An interview with Jason Silva: Founder and Managing Director of ServiceEcho

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Meet Jason Silva, the Founder and Managing Director of ServiceEcho and learn about how his Dad shaped the values of his decade-long company, his take on where the Field Service Industry is going, what he has learned from running a business, a successful one and much more. 

What is ServiceEcho?

When asked to describe what ServiceEcho is, Jason explained that they equip any remote Field Service team with a very powerful native mobile application that can track time, inventory, and the services technicians perform. With capabilities to take all the mobile app data and drive the business from Salesforce through the app that allows technicians to generate invoices, allows managers to simplify payroll, and integration with accounting software and CRM. Simply put, Jason stated that ServiceEcho brings all information from out of the office to one centralized location to make the business process efficient. 

Who is ServiceEcho for?

Jason explained that ServiceEcho is for any Service Managers/Dispatchers, Fieldworkers, Sales Executives or Business Directors. From a business perspective, it comes down to ‘who are you adding value to’. The person doing the actual work-skilled labour has a really challenging work environment with very little support and an internet connection and ServiceEcho really supports them by connecting them into the office and share their experience in the office. As a result of that, ServiceEcho is providing value because getting the information from on the field wasn’t all that easy years ago. Ultimately, their customers are also provided value. 

How is ServiceEcho different from its competitors in the market?

ServiceEcho really separates itself from competitors with its simplicity and user-friendliness as Jason expressed that “Our native mobile app is something that is really simple and easy to use, specifically for ios and android platforms”. The whole mobile-first approach is simple and easy to use and configure because ServiceEcho is keen on providing that level of customer service. They pride themselves on making the experience simple as possible.

What are some features that users of ServiceEcho enjoy?

Customers of ServiceEcho enjoy consistent simplicity across the mobile app and with their CRM integrations. Jason described that ServiceEcho helps their customers get paid a lot quicker, invoices can be generated accurately, efficiently and very quickly helping them increase cash velocity. Their Customer reporting tool helps in understanding what customers have sold and what they’ve done and the total value of the service. 

Document generation is another feature that customers thoroughly enjoy. Previously, customers had spent days creating customer-facing reports and documents that are now instantly created. Customers also love their real-time calendar, helping them keep track of everything that is happening when it is happening. And of course the Mobile app.

How often do you add new features? 

ServiceEcho strives for continuous improvement as Jason discussed. They are constantly trying to improve and release new features as quickly as possible. Working with their customers and their technicians because it’s their experience out in the field that helps them build something great. “If you’re really passionate about the customer experience and you marry that with the technology, you’re going to build something fantastic,” says Jason. ServiceEcho’s customers are much more sophisticated now, as Jason described, he credits this shift to the advances in technology and that customers are learning and are comfortable with these experiences that make it easier for ServiceEcho to create new features.

What have you learned in the last decade?

ServiceEcho has built a great team, having people around who are always contributing and giving 100’s of hours of hard work is key to the success of the company. As Jason mentioned “Getting people that believe in your vision and align with what you are doing and treating them with respect and valuing them as much as you can is really important”. Another thing Jason has learned is that you need to be passionate about solving customer problems, the customer is everything. ServiceEcho goes above and beyond what they think is reasonable when it comes to providing support for their customers.

Where do you see the FSM industry going?

Jason predicts that customers will be demanding even more real-time communication with their service providers, almost following the consumer trend. 

“There are so many complexities in each industry, I see an IoT/AI combination being introduced” He also perhaps sees field service operations taking a more preemptive maintenance plan as well as addressing the skills gap between experienced and entry-level technicians. He expects more experienced technicians to be remotely tapping in and diagnosing a particular problem, not having to worry about travel and entry-level technicians on the field, but still gaining relevant skills.

Can you describe the relationship ServiceEcho has with its customers? What support do they receive from ServiceEcho?

The selling process is the kickstart that says ServiceEcho is making this solution just for their customers and although the core foundation is their software product, ServiceEcho makes the solution tuned to you. Jason explains “When we talk with customers and get that info- it is a two-way street, we don’t know what they need so we listen, to fully customize the solution. Helping that customer grow their business, is only going to pay dividends down the road. Their success will translate to our success”

How does ServiceEcho ensure that the customer’s onboarding experience is successful?

ServiceEcho ensures that customers’ onboarding experience is one that is entirely positive. As Jason previously mentioned, their team works to gather information from their customers and then take that information, follow a discrete step of actions, and take an agile approach- constantly making sure that they are making improvements their customers can see in a test environment and start training the trainer along the way, making them a key voice in the process. “It’s never an us vs them mentality, we’re always coming together to make a decision” states Jason

What are some of the challenges you/ServiceEcho faces as an FSM solution provider, how have you overcome them?

However, running an FSM solution business is not without its challenges. Jason describes his struggle in the industry especially keeping up with the momentum of technology and always looking for the innovation cycle without sacrificing existing customer experience. As workflows are different between service organizations, customers have a wide range of technical capabilities. Some of their customers have large IT departments, and others rely on a service dispatcher to manage the roll-out which means ServiceEcho has to be ready to adapt. Additionally, remote work makes it difficult to understand some of the on-site challenges faced by Fieldworkers, it’s something that has taken a little while for ServiceEcho to get used to.

Jason’s one-word solution is patience. He believes that focusing on customer service, incorporating easy-to-use interfaces, keep the first roll out simple, maintaining an agile delivery approach and involving our customers every step of the way. “It’s a trusted solution that has gotten us this far” according to the expert, Jason Silva.

How does ServiceEcho make life easier for field workers, management, and dispatchers?

ServiceEcho can easily create a process on the mobile app. This includes auditing the safety process with the functionality to take pictures, proof of safety for safety records, visually looking at work orders for the day, routing is easier knowing exactly where to go with street view access, skipping the administrative step, but still providing detailed reports. As Jason describes the effect on techs and back office “Equipping the Field Workers with a device that makes the information available to the dispatcher- the real-time gives them insight without the need for disjointed communication.” Overall, ServiceEcho ensures simplicity across the board. 

How do your mission and values (trust, commitment to customers and continuous improvement) align with your goals for ServiceEcho?

ServiceEcho has a strong set of core values comprising of trust, commitment to customers and continuous improvement. Jason elaborates that it’s really a shared message across the organization and that at times, it is hard to really stick to those values in the face of challenges. For Jason, trust is fundamental in life and especially in business, and this works both ways. 

The commitment to their customers goes a long way, according to Jason. He discusses a need for addressing the intersection between humanities and technology, something that has stuck with him since attending Steve Jobs’ keynote when the IPad 2 was released. 

Jason emphasized the importance of understanding that everything is being built for the customer experience. “The fact remains that they have options, but have shown a commitment to you, so that commitment should go both ways, it should be mutual”

Jason believes that continuous improvement is at the core of technology and these values really speak to where he wants to take ServiceEcho “We’re going to be the innovative company that always tries to push the envelope”

What has changed since the early versions of ServiceEcho?

ServiceEcho has changed countless times over the decade as Jason discusses. He mentions the evolution of Salesforce, a partner of ServiceEcho since the very beginning and how, over the years, they have impacted ServiceEcho’s app, for example going from classic to lightning. ServiceEcho has added different functionality in terms of inventory management and timesheets, amongst other things but Jason describes a huge turning point was when their team understood the value of not just providing a Field Service solution but coupling that with sales. “As I said, continuous improvement is a core value, so we’re constantly finding new ways to upgrade the customer experience” 

How does your partnership with Salesforce/Quickbooks/Google cloud impact the customer experience?

ServiceEcho started off from ground 0 and Jason believed in building off the shoulders of giants. ServiceEcho has partnerships with Salesforce, Quickbooks, Google Cloud and more recently Inuit,  Jason feels that together is better, so they can fill certain gaps and simplify things for customers. “It gives us the ability to quickly increase value, provides a secure and stable platform for our customers”

Can you share a customer story/experience that encompasses what ServiceEcho is about?

ServiceEcho recently had a customer that got acquired by a multinational huge organization. With the enterprise mentality, when you talk about FSM, they typically have their own solution. Yet, they have been using our technology for over 6 years, and would always go above and beyond for them. As Jason describes the story “Since they were based in Boston, I would hop on a flight to Boston every once in a while and make sure I was in their office to understand some of the challenges they may be facing, or how we can improve their ServiceEcho customer experience. 

ServiceEcho always will go above and beyond for their customers, this company had a specific salesforce functionality that they were struggling with, a product list and every once in a while they would increase the value of the value list. Even though this was not related to our product in any way, Jason would get the team on it, and he would even get on it on Saturdays to update it for them. 

When they let Jason know about the acquisition, they told him the company wants them to go to their FSM solution so they might have to turn off ServiceEcho eventually. However, just recently, they informed Jason that they are renewing for another year, as they looked at the other solution and loved ServiceEcho, particularly how quickly Jason responds and supports them. ServiceEcho filled in the gaps that this other solution did not do for them. Jason believes that those years of going the extra mile for his customers, and being responsive, made them value the relationship and so they are renewing, despite the head office telling them to use their in-house solution. 

What do people get wrong about FSM platforms?

Jason believes there are plenty of misconceptions about Field Service Platforms. “I’ve heard people say “Oh, I don’t want my techs to be tracked””, but Jason states it’s not about micromanaging employees, it’s about empowering them with another tool. 

Getting over the idea of ‘spying’ is something that Jason thinks could change things significantly because it’s about giving technicians the tools to effectively continue providing service and to grow their business while giving managers the details they need to build a strong team of technicians. He highlights the need to be able to measure certain aspects because “you can’t improve what you can’t measure”. FSM is meant to manage costs and if used correctly it can really help drive sales and customer loyalty.

What is in store for ServiceEcho in the next 10 years?

Jason continues to be optimistic about ServiceEcho’s future, strongly aligning his goals with their core values. “We want to continue to be the best we can and push the envelope as far as being leaders in this space of FSM” Jason wants to innovate when it comes to all the great technologies out there and is greatly inspired by some of the consumer base applications that you see on the daily basis. Additionally, ServiceEcho hopes to add more customer success stories and see the companies they work with today are 10x bigger in the next 10 years because that means that they have done their job and helped them be a more successful organization. 

To learn more about ServiceEcho and what it can do for your business, email Jason directly at jason@serviceecho.com or book a demo today at https://serviceecho.com/request-a-demo/ To view Jason’s interview click here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4k-dx5YA_s0fkn0f1nNtQw/featured

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