Now that I’ve reviewed preparation, communication and training, I’ll wrap up our four-part blog series on successful adoptions with the piece of the puzzle most often missed.  Implementing a field service system like ServiceMax is a journey, not a destination.  The journey requires on-going check-ins, review and leadership support.  There are three main phases of support:

  • Pre- go-live support
  • Training/go-live support
  • On-going support

Pre- Go-Live Support

During the Pre-Go-Live period you should complete the following support tasks:

  • Leadership talking with team members about the coming changes, listening to concerns and setting expectations for adoption early
  • Preparing reports to measure key metrics, expectations and adoption.  This is a VERY important part of adoption support because it helps engage leadership, manage expectations and identify opportunities for additional support.

Some common reports include:

  • Daily Login Report
  • Work Order creation report by user for the week
  • Daily Work Order completion report by technician
  • Exemption reporting like Work Orders without signatures (identifying gaps in expectations)
  • Any report matching expectations you set during training so you can follow-up on execution, identify gaps, coach and develop users

Training/Go-Live Support

During training and go-live you should be building excitement for the new tool.  Users will be more apt to feel excited if they have an effective training experience, attainable expectations and peace of mind that support will be available when needed.

  • Providing a resource for questions, quick tips and feedback.  Forums and internal collaboration tools like Salesforce Chatter are great for this.  Create a Training Support forum and teach users how to navigate to and use it to ask questions and receive answers and quick tips.  Ensure that you have planned for knowledgeable support of the forum.
  • Walk through and explain some of the adoption and expectation reporting that leadership will be using to manage and support rollout efforts.  Let people know the expectations set in training WILL be managed
  • Ensure you have technical/administrative support in training to handle any challenges that come up
  • Identify and share the names of who the key contacts for support are for each team

support_shutterstock_297528194

On-Going Support

The real efforts in support begin after training and go-live.  This is where all the planning, communication and training come together to foster strong adoption.   Some beneficial after-go-live support options include:

  • The identification of a team of role-specific support advisors whether they are super users in the same role, leadership from the area or a system administrator with specific process knowledge
  • The creation of a Q&A process and/or resource is communicated and managed on a daily/hourly basis, especially during the first few weeks after go-live
  • Leadership check-in meetings with specific focus on field service system adoption.  Leadership should reference adoption/expectation reporting, celebrate strong users and plan for one-on-one support for those users needing extra help
  • Create some quick reference guides that can offer daily support for basic processes specific to each role
  • Keep the new field service management system in the forefront of daily life with email blasts from executive team, marketing, system administrator or team leadership.
    • Communications can include:
      • Key points about system rollout progress (what are you doing now?)
      • System best practice examples
      • Link to training materials as a reminder
      • Reminders of who they can contact for help
      • Kudos for those doing good things

With all the time, effort and money that you have invested into your new field service management system it is worth a little more time and effort to see the project through to full adoption.  Schedule a meeting with your team to talk about Preparation, Communication, Training and Support.   Whether you are just starting a ServiceMax project or are years into any implementation, these best practices can be applied and help your team achieve a stronger adoption outcome.

Are you interested in learning more about how ServiceMax can support your field service organization? We can help with any questions you have– from purchase decision to implementation, education and support. Talk to a Maxpert today.