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[OpinionWay study for Nomadia] People in France now expect the same level of service from technicians as from ride-hailing drivers
- 27/08/2026
- 15:10
Reading Time : 5 min
Content Marketing Manager
64% of people in France believe home service calls have not kept pace with digital habits
More than seven in ten have already penalized a company after a service call they found unsatisfactory.
For brands, the quality of the organization is becoming a direct driver of loyalty and differentiation.
Sommaire
Paris, October 7th, 2026 – Tracking a delivery driver in real time, knowing exactly when a ride-hailing driver will arrive, or receiving a notification in the event of a delay has become the norm. Yet when it comes to a technical service call at home, consumers still often have to contend with multi-hour service windows and limited visibility on when the professional will arrive.
A gap consumers no longer accept
A gap that people in France are less and less willing to accept. As digital platforms have redefined the standards of customer experience, expectations toward companies performing home service calls have also profoundly changed. Beyond the delay itself, it is now the lack of visibility that is the main source of dissatisfaction. Consumers are more willing to accept the unexpected when it is explained and communicated than when it occurs without prior notice.
Yet home technical service calls remain one of the last customer journeys marked by a high degree of unpredictability. While 78% of people in France now want service windows as precise as those of ride-hailing services, extended waiting windows, the lack of visibility on the actual arrival time and the absence of information in the event of a delay continue to fuel frustration.
Nomadia, the European leader in SaaS solutions for field operations, examines, through a study conducted with OpinionWay, consumers’ new expectations for home service calls and their impact on customer loyalty.
74% of people in France have experienced at least one constraint during a home service appointment, and 71% penalize a company after a disappointing service call.
Nomadia is the go-to partner for companies that run complex routes that must remain profitable, while upholding Quality of Service and Customer Commitments.
People in France no longer accept yesterday's standards
Digital habits have profoundly changed consumer expectations. Used to tracking their trips, orders and appointments in real time, people in France now apply the same requirements to home service calls.
The finding is clear-cut: 78% of people in France now believe that service windows should be as precise as those offered by ride-hailing services. More than six in ten (62%) say they do not understand why it is now possible to track a delivery driver or a chauffeur in real time, but not a technician.
This shift in habits is such that 64% of people in France consider that, when it comes to home service calls, customers still sometimes wait for professionals “like it’s 1995”. In the age of instant notifications and real-time tracking, this gap feeds a growing sense of disconnect between consumer expectations and the experience actually delivered.
A disappointing experience now translates into penalties
This shift in expectations is not without consequences for companies. Long regarded as mere inconveniences, poor experiences with home service calls now translate into very concrete penalizing behaviors.
The study reveals that 71% of people in France have already taken at least one action after a service call they found unsatisfactory. Among them, 53% advised the people around them against the company concerned, while 52% say they refused to use it again.
More broadly, 48% have already switched providers after a bad experience, 36% have posted a negative review online and 28% went as far as canceling a contract or subscription.
In other words, dissatisfaction no longer stops at the service call: it directly influences loyalty, reputation and repurchase intentions.
Where frustration once ended with the incident, it now translates into concrete consequences for brands: customer loss, negative word of mouth, reputational damage and a higher risk of cancellation.
How service calls are organized is becoming a strategic customer experience issue
To meet these new expectations, the organization of field operations is becoming a key component of the customer experience.
People in France are particularly sensitive to the quality of the information they receive: 90% want to be informed when a delay exceeds fifteen minutes.
Transparency, however, is only part of the equation. Consumers also expect greater operational efficiency: 70% consider a service call that fails to solve the problem on the first visit to be a failure.
More broadly, 88% of people in France believe that better planning would make service calls fairer for customers and professionals alike.
These expectations reflect a deeper shift: operational excellence is no longer just a back-office matter. The ability to anticipate travel, optimize routes, keep customers informed in real time and solve problems on the first visit is becoming a central component of the customer experience.
For companies, operational performance is no longer just a productivity issue; it is now a true driver of loyalty, advocacy and competitive differentiation.
“Companies have invested heavily in streamlining digital journeys, but the customer experience does not stop at the screen. When a home service call is needed, consumers now expect the same level of transparency, predictability and responsiveness they experience in their digital everyday lives. Our study shows that operational organization has become a full-fledged component of the customer relationship. Companies that can reduce uncertainty and provide greater visibility turn a moment that is often endured into an experience of trust.” said Maxime Dubois, CEO of Nomadia.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FAQ – Top questions about the OpinionWay study for Nomadia
How much time does a customer set aside on average for an in-home service call?
According to the OpinionWay study for Nomadia, people in France block out an average of 3 hrs 29 min in their diary for their most recent in-home technical service call. The full study breaks this down by duration and by type of job.
Does a failed service call really affect customer loyalty?
Yes, and on a large scale: a wide majority of respondents say they have already taken action after a disappointing service call, from negative word of mouth through to switching provider. The study puts a figure on each of these behaviors.
Why are customers frustrated by appointment windows?
The leading source of frustration is the width of the time slot offered, ahead of the length of the wait itself. Customers are asking for slot precision comparable to that of ride-hailing platforms.
