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How Field Service Companies Can Give their Customers an UBER-Like Experience

How Field Service Companies Can Give their Customers an UBER-Like Experience

Technology is disruptive. It changes entire industries by upending the conventional means of doing things. One of the best examples of this in recent years is UBER.

Transportation had been roughly the same for nearly a century. If you needed a ride, you called or hailed a taxi and waited until they arrived.

UBER disrupted the taxi industry by making something that was inconvenient – convenient. Today, you can choose your pickup point, drop off point, size of vehicle, and see exactly how long it will take for your ride to arrive and what it will cost, all from an app on your phone.

Other industries, including field service, have something to learn from this. How could your field service company give customers an UBER-like experience?

An overwhelming 89% of respondents prefer an “Uber-like” tool that provides technician location and continually updated estimated arrival times. – CSG International

1. Customer-Provided Technician Ratings

Before UBER, there were few options to deal with a bad driver. You’d have to remember to take down their medallion number, the phone number for their dispatcher or car service, and their name. And then you’d have to hope the person who picks up the phone actually passes your feedback on to the right people.

UBER changed things by implementing a simple rating system that makes both riders and drivers responsible for their conduct. UBER drivers who fall below a minimum rating can lose their right to drive. The result – you get a more consistent, high quality experience.

For field service companies, implementing a simple process that instantly solicits feedback from customers encourages better service as well. Field technicians are aware of the impact their behavior has, and will go out of their way to serve the customer.

2. Personalization of the Customer Experience

UBER has managed to personalize an industry that was previously near impossible to personalize. When a driver arrives, you know their first name, have a photo of who to look for, and a description of their vehicle.

This level of personalization makes it easier to engage with the driver and provides peace of mind when they arrive.

This simple, but highly effective feature can likewise improve the relationship between field technician and customer for field service companies. By providing a photo and the name of the technician being sent to their home, customers can be better prepared and feel more secure when opening their door.

70% of customers indicated wanting to see the technician’s name and photo – CSG International

3. More Convenient Service Requests

When a rider wants an UBER it’s as easy as opening the app, entering their destination, confirming their location (which was auto-selected based on their GPS coordinates), and pressing a button to request their ride.

It’s dead simple and fast.

On the other hand, consider how dated (and annoying) the process of making an appointment with a cable company or electrician is. The customer is typically required to make a phone call, navigate through a series of prompts, wait on hold, talk to someone, accept a four hour service window at some future date, and any number of other things depending on the company.

97.5% want more control of the scheduling process and prefer alternatives to calling providers for an appointment. 86% of respondents are willing to pay a premium—up to $25—to make the scheduling process more convenient.CSG International

Imagine a world where making an appointment with your plumber, electrician or HVAC company were as easy as opening an app, selecting an appointment time, entering a reason, accepting the price and hitting “Go”.

With the right field service technology this is possible – today.

Customer Needs Are Driving Innovation

Technology is making it possible for companies like UBER to disrupt the status quo – to introduce new ways of doing things into the marketplace of ideas. What if, instead of being disrupted, your company could be the disruptor?

Because, the question isn’t whether your industry is going to be disrupted, it’s “when is it going to be disrupted?”.

To learn more about how custom app development can enable your field service company to provide an UBER-like experience to your customers, contact us today.

Sara @ Big Fish

Sara @ Big Fish

Sara MacQueen is the Founder and President of Big Fish - we turn revolutionary ideas into reality through custom software design and development. Sara was named one of "25 Mobile Women to Watch" and has been interviewed by local and national media for her expertise in mobile technology and business. When she's not working, Sara enjoys hiking and cooking meals from scratch with ingredients found at farmers markets.

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