digital channels have become the primary key (and even the sole key in some instances) for customer-engagement. Of equal importance are automated processes to become the key driver for productivity – and the basis of a flexible, transparent, and a stable supply chain.

 

A Plan of Action for the post-COVID-19 Business environment

 

Paper-based, hand-driven, and non-integrated systems and processes will not survive in the post-COVID-19 business environment. Integrated, paperless systems, based in cloud technology, maximizing cell phone technology permitting a contact restrained transactional environment is the answer for a post-COVID-19 business environment.

Business process automation and optimization will be able to deliver on the requirements of a post-COVID-19 environment. Automation will allow employees an opportunity to use their skills for higher-value work (not in the office, but from home), leaving time for customer engagement via telephony technology and therefore provide better customer service. Better customer satisfaction will provider the service provider with a higher standing and a competitive advantage.

 

The plan of action should be based on the following pillars:

  • Excel in key customer interactions, which is transparent in providing a contactless, sanitized transactional environment
  • Enhanced customer value proposition where the customer and potential new customer will feel safe. Get closer to customer needs and obtain an understanding of shifting needs
  • Have a convenient service access route. Access to deliver a service request should be possible with one-click, and not a wait-in-line-for-the-next operator – telephone conversation; and
  • Abolish bad costs by removing avoidable human work and paying less for a physical environment (paper cost, system license fees, archiving costs, real estate costs)
  • Safety and reliability which is more important than ever before. Transactional safety is new, but here to stay with us.

 

What are the tangible benefits that implementing new technology aimed at the field service industry will deliver?

  • First and foremost, financial benefits by reducing operational costs
  • Stream-lined workflow by rendering complex processes more simpler and more flexible
  • Reduction of security risks 
  • Transactional accuracy improvements
  • Enhanced regulatory compliance
  • Improved business analytics and insights
  • Ensuring that people – both clients and employees – really matter by providing a more satisfying environment where everybody van feel secure.

 

Recommendation


We are specialists in providing mobile workforce solutions. We have the technology available which allows for a contactless transactional environment enhancing the safety of both your field service technicians, office staff and clients alike.

You are welcome to contact us and via Zoom we can discuss your business needs present our solution to you.

Looking forward to hearing from you.


Pieter Coetzer 








pieter@liongatesolution.co.za

liongatesolution.co.za

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