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Field Service Marketing Strategies

Justin Sturges

Merge Your Business With the Outcome Your Customers Really Want

Do you really know what your customers want? What’s the outcome they need? How can they keep their operations flowing instead of going down when repairs become needed. Merely showing up and doing the job isn't enough anymore, as that’s what your customers expect at the baseline. You need to go beyond that in your thinking and strategy to fix the problems they have relating to your products and services. Hint: sometimes your customers don’t know what they actually want or don’t know all the current possibilities, you may have to work to find it and deliver it.


Do you know the results your customers actually want? Uptime, fast response, long-term solution but you’re providing a-la-carte. Do they really want a total service package but you don’t even offer that option? Are they tired of break-fix and want someone that actually “gets it”? Are they ready for IoT sensors to help provide proactive maintenance by providing detailed logs and stats around the performance of the systems you maintain?


Converting and retaining clients that stay with you and refer you is an art that successful companies do well. How do you continually attract new leads, increase profits, and provide an awe-inspiring customer experience? They rely on the hidden secrets of service marketing and that’s working from inside the mind of your customer. Knowing what they want, saying it better than they even do and delivering ultimately on the promise of a service that actually gives your customers what they really want. In some industries maybe this only requires simple calibrations to what you do, in other industries they are ripe to be totally disrupted and taken over by a company that has the vision to move beyond decades old service models and offerings. 


When you get this right and deliver services bringing in cutting edge technologies, better service strategies, a great team and telling the story so they “get-it’ in all the right places is the key. It isn’t easy, but it isn’t rocket science either. When you do it right it actually makes your life easier. It definitely makes your business stronger, and it may even give you the freedom to run your business from anywhere. 


It takes a LOT of manual time-sucking work and hassles off of your plate and from your team. Surprisingly, doing a better more profitable job is actually EASIER. Its an easier sale, its easier to get referrals and reviews, it’s easier to execute when you have the right tools and it’s easier to hire the best people when your business simply runs better. 


So it’s not just about bolting on some digital marketing agency to do “better SEO”, it’s actually a comprehensive push forward on a lot of fronts with an integrated approach. One focused on your overall growth in the critical focus areas and making it as easy and simple for you as possible. This multi-layer strategy reinvents ways for your company to scale, grow, and satisfy your client base and set you up for the best revenues and ease of management you’ve ever experienced, maybe than you’ve ever dreamed of. 


It's time to explore what your customers truly want and how your service business can deliver:

A Foundation Based on Trust
What convinces a new customer to choose your company over your competitors? Trust. Something they saw online, read in print, or heard from a friend made them feel comfortable with your brand. But you can't count on this to happen without a bit of intervention.


Who do you trust the most? Your friends, family, and colleagues top the list. Companies often lean towards power partners with solid, well-established reputations. Your service business can take advantage of these relationships to convert and retain clients.


Online reviews and word of mouth (WOM) referrals are two of the most effective marketing tools available to service businesses, and you don't need a dedicated department to make them happen. Instead, ask every client to leave a review. Some will; some won't. However, you'll eventually accumulate enough reviews to increase your online visibility. Even better, these reviews build trust and convert traffic into paying customers.


Where do most clients go to find reviews? Google is the top destination, with 59% of consumers starting their journey there. If you're not already on Google My Business, now is the time to join.


A Compelling, Resonating Story
Service businesses need a likable message and compelling story to drive sales. Building an attractive website is a great place to start. Every page should load quickly—25% of visitors will click out if the site doesn't load in 6 seconds, with some leaving after only 2-3. You should also optimize it to work on all mobile devices.


However, a beautiful website isn't enough to convert leads. It also needs compelling content that resonates with your audience. For example, if your business is electrical repair, explain what differentiates your services from other companies. Tell them about any unique products you provide and how your experience will solve their problems. 


Reliable Response Times
Appointment windows are huge. Clients often have to set aside four or more hours on their scheduled day—and that doesn't even include the time it takes to fix the problem. There's nothing worse than sitting around all day waiting for the repair person to arrive. And what if the technician can't make it there at all?


Response times are important to customers. They want reassurance your team will show up on time. But in the field service world, response times vary every day. There's no way to predict if one job will run late. However, you can't leave clients hanging.


Most customers are pretty reasonable and understand if you need to push back an appointment or reschedule because of unforeseen circumstances. But you need to let them know ASAP! 


How can your company improve service times? Field service software will help tremendously. This technology lets you track technicians in real-time, providing transparency and accurate ETAs. An automated text or email keeps clients in the loop about any delays. And since 66% of customers want businesses to value their time, adopting this modern technology is crucial.


Effective Service Appointments
What type of guarantees do you give your clients? Successful service companies understand the importance of standing behind their work. After you leave, your customer wants reassurance the repair will stick. They don't want to call the technician back out for doing a shoddy job. If they have to call for a repeat service so soon, it might be the last time they do business with you. Since it costs 5-25x more to find new customers than to retain current ones, you can't afford to lose this client.


Effective service is a must. No one will give you a gold medal for showing up on time if you can't fix the problem. Inventory management software can increase your first-time fix rate. You can see what parts you have in stock and what you need to reorder in mere seconds. This ensures you always show up to a worksite with everything required to resolve the problem.


Proactive Services
Customers call service businesses whenever something breaks. It's up to your technicians to diagnose the problem and repair it. You leave and don't return until the thing malfunctions again. This non-stop cycle leaves clients feeling frustrated. Why does that exact part always fall apart? Is there a way to prevent this from happening?


Your customers demand more than just emergency repair service. They want you to help them maintain their equipment and increase its lifespan. Offering proactive services is the best way to do this. Automating the process ensures you notify clients when it's time to schedule a routine inspection. Not only does this solve their problem, but it also creates recurring revenue for your business.


Personalized Care
Ideally, you grow lasting relationships with all your customers. You do this by providing them with superior work and personalized service. Clients don't want to feel like just another name on your contact list. Instead, they want every technician to know their full history when they walk through the door.


Once upon a time, companies used spreadsheets to manage client data (maybe you still do!). But this method poses a huge problem. There isn't an easy way to share customer info with field technicians. They can only view the spreadsheet from the office or wait for someone to email it to them. Manually logging new data is also a pain, and data entry errors are common.


Spreadsheets are old, outdated, and unreliable—plain and simple. Your valued clients deserve better. Upgrading to cloud-based software makes it easy to view, edit, and share customer files with every technician. They can review the notes before heading out to the job, improving response times, increasing accuracy, and enhancing the customer experience.


The Best Service Technicians
Waking up to broken equipment that brings business to a halt is VERY frustrating. Customers want to hire someone who can fix the problem on the first try, or even prevent the problem from happening in the first place. They count on commercial field services businesses to send only the best, most qualified technicians out into the field so they can keep their operation moving forward. Can your company deliver?


You can't cut corners when it comes to hiring talent. It will only hamper your own growth. And you don't want second-rate workers—only the most qualified will suffice. How can you build your dream team? There are many places to find great talent. But you have to snatch up the top players before your competitors.


Field service marketing is your best tool for attracting the most skilled service technicians. As you build online awareness, professionals in your niche will take note. They will appreciate your brand image, message, and story. When you advertise a job opening, they'll flood your inbox with resumes.


Once you get the most competent team in the business, your customers will also notice. They will hire you confidently, knowing you have qualified technicians ready to fix their issues. Plus, they will sing your praises to everyone they know, starting the field marketing cycle over again!


Win in the Service Business Market with Standout Results
Happy customers equal successful companies. As a service business owner, you need to put processes in place to meet client demand and deliver the results they really want. Standout Results can help you achieve these goals. We offer a comprehensive field service marketing plan designed to elevate your brand. Let us enhance the customer experience through business development, workflow transformation, skilled talent, and a trusted reputation

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