Field Service Management: 6 Ways Telematics Drives Customer Satisfaction

Customer retention, the development of a solid and long-term relationship with existing customers, is preferable to customer acquisition.  

Not only is retention cheaper than acquisition, but loyal customers can become great ambassadors for your company, which leads to a positive reputation, repeat business (which leads to an increase in revenue), and more customers through simple word-of-mouth.  

Providing excellent customer service is at the heart of a high customer retention rate and should be the focus of your Field Services fleet management. 

Of course, the actual work that your employees deliver is important, but the difference comes when you go the extra mile. Good customer service comes from providing your customers with regular feedback and clear communication, being on time, listening to and acting on critiques, reducing the friction that might come along with service delivery, having employees who act professionally, and so forth. 

Let's look at some of the ways that implementing telematics technology can help you improve your Field Services fleet's ability to make customers happy: 

1. Accurate billing 

If you bill your customers hourly, telematics software can easily verify exactly how much time a worker spends on-site by looking at arrival and departure times. This helps improve billing accuracy, as everything is logged electronically instead of manually by workers. The more accurate your billing is, the fewer customer issues you will have. Should a dispute arise, you have accurate data to reference and show the customer. 

2. More precise arrival estimates 

Keeping your customers updated on when your workers will arrive on-site or how far away they are from a location is crucial to maintaining precise schedules and building trust. Telematics fleet tracking provides a real-time map view of your workers' locations for scheduling purposes.  

This allows you to contact a customer and give them an accurate ETA without having to contact your worker while they're driving. You can also communicate with customers about any unexpected delay that may occur (for example, a worker getting into an accident or construction causing traffic).  

Often, customers are more likely to accept a late arrival or other inconvenience if the company clearly communicates. 

3. Incentives for workers 

Telematics technology is a great tool for creating an incentive program. This type of program is helpful when motivating employees to work harder or to reach goals. With the driving behavior data collected, you can track whether workers are driving safely (for example, not speeding or braking too harshly) and determine, through GPS tracking, which drivers regularly arrive on time at customer sites.  

Using this information, you can offer relevant rewards to the workers who performed at their best during a given period. In addition to the tangible incentives and sense of pride this provides for workers, the company also benefits by improving the overall performance of its fleet, reducing accidents and vehicle wear-and-tear due to better driving behavior, and presenting a positive image of its company on the road. 

A driver engagement app that allows workers to check their driving performance and compare their progress to that of their peers through a leaderboard can serve as extra motivation. It can create a competitive culture and help workers determine which areas they need to improve. 

4. Reduced operational costs 

Increasing your profit margin by saving money is beneficial for your company and your customers, who can ultimately benefit from price reductions. 

With telematics data, you can track and reduce fuel consumption, lower maintenance costs, and expand the lifespan of your vehicles by reducing wear-and-tear. You can also lessen the costs related to accidents and fines through improved driver behavior and improve route planning so your workers can take on more jobs for increased overall income. 

5. Better task management 

Telematics technology allows you to optimize and utilize the visibility of your workers’ jobs and where they are at any given moment. This allows you to send workers to the nearest location to improve on-time service delivery and reduce the miles driven.  

Should a critical job arise, in-cab communication and apps help you talk directly to workers and send them to where they are most needed without delay. 

6. Keep up with seasonal demands 

Some months of the year are busier than others, depending on the type of services you provide. An increase in demand will lead to an increased need for workers to deliver services. If you don't have enough workers, you will fall behind, which can lead to customer dissatisfaction.