Good help is hard to find: How to recruit field technicians

The construction industry and the renewable energy markets have made a resurgence. Of course, with increased work comes the need for people to fill positions. The challenge is figuring out how to recruit field technicians. According to The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), at of the end of September 2017, more than 184,000 construction-related jobs have been added, but there are challenges finding qualified individuals for many key positions. Those “key” positions are typically the skilled jobs that require formal training, like a field service technician.

Service technicians are in demand outside of the construction industry, too. According to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics Fastest Growing Occupations Report, wind turbine service technician is the second fastest growing career in the country with an anticipated increase of 96 percent from 2016-2026.

While this information is great for service technicians, equipment distributors, contractors and energy companies may have some concerns: How do I hang on to quality employees? How do we recruit service technicians that are the best fit for our company? Are there ways we can do more with our current team?

Need for quality equipment

To retain and attract the best service technicians, you can either compete on wages or with quality equipment. While salary or hourly wages are important to everyone, having the best tools to perform their job day-in-day-out goes a long way for job satisfaction and improves your company’s efficiencies.

Start with the way your service technicians perform routine maintenance to equipment in the field. From oil dripping onto the ground or machine components to accidental spills when adding new oil, fluid changes can be a messy business. But it doesn’t have to be. Investing in a mobile lube system helps your service tech keep equipment components clean. Who wants to go home covered in oil every day?

Investing in a Sage Oil Vac mobile lube system will also reduce the time it takes for routine maintenance. Sage Oil Vac lube trailers, lube skids, lube trucks and lube carts use compressed air to build vacuum pressure to move fluids to and from, which is much faster than systems that use electronic pumps. With all that extra time, your service tech will be able to get more done in a day.

The team at Sage also recently introduced the NextLube monitoring system featuring a touch screen panel that simplifies oil changes. Now, the mobile service tech can monitor onboard fluid levels, pressurize tanks and automate amount of fluid dispensed. And from the shop, you’ll be able to access the same information as your mobile technician. It’s an innovation that will also help you get new service technicians up to speed quickly. Investing in quality equipment is how companies can recruit field technicians.

Recruit and retain the best field technicians 

When equipment on the job isn’t running because of a breakdown or routine maintenance, your mobile service technician becomes the most important asset for your entire organization. The qualified labor shortage and increasing demand for service technicians throughout the industry means that now is the time to invest in the right equipment to attract and retain the best service technicians.