How to Retain Field Service Technicians: 7 Tested Ways

1. Provide a Smooth Onboarding Process

Onboarding is the process of integrating new hires into your company culture, systems, and processes. A smooth onboarding experience plays a crucial role in setting your technicians up for success from day one, enhancing their confidence and improving retention rates.

How?

Effective onboarding positively impacts retention by creating a strong first impression early on. Technicians who feel welcomed and well-prepared are more likely to stay in the long term. 

They’ll also feel engaged and connected to their work and team members.

Here are some tips for ensuring a smooth onboarding process for your new techs:

• Provide a clear onboarding checklist.

• Introduce them to company systems and tools early.

• Assign experienced mentors to guide them through their first weeks.

• Schedule regular check-ins during the first 90 days to address concerns.

2. Offer Training

In addition to ensuring a seamless onboarding process for new technicians, offering ongoing training for both new and existing techs is a great way to improve employee retention.

Training programs equip technicians with the skills they need to perform well in the field and adapt to new technologies, helping them feel confident in their roles. Technicians who feel capable are more likely to stay. 

Additionally, ongoing training demonstrates the company values the growth and long-term success of its employees, which serves as another retention incentive.

Here are some tips on organizing ongoing employee training:

• Always offer manufacturer-specific training for new equipment and technologies.

• Create a library of SOPs and training videos.

• Cross-train technicians in multiple service areas to increase versatility.

• Encourage and sponsor certifications and continued education.

3. Provide Them With the Right Tools

Technicians require reliable tools to complete their jobs efficiently—both physical tools and software. When they have the right tools, their job becomes more manageable and less stressful, which improves their commitment to your company.

On the other hand, inadequate or malfunctioning tools make technicians feel unsupported and may prompt them to seek employment with better-equipped companies. 

A software tool like the ServiceTitan Field Service App ensures techs can access job details, customer information, and real-time updates on the go. This helps reduce confusion, improve communication, and empowers techs to do their job more efficiently.

Here are some tips for empowering your techs with the right tools:

• Invest in high-quality, reliable equipment and vehicles.

• Regularly maintain and update tools to prevent breakdowns.

• Provide mobile technology for scheduling, communication, and documentation.

• Ensure adequate inventory of parts and supplies.

4. Promote Teamwork

Teamwork fosters a sense of community and shared purpose within your organization, thereby improving employee retention. Techs who feel part of a team are more likely to stay, and strong team bonds lead to better collaboration, morale, and job satisfaction.

So, how do you promote teamwork among your field service techs?

Promoting teamwork involves fostering collaborative relationships through shared goals, mutual support, and open communication channels.

Here are some more tips for promoting teamwork in the workplace:

• Organize regular team meetings and social events to build relationships.

• Create mentorship programs pairing experienced technicians with newcomers.

• Implement team-based goals and recognition programs.

• Use communication platforms to facilitate knowledge sharing and support.

5. Provide Regular, Constructive Feedback

Providing feedback means offering regular, constructive communication about job performance, including both positive recognition and areas for improvement. 

Continuous feedback boosts your technician retention rate by helping technicians understand expectations, feel valued, and see paths to improvement. 

Without feedback, employees may feel uncertain about their performance, leading to decreased motivation and increased turnover.

Here’s how to ensure an effective feedback system in the workplace:

• Schedule regular one-on-one performance check-ins.

• Be specific and timely with praise or corrections.

• Use a mix of formal and informal feedback.

• Encourage two-way feedback so techs can voice their concerns as well.

6. Acknowledge Performance

Acknowledging employee performance is essential for retention because it validates people’s hard work, boosts morale, and reinforces desired behaviors.

But how does it work?

Performance acknowledgment involves recognizing and celebrating technicians' achievements, both individually and publicly, through various reward and recognition programs, including salary increments and bonuses.

The result? Technicians feel valued and appreciated, which significantly increases their likelihood of staying with the company.

Here are some tips for performance appreciation:

• Provide public recognition during team meetings and company communications.

• Offer performance-based bonuses and incentives.

• Highlight wins in team meetings.

• Send personal thank-you notes or public shoutouts to technicians who impress.

ServiceTitan’s Field Reporting Software helps contractors easily track technician performance metrics, such as job completion rates, revenue generated, and customer satisfaction scores. This data provides accurate evaluations, making it easier to reward high-performing employees.

7. Offer Career Development Opportunities

Career development provides technicians with reasons to stay long-term, increases engagement, and demonstrates your company's commitment to their future. 

Remember, every technician wants to know they have a future in your company. Without growth opportunities, skilled technicians often leave for companies offering better advancement prospects.

So, offering clear paths to career advancement builds loyalty and reduces job-hopping.

Here’s how to do it:

• Create clear advancement pathways for everyone from apprentices to senior technicians and those in leadership roles.

• Support technicians pursuing industry certifications and licenses.

• Provide opportunities to specialize in high-demand service areas.

• Offer leadership training for technicians interested in supervisory roles.

What Are the Benefits of Retaining Field Service Technicians?

The key benefits of retaining field service technicians are listed below:

• Reduced hiring and training costs: Every technician you lose costs your business time and money. From advertising job openings to conducting interviews and training new hires, the expenses quickly add up. Retaining your skilled technicians means you avoid these expenses while preserving your investment in onboarding and upskilling techs.

• Increased productivity: Technicians who stay with your company become more efficient over time. They understand your processes, tools, and service expectations, which allows them to complete jobs faster and with fewer errors. They also serve as valuable mentors to new hires, accelerating learning curves and improving overall team performance through knowledge transfer.

• Higher profitability: Employee retention directly impacts your bottom line. Long-term technicians improve operational efficiency, reduce costly callbacks, and contribute to a more consistent and scalable service model. The result? Lower overhead, better margins, and a business that’s built to grow.

• Stronger company reputation: Consistent service delivery from skilled, familiar technicians builds a strong brand reputation for you in your industry. Satisfied customers generate positive reviews and referrals, creating a competitive advantage that attracts new business.

Why Field Service Technicians Leave

A Gallup study found that 42 percent of employees who quit reported their company could have taken steps to prevent them from leaving. 

In the field service industry, common reasons for leaving include a lack of growth opportunities, inadequate compensation, outdated tools, poor communication, and a sense of being undervalued. 

Unfortunately, a high turnover rate not only disrupts business operations but also stalls growth. This is why competent contractors are investing in technician retention.

ServiceTitan can help you address many of these employee retention challenges through comprehensive field service management features that create a more satisfying work environment, encouraging long-term employment.

ServiceTitan is a comprehensive software solution designed to help service companies streamline their operations, boost revenue, and improve the trajectory of their business. Our extensive, cloud-based platform is used by thousands of electrical, HVAC, plumbing, garage door, and chimney sweep shops across the country, and has increased their revenue by an average of 25 percent in just their first year with us.