field service
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field service
The part of a professional activity that takes place not in the office, but outside the company, often at customers' sites, on construction sites, or in other locations.
Als Vertriebsmitarbeiterin ist sie fast die ganze Woche im Außendienst unterwegs.
As a sales representative, she is out in the field almost the whole week.
This word is composed of 'außen' (outside) and 'der Dienst' (service/duty). So it literally describes a service or work that you perform outside your own company.
Der Außendienst kann sehr abwechslungsreich sein, weil man viel reist.
Field service can be very varied because you travel a lot.
'Außendienst' (field service) is almost always used with the preposition 'in' in the dative. Typical phrases are 'im Außendienst arbeiten' (to work in field service), 'im Außendienst sein' (to be out in the field), or 'in den Außendienst wechseln' (to switch to field service).
Mein Kollege ist die meiste Zeit im Außendienst unterwegs.
My colleague is out in the field most of the time.
The term is often used for jobs in sales, customer service, or technical on-site assignments. A person who works there is an 'Außendienstmitarbeiter' (field service employee / field representative).
Als Techniker im Außendienst repariert er Maschinen direkt beim Kunden.
As a field service technician, he repairs machines directly at the customer's site.
customer service
Außendienst refers to professional work carried out outside the company, for example at a customer's site. Kundendienst, by contrast, refers to assisting customers, for example with questions or repairs. A technician can therefore work in Kundendienst while also traveling for Außendienst.
Der Techniker ist heute im Außendienst und besucht drei Kunden.
The technician is out in the field today and is visiting three customers.
Der Techniker arbeitet im Kundendienst und repariert das Gerät eines Kunden.
The technician works in customer service and is repairing a customer's device.
