🧨 Why Most Field Service Transformations Fail and How to Make Yours Unstoppable
(Hint: You need early wins… but don’t stop there)
Field service teams are stretched thin, ops managers are juggling KPIs like flaming swords, and someone still thinks it’s a good idea to print job sheets. Sound familiar?
You’re not alone. Across industries, from utilities to retail to healthcare, field service is where digital transformation gets real and messy. Tools don’t get adopted, data gets lost, ROI never shows up, and before long your expensive new platform becomes just another tab no one opens.
At ProQuest, we’ve worked with more than 50 businesses to turn their field operations around. And we’ve found one thing that separates success from shelfware:
🟡 You need early wins to get buy-in.
🟢 You need a continuous improvement mindset to unlock real value.
Let’s break that down.
Part 1: Why Quick Wins Aren’t Optional, They’re Survival
Digital transformation is tough in the field. Your workforce is distributed. Your techs are busy and sceptical. Your dispatch team is glued to legacy systems. And management wants results yesterday.
According to Salesforce research, high-performing field service organisations report productivity as a major benefit and 86% of field service decision-makers say their workforce is critical to business growth.
That means your first 6–8 weeks matter. A lot. If your field teams don’t see an improvement in their daily workflow quickly, adoption fades fast.
Real-world early wins we’ve delivered at ProQuest:
- 📲 Mobile job execution that works offline. Goodbye paper, hello productivity.
- 📍 Smart dispatching and crew management. Techs get to the right job the first time.
- 📦 Parts visibility. No more “arrived but missing the gasket” moments.
- 📢 Live customer notifications. Fewer no-shows and fewer complaints.
🧠 Case in point: Express Glass
Within weeks of going live, they saw:
- +11% increase in job completion rates
- 95% accuracy in information transfer
And here’s the real takeaway: once techs see the benefit, they stop resisting.
You’re not pushing change at them. You’re helping them win their day.
Part 2: If You Stop There, You’re Leaving Gold on the Table
Here’s the truth most execs don’t want to hear: Your field service transformation doesn’t end at go-live. That’s where it begins.
Even the best platforms (like Salesforce Field Service, which we love for its flexibility and user-friendliness) only deliver some of the value upfront. The rest comes from listening to your teams, learning from the field, and refining continuously.
Think of it like mining. Your MVP is just the first dig. The more you keep digging, the more gems you uncover: smarter automation, sharper insights, and better experiences for your teams and customers.
Here's how we help clients build a long-term value engine:
- 🔁 Feedback loop. Field techs tell you what works and what doesn’t. You listen.
- 🗂️ Prioritisation framework. Build a backlog, vote, and act on what matters most.
- 📦 Release cadence. Keep shipping small enhancements instead of waiting for a big “phase two.”
- 📊 Data-driven insight. Use dashboards to spot inefficiencies, trends, and training gaps.
🔧 Enhancements we’ve deployed post-MVP:
- Real-time tracking and estimated arrival for customers
- AI-assisted dispatching
- Visual Remote Assistant for live, expert support
- Appointment Assistant to reduce missed jobs
- Integration with billing, inventory, and contracts
💡 At JB Hi-Fi, they started with smart scheduling and mobile execution. Over time, we helped them optimise job bundling, enable in-home sales through the tech mobile app, and deliver faster installs using the same platform.
Part 3: Culture Eats Roadmaps for Breakfast
None of this works unless your team is along for the ride.
We’re not just talking training. We’re talking culture shift. From "ugh, another tool" to "this thing actually helps me do my job better."
What we’ve seen work:
- 👷♂️ Co-design with the field. Let users shape the rollout because they know what happens on-site.
- 🎉 Celebrate wins. When a tech saves 30 minutes on a job, share it with everyone.
- 🧑🏫 Keep training practical. Use real-life scenarios and make it hands-on.
- 🔁 Make change continuous. Keep a rhythm of updates, feedback, and improvements.
And when you build trust with your users, you build momentum. That’s how we’ve seen long-term transformation stick.
TL;DR: If You’re in Field Service, Play the Long Game but Win Early
The best field service transformations do both:
✅ Score early wins to earn trust, show ROI, and keep momentum alive.
✅ Build a feedback-driven, continuous improvement culture to unlock long-term value.
With the right approach and the right platform, you can:
- Increase technician utilisation by 20 to 30%
- Boost customer satisfaction by 10 to 15 points
- Cut scheduling overhead by 25%
- Improve first-time fix rates dramatically
👋 One Last Thing...
If you’re deep in field service or just getting started, you know it’s not easy. But it is worth it.
At ProQuest, we’ve helped companies like BOC Australia, Smart Energy, and The Grout Guy go from chaos to clarity, from paper to platform, and from “what’s the point” to “what’s next.”
Want to chat or swap stories? Drop us a message to talk about how to start delivering quick wins for your business »
And if you know someone buried under job sheets and spreadsheet chaos,
👊 Do them a favour and send them this post.
