Service Calls in 2026: The New Service Experience

Transcript

Narration: Welcome to the “Talking IFM” podcast, where we explore the diverse and evolving worlds of the IFM field. We speak with content experts, examine different aspects and how they serve organizations, understand the challenges we face, and discover what the future holds for IFM.

Idit: Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of our podcast. I’m Idit Shani, VP Strategy and Business Development at Electra FM. Today, we are discussing a topic that sits at the heart of every organization’s day-to-day operation, yet in practice has a much broader impact than people often realize: the service request.

A service request is no longer merely a fault that needs to be fixed. It is a critical touchpoint with the customer. It is the moment when the customer assesses not only whether we resolved the issue, but also how we handled it, how transparent we were throughout the process, whether they truly felt that someone was managing the event on their behalf, whether the process ultimately created a sense of confidence, and what kind of experience they were left with.

To discuss this, I’m joined today by Sharon Elimelech, IFM Service Lead at Electra FM. Sharon, it’s great to have you with us.

Sharon: It’s great to be here. Thank you, Idit.

Idit: Sharon, when you look at service requests today, what is the biggest change you see compared with the past?

Sharon: The main change is that a service request is no longer perceived as a purely technical event. In the past, the focus was very clear: there is an SLA, there is a timeframe, we need to arrive on time, handle the fault, and close the request.

Today, the reality is different. A service request is part of the overall customer experience. This means the customer does not only expect someone to arrive and fix the fault. They want to feel that someone sees them and acknowledges the issue. They want to know what is happening, when someone will arrive, how long the treatment will take, and what the status is at every stage.

In other words, the expectation no longer ends with the solution itself; it also includes the journey. The customer wants certainty.

Let’s take a simple example: a customer opens a request about a flickering light. We send someone out; a technician arrives and sees the issue. You might say, “Come on, this isn’t a critical fault.” But for the person sitting there with the light flickering in their eyes, it is disturbing.

So, the request is assigned to a technician. The technicians, who already know the site and the customers, call the customer and speak with them in a spirit of partnership. Through that conversation, they understand whether the issue should be prioritized or not. The technician might say, “You know what, I’m just finishing something here and I’ll be with you within a certain timeframe.” They arrive, fix the issue, and the customer is satisfied.

Idit: In the end, what stays with the customer is the experience, exactly as you described. And I think that is precisely the point. The customer of 2026 is no longer comparing us only to other FM companies. They are comparing us to every other service experience they have had, whether it is an app they used or a hotel they stayed at. That becomes their benchmark for how they experience the service request. So, what does our customer really expect today when they open a service request?

Sharon: Essentially, there are three key expectations.

The first is a fast response, not necessarily an immediate solution, but confirmation that someone has seen the request and that it is being handled.

The second is transparency. The customer wants to be part of the process. They want to know that the request was received, when someone will arrive, and whether the issue has been resolved or not. There are cases where the fault cannot be resolved immediately.

Idit: But even that needs to be communicated.

Sharon: Exactly. We need to reflect that back to the customer: “This has not been resolved yet. We need to bring in a part, we need to perform a certain action, and it will be resolved within a specific number of days.”

The third expectation is certainty. Again, as we said, even if the fault has not been resolved, the customer wants to know why. They want to understand that they are part of the process.

Idit: Exactly, to feel involved and to understand what is happening.

Sharon: They want to feel that someone is managing it, handling it, and keeping them part of the process.

Idit: I think this really connects us to a broader discussion around service requests. In the past, people spoke mainly about SLA, and today the conversation is increasingly shifting toward XLA. How does that come to life in our world?

Sharon: SLA focuses on operational metrics: how quickly we responded, how long it took us to arrive, and how long it took us to address the issue. By the way, SLA often stops at that point. It does not always measure how long the full treatment actually took afterward.

XLA is about the experience, the customer’s experience. If you involve the customer in what is happening, explain the issue, and communicate how long the treatment is expected to take, that gap disappears. The customer feels connected and experiences transparency.

We examine with the customer how they experienced the service, and we can learn a great deal from that: how this connection can help them in terms of timing, service experience, communication, and the sense that someone is managing the event.

Idit: Completely. Even when the event is complex, and even when it is not always comfortable to go back to the customer with unpleasant answers, especially if they have already been dealing with the fault for several days, the way we communicate it, with transparency and certainty, can mean that even complex events are resolved while the experience feels entirely different.

Sharon: Exactly. A simple real-life example: when we are walking around the supermarket, we feel like we have all the time in the world. But the moment we reach the checkout, suddenly everyone is under pressure: parking, children, the chicken in the oven. But why? A moment earlier, we were completely calm.

If the situation is reflected to us, or if we can see how the checkout process is being managed, we accept it with much more patience.

Idit: The feeling is completely different. As we said, the customer does not measure us only by response time, but by the feeling that remains with them throughout the customer journey. So where, in your opinion, do organizations tend to fail in these areas today?

Sharon: In most cases, the failure is not necessarily in the actual handling of the issue, but in the communication and updates: whether the fault is being handled, how long it will take, when the technician will arrive, whether the system is back up and running, or whether it is not.

Idit: There may be a situation where the fault has already been handled and the SLA was met, but no one updated the customer that it was resolved.

Sharon: Exactly. No one went back to the customer and said, “The fault has been handled, everything is fine.” That is where the gap is created. Technically, the fault was closed, but the customer does not know that. So, from their perspective, we did not handle the fault.

Idit: Amazing.

Sharon: Lack of awareness essentially cancels out the execution.

Idit: Such a basic action, yet it can create such a strong impact if only someone provides an update.

Sharon: Exactly.

Idit: Now, in the world of service requests, certainly in 2026, it is impossible to talk about service requests without talking about technology. Where does technology fit into this world?

Sharon: Technology plays a very important role, but it is important to understand what that role is.

Technology does not replace service, but it enables us to raise the level of service we provide through data management, automation, AI, and predictive maintenance. All of these give us the ability to be more accurate and faster, and to identify faults or patterns earlier.

A simple example is the Wolt app. When you place an order through the app, you immediately receive confirmation that the order was accepted, an estimated arrival time, updates on what is happening with the courier, whether they have picked up the order or not.

Idit: You are constantly updated.

Sharon: Exactly. You are constantly updated and aware of where things stand. Today, we need to aspire for the same experience for the customer who opens a service request. After all, someone performed an action, so the customer should be told that the fault has been assigned.

By the way, when the request is opened, the customer already knows the expected handling time. They know the service timeframe, that the issue is supposed to be handled within a certain period. Different types of faults have different timelines.

Sometimes we also call the customer to understand a fault that was not clear, and the customer experiences that as, “Wow, they called me and understood me.” Then we also provide information about when it will happen and how it will happen.

Ultimately, technology alone will not win. But the combination of technology and people is what elevates the level of service. I will add one more point: part of the role of technology, and of the people using it, is to identify things before they happen.

Idit: Proactivity.

Sharon: Exactly, proactivity. It means telling the customer, “Listen, based on our forecast, this system may not survive the coming period. We need to handle it now, replace it, repair it, or take another action in order to prevent an unpleasant situation for the end customer.”

Idit: That is the real value, as you said: the people, the processes, and ultimately the data, the information we receive.

Sharon: Correct. When those three components or groups come together, the service looks completely different.

Idit: So, what is the biggest mistake organizations make today in the way they think about service requests?

Sharon: The main mistake is focusing on closing the request instead of closing the experience, as we discussed. An organization should not only ask, “Did I handle the fault?”

Idit: Right, marking it as “done” and moving on.

Sharon: Exactly. The organization needs to understand what the customer experienced and how they experienced the handling of the fault. Did the customer feel they received a good response? Did they feel, in the end, that they were taken care of? Was there an experience here that built trust?

Ultimately, trust generates additional revenue for us as organizations. It creates more opportunities with the customer. The customer wants us to do more for them because they see the experience they are receiving.

Idit: Meaning that trust is earned through the experience, through the journey, through the “how” we have been discussing, how we manage this event.

Sharon: Exactly. We need to measure ourselves not only by operational metrics, but also against the end customer’s experience and how they perceived the service.

Idit: So, what does this mean for us at Electra FM?

Sharon: It means a shift in mindset. We do not see a service request as an operational task. It is not only an operational task; it is part of the relationship with the customer.

Part of this is proper complaint management, integration between all stakeholders, and a uniform standard of service. This includes transparency. And by the way, transparency is not only for good news; it is also for bad news. For example: “Listen, there is an issue here. It will take a week to resolve.” That is transparency.

Idit: That is excellent transparency because it is a step that builds trust. You are telling the customer something that is not good, but you are reflecting it clearly. You are not choosing to leave them in the dark.

Sharon: Correct. In one of my previous organizations, I learned a concept called “over-expectation.” If you think something will take a week, say eight days. If you complete it in six days, you come out looking excellent. If you are late by even one minute, you come out looking bad.

The point is to define the right expectation, communicate it, meet it, and create a positive feeling.

Idit: That is highly relevant to the FM world. The customer is not looking for separate solutions. They are looking for one entity that knows how to integrate, coordinate, see the broader picture, and connect all the systems and relevant people. They are looking for professionalism, consistency, and the ability to manage an event intelligently and correctly in front of the customer.

So, looking ahead together toward 2026, what will differentiate organizations that manage service requests well from those that will be left behind?

Sharon: The ability to see a service request as a point of impact, and not only as an operational point. Organizations that understand that today, service is measured largely by experience will be the ones that move forward.

I want to refer to something you said earlier about IFM, the example of giving the customer everything in one place. For example, I manage a large banking customer in the country. During an incident at Sha’agat HaAri, they had several failures near the branches, and we were the first to arrive at the site and the first to report what had happened.

Idit: They certainly did not expect that. I think it was much more proactive, initiative-driven, and valuable.

Sharon: Exactly. We were proactive and provided them with all the information they needed so they could open the branches the next morning as usual. Yes, with certain closures, but the next day it was as if nothing had happened: the computers were working, the place was clean and organized, and people could work.

Idit: That is wonderful. To summarize our insightful conversation, I can say very clearly that a service request is no longer just a fault. It is a journey and an experience.

It is the place where the customer assesses our transparency, professionalism, reliability, and ability to manage expectations. In 2026, I believe that organizations that know how to turn every service request into a precise, holistic, transparent, and well-managed service experience for the customer will be the organizations that truly understand how to create real value for their clients.

Sharon, thank you very much for being with us.

Sharon: Thank you very much. I enjoyed it.

Narration: You have been listening to the “Talking IFM” podcast. We hope this episode enriched your understanding in the pursuit of excellence, professionalism, and innovation. More information is available on our website.