What the 2022 Voice of the Field Service Engineers Survey Taught Us
A closer look at the lives of field service engineers
In honor of Engineers Week starting next week, we took a moment to focus on the stories of field service engineers! Thanks to the Service Council’s 2022 Voice of the Field Service Engineer (VoFSE) survey, we can dive into the latest trends emerging for field service technicians. The Service Council is a community focused on networking and sharing information about best practices and insights for service-led organizations.
This survey was conducted in the spring of 2022, and asked over 1,850 technician participants their thoughts on a variety of factors and changes impacting the field service industry. Some of these insights range from general demographic and workload, to how new technologies, like mobile forms, are impacting their work. Let’s dive into some of the exciting insights from this survey!
Field Service Jobs and Responsibilities
As a networking agency focused on service-centric businesses, with insights tailored to the executives and senior-level teams of those businesses, the Service Council surveyed a wide variety of engineering technicians for this data.
In general, a field service engineer is responsible for either creating, installing, servicing, repairing, or monitoring technology and equipment. This can be either in-house for a specific company with substantial technical demands, or by going to individual customer sites to install or maintain equipment. In this survey specifically, 84% of participants said that equipment repair is their primary work, however, maintenance and installation were also a large part in what they handled daily. A much smaller group noted that training, upgrades, and software or firmware-related work took up a significant portion of their time.
While the career isn’t new, as technology is continually evolving, the position across all industries is facing new challenges every year. For the 2022 survey, Service Council interviewed field service technicians from 32 distinct industries, with the most represented being: healthcare, automotive, construction, agriculture, oil and gas, and industrial equipment manufacturing. And while 75% of respondents were located in the United States, there were participants from Europe, the middle east, and Africa (EMEA), Asia-Pacific, and Canada.
Longevity in the Field Service Industry
One of the biggest takeaways from this survey was just how dedicated to field service these engineers are. More than 63% of those surveyed have been in the industry for at least 10 years, with 37% having worked at the same organization for 10 years or more. This job appears to be organization-led, with full-time employment being the leading classification, while only 3% consider themselves to be independent contractors.
“Nearly 68% of survey respondents said they chose field service because they like fixing things. Interestingly, 36% trained to be an engineer, up nearly 7% from last year.”
While many cited their love of fixing things and not being tied down to an office as a perk for the job, a slight majority (56%) of participants said that field service may or may not be their long-term career. Broken down, 26% of total respondents didn’t plan or anticipate being in the industry for their full career, while 30% of total respondents said they weren’t sure.
As for leaving the industry, only 37% cited retirement, just under 30% planned to move to a new profession, and 15% were looking to make the switch from on-site to remote work. Other reasons included just taking time away from work to focus on their personal well-being, going back to school for additional education or certifications, or moving to full-time contracting.
Challenges Facing Field Service Engineers
As the individuals responsible for implementing, and in some cases training, new technologies for businesses, the industry continues to face change at a rapid pace. With nearly five billion internet users, technology is quickly changing the way we work and live. The Service Council survey indicated that these technologies are having a direct impact on field service work, with only 55% of survey participants agreeing that IT tools are making their job easier, which is a 5% drop from the previous year.
When it comes to fixing complex issues or seeking support, the option to ask or call a colleague was still the most popular method at 79%, however, nearly half of this year’s respondents cited calling customer or technical support as their preferred method, which is an increase from last year. Overall, a majority of respondents found that their company was effective in supporting their ability to do their job. They specifically noted that 62% of technicians agreed that completing required forms for service tickets or work orders was made as easy as possible for them. Despite their belief that the forms were as easy as possible to complete, paperwork and administrative tasks were still cited as the least favorite part of day-to-day work. While each organization handles form completion differently, a new shift in the focus on digital forms, and the accompanying automation and features like electronic signatures, could continue to have a positive impact on the industry.
“74% of technicians agreed that their company makes it easy for them to seek help if they are stuck. 63% of technicians agreed that their company makes it easy for them to find the necessary information or documentation to resolve service inquiries.”
As the people responsible for making sure your company’s technology is installed correctly, and continues to function as intended, drastic advances in technology around the world continue to show just how important field service technicians and engineers are. Take a few moments next week to show your appreciation for all your engineers, especially those in field service, during Engineers Week. Without engineers and the engineers involved in keeping your technology running, the world and our data would be moving at a much slower pace.
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