ServiceTrade Releases 2026 Technician Insights Report

Technicians Love the Work, But Are Frustrated by Operational Friction

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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ServiceTrade, a commercial field service management platform, has released its 2026 Technician Insights report based on a survey of 823 service technicians. The findings reveal that while technicians take pride in their skilled work, preventable operational issues like miscommunication and poor scheduling are eroding their productivity and causing day-to-day frustration.

Why it matters

Attracting and retaining skilled technicians remains a top challenge for contractors. The report provides insights into what technicians value and the operational friction points that impact their job satisfaction and productivity, which can help contractors adopt strategies to streamline operations and reduce wasted technician time.

The details

The report found that more than half of technicians cite pride in skilled work, solving real problems, and working with their hands as the best parts of the job. However, the top productivity obstacles are miscommunication between the field and the office (45%) and poor scheduling or last-minute changes (44%). Technicians ranked poor communication (20%) and inadequate technology that slows them down (17%) as the single biggest obstacles. Technicians embrace digital tools that reduce friction, but technology that adds work remains a top frustration (32%). The survey also found that AI adoption is early but gaining momentum, with 28% of technicians using AI and another 25% interested.

  • The 2026 Technician Insights report was released on February 12, 2026.

The players

ServiceTrade

A commercial field service management platform purpose-built for commercial fire protection and mechanical service contractors.

William Chaney

The CEO of ServiceTrade.

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What they’re saying

“Attracting and retaining skilled technicians remains a top challenge for contractors. Contractors can address the challenge by adopting technology that removes day-to-day friction and increases productivity for every member of the team.”

— William Chaney, CEO of ServiceTrade

“Technicians are open to technology, including AI, as long as it makes their jobs easier. When technology adds work instead of removing it becomes part of the problem.”

— William Chaney, CEO of ServiceTrade

What’s next

The report provides several immediate changes that contractors can make to increase technician productivity, including better coordination between the field and office, improved job planning, and faster access to asset and service history.

The takeaway

The survey findings highlight that productivity improves when technicians have accurate information, clear schedules, and tools that work the way they do. Adopting technology that removes day-to-day friction and increases productivity for the entire team can help contractors address the challenge of attracting and retaining skilled technicians.