We’ll make this quick. It’s summer, after all, and we know you’re busy. Here at XOi, we want you to have the tools you need to crush the summer rush and make sure your technicians are out in the field being the most efficient, ideal versions of a technician they can be — ensuring you’re on the path to turning some big profits for your business.
Let’s get into five ways you can use field service technology to boost summer profitability:
1. Get Your Workflows Right.
Your technicians are smart people. For the most part, they have the knowledge to fix a problem on the job. The question is — how are they going about fixing the problems? There are several ways to skin a cat, but for your business to be profitable, we can’t all be skinning cats willy nilly. The methods your technicians employ to solve problems need to be scalable.
Technician-focused technology offers a simple solution to workflow scalability and creates consistency via platforms that offer step-by-step workflows set up by “admins” — which can be business owners, service managers, or anyone high-level in your organization. To complete a job, techs have to follow each step, insert consistent answers, and document their work with video and photo evidence from the jobsite.
Working step-by-step, the margin for error goes way, way down, and your techs work faster and smarter. With consistent input into a technology platform that your techs access from their back pocket, the information collected from a jobsite is not only consistent, it’s easy to reference. If the technology solution is really good, that input, or “data”, is automatically indexed to find trends about your business that add big money to your bottom line.
2. Improve First-Time Fix Rates.
Just get it right the first time!
Let me explain.
When your techs are out runnin’ and gunnin’, with a full day’s worth of customers on the schedule, reducing trips back and forth to the same customers is going to save substantial time and resources, and give your techs a much better chance at getting the job done right the first time. Technology provides a couple solutions to make this a reality.
First, good technology provides an extensive knowledge base complete with manuals, diagrams, videos, and the ability to reference past work. Instead of rolling a second truck, 9 times out of 10 techs will find the answers right in their pocket via a knowledge base.
Second, good technology provides a gateway for techs on the job to collaborate with remote experts in real-time. Technicians share live video feeds of on-site issues — experts provide guidance and enhanced support to teach the technician how to fix the problem. Now, you’re saving money by not having to outsource to a call center, or hire your most experienced techs to act as an in-house call center.
3. Turn Your Techs Into Prolific Writers.
This is where the “magic” of AI comes in. We know technicians experience the ‘writing a job summary’ portion of the job as a bit of a roadblock. That’s why XOi is rolling out a feature called “Automated Work Summary.” As a tech completes workflow steps in XOi, they enter in workflow responses in the form of short text, yes/no questions, multiple choice, or transcribable video. Using these simple responses, AI creates a clear, comprehensive work summary instantly. You’ll get happier techs, happier customers, and more earned market share.
Download XOi’s AI Cheatsheet to understand more about how this feature works.
4. Provide Incredible Customer Service.
The bottom line with field service technology: it should make your technicians more efficient. More efficient technicians equals more time saved per job. More time saved per job equals more time saved per day. More time saved per day means more customers are served in a day. More (happy) customers. More revenue.
Remember, efficiency is a key word here. Fast does not always mean good. It’s important for your technicians to move quickly and work well. Less time on a job, transparency in the work performed, and a faster journey to resolution equals an extremely happy customer.
5. Truly Understand Your Jobsite Data (and use it for good.)
Understanding your business’s performance and making informed decisions are vital for sustained profitability. Make sure you have invested in technology that provides comprehensive analytics and business insights, allowing you to track key metrics, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions. The platform should offer visibility into technician performance, customer satisfaction, and service trends, among other crucial aspects. By leveraging this actionable intelligence, you optimize your operations, identify areas for improvement, and allocate resources effectively.
Want a competitive advantage this summer? Invest in technology. Harness the power of AI-focused technology like XOi? You’ll be good to go all year. If you’re interested in a live demo of XOi, reach out to us. A dedicated member of the XOi team will follow up and walk you through the platform.
