What are Field Services?
Field services refer to a variety of onsite IT and telecommunications services, primarily offered by individuals such as field service technicians. Individuals in this industry provide onsite customer support, including repairs, installations, and maintenance.
Field service operatives are often required to work fast to determine or even foresee problems. The ability to identify proper solutions under pressure is vital, as is the ability to meet the customer in the field to ensure minimum disruption.
The Responsibilities of a Field Service Technician
As with many onsite roles, general tasks and responsibilities of a field service technician vary. Still, there are some general responsibilities which field service professionals can expect to face. They include -
- Providing customer support
- Managing onsite installation, repair, and maintenance
- Producing detailed service reports
- Diagnosing errors and developing solutions
- Building positive customer relationships by taking the time to understand requirements
Skills and Qualifications all Field Service Technicians Need
Experience is the most vital field services qualification. As such, taking on assistant or apprentice technician roles could be the best way to climb the career ladder.
Other than that, no formal qualifications past a high school diploma are strictly necessary. That said, according to study.com, certification in heavy equipment or computer technology are always helpful. Other required skills for field service technicians also include -
- Analytical skills
- Troubleshooting capabilities
- Communication skills
- Understanding of basic computer programs
- The ability to operate diagnostic and electronic tools
The Job Outlook for Field Services
Admittedly, the installation aspect of field services is set to see a slight decrease in the coming years. But, by keeping up with new technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), the outlook is still positive. In fact, according to Field Service News, the IoT even looks set to send freelance and gig economies within field services soaring.
With the IoT, freelance field services technicians will have more capability to find the jobs. And, this is something which we’re already seeing. Thanks to on-demand marketplaces like Field Engineer.
Pay Rates for Full-Time and Freelance Field Services
According to Payscale, the average full-time field service technician makes around $19.94 an hour. Technicians at the top of their game can expect to pull $68,755 per annum.
Freelancers can also expect to see rates like these as more businesses become willing to outsource IT-based capabilities. That said, the prices a freelancer can charge vary depending technology they use and their experience.
What Field Engineer Can do for Field Services
As we touched upon when discussing the job outlook, the ability to connect and source jobs are part of what makes freelance field services such a viable career choice. And, marketplaces like Field Engineer are an example of this.
Working across 180 countries, we aim to connect companies like Ericsson with the best field service freelancers. With the capabilities of our personalized marketplace, freelancer field operatives can both find jobs and expect companies to discover them on a regular basis. And, all it takes is signing up for Field Engineer today.
