Why Field Service in teams is better

As a field service engineer, I learned the importance of teamwork and companionship early on in my career. Later, as a service manager in the life science and research industry, I found that these values were even more crucial to success. The effectiveness of field service engineers relies on collaboration, clear communication, and mutual support. By working together, we can solve complex challenges and provide exceptional service to our customers. As a team, we strive to create an environment where everyone feels valued and supported. This then enables us to achieve our goals and fulfil our mission of delivering outstanding service support to our clients.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work in Field Service

Amith Oommen is the National Service Manager – Pan India for Imperial Life Sciences (P) Limited.
He has 17 years in Service Support Management. Amith is acknowledged for strengthening companies to lead in highly competitive markets. As well, for delivering innovative concepts and strategies in Healthcare, Biotechnology, Life Science, Diagnostics and Analytical Instruments.
For the last 10 years he has worked with ILS and along with his service team, handles all the company’s major NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) platforms as well as other major technology instruments. Amith is responsible for the overall service and support operations of ILS Instrumentation team-Pan India.

Introduction – Field service engineer teamwork is the backbone

Field service engineers (FSEs) are the backbone of any company that provides technical support for its products. They are responsible for installing, maintaining, and repairing complex equipment at customer sites. The nature of their job requires them to work independently, sometimes in remote or hazardous environments, and often under time pressure.
In such a challenging work environment, it is crucial for FSEs to work together as a team. Collaboration among team members not only helps them to solve technical issues more efficiently but also improves their overall job satisfaction and reduces stress levels.

Ways teamwork can benefit Field Service Engineers

Here are some of the ways in which teamwork can benefit FSEs.

Knowledge sharing

FSEs come from different backgrounds and have different skill sets. By working together, they can share their knowledge and learn from each other. This knowledge exchange helps to improve the team’s overall expertise and problem-solving abilities.

Improved communication

Collaboration fosters open communication among team members, which is essential for a successful project. Good communication helps to avoid misunderstandings and ensures that everyone is on the same page.

Increased efficiency

When FSEs work as a team, they can divide the workload and share responsibilities. This division of labour helps to increase the team’s overall efficiency and productivity.

Support and motivation

Working in a team provides FSEs with the support and motivation they need to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. When team members help each other, they build a sense of companionship and trust, which leads to a more positive work environment.

Improved customer service

Ultimately, the goal of FSEs is to provide excellent customer service. By working together, FSEs can better serve their customers by providing faster response times, more accurate diagnoses, and quicker problem resolution.

Teamwork is essential in Field Service

Teamwork is essential for FSEs to succeed in their roles. By collaborating with one another, FSEs can share knowledge, improve communication, increase efficiency, provide support and motivation, and ultimately improve customer service.
The saying:
“Teamwork makes the dream work”
is especially true for field service engineers.
So, let’s encourage teamwork and collaboration among FSEs to ensure that they can deliver the best possible service to our customers.

The role of service managers

Coordination and support from management and respective service managers is also crucial for FSEs to work as a cohesive team. They can facilitate team-building activities and provide training to improve communication and collaboration skills. Regular team meetings can also help to identify and solve any issues that may arise in the field.
In addition, service managers can play a vital role in providing technical support to FSEs. They can work with the team to develop a troubleshooting guide, provide technical resources, and ensure that necessary spare parts and equipment are readily available. This support from management and service managers can help FSEs to feel more confident and better equipped to handle any technical challenges they may encounter in the field.

An example of teamwork

Here’s an example of how teamwork among FSEs can benefit their work in the field.
Suppose an FSE is working on a complex DNA sequencing instrument at a research lab. The instrument is malfunctioning, and the FSE is having difficulty troubleshooting the issue. The FSE contacts a colleague who has experience working on similar instruments and asks for their help.
The colleague agrees to assist and remotely accesses the instrument to diagnose the problem. They discover that the issue is caused by a faulty component that needs to be replaced which is already available with him in his PM kit. The colleague provides the FSE with step-by-step instructions on how to replace the component and guides them through the process.
The FSE successfully replaces the faulty component, and the instrument is functioning correctly again. The FSE and their colleague debrief on what they learned from the experience and share their insights with their team members. The team develops a new troubleshooting guide for similar issues, which they can use to resolve similar problems more efficiently in the future.
This simple example demonstrates how teamwork among field service engineers can be beneficial in resolving resolve complex technical issues more effectively and efficiently. It also highlights the importance of sharing knowledge and experience within a team to improve problem-solving abilities and overall expertise.

Summary

In summary, teamwork is essential for FSEs to be successful in their roles. However, this teamwork requires coordination and support from management and service managers. By working together, FSEs, management, and service managers can ensure that technical issues are resolved quickly and effectively, and that customers are provided with excellent service. Together, they can create a positive and collaborative work environment that supports FSEs and enables them to succeed in their roles.

Conclusion Teamwork Makes the Dream Work in Field Service

I encourage all field service engineers to read this article and join me in promoting teamwork, collaboration, and mutual support in our field to deliver exceptional after sales service support and achieve our goals.

Further reading

Field Service Engineers: The Unsung Heroes of the Life Science/Research Industry
The Importance of Effective Customer Communications and Relationships for a Successful Field Service Engineer

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