Mobile Worker Research on What’s Really Killing Productivity

When we surveyed 350 mobile workers, we uncovered the friction they face every day that kills their productivity. Scheduling mishaps, administrative burden, and burnout topped their list of concerns.Our Voices From the Field: Mobile Worker Research and Worksheet for Success doesn’t just detail the results and diagnose these problems‌ — ‌it helps you calculate what that friction costs your bottom line.

Here’s what caught my attention: 81% of mobile workers believe AI agents could make them more efficient. If you’re one of the 90% of decision makers already investing in mobile workforce technology, this research shows you where to focus next. The included worksheet helps you weigh the cost of doing nothing against the potential of AI solutions.

What you’ll learn:

Administrative burden eats up working hours — and your margins 

The administrative burden hasn’t gotten any lighter since we first surveyed mobile workers. Over half still call information gathering “cumbersome,” and nearly half say their days feel “tedious.” For specialized roles, 46% report that admin work actively gets in the way of their actual job.

Here’s the number that should worry you: Mobile workers say 18% of their working hours are wasted on inefficient, unproductive, or low-value tasks. That’s seven wasted hours per worker, every week. Your skilled technicians‌ — people you pay premium rates to solve complex problems‌ with — ‌are spending nearly a full workday a week on paperwork instead of generating revenue. They’re not fixing equipment, traveling to the next job, or building customer relationships. They’re filling out summaries and complicated forms.

One of our central missions with Salesforce Field Service is to help companies find the time for service touchpoints through productivity gains. We build field service software that tackles the admin burden head on. (Back to top)

Scheduling chaos costs you more than just appointments

Scheduling chaos remains the top productivity killer in mobile workforce management. Nearly 90% of technicians still deal with mishandled appointments, and almost half say they’re constantly rushed because of poor scheduling. When nearly half your appointments go sideways, you’re not just disappointing customers‌ — ‌you’re creating expensive ripple effects.

The time drain is real. Making an appointment takes an average of 17 minutes. Changing one takes 15 minutes. Cancellations eat up about 12 minutes. For specialized work, changes‌ may take longer than the original booking. Poor scheduling creates more administrative work as techs scramble to reschedule and document failures. Less time for planning means more chaos, which means more rescheduling. It’s a costly cycle that burns through resources and frustrates everyone involved.

Poor scheduling is a nearly universal issue facing field service management. But how do you break this cycle? In our recent guide to field service scheduling, we cover ways to optimize this. AI agents like Agentforce also present an opportunity to ease this issue through proactive scheduling and service. (Back to top)

The overtime crisis continues

The burnout crisis hasn’t improved since our research. Two-thirds of workers still experience monthly burnout, and over 80% work overtime at least once a month just to handle admin tasks. You’re not just losing productivity during regular hours‌ — ‌you’re paying overtime rates for it.

Here’s the real problem: More than four out of five are putting in overtime monthly just to handle administrative tasks. That’s not the occasional busy periods‌ — ‌that’s a structural problem. When systems consistently underestimate admin time, you pay overtime rates while losing potential revenue from work that didn’t get done.

The pattern is clear: Current processes force a choice between service delivery and administrative requirements. Either way, it’s costing you. (Back to top)

Technicians want better tools — like AI agents 

Featured in our research was a bit of optimism about the future of field service. Mobile workers, it turns out, are surprisingly open to the opportunities presented by AI agents like Agentforce. 

Once exposed to a definition of AI agents, the enthusiasm from mobile workers was overwhelming:

• 81% of technicians think AI agents could help them be more efficient
• 87% believe AI agents could improve job satisfaction
• 83% expect better appointment accuracy
• 82% anticipate more time for fulfilling work

These workers aren’t afraid of AI — ‌they see it as relief from daily frustrations. Your technicians are ready for tools that let them focus on what they do best. Getting them there is easier than you think. Trailhead offers free training to upskill your team on everything they need to know about using agents in service. (Back to top)

Calculate your costs with the new worksheet

We didn’t just identify the problems‌ — ‌we built you a tool to measure them. Our new worksheet takes the research findings and turns them into your specific dollar amounts. No guesswork, no industry averages. Just your real costs, calculated from your actual operation.

The math is straightforward:

• If a technician costs you $45/hour but wastes seven hours weekly = $16,380 in lost productivity annually
• Add overtime at $67.50 for just four hours monthly = another $3,240
• For a team of 20 technicians = nearly $400,000 walking out the door every year

Here’s what matters: These aren’t just numbers from our research‌ — ‌they’re your reality. The worksheet helps you:

• Calculate your specific costs using your wages and team size
• See what administrative burden and scheduling chaos‌ cost your operation
• Measure the real impact of overtime and burnout patterns

Your technicians have already told you they want better tools. AI agents like Agentforce can multiply their productivity, letting them focus on revenue-generating work instead of paperwork. The research shows what’s broken. The worksheet shows what it’s costing you. The question is what you’ll do about it.

Ready to see your real numbers? Download our complete research report, Voices From the Field: Mobile Worker Research and Worksheet for Success. (Back to top)