Can Canadians learn from Americans when it comes to providing field services?

Moneris study: 69 per cent of Canadians and 80 per cent of Americans say they recently received outstanding service from tradespeople at their home; communication is key to a good or bad experience

TORONTO, Oct. 23, 2014 /CNW/ - Americans are happier with SMB field service providers than Canadians, reveals a new survey commissioned by Moneris Solutions Corporation ("Moneris"), a top ten global acquirer processing over three billion transactions per year. Sixty-nine per cent of Canadians and 80 per cent of Americans have recently received outstanding service from tradespeople, such as plumbers, electricians or landscapers, employed by small and mid-sized businesses. Communication is critical to defining a good or bad customer experience, the survey shows.

Excellent quality of work (68 per cent of Canadian and 67 per cent of American respondents), a positive attitude of a service provider (62 per cent and 64 per cent, respectively) and good value for the price (57 per cent and 52 per cent) are at the heart of what defines an outstanding service experience for both Canadians and Americans.

"The Moneris study sheds light on the psychology of consumer interactions with small and mid-sized field service providers. Canadians are less happy with the services and more concerned with inconsistent communication than Americans," says Angela Brown, CEO of Moneris. "It's clear the intangibles of service define the customer field service experience, and the pain points that could be avoided if service providers were better able to communicate about what is going to happen and when."

When asked to select the factors that make a service experience unsatisfactory, Canadians and Americans agree on their top two pet peeves – they don't want to pay more than quoted (72 per cent of Canadians and 65 per cent of Americans) or wait longer than anticipated for a serviceperson to arrive (64 per cent and 62 per cent, respectively). Interestingly, what respondents see as the third pain point differs on either side of the border. For 50 per cent of Canadian survey participants, it is inconsistent communication, while 48 per cent of American respondents are more concerned about the service provider not having the right parts on hand resulting in a return visit.

Moneris has recently partnered with Detroit-based startup Locqus to bring a new web platform to North American businesses that helps manage workers in the field (www.locqus.com). Locqus is a free service that helps small and mid-sized businesses with a mobile workforce manage sales, jobs, billing and accounting, and employees.

"The study pinpointed one of the key problems with many field service providers – they don't communicate accurately about the exact arrival time of a tradesperson," says Sandy Kronenberg, CEO of Locqus. "Locqus helps solve that problem providing an easy-to-use tool for field management employers that integrates accurate scheduling and time management."

Highlights of the Moneris survey

Consumers pained by higher bills, longer wait times
Canadians and Americans are vocal about what they don't like. 

• Canadian and American respondents say their main concerns when it comes to field service delivery include receiving a higher bill than what was originally quoted (72 per cent of Canadian and 65 per cent of American respondents) and long wait times for a service provider to arrive (64 per cent of Canadian and 62 per cent of American respondents).
• The third top pain point is different for Canadians and Americans.
• Fifty per cent of Canadian respondents say inconsistent communication would result in a bad experience for them. In the U.S., 48 per cent of respondents are more concerned about the service provider having to schedule a return visit because the right parts weren't on hand.

Consumers value excellent quality of work, great attitude
On both sides of the border, customer experience with field services is generally positive for most Canadian and American respondents. They eagerly share stories of field service experiences that impressed them. 

• Most Canadian (69 per cent) and American (80 per cent) respondents report they have received outstanding service from a small or mid-sized field services provider over the past year.
• Most Canadian and American survey participants rank excellent quality of work as the number one factor contributing to an outstanding service experience (68 per cent of Canadian and 67 per cent of U.S. respondents), followed by a great attitude of the service provider (62 per cent and 64 per cent, respectively) and good value for the price (57 per cent and 52 per cent).

About the Moneris September 2014 Onsite Service Providers Study 
The study, conducted online by the Environics Research Group in Canada and the U.S. between September 18 and September 25, 2014, collected data from a random sample of 1001 respondents in Canada and 1003 respondents in the United States who were 18 years old and over. The survey focused on the factors defining consumer experience with small or medium-size field services providers, including the quality of work, job scheduling, technician arrival times, the availability of the right parts, documentation, pricing and payment options, communication, credibility, and attitude of the service provider. For the purposes of the survey, a small or medium-size field services provider was defined as a business with between 2 – 50 employees providing onsite (field management) services, such as plumbing, electrical services, roofing, home repair, computer repair, landscaping, pool services, cleaning services, food delivery, courier services, etc. In Canada, of the 1001 respondents, 574 had received on-site service in the last 12 months. In the U.S., of the 1003 respondents, 626 had received on-site service in the last 12 months.

About Locqus
Locqus is a free service that helps small and mid-sized businesses with a mobile workforce manage sales, jobs, billing and accounting, and employees. Many businesses turn to numerous platforms for their needs, ranging from accounting to payments to tracking and managing tasks. Locqus offers a one-stop, streamlined solution encompassing all of these services in one platform. With its comprehensive suite of capabilities all in one app, Locqus is modernizing the mobile workforce for field management professionals in such industries as contracting, plumbing, pest control, HVAC, landscaping and more. For more information, visit www.locqus.com.

About Moneris Solutions
As one of North America's largest providers of payment processing solutions, Moneris offers credit, debit, wireless and online payment services for merchants in virtually every industry segment and processes more than three billion transactions, annually. Moneris also offers electronic loyalty and stored-value gift card programs. With more than 350,000 merchant locations, Moneris provides the hardware, software and systems needed to improve business efficiency and manage payments. For more information please visit www.moneris.com.

Follow Moneris on Twitter - @Moneris & @getpaydnow as well as Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/moneris.

Image with caption: "Can Canadians learn from Americans when it comes to providing field services? (CNW Group/Moneris Solutions Corporation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141023_C3084_PHOTO_EN_7004.jpg

SOURCE: Moneris Solutions Corporation

Media Contact: Neetisha Seenundun, MAVERICK, 416-640-5525, ext. 245, [email protected]