White Paper: The Grown-Up Gig Economy and Field Service (2019)
There has been much discussion within the field service sector regarding the gig economy.
Ours is a world that has always been one in which the ability to calmly put out fires as they arise and to be able to respond both effectively and efficiently are the hallmarks of good field service management.
Even as we move towards a more proactive style of service in general, the need for a well-oiled field service machine that can handle break-fix requests will be necessary. In fact, in a world of proactive service where the majority of work becomes routine maintenance, the ability to tap into a casual workforce with a baseline skill-set capable of handling such day-to-day tasks, can be crucial to free up the necessary internal resources to handle the more complex, off schedule repair calls.
Indeed, as outlined in a previous Field Service News white paper, the blended workforce, i.e. a workforce that blends internal and 3rd party labor, is set to become a common theme in the development of field service teams across the next few years. However, there is one aspect of the discussion that has been consistently overlooked. Generally, conversations around the gig economy have centered around the millennial generation or Generation Z.
However, in-field service, in particular, the gig economy sits just as comfortably, if not more so, with the older generation such as those engineers approaching semi-retirement, more mature professionals looking for a more settled lifestyle with less time on the road, and ex-military professionals.
In this white paper, we look at why the discussion around the gig economy should be widened and successful field service companies should be embracing the ‘Grown Up’ gig economy.
White Paper: The Grown-Up Gig Economy and Field Service (2019)
There has been much discussion within the field service sector regarding the gig economy.
Ours is a world that has always been one in which the ability to calmly put out fires as they arise and to be able to respond both effectively and efficiently are the hallmarks of good field service management.
Even as we move towards a more proactive style of service in general, the need for a well-oiled field service machine that can handle break-fix requests will be necessary. In fact, in a world of proactive service where the majority of work becomes routine maintenance, the ability to tap into a casual workforce with a baseline skill-set capable of handling such day-to-day tasks, can be crucial to free up the necessary internal resources to handle the more complex, off schedule repair calls.
Indeed, as outlined in a previous Field Service News white paper, the blended workforce, i.e. a workforce that blends internal and 3rd party labor, is set to become a common theme in the development of field service teams across the next few years. However, there is one aspect of the discussion that has been consistently overlooked. Generally, conversations around the gig economy have centered around the millennial generation or Generation Z.
However, in-field service, in particular, the gig economy sits just as comfortably, if not more so, with the older generation such as those engineers approaching semi-retirement, more mature professionals looking for a more settled lifestyle with less time on the road, and ex-military professionals.
In this white paper, we look at why the discussion around the gig economy should be widened and successful field service companies should be embracing the ‘Grown Up’ gig economy.
