In 20 minutes, someone you’ve never met is going to walk into one of you or your customer’s facilities 1,200 miles away to install a complicated, expensive device on your behalf. Thinking about that might push your blood pressure to uncomfortable levels, but if you’re a Netfor partner, you’ll simply smile, relax, and move to the next task on your to-do list. Netfor Field Service give partners access to our network of more than 6,000 highly skilled, prequalified, trusted technicians across the U.S. (including territories) and Canada, equipped with knowledge, tools, and resources, armed with the soft skills that protect your hard-earned reputation and supported with accountability measures that build confidence.
Any company can assemble and dispatch a broad-based list of technicians. What separates Netfor’s approach is a deliberate, step-by-step qualification process, highly focused training, extensive real-time communication, and accountability that continually improves the relationship between Netfor, its partners, and our network of professional technicians.
When a Netfor partner has a need for field service anywhere within the U.S. and Canada, the first step involves developing a thorough understanding of the exact skills and technical requirements for the project. Netfor begins by tapping into its talent pool to identify technicians with the right skill sets and experiences who are in close proximity to the site where the service will be performed. For example, on a cable warehousing project, technicians with experience working with large-scale cabling, fiber, and have managed projects would be selected. However, this skill set wouldn’t make sense for a security install, which requires experience with alarm panels and wiring.
The next step in the vetting process is a scope review in which the Netfor team reviews the scope of work and answers all stakeholder questions to verify the technician’s knowledge and similar experience so we ensure we have the right team member assigned to the work. On larger or more complex projects, that initial interview may be followed by a second interview with a manager involving more focused questions. The Netfor team listens closely to evaluate not only technical knowledge but soft skills such as clear communication. They also examine the technician’s history to verify issues such as on-time performance. Our goal is to never send someone we wouldn’t be willing to hire for our in-house team. (If a technician hasn’t previously worked with Netfor, they may first be scheduled to handle an internal project to assess their skills and work styles.)
Those phone calls are a critical element of Netfor’s process. Unlike other field service providers that simply create a ticket and assign someone to handle it, the conversations with the technician verify that the scope and steps are clear. The idea is to head off the potential for something going wrong at the actual service call — whether that’s the technician not realizing a specific tool is needed or the project requiring skills they lack. That’s how Netfor consistently achieves a first-run rate that’s head and shoulders above other field service providers.
Once Netfor assigns the technician to the project, we provide the training materials they need to complete the work successfully. Depending upon the type of project, that may involve step-by-step videos or knowledge articles, as well as quizzes to verify the technician fully grasps what needs to happen. Netfor takes care of all the upstream legwork so that when you have a request, all you need to do is let us know and we will have the right person, trained, and onsite ready to complete the installation or fix just the way you designed.
Real-time communications through the Netfor360 platform allow partners to know when the technician arrives on-site and when the project is complete. Afterward, Netfor reaches out to its partners for feedback that is added to the technician’s profile. If the feedback reveals a need that hasn’t yet been recognized — such as an additional step when making certain types of installations — that new information is fed into the project scope and Netfor’s training materials.
Another key to Netfor’s remarkably high first-run rate is the simple fact: Netfor listens and responds quickly to feedback. If a partner is unhappy with the way the project was handled for any reason, Netfor management reviews every step to see where the process didn’t live up to expectations. Perhaps a team member forgot to ask a key question. Maybe the technician’s profile incorrectly claimed a certification they lacked. The technician may have been lost and arrived late. Whatever the root cause of the problem may be is identified and the process and any elements are adjusted accordingly to prevent a repeat.
Do high-quality technicians resent the additional vetting and accountability inherent in Netfor’s system? Not at all, because it reiterates our desire to have the very best representing us and our partners in the field. That’s why many of our field service technicians have worked with us for nearly a decade … and why our partners have complete confidence they’ll accomplish what needs to be done every time.
