Battling Isolation: Ways to Manage Remote Service Techs
/By Hylan Joseph
Managing your remote tech team is difficult. With the new normal, managing remotely can be even more difficult. I discovered the hard way that I needed to adapt my strategy to ensure that my techs didn’t feel isolated, but instead felt supported.
Humans are social animals. We tend to suffer when we’re not engaged by others or in situations where we do not feel supported. I run a tech team of six guys. At one point I also ran a region on the East Coast and in the Midwest with a total of fifteen techs. I never see any of my techs due to geographic location. This makes it difficult to lead a successful team. As a manager, there is no face to face time to talk and that can be challenging.
Isolation can also be difficult and debilitating. It is crucial that your remote techs feel connected to your operations and the rest of the team.
In trying to improve my own remote leadership style I sought counsel from others and did some research. I came up with a list of where I needed to improve to get my team motivated:
1. Maintain consistent communications. This seems like an obvious answer. I found in trying to maintain consistent communication that there were five key items that I needed to focus on to keep them motivated
a. Transparency is important – truth equals trust. Make sure you are honestly communicating with your techs.
b. Keep the dialogue two ways – We may be listening to our techs but are we hearing them? Are we responding to what that are saying? Ask yourself, how quickly do we act on their concerns or comments. Do we acknowledge what they are saying to then just dismiss their concern to address later? Every company I know has that one tech who literally complains about everything. Is it time to stop dismissing the tech and look into what they’re saying?
c. Centralize communication – A hub like Slack, where techs can communicate with each other and the dispatch team, share war stories and basic information. Several owners that I have talked to have used the Slack platform successfully to make this work.
d. Be Consistent – if you’re going to call and check-in or e-mail, do it on a schedule. Be consistent.
e. Make information easy to access – Make sure the techs have the access to the information they need to complete the job the first time. This may mean access to manuals, parts numbers, tech support, etc.
2. Provide support and help them stay engaged. Social isolation is difficult – to successfully battle isolation you need to keep your techs in the loop and give them the opportunity to contribute to your team. There needs to be some personalization. Their personal life will affect their work life. As a manger, how much do we know about our techs? I’ve heard dozens of stories about how techs have gone off the rails or just disappeared. I’ve had this happen to me several times and in two cases I could have prevented this by simply checking in. One left because of money issues and one had a sick relative. By the time I had found out the techs had left, there was no way to offer support.
3. Be consistent – As the owner or manager you set the tone, you are the leader and you will set the example. The hardest aspect I’ve found in implementing this is being consistent with each of my team members.
4. Don’t lose sight of the overall priorities. Ultimately, we are in business for specific reasons. Part of our success is best determined by how well we lead and develop our teams. Finding the right balance of input and communication can be tough when working with remote techs
My team drives my success as a manager. Define what that success means to you and your team and craft a strong support structure to drive toward that success.