Managing Field Workers: Common Mistakes

When you are in charge of a mobile workforce, you basically have to manage a team of people who aren’t around. While your staff is spread out over their assigned locations, you have to be able to provide support and the same time monitor their progress and productivity.

For some, it can be quite easy. But for others, mistakes are inevitable. Make sure you’re not one of the others who make mistakes. Here are some things to avoid:

1. Failing to cultivate good working relationships.

Since you won’t see each other as often as you should, being on good (but professional) terms with your workers is essential to your success. Being concerned with their welfare and always giving them the benefit of the doubt is always good practice for making them trust you as a manager.

2. Failing to leverage technology.

When you don’t use technology like smartphones and mobile job management software to handle your fleet of workers, you’re only shooting yourself in the foot. You’ll be able to track data better and give support to your staff better if you have a common platform to turn to even when you’re not available. You can also see easily who is being more productive and where your staff can improve further.

3. Failing to give proper training.

Proper training should not just be about delivering service but also dealing with irate customers and on-site issues. You can’t expect every site visit to go smoothly — your team has to know how to deal with difficult clients. They represent the company so they should be able to maintain dignity and be a good face for the customers.

Being able to give support and monitor your staff are important functions of any manager. Some mistakes, though, are quite easy to make if you aren’t aware of what you’re doing.