Survey shows effects of punctuality on repeat business

AUSTIN, TX — Software Advice, provider of detailed reviews and research on cleaning service software, recently conducted a survey of a random sampling of U.S. field service customers, which examined how long customers will wait on techs before deciding not to rehire their company, according to the SoftwareAdvice.com website.

The study found that 67 percent of customers will rule out field service companies within one hour — specifically 31 percent would wait half an hour to an hour and still rehire, 25 percent would wait 16 to 30 minutes and 11 percent would wait only 15 minutes before writing off a company.

Only two percent of respondents said they would rehire a company regardless of how late they arrived.

The study also found that customers were 82 percent more likely to rehire business that used arrival notifications, which alert them to approximate arrival times of technicians.

These arrival notifications, the study points out, are often available automatically through GPS-enabled dispatch systems. Software Advice explains, “These systems geolocate technicians’ mobile devices — which might be smartphones, tablets or GPS hardware that is connected to software in the main office. Based on the worker’s location, the software then sends automated text messages to customers with updated technician arrival times.”

Lastly, the study also asked operators what effects they experienced with GPS usage and found that 81 percent of businesses reported a moderate or significant improvement of technician punctuality when using GPS-enabled scheduling.

For the complete results of the survey, please click here.