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  Can't teach an old dog new tricks?
 
Remember your friendly, neighborhood man in a van with his name embroidered on his shirt? Sure, we all do. And for many companies in the utility services market, cable television, and goods delivery business, the 'white van man' is alive and well.
 
The high recall for this icon of the American service industry is no accident. Most good companies invest heavily in training and equipping their field service staff to do their jobs, and do them well. They're on the front line of customer service and can often have the biggest impact on customer satisfaction. Field service engineers, onsite technicians, repairmen and delivery drivers can literally make or break your business.
 
Most organizations have long-since realized the importance of getting the 'front end' right. Worldwide, companies are spending millions of dollars on tools and processes that are designed to make their service operations more efficient, productive and profitable. However, getting field personnel to actually use the tools and processes can be another story altogether. When a seasoned workforce digs in their heels, how do you win them over and start realizing the benefits behind the strategic vision?
 
How can you prevent the implementation of new technologies and processes from becoming a battle of wills? Do you compromise, cajole, or provide incentives, or is there a case for simply laying down the law?
 
ClickSoftware has implemented field service optimization solutions for more than 100 customers around the world, in industries from telecommunications to computers and office equipment supply. We've helped these organizations to improve their speed, responsiveness and overall service culture. As part of a recent survey, we asked some of our key contacts what strategies they use to 'sell' a new service optimization solution to their employees.
 
Virtually all of the feedback that we received singled out communication as the key to successfully implementing technology and processes that will improve customer service in the field. However, the preferred style and tone of this communication differed greatly from company to company.
 
When we analyzed the results, we discovered four recurring themes. The following responses best explain the reasoning behind each unique approach.
 
Create advocates
The best way to achieve widespread compliance, according to Luigi Cappel, managing director of NZ Smartphone and PDA Academy, is to involve the field from the very beginning of the automation process.
 
"I've been in a number of projects introducing field service automation to companies," he said. "One of the key success factors is getting one or two of the field workers involved at the ground level."
 
Cappel explained that because field workers are deeply knowledgeable about what happens on the job, their perspective provides a needed dose of reality to executive management. Another important strategy is to get an influential detractor involved.
 
"If they feel ownership in the solution and endorse it, others will follow," Cappel said. "The greatest critics often become the most powerful advocates."
 
Don't make the field force the bad guys
One respondent pointed out that many technicians don't like to see new systems added because "there's always that period of getting over the hump. One of the things that can happen during the adjustment period is bad service, which customers tend to take out on technicians."
 
Adding to the frustration in the field is that many of the technicians had more control over the customer relationship before the change, and were in a position to address issues (and potential issues) before the customer got upset. The answer, our contact suggested, is to communicate the benefits of the new system to customers before it is put in place.
 
"When you do this, customers are much more patient with technicians, because they know that the technicians aren't at fault."
 
The next two strategies are a little more blunt but, according to the respective survey respondents, can prove to be extremely effective.
 
Confront poor performance
Monthly engineering team meetings have proven effective for Mike Costello, service delivery manager for IKON Business Solutions.
 
"I have experienced great success with engineers at these meetings, where we hand out information relating to every aspect of the job," he said. "Each engineer is listed in the handouts, along with their performance in each job aspect."
 
"Let's face it," Costello explained, "the good engineers know who the bad engineers are."
 
In discussions, Costello asks 10-call-a-day engineers to describe a typical day, and then asks poorly performing engineers to explain theirs - in front of the team.
 
Through this process, poor performers usually learn how their number of calls per day can improve. Sounds like a risky strategy, but Costello assures us that if managed correctly, it works.
 
The age-old approach
Finally, another contact sent us a tried-and-true solution for winning over the workforce: self-interest.
 
"Always sell them on what's in it for them. Those selling points include the ability to focus more on the job at hand, and less time spent dealing with customers regarding the work schedule; more work during regular hours, with less overtime (if they don't want it); better use of their individual skills; and better balancing of the workload."
 
The strategies for indoctrinating field staff into the use of new mobile service technologies or processes may differ wildly from company to company or depending on the situation at hand. However, in the current economic climate, all logistics managers and directors face a similar challenge: do more with less.
 
There is a lot to be said for self interest and job satisfaction. It's important to maintain frank and open communications well before the new system is designed and developed, as well as during its implementation and commissioning. It is especially important to listen to feedback from field staff when the system goes live to ensure any bugs in the system are ironed out quickly.
 
Generally, most people will readily accept a tool that makes their work easier and more rewarding. Who wouldn't want the confidence to be sure that they are the right field service technician with the right parts, traveling along the most efficient route to the customer's address? You can bet your customers will be pleased to see the engineer arrive on time and resolve the problem first time around.
 
Moshe BenBassat is a scientist and technologist who founded ClickSoftware and has managed the company as CEO and chairman since its inception. ClickSoftware is a leading provider of end-to-end service optimization solutions. ClickSoftware's ServiceOptimization Suite includes strategic and tactical workforce planning, optimized service scheduling, intelligent problem resolution, wireless workforce management, and business analytics, connecting all organizational levels and all functions.