Technology is disruptive and transformative. It changes entire industries by upending the conventional means of doing things. One of the best examples technology transforming an industry is UBER and ride share apps.
Before 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.
Other industries, including field service, have something to learn from apps like UBER. 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 Share on XSource: CSG Survey
How to Create an UBER-like Experience for Field Service
1. Customer-provided technician ratings
Before UBER, there were few options to deal with a bad taxi 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 – a more consistent, high quality experience for riders.
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. Likewise, field service companies will have greater visibility into the performance of individual technicians.
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, what they look like and what type and color of vehicle they are driving.
Not only does this level of personalization provide peace of mind and safety for customers, it makes it easier to engage with the driver by name.
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 opening their door.
70% of surveyed customers want to see their field service technician’s name and photo - CSG International Share on XSource: CSG Survey
3. More convenient service appointment scheduling
When a rider wants an UBER, it’s as easy as opening the app, entering their destination, confirming their location (which is 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 time-consuming) the process of making an appointment with an HVAC 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. - CSG International Share on XImagine 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. And according to a CSG survey, 86% of respondents are willing to pay a premium (up to $25) for the level of convenience.
4. Mobile alerts and notifications
When a customer requests a ride with UBER, the ride share app send updates and notifications directly to their phone.
UBER-customers receive notifications if their driver is going to be late, when they are near arrival and when they’ve arrived. And at any time in between, customers can open the app to see the exact location of their driver, making it easier to prepare.
These mobile alerts are all handled automatically through the app, and the driver’s phone which tracks their GPS location.
And it’s not just UBER, other ubiquitous companies like Amazon and Chewy are setting your customers up to expect more convenient notifications.
Field service companies could benefit from meeting their customer’s expectations in the same way with an app that enables GPS location tracking of drivers and automatic notifications to their customers.
According to the same CSG survey, 56% of respondents want to receive a mobile alert if a tech is running late, while 35% prefer a text message.
Customer Needs Are Driving Innovation
Technology is making it possible for companies like UBER to disrupt the status quo and transform entire industries. 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, reach out to our team today.
