By Sarah Nicastro, Creator and Editor in Chief, Future of Field Service

Last week, Future of Field Service and Simon-Kucher co-hosted a leadership summit in NYC based on the research we recently partnered on. The research explores what commercial excellence in field service looks like, where the biggest opportunities for service growth lie, and what challenges exist in realizing service’s full potential.

We had about 15 leaders in attendance, representing various industries, and the conversation flowed easily. So much so, in fact, that it demanded our agenda become quite fluid (which is the best sign of a good engagement!). One of the discussions that surfaced that I found most interesting was around how various organizations approach the field technician/engineer’s role in selling.

This topic surfaced while reviewing a section of the research that explores the opportunity that exists to improve and expand value selling in field service. Various leaders spoke up about whether field technicians take part in sales for their businesses, whether they feel their current approach is working well (or not), and what they’d most like to improve.

Selecting a Service Sales Structure that Aligns to Your Strategic Objectives

Without divulging any specifics, here are some of the scenarios that were presented by those in attendance:

• Field technicians as sales accelerators/enablers. To varying extents, some organizations are encouraging and incentivizing technicians to actively but indirectly take part in the sales process. One example is incentivizing service techs to look for sales opportunities and formally document those within a lead generation process or to hand off directly to sales. Another organization pairs service and sales to work as a team, forcing closer collaboration to increase the likelihood that sales can appropriately capitalize on opportunities identified through the tech’s knowledge and expertise.
• Field technicians as trusted advisors. Some organizations prefer to keep a clear delineation between the service and sales functions. In these instances, they feel doing so helps preserve the perception of the field technician as a trusted advisor and protect their ability to act as such. This structure is also used where friction exists between sales and service to where any direct involvement in sales by the service function could be seen as “stepping on toes.” One organization uses a CSR role to act as the intermediary between service and sales and to keep focus on the customer experience.
• Field technicians as direct sellers. Other organizations are more actively prompting their field technicians to sell, equipping them with what’s needed to not only make suggestions while engaged with a customer but to provide quotes and even close business. This seems to work best in organizations where service is already well understood and respected as part of the overall value proposition and revenue engine.

Compensation, Management, and Training are Key in Enabling Field Service Sales Success

Regardless of how an organization approaches the field technicians’ role in the sales process, some other important points surfaced throughout the discussion that provided good food for thought. The first is that, whether you want to encourage technicians to identify, participate in, or own sales opportunities, how you incentivize them through compensation is crucial.

“Technicians are coin-operated,” one leader joked. But all seemed to agree that compensation is a key lever to drive the desired behavior. That said, numerous leaders shared that it’s less about offering a huge monetary amount as it is putting in place the lever to keep sales in focus and motivate technicians to take part. Some companies offer more sizeable commission structures, sometimes shared with sales, while others provide more of a nominal bonus per opportunity uncovered.

One point that seemed to be quite important is that often organizations focus on how to drive behavior among the frontline but fail to consider how to incentivize frontline managers. This can be a significant missed opportunity as those individuals will spend the most hands-on time driving behavior.

Finally, if you’re looking to grow sales through the frontline – whether directly or indirectly – you should reflect on whether you are properly enabling what you’re asking not only through incentives but through training. If you’re expecting field technicians to play any role in selling, they should receive training so they are informed and effective.

Conclusion

As I mentioned at the beginning, this conversation was a relatively small sidebar in a larger discussion about value selling. Which means the role your field force plays in selling is a microcosm of the role service represents in your customer value proposition. For most businesses, there’s a sizeable opportunity for evolution and growth here. This opportunity is being compounded by both customer expectations and technological development. I anticipate that how businesses market, sell, and deliver service will change more significantly in the next 3-5 years than it has in the last decade. While there’s no one right approach to selling service, it’s an area that deserves and demands more strategic focus than it ever has. So, my advice is to push for that within your company, stay curious and continue to seek inspiration beyond your own industry, and focus on the art of what’s possible rather than upholding what’s always been.