Managing Change in Communication Field Service Organizations

Many communication organizations recognize the need to implement or upgrade existing field service management (FSM) solutions to meet these demands. As with any large technology implementation, the impact of installing new FSM technology will affect field service employees, company culture, and business processes. Managing the change associated with new FSM technology is just as important as overseeing the actual implementation and rollout of the software. 

 

 

Field service professionals are the face of a communication organization—putting them in the role as brand ambassador and revenue generator. They interact in person with customers and are viewed as knowledgeable as soon as they arrive to a job because they have the necessary tools and skills. From the customer’s perspective, field technicians can be trusted—especially if the problem is fully solved right away, the first time.

 

68 percent of senior communication executives cite improving customer experience as their number one strategic priority. The right training in FSM technology, products and services, and soft skills play a key role in helping to achieve this goal. Delivering exceptional service can lead to improved customer loyalty and new streams of revenue.

 

FSM technology enables field service professionals to deliver a higher level of service due to improved mobile workforce tools, better scheduling through artificial intelligence, and more frequent interactions with customers via various digital channels. However, technicians need to be skilled in FSM solutions to access and understand customer history, SLAs, and other important information, including content on additional products and services—to quickly capitalize on opportunities in the field. FSM technology isn’t enough—technicians also need to be trained to identify up sell opportunities and have strong customer service skills. 

 

 

FSM solutions help facilitate the relationship between communication organizations and their customers and have a positive impact on an organization’s culture and processes. The right change management strategy can help make this happen. 

 

Once an organization fully understands customer behavior, needs, and expectations, it is important to take a deeper look within their own internal structure and create a roadmap that accounts for the short and long-term implications of the FSM technology to users, senior leaders, and current processes. To ensure a smoother adoption, and to start seeing benefits from the FSM solution faster, transparent and consistent communication with employees is critical.  

 

With FSM technology, communication organizations can become more customer focused. FSM solutions provide greater visibility into customer information, so an organization can deliver a more personalized and real-time experience to customers. From a process standpoint, FSM technology helps to drive operational efficiencies at multiple levels of the organization, including improving scheduling and dispatching by using real-time traffic updates and enabling predictive service. 

 

 

FSM technology offers many benefits for communication organizations, including improved customer service and better technician utilization, which can lead to new revenue streams. For an implementation to succeed in the long-term, communication providers need to address the impact that the solution will have across their organization. Proper change management is critical to helping communication organizations to realize the advantages that a FSM solution can provide. As with any change, it will take time, monitoring, and measurement to ensure that a field service team is getting the most out of the FSM investment.

 

To read the full white paper:‘Managing Change in Communication Field Service Organizations’.