In tough economic times, service delivery leaders look for solutions to grow their business and retain current contracts while minimizing overall labor costs. Servicing existing customers while also expanding into new markets and new use cases is complicated if the number and location of the techs employed are limited. 

One solution to this challenge is to ramp up existing internal staffing levels. But, hiring additional W2s is expensive especially given the cyclical nature of so many service requests. Full-time employees may be left idle while awaiting the next assignment or spend significant time traveling to sites outside of their region. 

Using third-party subcontractors is an alternative to hiring additional internal resources. The challenge with this approach is twofold: the risk of losing quality control over the techs and the time delay of waiting for the staffing firm to find an appropriate tech. 

Hobson & Company (H&C), a leading research firm focused on Return on Investment (ROI) studies, worked with Field Nation, the leading on-demand labor platform, to explore these challenges and learn how industry leaders are responding. H&C conducted independent research consisting of in-depth interviews with numerous Field Nation customers and found that Field Nation addressed specific customer challenges to deliver a quick and compelling ROI.

Based on this analysis, a representative field service organization with $8M in field service revenue of which $350K is deployed on Field Nation, would pay back the cost of Field Nation in 2.4 months and generate an ROI of 390% in 1 year.

Challenges for service delivery teams

Limited growth potential

Service delivery teams find it difficult to unlock new business opportunities if they don’t have the technicians to support expansion into new markets or new uses and capabilities. At the same time, maintaining positive relationships with existing customers can be hampered by stretching the labor resources too thin or being slow to respond to requests.

Expensive labor costs

Labor costs are the biggest expense in field services, and finding the right balance between using full-time employees and subcontractors is challenging. As companies look to reduce labor-based costs, they don’t want to sacrifice quality or control. 

Inefficient operations

Whether working with internal employees or external subcontractors, managing billing, insurance claims, tax forms, or reviewing jobs for completion is time-consuming without a streamlined system in place.

Grow revenue

Grow business by expanding into new markets and verticals

Field Nation’s on-demand labor platform allows companies to connect with a nationwide network of skilled IT technicians when and where they need them, enabling companies to enter new markets and expand into new verticals. Local, motivated techs respond within minutes of job postings and are typically no more than 18 miles from job sites.

Improve customer retention with increase speed to talent

Field Nation Provider Assessments help automatically screen technicians before calling or assigning them, ensuring time is only spent on those who meet the requirements. Tiered Auto Dispatch enables the automatic assignment of work orders based on predetermined selection rules. Smart Audit Approval Automation expedites the review and approval process for work that’s higher volume and lower complexity by creating a set of rules for auto-approval.

Reduced COGS

Reduced labor-based costs

Field Nation’s on-demand labor platform allows customers to only pay for billable time using real-time, market-wide pricing and coverage data.

Reduce number of site revisits

Field Nation’s Talent Sourcing and Vetting solutions enable companies to create custom talent pools with the skill sets, screenings, and equipment to support their unique work needs. Provider Assessments are customizable, pre-assessment surveys used to ensure techs have the necessary skills and equipment before they get to a site.

Streamline operations

Reduce time spent on back office administrative tasks

Field Nation handles insurance claims, files 1099s, and issues weekly payments to technicians based on terms listed in the work order, allowing companies to scale profitably. Companies and service providers can file a GL or PL claim via the Field Nation website up to 30 days following an incident. Field Nation’s Quality Assurance Experts review the claim and work with the parties involved to resolve the issue.

Reduce time spent reviewing jobs for completion

Field Nation’s Flightboard Review Drawer allows customers to review and approve work with a few clicks. GPS Capture automatically captures location at check-in and check-out when techs are close to the site, eliminating follow-up. SmartAudit Approval Automation is a configurable process to expedite and automate the approval of higher-volume, lower-complexity work by defining the rules for work that is automatically approved.

Key findings

Research results

The value of a fully integrated on-demand labor platform is immediate and demonstrable. For this case study, the financial impact of Field Nation is represented by a company with $350K deployed on the Field Nation platform and 10,800 work orders per year. 

For this typical service provider, an annual investment of $16,000 plus $30,000 in internal incremental operating expenses generates a positive return in 2.4 months and a 1-year ROI of 390%, with annual benefits exceeding $300,000.