Creating Journeymen on the Job

Encouraging a “Learn By Doing” Approach in Field Service

Join us on a brief nostalgia trip. Back in the day, the majority of green techs in field service were given the opportunity to shadow as an apprentice for the first five or more years of their careers.

Snap back to the present day, and the nature of the industry has changed. Economic factors like the skilled trades gap and labor shortage have made it extremely difficult for companies to offer robust apprenticeship programs.

Unfortunately, knowledge is often being lost due to poor documentation. The experience of older generations of technicians is frequently kept “between the ears,” leaving newer technicians at a disadvantage.

This creates a cyclical effect — if technicians lack the knowledge they need to complete jobs effectively, companies lose customers, revenue, and eventually, technicians themselves.

Thankfully, technology helps break this cycle.

In today's field service environment, introducing automatic workflows, training resources, and centralized knowledge bases enables technicians to train on the job and access answers quickly and efficiently.

According to research from the Harvard Business Review, an approach known as “learning in the flow of work” helps ensure learners retain and apply new skills and concepts in their day-to-day responsibilities.

1. Microlearning in Day-to-Day Workflows

Through the use of technician-focused technology, every job a technician tackles can be broken into step-by-step workflows.

Creating Consistency Through Workflows

Not only does this create consistency on every job, but it also allows technicians to learn each process in real time.

By following simple, repeatable steps, technicians receive an experience similar to a traditional training session.

These workflows align with two research-backed principles for effective teaching:

• Breaking content into smaller chunks
• Contextualizing learning within real-world tasks

Both methods have been shown to significantly improve knowledge retention.

Capturing Tribal Knowledge

With technician-focused technology, experienced technicians can document their work by recording videos of their processes and tagging them directly to specific workflows.

Anyone within the organization can then access those videos for training purposes while on the job.

Technology also centralizes workflow history, allowing technicians — especially greenhorns — to review all services performed on a particular unit. This serves as a valuable reference for replicating fixes and diagnosing recurring issues.

2. Build a Knowledge Base

Technicians, especially newer ones, can sometimes hesitate to ask for help. Instead, they may spend hours combing through paper manuals or searching online for answers.

The result is often wasted time and poorly executed repairs.

Providing Instant Access to Information

A technology-backed knowledge base gives technicians immediate access to resources in the field, saving countless hours otherwise spent searching for answers or attending lengthy training sessions focused on memorization.

A digitized knowledge base can include:

• Documentation
• Equipment manuals
• Photos and videos
• Historical service notes
• Recorded support calls
• Unit-specific job history

Using AI and OCR Technology

When companies invest in technology powered by AI and machine learning, finding answers becomes even easier.

Using Optical Character Recognition (OCR), a technician can simply take a photo of a unit's data plate. That information is then automatically indexed to pull up relevant service history and documentation tied to the unit.

This creates a centralized source of truth that technicians can reference for real-time troubleshooting and learning in the field.

3. Rely on Virtual Mentors

You might be thinking, “Do you really expect technicians to sit on hold for hours waiting for support?”

Modern virtual support has evolved beyond traditional service centers.

What Is a Virtual Mentor Center?

A Virtual Mentor Center (VMC) is an in-house support team made up of experienced technicians with decades of field experience.

Rather than simply providing answers, virtual mentors walk technicians through problems in real time by:

• Troubleshooting issues collaboratively
• Teaching repeatable processes
• Providing contextual, on-the-job training
• Helping technicians build confidence

This creates a much more effective learning experience than simply handing over a solution.

How XOi Supports Modern Technician Training

XOi Technologies recognizes that while nothing can fully replace face-to-face training, modern technology can successfully replicate many of the most valuable aspects of personalized learning.

Younger generations of field technicians benefit greatly from technology-driven, contextualized microlearning that provides instant access to workflows, resources, documentation, and mentors directly in the field.

Learn More

Learn more about XOi Technologies’s Journeyman Solution by filling out the form below.