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May 31, 2022 | 4 Mins Read

An Employee Appreciation Brainstorm

May 31, 2022 | 4 Mins Read

An Employee Appreciation Brainstorm

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By Sarah Nicastro, Creator, Future of Field Service

As I’ve traveled from city to city on the Future of Field Service Live Tour, there are some central themes that have surfaced in nearly every conversation. One of them is the need to focus more on employee engagement and experience, including:

  • Evolving how we train, upskill, and continually improve
  • Putting more focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion
  • Incorporating more empathy and human centricity into our leadership
  • Prioritizing the need to listen more to employees’ ideas, challenges, and feedback
  • Getting more creative about how we make our employees feel appreciated, recognized, and valued for what they do

In this article, I want to do a bit of brainstorming on that last point. I think what happens when we think about employee appreciation and recognition is that we went to think big – and while that isn’t a bad thing, it also isn’t always necessary. Often it is the smaller and more personal acts that have the bigger impact. So, while we can certainly think big, we shouldn’t shy away of thinking small and really just removing any preconceived notions about “what’s been done before.” It is, however, essential to do the thinking – and then the acting – on this important topic. With the competition for talent at an all-time high, and the role of the frontline workforce imperative to your customer experience objectives, ensuring your employees feel valued for their contributions has never been more important. 

I recently interviewed Arran Stewart, Co-Founder and CVO of blockchain-powered recruitment platform Job.com for the podcast and asked his input. “I truly believe that you should do regular reviews and always look to recognition and reward. You should build a recognition and reward culture. Celebrate small wins and make it publicly known what that human being achieved so that throughout the company they feel like they have been recognized,” he says. “And I know companies try and do it with things like employee of the week, employee of the month. I think you can be a lot more creative than that. I also think that rewarding people can be very simple in a sense like, hey, did you know that you’re being taken out for lunch today by the boss? That makes people feel great. It does.”

Arran also gave the excellent suggestion of never overlooking the value of polling your audience when you’re looking to make changes and be more creative. He gives an example in regard to recruiting: “Try and use that bottom-up feedback to maybe more senior ranking members of the company to realign the strategy around benefits, packages, attraction methods, work conditions, work style, all these different components that might then readjust, realign the dials in your hiring and recruitment strategy that will make it work for you,” he says. “I think that’s probably the best way. Listen to the candidate. That’s the best. The source of truth is right in front of you. You can read as many articles as you like, you can look at as many bits of information as you like. Go talk to the source. They’ll tell you. And if you see a trend, then you know that’s what needs to change.”

Think Outside the Box

This advice can also apply to understanding better how your employees would like to feel appreciated. If you aren’t sure what will resonate, ask! If you’re hesitant to do so, let me share a variety of ideas I compiled from a discussion on social media:

  • “A nice, handwritten note and food.”
  • “The best thing a company every did for me was gift a hotel and flight points for both myself and my spouse so that we could go away for a long weekend after months of working on an exhausting project. I was quickly headed toward burnout, and it helped that they saw it and wanted to make a difference.”
  • “Extra time off.”
  • “Wellness days. One day off a month or some regular interval with $100 toward spa, massage, or fitness.”
  • “It must start with fair compensation.”
  • “I think the biggest key to feeling appreciated is having a manager who listens to your ideas, gives you credit for them when they are worth pursuing, helps me achieve work/life balance, and trusts me to do a good job.”
  • “Don’t forget to say it – often simple communication is overlooked.”
  • “My company gives awards which have associated points that you can then use to buy a ton of different things.”
  • “Just saying thank you goes further than most realize.”
  • “Public shout outs or recognition for hard work are nice so that you feel you can be celebrated not just by a leader but by your teammates.”

Maybe some of these seem feasible for your organization and others don’t. There are also countless other ideas that you could come up with given a bit of effort. And that’s the point – make the effort! Never underestimate the value of the simplest things, but don’t be afraid to think differently and think big. Ultimately, making your employees feel appreciated goes a long way toward a positive company culture which will pay dividends in engagement and retention. 

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May 23, 2022 | 4 Mins Read

Maybe What Field Service Needs is a Dose of Fresh Perspective

May 23, 2022 | 4 Mins Read

Maybe What Field Service Needs is a Dose of Fresh Perspective

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By Sarah Nicastro, Creator, Future of Field Service

As I’ve traveled from city to city the last two months for the Future of Field Service Live Tour, I’ve been reminded how much perspective is gained by meeting new people and seeing different places. By getting out of your comfort zone and removing the lens of familiarity. I grew up in a small town and I didn’t take my first flight until I was in college (my father still has never flown) so the opportunity to soak up these experiences is one I always cherish.

The feedback I’ve received from those who have joined us at the Paris, London, and Frankfurt stops of the Live Tour has echoed the value of perspective. Points such as “the event was insightful,” “I left re-energized about my objectives,” “this gave me food for thought AND food for action,” and “there’s so much power in collaborating in person this way,” have not only made me feel thankful for the ability to bring Future of Field Service to life in this way but have also reminded me of the power of fresh perspective. No one in attendance has all of the answers or a universal blueprint for success, but the act of stepping aside from the day-to-day for a few hours to engage with peers and share ideas has sparked new insights and new energy.

Thinking about the value of fresh perspective, I wonder if it is exactly what field service needs right now. Organizations spinning their wheels rather than achieving their objectives are almost always thinking too small, acting without input, or working inside siloes. Each of these challenges could be alleviated by seeking out more perspective.

For instance, I mentioned at last week’s Frankfurt event that it’s my opinion we need to stop hyper-focusing on “field” service and instead broaden our perspective to all of service. How does the organization operate? Field service shouldn’t be a silo. How is the value proposition presented to customers? Service should be seamless (which it isn’t when siloed). Do our customers only care about a positive field service experience, or a positive experience overall? In this scenario, taking in the perspective of the customer can point us to what changes need to be made within our strategy, execution, technology mix, or skills to ensure we are meeting today’s demands.

Perspective is also critical when it comes to recruiting, hiring and retention – as well as change management. Do you understand your employees’ wants, needs, and feelings? Do you try to put yourself in their shoes? Today’s talent is far different than that of even five years ago. Broadening your perspective on what they want and why they want it will help you achieve better results in a tight labor market. And when it comes to managing change, keeping the perspective of your employees top of mind is in many ways the key to success.

How Perspective Aids Change Management

At last week’s event, Marc Ringwelski, Product Manager at REMA TIP TOP shared how he has gained traction in the company’s journey to delivering outcomes-based service. The initial phase of this journey was to introduce the IFS platform to improve data accuracy and availability and to standardize processes. To help manage this change, he spent ample time doing ride-alongs with field technicians. When asked by the audience how he determined which feedback of theirs to incorporate, he said “I really tried to put myself in their shoes, and I was able to do that far better by seeing what they needed firsthand by joining them on the job.” The perspective he gained from this investment of his time not only helped the company to make improvements to the solution, but it showed the employees how much he valued their input.

While valuable, perspective isn’t always easy to gather because as humans we often like to believe we have it all figured out. The first step toward our own fresh perspective is realizing the value of thinking differently. From there we need exposure – you can’t change your perspective with the same-old, same-old. Whatever you’re needing to think differently on, step outside of your norm – go somewhere new, look outside of your industry for ideas, spend time with different people, ask varied opinions. Then work on listening to your gut on what you must hold true to and what beliefs or opinions or ideas it is time for you to make a shift on.

So much of service, of field service, is changing and fresh perspective can help take us outside of the view of that change being scary or daunting and instead help us see that it holds a wealth of opportunity.

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May 16, 2022 | 3 Mins Read

How Will Customer Success Roles Expand in the Future of Field Service?

May 16, 2022 | 3 Mins Read

How Will Customer Success Roles Expand in the Future of Field Service?

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By Sarah Nicastro, Creator, Future of Field Service

When I wrote my synopsis of Field Service Palm Springs, one of the themes I mentioned is a discussion around Customer Success. In an ask-me-anything session, an audience member asked the panel if their organizations currently have customer success roles and, if so, how they are structured – what the responsibilities entail, where they report into, and how they are funded. 

Keeping the panelists anonymous, let me share some of the highlights of the answers: 

  • “Yes, we have customer success managers within the aftermarket team and they are responsible for putting together a cross-functional team to help achieve customer outcomes. Each customer success manager is responsible for three to four accounts and we’ve had this in place for about 10 years. They are funded within the value we receive from large customer contracts and we’ve had success with this approach.”
  • “We have customer service managers within our IT services. They perform quarterly business reviews on each customer and generate a lot of data, including customer satisfaction. We focus on ensuring the data is actionable and their cost is built into our services.”
  • “Our customer success managers exist fundamentally to deeply understand customer expectations and to translate that into service requirements. Their cost is built in.”

These answers make me think about what the future of customer success within field service may look like. As we progress more toward delivering outcomes and rely more heavily on the use of self-service, remote service, AI and ML, we know the role of the frontline technician will evolve. Yes, evolve – not disappear. But with less unnecessary on-site visits and a move toward more technical versus mechanical work, those resources will be freed to spend some degree more time on value-add efforts.

Would it make sense for some of that value-add work to include aspects of customer success? It may. Of course every industry and every company varies, so it is impossible to give a universal prediction or recommendation. That said, in the present-day world of outcomes being customers’ primary focus (versus products or services), the purpose of customer success in ensuring outcomes are being delivered, customer expectations are clear and satisfaction is understood, and ample data is compiled on value delivered are all very important. 

During our Paris Live Tour event, we talked quite a bit about what the future of the field technician role may look like. And I brought up the point that perhaps what we need to be considering is some sort of segmentation – rather than a “one role does all” approach, as the value being delivered shifts from transaction to outcome, perhaps we need to examine the potential of a combination of roles. You could still have the technician, who does the hands-on, on-site work when required. You could have a sort of customer success role, who handles some of the remote service work and also ensures expectations are being met. And then you’ll need to determine if a third, relationship-focused role is required – essentially someone responsible for selling and managing the account by developing relationships with key stakeholders within the customer. 

Some sort of segmentation may work well when it comes to leveraging talent, because not all traditional field technicians have the inclination or even capacity to do more of the customer-facing, relationship work. Maintaining a role that is more technical and mechanical and leaving the trusted advisor status to someone with more passion for building relationships could work best in certain scenarios. Again, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but we’re piecing together a puzzle of many pieces including service evolution away from break-fix, customer expectations for outcomes and insights, the need to modernize service with self-service and remote service capabilities, the talent gap, and the development of the traditional field technician role into something – or multiple things – different. 

For today, know that those questioned at the event are not only using customer success in service but finding real value in doing so. If you have moved beyond a transactional model (which hopefully you have or are!), I think putting customer success in place is an important step to ensuring your customers achieve the outcomes they’re looking to you to provide and feel you are invested in their success. 

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Key Topics at Field Service Palm Springs 2022

May 2, 2022 | 4 Mins Read

Key Topics at Field Service Palm Springs 2022

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Last week, as the last of the Coachella-ers left Palm Dessert, the attendees of Field Service Palm Springs arrived for what felt like the event’s real post-Covid comeback. While WBR did put on a November session of its historically April-timed event, it didn’t quite feel then like the industry was ready to be back. Last week, it did. Attendance was strong, energy was positive, and it felt like as close to the “before” as we can expect. 

The three-day event was filled with some great presentations and discussions, although I was disappointed to see some early morning sessions sparsely attended likely due to too much fun the nights prior. Even after years of attending this event there were some really insightful, impactful points and thoughts that made it into my notebook (yes, I still take notes on paper). 

I plan to expand on some of these points and topics in the coming weeks, but for now I am simply going to share a compilation of some of my personal favorite highlights. In no particular order, here are some of the things that stood out to me:

  • Today’s leaders must embrace change and understand the value of kindness and compassion. Kacy Drury of Everi discussed how and why so many leaders avoid change, and the negative impact this is having on the industry’s potential. She also spoke about how the emotional distance many leaders were accustomed to keeping prior to the pandemic is a thing of the past – today’s leaders can thrive by being kind and compassionate.
  • Technology can be a culprit or a solution to organizational siloes. During a panel discussion about “Scrapping Siloes,” leaders from Cincinnati Inc, Everi, and Hobart discussed the ways in which technology can support organizations eliminating siloes (by democratizing knowledge and offering a common language) or fuel them (with disparate systems and poor processes).
  • Stories can drive digital acceptance. Serendipitously, Alban Cambournac of Schneider Electric spoke just after my opening session on storytelling to share three stories of how digital impacts the world in very human ways. He spoke about how by focusing not on the tech, but what the tech can do in people’s lives, we can go further. 
  • “If data isn’t actionable, it shouldn’t exist.” This was said by Marlene Kolodziej of RICOH Digital Services. Data was a hot topic of discussion, but Marlene’s quote summarizes quite well the consensus – whether we’re talking about data as an internal enabler or an external value proposition. Leaders seemed to agree that while nearly every business today recognizes the criticality of data and has taken steps to collect it, many are still struggling with what to do with it. This was discussed in relation to connected device data that sits siloed, technician knowledge that is inaccessible, and customer-facing data that is cumbersome. 
  • Despite pervasive connectedness, people feel isolated – because we are humans, not machines. On a panel I moderated with leaders from Acuity, IBM, Source Support, and Skyllful, we discussed how the role of the frontline technician is changing and Justin Lake of Skyllful shared that on a recent ride along with a technician, the technician said, “I feel like I’m on an island.” Mindy Booknis of IBM shared some cautionary words about ensuring you don’t over-automate in a way that your customers miss the people connection and personal touch. While our connectedness and access to information is incredibly powerful, we must balance it with human centricity. 
  • Remote service is a priority, but still being sorted. Many leaders brought up their use of various tools to remotely diagnose and resolve issues and to allow company to customer or company to tech virtual experiences. However, no one seems to have the remote-first strategy perfected. Across industries it is in varying stages of refinement with companies addressing issues of change management, communication to customers of the different value proposition, and in some scenarios access to customer data. 
  • Customer success is a growing service function. During an ask-me-anything panel, someone asked if any of the leaders’ organizations have customer success roles for service. All four did, and each shared some points of success as well as things to consider. The opportunity for customer success to compliment, augment, and in some cases even replace field service roles seems to be a growing trend. 
  • Customer satisfaction demands equal emphasis on employee engagement. Many sessions were dedicated to discussing the need to put more effort into the experience, engagement, and satisfaction of the frontline workforce. And while this is driven in part by the immense challenges to recruit, it’s also due to the realization that the frontline worker is instrumental in a company’s mission to drive customer satisfaction. 
  • Diversity, and inclusion, of talent in field service is a must. Laurie Battaglia of Aligned at Work interviewed Stephanie Peters of Hobart about the steps Hobart is taking to drive diversity. The company has introduced a new program and is taking intentional action not only to bring diverse talent into its organization but to ensure equity and inclusion of it’s employee base. It was a powerful example of the importance of improving diversity in this space, not only to help solve the talent problems but to expand diversity of opinions, ideas, and thought that will only improve a company’s ability to evolve and innovate. 

Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks, and if you want to save the date for any of the upcoming events (besides, of course, the Future of Field Service Live Tour!) here are the dates and locations:

  • Field Service Hilton Head – August 16-18, 2022
  • Field Service Asia (Singapore) – November 15-16, 2022
  • Field Service Europe (Amsterdam) – November 30-December 1st, 2022
  • Field Service Palm Springs 2023 – April 25-27th, 2023

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Identifying the Root Cause of 5 Common Field Service Hurdles

April 25, 2022 | 7 Mins Read

Identifying the Root Cause of 5 Common Field Service Hurdles

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By Sarah Nicastro, Creator, Future of Field Service

You know the saying nothing worth having comes easy? It applies to our world of field service, too. There are hurdles you’ll face on the journey of service transformation that will test your commitment, tenacity, and resolve. Those who dig in to understand these hurdles and overcome them are far more likely to succeed than those who take the hurdle at face value and become deterred from their goal.

Not long ago, I welcomed onto the podcast James Mylett, SVP, U.S. Digital Buildings at Schneider Electric, for an in-depth conversation on meeting the demands of modern leadership. The two-part discussion was full of valuable insights, but one point that really stuck with me is in part two where he discusses his tendency toward root cause analysis. Here’s a synopsis of what he shares: “I want to make sure that our team is focused on root cause analysis for problem solving. Like most organizations, when you think about a problem, everybody wants to go to ideation, and we don’t spend enough time first identifying the root cause of the problem. And so, my bias is to start at the problem and work backwards from that and put a solution in place that’s supported with data.”

Sounds totally sensible, right? It is, but here’s why many overlook a fairly simple but critical and sometimes arduous process. “It takes hard work to really dig in and to get the root cause. And it takes courage to face into the data when it doesn’t support what you thought the root cause was, and that happens a lot. It happens to me – I’ve got my mind made up that we should be moving in this direction but when we dig in the data doesn’t support my assumption. As the leader, I want to follow what the data is saying. The challenge is to not get paralyzed by the data, but it has to have role in the conversation.”

The pace of change today’s leaders face I believe compounds the tendency to skip or rush root cause analysis, because there’s pressure to think quickly and move fast. But hurdles like those I often hear below really cannot be overcome without an accurate, genuine understanding of what’s causing the problem. So, while root cause analysis may take a little time, challenge your thinking, and send you on a path different than what you assumed – it’s well worth it to ensure the path you take is one that will deliver outcomes. 

Hurdle: Leadership doesn’t view our company as a service business. 

Potential root cause: This is one I hear often from service leaders within manufacturing organizations who see the potential to servitize the business but face some resistance or differing opinions among senior leadership. We often talk about the importance of alignment and breaking down siloes, but to do that you first must understand why it is leadership doesn’t share the view of service potential. 

As with all these hurdles, there can be many different root causes. One common scenario is that if senior leadership has been in place a long time they can be very emotionally tied to the legacy of the business. This is natural and must be handled delicately – showing how incorporating a service focus into the core business strategy can augment and strengthen the company’s value proposition, not take the place of manufacturing excellent products. Ask more questions than you do give input and see if you can better understand the emotions around senior leadership’s views to influence how you articulate the role of service in the business.

Also keep in mind, though, that overall, the directions that things are heading is that not only do customers not care so much about products, but they don’t care so much about service. They care about what either – or both – can do for them. Taking the outcomes-based view here may help you in highlighting how the overall customer relationship needs to evolve rather than staking a claim on service alone.

Hurdle: We can’t get the investment we need to evolve service. 

Potential root cause: We all know evolving service is important, but chances are you are not speaking about doing so in a language that resonates with top leadership. You need to understand the objection, which means digging into the root cause. A few ideas come to mind. First, have you (or prior service leaders) made investments in technology to evolve service that have failed? This can be a huge deterrent in further investment, and it’s a tough topic to unravel because while you must deal with the realities of that failure, you also must express the opportunity cost of not rectifying what’s already been done. Finally, you need to be prepared to have a detailed plan for how you’ll avoid failure a second time.

Another potential root cause is related to hurdle number one, which is that perhaps top leadership doesn’t see the value in evolving your service offerings. This happens not only in manufacturing organizations looking to servitize, but in service businesses where some are happy with the status quo and don’t see the need to move beyond “what’s working.” In either scenario, looking outside of your organization for examples of success – viable, measurable success – can help address these objections. But only after you’ve dug in to understand them. 

Hurdle: Our employees resist change. 

Potential root cause: Sure they do! It’s human nature. And in the spirt of a little tough love, the aren’t resisting change – you are doing a poor job managing it. What is the root of their emotions? Is this the first major change they’ve faced in a very long time and it’s just completely uncomfortable? Do they feel they haven’t had a voice in the change that is underway? Do they feel not valued overall? Do they fear for their jobs? Are they burnt out or frustrated because they aren’t adequately recognized or compensated?

Your initiatives, whether a new service offering or a new technology investment, will fail if you don’t prioritize change management. It’s your responsibility to do so. Invest the time to understand the emotions, listen to the feedback, and show – through actions – you hear your workers, and you care what they have to say. Recognize the value of your frontline and treat them accordingly. Finally, know that another critical aspect of change management is ensuring they are not only understood but properly equipped for the change. This means an investment in education, training, and whatever else they need to be fully capable of what it is you’re asking them to do differently. 

Hurdle: We can’t hire enough talent to support our growth goals.

Potential root cause: This is a challenge for nearly every company today, but the fact that it is a measurable reality doesn’t permit you to shirk responsibility to do what you can to offset it or to set aside your growth goals for this reason. Besides the labor market facts, what are the other potential root causes for your struggles around talent?

Could it be that you are still relying on hiring based on experience? News flash, that’s an outdated practice that is a surefire way to remain short-staffed. Are you offering a compelling employee value proposition? Today’s workforce desires different things than the technicians you hired 20 years ago, and you need to step up to understand and meet those needs. How strong are your onboarding, training, mentorship, and career development programs? 

How engaged and satisfied are your current employees, and what’s your retention rate? If these numbers aren’t good, you absolutely have to understand why in order to identify where and how to improve. What’s your company culture? Talent is an area where companies really need to step up their efforts, focus, and investments to ensure they are positioning themselves to do well with what today’s realities are. The best way to dig into root cause here, at least the version you can impact, is to ask your employees and prospective employees for feedback. And listen!

Hurdle: We’ve already “transformed” and we’re the best at what we do.

Potential root cause: This statement bums me out. Sometimes I have folks who say, oh yeah, we moved from reactive service to X% proactive service contracts, so we’ve transformed and are happy with where we are. Not to discredit progress, but the potential for service evolution is so very big! It’s really a journey of continuous learning and improvement, which is just an operational process that’s foreign to many organizations. 

There are several reasons for potential root cause here. Could be a very simple lack of awareness of the real opportunity around service. It could be that leaders are weary of the effort transformation takes and want to stay in a state of complacency for a while. It could be back to number one where the overall focus of the business is on something else. Most likely it’s a company culture and mentality issue, where leaders are living in a reality of 10+ years ago where the status quo could work for quite a while. That isn’t our reality anymore – disruption is real, change is continuous, and competitors will evolve even if you won’t. Looking at how your business operates and what the mindset is around continuous transformation and evolution is really important. 

What hurdles would you add to this list? And do you do a lot of root cause analysis? I’d love to hear! Send me an email with any insights you’re willing to share. 

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Addressing Mental Health is Critical to Your Talent Strategy

April 18, 2022 | 5 Mins Read

Addressing Mental Health is Critical to Your Talent Strategy

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By Sarah Nicastro, Creator, Future of Field Service

We know that the talent gap is the number one challenge businesses are grappling with at the moment – but are you ignoring the importance of better addressing mental health as part of the solution? If the frontline workforce is in short supply, turning a blind eye to the ways your existing employees are becoming overtaxed and burned out will only exacerbate your talent headaches. 

The impact of COVID and the realities of the Great Resignation are putting mental health conversations at the forefront for more business leaders, which I see as a positive. Learning how our employees and prospective employees are struggling, what they need, and making an effort to provide better support isn’t a philanthropical venture, it is progressing our treatment of people to the way we should be treating people. 

I remember on episode number one of the Future of Field Service podcast, Tony Black who was then with Otis Elevator said, “Our field technicians are our company’s most treasured resource.” A statement like that is great to say, but meaningless unless you are taking actions that prove you genuinely mean the words. 

Bringing these conversations to the foreground not only normalizes a topic that shouldn’t but still does hold some stigma, but it allows business leaders to begin the process of brainstorming what needs to change. The Service Council and ProntoForms recently hosted a session on mental health, which featured insights from various companies on what issues they are seeing and how they are taking action. 

During the session, it was shared by Darcy Gruttadaro of the Center for Workplace Mental Health that younger workers are particularly at risk for combatting mental health struggles. “There’s been a quadrupling and tripling of anxiety and depression starting from March 2020,” she says. “The hardest hit age group is 18- to 29-year-olds, so if you have young employees in your workforce they are at great risk.” 

The Challenges of Mental Health in Field Service

There are a number of variables that make mental health in field service difficult to address. First, there is that stigma remaining related to the topic and it takes commitment, time, and effort to eliminate that and normalize the conversation. Second, there are aspects of the job that do cause stress and strain that are entirely unavoidable – so sometimes companies feel as though their hands are tied. And finally, as stated during The Service Council’s session, mental health is challenging to assess and track. 

“Looking at it holistically…we are in COVID, people are not in their best form, so there are some factors there. Even if you can’t see it in data, you have to accept that mental health and wellness is impacting behaviors,” says Alisha Eilers, Segment Safety Manager for North America Manufacturing & Service at Hobart Service. Alisha is absolutely right that even where we don’t see data around these issues, we have to understand they are there. This recognition allows for more proactive measures in addressing issues before they become notable events. 

I recently hosted a Focus Group with the Future of Field Service Advisory Forum, which is a group of IFS customers who come together regularly to share insights and build collective knowledge, where we discussed human centricity and mental health in detail. Some of the additional challenges that surfaced in that conversation are that overtime and utilization levels are at all-time highs, the restrictions and logistics of navigating COVID have caused burnout, the nature of all-remote work breeds isolation and disconnect, and it can be difficult not to adopt a defeatist attitude with so many employees leaving the workforce. 

What hopefully gives you a sense of comfort is that the challenges you may be experiencing are shared by many others. What hopefully is sinking in, though, is what that means in terms of the importance of addressing this topic more strategically, more proactively, and more thoroughly. 

Tactics to Improve Employee Mental Health

So, how do we do that? Like all complex topics, there’s no simple answer or one-size-fits all approach. However, here are a few thoughts from my Advisory Forum, myself, and some former podcast guests that are a great place to start:

  • Realize that the only way to normalize mental health and get your employees to open up is to lead by example. In this podcast with Linda Tucci, Global Sr. Director of the Technical Solutions Center at Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, she discusses how she prioritizes mental health in her leadership and how that has had an impact on her teams being more open with her
  • In addition to leading by example, recognize that the efforts to incorporate mental health dialogue into the workplace are better served in frequent, subtle doses versus a once-a-year flailing attempt at a guest speaker or dedicated day. In this podcast with Jordan Argiriou, Director, Service Solutions APEC at QIAGEN, we discuss how he’s normalized the discussion by genuinely caring about his teams, getting to know them better as people, and adding casual conversations to each interaction
  • While leading by example and incorporation into daily interactions are important, so too is a formalized objective around making progress in mental health as part of employee wellness. As such, companies from my Advisory Forum are creating programs, putting this focus into leaders’ individual objectives, and discussing in every one-on-one
  • Be cognizant of the damage one toxic leader can do to your organization. Particularly when you have a manager who is in charge of all-remote technicians that don’t interact with one another or other leaders often, if that manager has toxic tendencies, they can isolate their entire team and really thwart any well-intended efforts you have
  • Remember the immense value in ensuring your frontline employees feel relevant, valued, and recognized for their contributions – as one leader in the Forum said, “so often, the simple is lost.”
  • While it can be challenging, if you have employees choosing to leave whether for a change of occupation altogether or a similar role at a different company, avoid the defeatist attitude, celebrate their contributions, and wish them well. This shows you value your employees as human beings and not only for their contributions to the business, and it leaves the door open should their situation change
  • Find ways to combat isolation that frontline workers often feel. Many ideas were shared in the Forum, from face-to-face team events at least once a year to small gifts to FaceTime calls at random to check in to ride alongs to personal notes in the mail and many more. The key point is that there is always, always a way to personally acknowledge your workforce and make them feel part of the bigger team and mission

What would you add to this list? I hope you’re thinking about it, because I do believe this topic is so very important to better address. As Jim Woolly, Director of Service Operations at KONE Canada said during The Service Council’s session, “If we can get this right, think of the tremendous impact. Think of mindfulness and bringing meaningfulness as part of our employment strategy. People are asking now: how do you take care of me?” We all need to become better at answering that question. 

To access the full Service Council session, visit here. 

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The Remote Service Wave is Coming – Are You Ready?

April 11, 2022 | 3 Mins Read

The Remote Service Wave is Coming – Are You Ready?

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By Sarah Nicastro, Creator, Future of Field Service

We’ll release a podcast this week with my summary and highlights from last week’s very first Future of Field Service Live Tour stop in Paris, so I am going to keep this specific to just one topic. The event was great – it was really exciting to see this platform come to life in in-person form. One of the topics that came up more than I was expecting it to was remote service. 

The audience either already had a remote service strategy in place or were in agreement that it is a “must” in the near term. Roel Rentmeesters of Munters spoke with me and shared the story of how the company first deployed Remote Assistance to aid with Covid restrictions but is now expanding the technology’s use into a standard remote-first service approach. He did comment that feelings about the use of remote service changed after restrictions were lifted, with technicians questioning more its use than when travel wasn’t permitted. However, he and other attendees agreed that – emotions or not – it is an inevitable part of the future of field service. 

Why? A few key reasons came up. First, customer expectations will demand it. Response time is critically important, across industries and businesses. But while customers demand faster and faster response, organizations face the impossibility of scaling up in labor to meet those demands. Thus, remote service helps to bridge that gap. It provides the ability to respond quickly, and sometimes resolve issues remotely as well. This improves customer satisfaction, but it has the added benefit of helping companies eliminate costly, unnecessary onsite visits. 

Remote Service Alleviates Frontline Burden

One of the benefits of remote service is that it helps organizations to make better use of their resources – which we know are scarce. This is the second reason that its expanded use seems imminent. Companies can use remote service to remotely assess and diagnose issues, so that trips on-site are lessened, either by remote resolution or by more accurate preparation to maximize first-time fix. This improves efficiency whilst helping reduce the burden on the frontline worker which is a problem almost every company in attendance is looking to solve. 

The other way remote service helps address the talent gap is as an internal tool. One of the scenarios that was discussed at the event is that a technician who is no longer interested in traveling, but has valuable experience, can use Remote Assistance from the back office, or even home, to aid a number of less experienced technicians working in the field. This gives companies the advantage of extending the lifespan of their most knowledgeable and experienced talent while getting “greener” technicians in the field faster for hands-on experience with expert support. 

Like with anything, it isn’t all rainbows and butterflies. Some employees have resistance toward the technology, either because they feel it is burdensome or because they feel it puts their jobs at risk. It was shared that some customers can also have reservations, perhaps because they feel the technology will be cumbersome to use or for security reasons. Finally, the evolution puts organizations in the position of having to sort out just how service delivery changes in a remote-first approach. What does that look like? How do processes change? Resources? What investment is required?

While not without some questions to answer and change to manage, remote service was spoken about at the event as a given – and I believe that is with good reason. Are you ready for the wave?

Stay tuned for Wednesday’s podcast to hear more about the event!

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Relational Intelligence on the Frontlines: How to Develop Great Partnerships with Your Customers

April 4, 2022 | 5 Mins Read

Relational Intelligence on the Frontlines: How to Develop Great Partnerships with Your Customers

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By Dr. Adam C. Bandelli, Founder & Managing Director of Bandelli & Associates and author of RELATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: THE FIVE ESSENTIAL SKILLS YOU NEED TO BUILD LIFE-CHANGING RELATIONSHIPS


Sir Richard Branson, the legendary entrepreneur and business leader once said, “look after your staff and they will take care of your customers.” In a year when we are coming out of a global pandemic and reuniting with our people and teams face-to-face, in many instances for the first time, Branson’s quote resonates now more than ever before. Frontline employees are often the face of our businesses and organizations. They are the ones that have the greatest impact on our customers. They represent a company’s brand and the products and services that are sold.

If frontline employees are to be successful in driving your business forward, they need to learn many different skills. It is important for them to understand the mission and vision of your organization. They need to know the values and principles that your company is built upon. They must have a deep understanding of your products and customer service offerings. They need to be bold and ambitious to drive the business forward and help the company achieve its financial profitability. Most importantly, they need to build great relationships with your customers. The types of partnerships that generate repeat business and create the word-of-mouth buzz around the benefits of working with your organization. To do this, frontline line leaders and their employees need to learn and practice what I call relational intelligence. 

Relational intelligence is the ability to successfully connect with people and build strong, long-lasting relationships. Our research at Bandelli & Associates has found that when frontline employees are intentional about building great relationships with their customers it leads to many productive outcomes. Employees who consistently practice relational intelligence have more satisfied customers and repeat business. Not only that, when frontline employees develop trust with their customers word-of-mouth referrals spreads quickly. The bottom line grows when your customers know that they matter, and that you not only value their business, but you value the relationships you form with them as well. 

So, what are the five essential skills of relational intelligence and how can you put them into practice with your customers?

  1. Establishing Rapport: This skill focuses on the initial stages of communication between your employees and their customers. It’s the ability to create an initial positive connection with people. There are many factors that come into play when establishing rapport. Making a good first impression matters. The words you use and “how” you use them can draw customers in or push them away. Finding common ground becomes critical. You can do this not only by asking questions and listening, but by using eye contact and nonverbal behaviors to show a genuine interest in what customers are saying. You cannot progress to further stages of developing lasting relationships with people if you don’t take time to establish rapport.
  2. Understanding Others: This skill is about being intentional in putting in the time and effort needed to get to know your customers on a deep level. It is about using EQ to understand your own feelings and the emotions of others. It’s about being a good active listener. It’s about being curious and inquisitive. Relationally intelligent employees ask probing questions to learn about the background, history, and experiences of the customers they serve. They are empathetic and can put themselves in other peoples’ shoes. Understanding others does not happen overnight. It is an ever-evolving process that must take place over time. The investment you make during the early stages of a relationship sets the foundation for retaining lifelong customers. 
  3. Embracing Individual Differences: This skill is about acknowledging and accepting that everyone comes from different backgrounds and experiences. It’s having a favorable reception towards customers who think, act, and behave differently than you do. It’s about appreciating racial and ethnic diversity. It’s acknowledging the differences of how men and women think and what their buying needs might be. It’s choosing to embrace peoples’ sexual orientation. It’s understanding that cross-cultural differences and spirituality/religion impact how you interact with the world. It’s about showing people common decency and treating others the way you want to be treated. Relationally intelligent frontline employees know how to tap into this to create stronger partnerships with their customers. 
  4. Developing Trust: This is the most important relational intelligence skill in any employee-customer relationship. You must earn your customer’s trust. You demonstrate trustworthiness by showing competence, honoring commitments, and consistently exceeding customer expectations. Once trust is developed, customers let their guards down and they open up more. To sustain trust over time, employees must continually nurture the customer relationship. Deposits into the bank account of trust must be made on a regular basis. Withdrawals can have a negative effect on the relationship. If you break trust with a customer, you will lose their business.
  5. Cultivating Influence: This is the most powerful skill of relational intelligence. It is the ability to have a positive impact on the lives of others. It’s about always putting your customers first. It’s not about trying to get the sale or win the business. Do you genuinely care about improving the quality of your customer’s life regardless of the product or service that you sell? Do you value the relationship enough to do what’s in their best interest and not your own? Can you think beyond this sale to the one that could take place a year from now if you invest further in developing the relationship? Great relationally intelligent frontline employees are strategic in their customer relationships. They do not sacrifice tomorrow, or the quality of the customer relationship, to get a quick sale for their monthly quota. The funny thing is though, if you can think strategically while investing in strengthening the relationship today, you will hit your monthly quotas. In fact, you’ll cultivate customer relationships that can span a lifetime. 

Great frontline employees don’t just sell products and deliver services, they create an experience for their customers by using relational intelligence. This is the defining factor that makes great employee-customer relationships work. If your people are intentional in how they build relationships with your customers, your business with thrive and grow. 

Adam C. Bandelli, PhD, is the Managing Director of Bandelli & Associates, a boutique consulting firm focusing on leadership advisory services and organizational effectiveness. He is the author of the book Relational Intelligence: The Five Essential Skills You Need to Build Life-Changing Relationships, which will be available everywhere books are sold in May. Follow Dr. Bandelli on Instagram at @official_bandelliassociates to learn more. You can also visit the firm’s website at www.bandelliandassociates.com for information on other leadership topics and to learn about their consulting services.

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3 Assumptions That Can Hinder Service Success

March 28, 2022 | 5 Mins Read

3 Assumptions That Can Hinder Service Success

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By Sarah Nicastro, Creator, Future of Field Service

When I was younger, a “teaching moment” had me ruminating for days because my insecurity told me I shouldn’t need to be taught – I should already know. Thankfully, I’ve grown into someone who today values a teaching moment because I now know no one knows it all and I appreciate the opportunity to grow as a person. 

If you listened to last week’s podcast with Amy Herman, a New York Times Best-Selling attorney, former Frick Collection Head of Education and art historian who published a new book in December of 2021 titled, “Fixed: How to Perfect the Fine Art of Problem Solving,” you witnessed a teaching moment in real time. (If you haven’t listened, go bookmark it now – it’s a great episode!)

Here’s how it went:

Sarah Nicastro: Yeah. Yeah. All right. So obviously one choice.

Amy Herman: That’s a word that’s not allowed in my program. Sarah. We’re never allowed to say obviously.

And at first, I just said – OK. But then I promptly said it again, so I asked:

Sarah Nicastro: Why the use of the word obviously is prohibited?

Amy Herman: I didn’t mean to catch you in a moment, snagged you. At the beginning of all my sessions, I lay out three rules. The hardest to follow is that for the time that I’m together with my clients, I ask them to refrain from two words, obviously, and clearly.

Amy Herman: The reason is, we live in work in a complex world. Nothing is obvious and even less is clear. So, you say, well obviously we have a case of X. What if I don’t know why it’s obvious? Am I going to stop you and say, Sarah, can you please explain to me why that’s obvious? Instead of assuming a certain level of knowledge and introducing a potentially antagonistic situation, say “It appears to me to be a case of X because of Y and Z.” Not only does that deescalate a situation but think about in companies where there are hierarchies or in the operating room. The doctor says, well, obviously it’s this. What if the intern sees something else? And because of the hierarchy, isn’t going to say, well, Dr. Jones, why can’t it be this? So, if the doctor were wise and thinking about pedagogy and say, well, it appears to me to be this tumor because of all the evidence of X, Y, and Z around it. It’s a better way to observe. It’s a better way to communicate. It’s more inclusive and it deescalates without having to say I’m deescalating. When my sessions are in person, if anyone says obviously or clearly, I make the whole room applaud. So, they’re reminded, oh, maybe I shouldn’t do that. And I want you to know you’re not alone. When I tell people that they broke the rule they use obviously again and again and again. It calls attention to a word that we’re using, and we’re not really sure what the implications are. 

What Assumptions Are Hurting Us in Service?

And this conversation got me thinking. Of course, about how I can do a better job of communicating my observations in a way that is conscious that they are mine and no one else’s, and that gives me the opportunity to welcome discussion or differences of opinion. But also, about how often we make assumptions – as humans, at work, and with customers. 

While it’s a natural tendency and not one to be ashamed of, it is a learning opportunity and something to work on. Maybe if we were to examine more what we think we know in service, we’d realize how much more we have to understand. Here are three areas where I’d guess many of our readers and listeners are using “Obviously…” statements that could be hindering their progress:

  1. Obviously, we know how to provide great service to our customers. Making assumptions about what your customers want and need is risky business. Yes, hopefully it is true that you know how to meet your current customer expectations (and, hint: you only know if you’ve asked). But one thing to consider is that there’s a difference between knowing and doing – so while leadership may “know” how to provide great service, the frontline needs to “do” it, and this requires a breadth of understanding, commitment, and ability on their behalf that “obviously” statements will quickly preclude. Another point to consider is that the definition of “great service” is changing very rapidly. So being too comfortable at any point with what you think you know can be detrimental to your ability to evolve. Rather than taking the stance of knowing, invest in the process of asking – continually – what your customers need. And think outside of the box – not what incremental improvement in your service would make them two percent happier, but what unmet need or significant challenge do they have that you can solve? Ensuring you approach your customer relationships in an inquisitive, open-minded manner is key to relevance. 
  2. Obviously, we should invest in X technology. I’ve seen this go awry more times than I can count. I think the most common scenario is that the leader at the head of the project is so confident in the needs of the business and the workforce that they plow head-in to a technology investment that falls far short when met with the realities of needs that were never really all that understood. Do not assume you know what your workers need to do their jobs well – ask. And listen. The other flavor of this is that leaders see a cool new tech that they automatically feel is a “must.” But is it? Maybe, but maybe not. Don’t assume that because it’s making headlines or looked cool at the last tradeshow you attended or was recommended by a friend that it fits. Investments should be purposeful and meaningful, and in no way does this mean they can’t also be cool but do your due diligence. 
  3. Obviously, we care about our employees. In the face of the Great Resignation, every company understands the need to speak to company culture and employee experience. But there is a big – and I mean, big – difference between throwing around some statements and maybe a gift card here and there to check boxes versus genuinely caring. If you do care about your employees, you’re asking them how they feel and what they need and you’re taking active steps to meet those needs. You are having one-on-ones and understanding the experiences of your frontline worker’s daily lives. You are investing in their mental health. You are recognizing and rewarding them and making sure they know they are valued. You are offering career paths and advancement opportunities to those who are inclined to grow. 

What other assumptions are risky in service? I’d love to hear! I really enjoyed the learning opportunity Amy presented to me, and I hope it’s something that makes you think a bit, too. 

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Have You Unlocked the Potential of Upskilling?

March 21, 2022 | 5 Mins Read

Have You Unlocked the Potential of Upskilling?

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By Sarah Nicastro, Creator, Future of Field Service

Much of the conversation around the skills gap centers around how to reinvent recruiting practices to yield better results. While this is important, so is a focus on retention. In fact, I’d argue that retention needs to be getting more spotlight because we know it is usually easier to keep talent than it is to bring it in to the business. Last fall, I discussed how to navigate the skills gap we need to focus on controlling the controllables. In this article, I want to talk about a particular area of focus related to retention – upskilling. 

Upskilling is important to better understand, because it can be a source of value for both your employees and your business. It can play a very important role in filling gaps you have due to the challenges of hiring as well as the evolving needs of your customers. And, when done well, it can be a tool that helps immensely with retention. 

Upskilling can be driven by different objectives: customer needs that you aren’t currently adept at providing, gaps that exist in the business due to challenges hiring or due to innovation efforts, and what areas your employees are interested in furthering their development in. It’s important to consider each of these areas so that you can maximize the opportunities that exist around upskilling. Depending on the industry, business, role, and individual the employee’s interest in or willingness to upskill can vary greatly. As you create an upskilling strategy, you need to ensure you are prepared to meet the needs of employees who are resistant to change but need to upskill in some way to maintain relevance as well as those who desire a career path where a continual progression of their own skills and capabilities will help them achieve growth. 

Upskilling Field Technicians

When we think about service specifically, we must consider how the role of the field technician is changing. We’re evolving from a job that is very transactional and mechanical to one that is far more focused on being a catalyst for customer trust, relationship, and loyalty. As such, the conversation tends to focus significantly on upskilling around soft skills. If you missed last week’s podcast, I interviewed Neil Thompson, creator of Teach the Geek and host of the Teach the Geek podcast, to discuss his personal journey as a product development engineer that found he needed to improve his communication skills when he was put into a position where presenting and public speaking was necessary. As a result, he’s created the Teach the Geek program to help others in similar position and weighs in on how companies can best upskill and reskill an engineering-centric workforce to have more soft skills.

One of the points Neil made very well is that for employees who you are asking to upskill (any who aren’t initiating the process because of their own desire to progress), you must remember to communicate the need in a way that connects the benefit to them. “It’s really difficult to be forced to learn something. So, if you’re a field engineer and you want to continue you to just do your job, fix whatever instrument there is, and then go about your day and rinse and repeat, then yes, those people would be difficult to upskill,” he says. “But if you’re a field engineer who wants the promotion and pay raises that you think you deserve, well, becoming better at communicating with others is a must. And, so, if you see it that way, then it’d be very easy to then convince you that this is something to get better at.”

Communication is King

Another thing to consider is that while we often think of upskilling as it relates to our older, more change resistant talent, we may have areas for which even new talent needs upskilled. For instance, you may successfully recruit a young technician with a lot of potential and strong skills in certain areas but who needs some work on customer communication. Two weeks ago, we had a furnace issue, and I called our HVAC guy – as he was looking things over, we started chatting about how busy he’s been, how the supply chain issues have impacted their ability to get parts, and how he feels about the young apprentices he’s recently hired.

He simply stated that, “my job leading this business is first and foremost as a communicator. Being personable, friendly, remembering customer details, providing prompt response, all those things are incredibly important. They are also very lacking in the younger workers who shy away from face-to-face communication and are more comfortable with their face buried in their phone looking at a diagram than they are returning a customer call.”

While soft skills are a very important focus for upskilling, they aren’t the sole area of opportunity. As companies progress further into their digital journeys, more skills are required there. As automation increases and menial tasks are eliminated, the need for employees to manage that automation takes the place of that work. 

We must also keep top of mind the reality that employees learn differently. So not only does ample attention need to be paid to communicating the upskilling opportunities available and their benefits to employees, but we also need to ensure we have a varied plan for how we deliver the training and education to achieve the upskilling.  

Critical Factors to Keep in Mind

As you consider whether you are leaving upskilling opportunities on the table, it would be helpful to look at upskilling not as a short-term solution to get a certain group of employees up to speed on one skill, but rather an important aspect of your continual improvement and retention strategies. Upskilling as a rule versus an exception allows you to regularly reevaluate what skills your business needs more of, for any of the reasons discussed above, and invest in “farming” those skills from your employee base. This gives you more leverage from the employees you already have, and it keeps those who want to progress and grown engaged and satisfied.

When determining what role upskilling plays in your long-term talent strategy, here are a few important things to keep in mind:

  • As you map what upskilling your company could benefit from, don’t forget to ask your employees what areas they are interested in or desire. Not all will be, but those who are will be very thankful you asked
  • Be sure to communicate the why behind every ask you make of your employees to upskill – as well as any incentives you are willing to offer for doing so
  • Leverage those who do have the most interest in their growth and skill progression to act as advocates for your upskilling programs – often the firsthand feedback of a peer is what’s most impactful
  • Consider co-creating an upskilling program on a specific area with an employee for whom it is being created – again, this gives the program far more credibility among its intended audience and ensures you’re hitting the mark with what’s needed
  • Be sure you accommodate different learning styles and preferences

Is upskilling a focus in your organization? If so, I’d love to hear from you and discuss! Always feel free to email me at sarah@futureoffieldservice.com. 

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