CUSTOMERS CARE ABOUT GETTING THE JOB DONE RIGHT THE FIRST TIME
Technicians are expected to be successful for the first time the arrive on site in order to attain greater customer satisfaction and loyalty. In a research by the Aberdeen Group1, it’s stated that “57% of organizations indicate that a poor first-time fix is the top reason for customer complaints regarding field service work” and the top performers of their “Best of Class” status had a rating of 89% in First Time Fix.
From this we can learn that even if FTF doesn’t make the entire hundred percent, it still claims a large chunk of the whole Customer Satisfaction percentage.
Learn more about how FTF (First Time Fix) is integrated in our Field Service Solution here.
HOW DOES FTF HELP A COMPANY?
Having a second, or a third visit would be costly not only for your costumers but also for your company since sending a technician back would take up more resources. We’ll list the advantages of achieving a FTF below, which you can also set as goals:
- As mentioned above, improved Customer Satisfaction
- Customer loyalty, which in turn equals to customer retention
- An increase in overall revenues
- Increase in customer referrals
- More opportunities to cross and upsell
You need to take in mind that a lot of advantages can stem from just giving the customer what they want. You’d be surprised that a satisfied customer can do so much to help your company as opposed to the damage an irate customer can do to a company’s morale.
SURE WAYS TO ACHIEVE FTF
The simplest way to achieve FTF is simply giving the right tools to empower service technicians. Solutions must be targeted to the following to ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty, which will reap benefits in the long run. Let’s list the basic ways to achieve FTF.
- Proper Training of Service Technicians
Before doing anything too crazy, we must get down to the root of a successful field service, which is to equip the service technicians with the right knowledge and skill set to address a problem onsite and be able to think out of the box when it comes to finding a solution. Technicians need to be taught to use whatever resources they have at hand. We need to empower our technicians by providing them with the right skill set because with these, they are more likely to be more assertive and confident in resolving an issue on a first visit.
- Proper Communication Between Departments
Proper management of a service company’s different departments is also crucial. There must be a proper communication channel most especially between the Service and Parts department. 51% of the time2, the reason for a second visit is because a part isn’t available the first time around. The right channel would help the technicians relay to the Parts Department the needed parts to be reserved and loaded into the truck once he receives the order from the Dispatch unit. Lack of communication can often lead to friction between these departments, which in turn affects the technicians’ performance during a customer visit.
- Access to Customer History Data
Giving technician access to customer history and relevant information is also important. This is so the technician can focus on what needs are required, which can be used in junction with no. 1. By understanding previous problems especially for returning customers, it’s easier for technicians to zero in on the present issue and know which solutions have already been tried and tested and avoid the mistakes of the previous visits.
- Proper Time Management
No, this doesn’t necessarily mean emphasizing speed over the quality work of a first time fix. This means properly utilizing the time the technician is billing the customer and providing everything upfront, right away with the right tools. An example for this is the paperwork involved before and after providing service to a customer. Ideally, companies should provide the necessary paperwork, e.g. invoices/acknowledgement receipts, within the same day that the technician has been called in to work and not waste more time waiting for papers to be processed. This shows the customer efficiency not only in the field service aspect but also of a smooth running back office with whom the technician has a direct contact to even when onsite. With the technician already being there, why not take advantage of the opportunity to present and finish everything on that visit?
These solutions should be a fail-safe guide to achieving a first time fix. You should take into account that it would be best for all of these solutions to be tied together so that your customer would have no choice but be satisfied with the service you provided.
Learn more about how FTF (First Time Fix) is integrated in our Field Service Solution here.
Sources:
1 Aberdeen Group: Field Service 2013 Workforce Management Guide
http://www.digitaldispatcher.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/150-Company-Study-2013.pdf