Firms Can Cut Service Costs by 26% With Better Training
Companies can unlock up to 26% in service cost savings by effectively scaling knowledge and expertise across their field service workforce, according to a new report from Aquant. The 2026 Field Service Benchmark analyzed 30 million service events from 161 organizations to identify key savings opportunities.
- The performance gap between the top and bottom 20% of service teams is substantial, with top performers achieving an 88% first-time-fix rate compared to 60% for the lowest performers. - Failed service visits are a primary driver of costs, accounting for 25% of total service expenses for the average company and as high as 44% for bottom-performing organizations. - A significant opportunity for savings lies in remote resolution, as the report indicates that one in five service cases could be resolved without dispatching a technician. - The "skills gap" between an organization's top technicians and the rest of the team is a key factor; for low-performing teams, this gap is over three times wider than for high-performing teams. - High-performing companies demonstrate better employee retention, with an 87% retention rate compared to 66% for underperforming companies, which helps to preserve institutional knowledge. - The challenge of an aging workforce is a significant industry trend, with nearly half of all field service technicians being over the age of 50. - Previous Aquant benchmark reports have highlighted the high cost of underperformance, with one finding that the lowest-performing employees can cost an organization 80% more than its top performers. - The field service management market is in a period of rapid growth, with projections showing an increase from $5.64 billion in 2025 to $9.68 billion by 2030.
