Customer

A national IT consulting firm specializing in cloud and telecom solutions

Challenge

Previously, the company relied on Google searches and reviews to find technicians, which limited productivity and growth opportunities

Solution

Field Nation Plus, which includes:
– Access to pre-qualified technicians for a variety of types of work including commercial electrical, networking, low-voltage cabling, CCTV/alarm, and telecom/VOIP
– Vetting tools like Ratings, Reviews, and Endorsements
– Workflow tools such as Custom Fields & Templates and the Quick Approval Drawer
– Reporting tools like Pricing Insights and Work Order Activity Reports

Results

– Dramatically streamlined sourcing with access to thousands of pre-qualified technicians
– Decreased labor costs by over 30 percent
– Doubled capacity of project management team in just 9 months
– Increased confidence in fulfilling projects for existing customers
– Expanded revenue by adding several large customers
– Grew geographic reach into Canada

A national IT consulting firm strives to be a one-stop-shop for customers, handling everything from internet deployments to wiring to monitoring. The company relies on a network of 100,000 technicians to serve clients — including large companies, hospitals, and nonprofits.

Seeking more efficient ways to find high-quality techs

Prior to working with Field Nation, the IT consulting firm struggled with efficiently sourcing technicians.

“Previously, we were sourcing technicians the ‘old-school’ way. We’d Google companies in nearby areas where we needed techs. We’d call or email each one, which was a very painful and time-consuming process,” said the company’s Operations Manager.

For example, if the company needed to repair a wall jack in Chicago, they would search for “low-voltage service companies” and contact each of them. Then the project management team would determine the service company’s pricing structure, availability, and terms. They would have to research all of those details before assigning or scheduling a work order.

Understanding technician quality before assigning work was also difficult and labor-intensive.

“The only insight we had into technician quality was Google reviews. And for the small companies we work with, there typically aren’t a ton of reviews. So we had virtually no visibility into the companies we were using,” he added.

Streamlining technician sourcing with Field Nation

The IT consulting firm needed a better way to quickly find quality techs, and chose to partner with Field Nation to simplify the process.

Today they use the Field Nation marketplace to source technicians for a variety of work types, including commercial electrical, networking, low-voltage cabling, CCTV/alarm, and telecom/VOIP.

“At the end of the day, what I’m worried about most is getting more techs. With Field Nation, I have access to a huge variety of technicians. Now I have 15 or 20 in each state that can do work the way we want it done. In addition, I can quickly see their ratings and how many jobs they’ve done,” they said.

“With Field Nation, I have access to a huge variety of technicians. Now I have 15 or 20 in each state that can do work the way we want it done.”

When it comes to vetting technicians, the Field Nation platform helps the firm quickly understand technician quality. Their team relies on star ratings, experience, recommendations, and reviews to choose technicians from the network.

Also, the platform’s reporting capabilities help track completed jobs by technician.
“We use the reports to see how much business we have done this month with Field Nation and a particular technician, as well as the date, time, and how long the project lasted,” they continued.

This helps each of the company’s project managers spend less time finding the right techs for each job and tracking jobs after they are complete.

With Field Nation’s help, the project management team has doubled its capacity in less than 9 months based on the number of tickets processed each month. This allows the company overall to get more jobs done, more quickly.

Communication is key — especially with COVID

Shortly after the IT consulting firm partnered with Field Nation, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. During the pandemic, it was especially critical for them to communicate with clients and with technicians about safety.

By working with Field Nation, they ensured that techs were equipped with personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks and gloves.

“Communication is big for us. Your techs are professional, they communicate well, and they’re always prepared to work on-site with clients. That is so helpful, especially on jobs that require a lot of back and forth,” they added.

“Your techs are professional, they communicate well, and they’re always prepared to work on-site with clients.”

What’s more, the Field Nation platform makes it easy for technicians to understand the deliverables required for each job. The platform strengthens communication between technicians and project managers, and helps both parties understand everything needed to close out a work order.

Cutting labor costs while supporting future growth

One of the biggest benefits of working with Field Nation has been the ability to find high-quality techs at a lower cost. Using Field Nation, they have reduced average hourly rates by over 30 percent.

Because of the reach and quality of the Field Nation technician community, the IT consulting firm has greater confidence in its network of field techs.

According to the company’s Operations Manager, “If a current client or a new prospect gives me a call with a job, I now have confidence in saying, ‘Hey, I can get this done.’”

Since working with Field Nation, they have also added several large customers and expanded into Canada.

What’s the overall impact of working with Field Nation? The company’s Managing Partner sums it up: ”We love Field Nation. They’ve helped increase our profits dramatically and improved customer satisfaction.”

”We love Field Nation. They’ve helped increase our profits dramatically and improved customer satisfaction.”

To receive the same great service, resources, and efficiencies from Field Nation, reach out to our team.