Tag: Zuper FM

Field Service and the Potential Impact of a Recession with Michael Blumberg (Ep. 26)

Field Service and the Potential Impact of a Recession with Michael Blumberg (Ep. 26)

Did you know that field service can be recession-proof? In a recent study conducted by Blumberg Advisory Group Inc., results showed that despite concerns of a recession, a majority of respondents are optimistic about the future. What happens most times during a recession, there is a higher demand for maintaining and servicing existing products, which works out in your best interest. 

In this episode, Michael Blumberg is back on the podcast to discuss the findings of a study conducted by Blumberg Advisory Groupon field service and its potential impact during a recession.

Michael discusses:

  • The importance of proactive service especially in field services
  • The impact of economic recessions on homeowners and businesses
  • How customers expect the same level of service across industries, thanks to Lyft and Uber and the bar they set for customer service
  • The top challenges reported in the survey, including pricing pressures, shrinking labor pool, and supply chain constraints
  • Career opportunities in the field services 
  • The use of technology, such as AI and augmented reality, in improving service delivery
  • And more

Resources:

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The Key to Exceptional Customer Service in the Construction Industry with Eduardo Samayoa (Ep. 25)

The Key to Exceptional Customer Service in the Construction Industry with Eduardo Samayoa (Ep. 25)

In Mexico City, Eduardo saw firsthand the struggles architects and developers faced in procuring materials on time. As a homeowner himself, he also noticed the lack of professional services in the construction industry.

In this episode, Eduardo Samayoa, CEO and founder of Simplo, shared his journey from working in lighting and product consulting in San Francisco to starting Simplo. He explores why Simplo was created and how he grew through the power of customer-centricity, clear communication, and leveraging technology.  

Eduardo discusses:

  • How creating a client-focused business promotes business growth
  • What clients want from a construction company
  • The importance of leveraging technology to streamline business operations
  • His advice for entrepreneurs looking to start a new business
  • And more

Resources:

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Fixing Customers, Not Just Problems: The Art of Building Lasting Relationships with Gaven Fahl (Ep. 24)

Fixing Customers, Not Just Problems: The Art of Building Lasting Relationships with Gaven Fahl (Ep. 24)

“You can’t have a reasonable conversation during a fire or even when there’s a lot of smoke around.”

In this episode, Gaven Fahl, Director of the Critical Accounts Program at Hewlett Packard Enterprise joins us to talk about building proactive customer relationships and maintaining them.

With 12 years under her belt at Hewlett Packard Enterprise and as the founder of the Critical Accounts Program, she’s got a wealth of experience in building long-lasting relationships with customers beyond just fixing their technical issues. 

Gaven shares her insights into the art of nurturing successful customer relationships and offers practical tips that will undoubtedly revolutionize your approach to customer service and help your business thrive. 

Gaven and Michael discuss:

  • The critical role of customer relationships in business success
  • How to align customer expectations to avoid miscommunication and dissatisfaction
  • Effective techniques for rebuilding strained relationships and restoring trust
  • Proactive strategies for maintaining and nurturing customer relationships for long-term growth
  • The three crucial steps to rebuilding customer relationships
  • And more!

Resources:

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The Path to Success for Skilled Technicians in Field Service Work with Rod Cook (Ep. 23)

The Path to Success for Skilled Technicians in Field Service Work with Rod Cook (Ep. 23)

In recent years, the field service industry has undergone significant changes, with a growing emphasis on sustainability and innovation.

In this episode, Rod Cook, Director of North American Service Operations at Trane Technologies, discusses the challenges and opportunities available for talent within the trades industry, particularly in HVAC. 

He explores how to achieve a lucrative career in the field service industry and the importance of investing in the next generation of technicians to drive sustainable change.

Rod discusses:

  • How HVAC technicians play a crucial role in reducing energy consumption and achieving sustainability goals
  • The challenges of attracting and retaining talent in HVAC, misconceptions, and an aging workforce
  • The lucrative and promising career path for field service work at Trane Technologies
  • How Trane Technologies is investing in culture and communities to uplift and retain technicians
  • And so much more!

Resources:

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About Our Guest: 

Rod Cook is the Director of NA Services Operations for Trane’s Commercial HVAC business.  He has held numerous positions across the organization over his extensive career with Trane and leadership roles in Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), Operational Excellence, Service and Contracting Operations, and Performance Contracting…just to name a few.

In his current position as Director of NA Service Operations, he is responsible for leading Trane’s field service operations teams.  He provides leadership and support to over 2,500 field technicians and their leaders and helps them provide customers with a world-class service experience.  His primary areas of responsibility include field technology and tech-enabled services, mobility, coordination, fleet, and value-stream transformation.

Rod has over 24 years of experience in the HVAC industry and has spent the majority of his time strategizing, leading and implementing services operations solutions across North America.

Building a Unified Customer Experience: The Power of Collaborative Partnerships with Sai Padmarajen (Ep. 22)

Building a Unified Customer Experience: The Power of Collaborative Partnerships with Sai Padmarajen (Ep. 22)

Collaborative partnerships have the power to revolutionize the way you build a unified customer experience.

In this episode, Sai Padmarajen, Head of Channel & Ecosystem Partnership, and Rob Freedman, Head of Growth, both from Zuper, share their insights on their partnership model’s three-pronged approach. They highlight the evolution of Zuper’s partner network, which has grown from six to over sixty partners.

Sai and Rob emphasize the value of creating a synergistic partner ecosystem and identifying the right platform and solutions to achieve this goal. In addition, they share the key benefits and takeaways that a potential partner will reap from the collaboration.

Sai and Rob discuss:

  • How the Zuper Partner channel evolved over the past year
  • How Zuper is creating a synergistic partner ecosystem
  • The three-pronged approach to the partner model at Zuper – referral, reseller, and solutions partnership
  • The significance of identifying the right platform and solutions to create a synergistic partnership with the partners
  • And so much more

Resources:

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The Power of Relationships in Field Service with David Nour (Ep. 21)

The Power of Relationships in Field Service with David Nour (Ep. 21)

This week we’ll explore the concept of Relationship Economics and how it can transform the customer service and field service industries. 

In this episode, we feature David Nour, CEO of The Nour Group, Inc. and author of Relationship Economics®, to talk about the importance of relationships in business.

David shares his insights on creating a customer-centric culture and provides practical tips on developing and maintaining long-lasting relationships with customers. 

David and Michael discuss:

  • How relationship building is a critical skill that can be quantifiable and a strategic asset
  • Why focusing on fewer, deeper, authentic relationships that are mutually value-based is more important than having more contacts
  • Tips field service or customer service leaders can follow to create critical business relationships and be more disciplined and systematic in building and nurturing them
  • Effective relationship building and intentional long-term relationship development
  • And more

Resources:

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About Our Guest: 

A senior leadership/board advisor, educator, executive coach, and bestselling author, David Nour is internationally recognized as the leading expert on applications of strategic relationships in profitable growth, sustained innovation, and lasting change. The author of eleven books, including bestsellers Relationship Economics® (Wiley) – forthcoming in its 3rd edition, Co-Create (St. Martin’s Press), and Curve Benders (Wiley, 2021), Nour serves as a trusted advisor to global clients and coaches corporate leaders.  

Born in Iran, Nour immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager with $100, limited family ties, and no fluency in English. He graduated from Georgia State University with a bachelor’s degree in business management and went on to earn an Executive MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. He resides in Atlanta, GA, with his family.

Predicting Field Service Management Business Market in 2023 (Ep. 20)

Predicting Field Service Management Business Market in 2023 (Ep. 20)

As we enter a new year, staying ahead of the curve and understanding the challenges and opportunities is essential to the field services business.

In this episode, we’re joined by Rob Freedman, Head of Growth at Zuper to explore the forecasted growth of the field service management market and the technology trends shaping the industry in 2023. 

Rob discusses everything from his latest article from outsourcing and the rise of contingent labor to the adoption of AI and automation.

Rob discusses:

  • The forecasted growth of the field service management market
  • The impact of outsourcing and the rise of contingent labor
  • Advantages of adopting AI and automation in field service management
  • How Zuper is navigating the future of field service management with technology solutions
  • And more

Resources:

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About Rob: 

Rob Freedman is a marketing executive and consultant with over 15 years of experience. He loves growing brands, developing all-star teams, and helping people achieve their professional and personal goals. Rob is a frequent contributor to articles on digital marketing trends, team leadership, and branding. As if all that weren’t enough, he also has two daughters to keep him busy! He spends his free time listening to music (he’s got eclectic tastes), traveling (he’s been everywhere from San Francisco to Kampala), reading books about the latest innovations in business, or drinking coffee (black).

Service Trends to Watch Out for in 2023 with Wael Mohammed (Ep. 16)

Service Trends to Watch Out for in 2023 with Wael Mohammed (Ep. 16)

The field service industry is experiencing a massive opportunity for growth in 2023.

As the industry moves forward, service leaders and technicians will need to strive to make data-driven decisions that will move them in the right direction.

In this episode, Michael Israel is joined by Wael Mohammed, EVP of Strategy at Field Nation, to talk about how the data from the work Field Nation performs helps companies scale back or scale up when needed. Wael shares some of the insights from the valuable data of the 2022 operations and how it can help inform the field service community and customers.

Wael discusses:

  • How the shift in IT and telecom needs has diversified labor sourcing strategies
  • Why it’s better to adapt to move from a fixed expense structure to a variable expense structure
  • How Field Nation’s data insights are helping its customers increase their service capabilities to expand their growth
  • How the negotiation process for technicians works
  • And more

Resources:

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About Wael Mohammed: 

Wael Mohammed is the Executive VP of Product Management at Field Nation.He has a passion for identifying innovative concepts and transforming them into viable market solutions. With 25+ years of experience that span several industries across the B2B and B2C spectrum, Wael enjoys inspiring, mobilizing, and leading Product and cross-functional teams to deliver innovative technology products that make significant market impact.

Field Nation: Cutting Labor Costs In The Market with Mynul Khan (Ep. 15)

Field Nation: Cutting Labor Costs In The Market with Mynul Khan (Ep. 15)

With the change in consumer expectations, there is a substantial investment in IT and telecom infrastructure to support the digital customer experience. As a result, the demand for skilled technical labor as a fast, convenient cost-cutting option has risen.

In this episode, Michael Israel sits down with Mynul Khan, CEO of Field Nation, to discuss his company and how it has been able to meet the demand for technical labor, manage macroeconomic obstacles and reduce overall costs for companies.

Michael and Mynul discuss:

  • What the impetus was for founding Field Nation
  • How Field Nation got into the overall field service landscape
  • How Field Nation is helping businesses through this inflationary period
  • The trends Mynul sees for field services in 2023
  • And more

Resources:

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About Mynul Khan: 

Mynul Khan is the founder and CEO of Field Nation. Khan graduated from St. Cloud State University, where he developed an affinity for business start-ups. After selling his first venture, Khan launched Minneapolis-based Field Nation in 2008, when he identified the emerging contingent workforce trend.

Field Nation is not Mynul Khan’s first startup, but it is the one into which he has poured all of who he is. Mynul is the Founder and CEO of Field Nation; the leading online work marketplace for connecting people to get work done. His programming and data analyst background, as well as a honed “growth hacking” business acumen, combine in the form of a humble and soft-spoken man who is uniquely driven.

Expanding Completed Service Work: How to Elevate The Customer Service Experience with David Nour (Ep. 14)

Expanding Completed Service Work: How to Elevate The Customer Service Experience with David Nour (Ep. 14)

Enhancing the customer service experience is really all about exceeding expectations. Going above and beyond for your customer leaves them feeling delighted and satisfied — ultimately building the customer Loyalty you want.

In this episode, we build on last week’s conversation about the concept of completed service work with executive coach and founder of The Nour Group, David Nour. 

David Nour and Michael Israel expand on completed service work and the activities involved in delivering an effective customer service experience that leaves a positive impact on customers.

David and Michael discuss: 

  • How misaligned expectations can cause customer relationships to go bad
  • What “best of breeds” is and how it relates to completed service work
  • Why data has become the new renewable energy
  • The total completed service work ecosystem and what it entails
  • How to exceed expectations by adding value to your current customer service processes
  • And more

Resources:

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Connect with David Nour: 

About David Nour: 

A senior leadership/board advisor, educator, executive coach, and bestselling author, David Nour is internationally recognized as the leading expert on applications of strategic relationships in profitable growth, sustained innovation, and lasting change. A Forbes Leadership contributor on the Future of Work and an Inc. contributor on Relationship Economics, Nour’s unique insights have been featured in various prominent publications, including The Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fast Company, Huffington Post Business, Entrepreneur, and Knowledge@Wharton. He’s also the host of the popular Curve Benders podcast. 

Born in Iran, Nour immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager with $100, limited family ties, and no fluency in English. He graduated from Georgia State University with a bachelor’s degree in business management and went on to earn an Executive MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. He resides in Atlanta, GA, with his family.