In field service work, the actual service being provided by a technician -- say, a plumber -- is essentially the “product” of that company. Now, maybe the company has an app or a website or other elements we might call “products,” but in reality the quality of the service is the product.
So, when we work with field service organizations (FSOs from now on), we want to find ways to make their future customers understand the quality of service they provide.
There are obviously a lot of different approaches to this. The colors used in the branding matter. Social media matters. Videos matter. Helping them with networking and trade shows matter. Everything that goes into developing their businesses and brands matter.
But here’s one thing a lot of people overlook: case studies.
Remember, a case study is a story. A customer had a problem. You found a way to solve that problem. The customer’s life was better. The value of storytelling has increased in business in the past decade or so, with numerous billionaires telling author Carmine Gallo that it’s “essential” to have a story when pitching to them. You might not be pitching to billionaires anytime soon, but telling stories is the most powerful way to activate other people's brains. If you’re telling stories that resonate with their own pain points or problems they need to solve, there’s a good chance you can capture their business.
Case studies can also show your customers (and future customers) that you’ve worked on similar problems before.
Are you a believer yet?
Don’t worry. We’ll get you there. We put together an eBook on the importance of -- and approaches to -- case studies in service business marketing. It’s mostly focused on field service organizations, but the advice and research works for any service business. You can download it now.
