AUTHOR ARCHIVES: Kris Oldland

Resource Type: White Paper
Published by: mplsystems
Title: Meeting Customer Demand: Evaluation of the Top Three Customer Self-Service Technologies for Field Service
About: This white paper will explore the transitioning role of the customer in field service and how the proliferation and popularity of smartphone devices has created a demand for self-service technology in both B2B and B2C markets. It will discuss the different self-service technologies available and suggest how best to implement these solutions to ensure businesses are achieving a true end-to-end field service management solution.
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Overview:

Within the field service industry there is a growing focus on improving communication between the service desk and field engineer teams.

However, businesses are slowly realising that this type of technology can also be used to improve communications with clients, offering a low effort experience that not only increases visibility and loyalty but generates cost savings

Current use of self-service technology

The customer’s ability to arrange service calls or get status updates with a company is an important element of how a service organisation is viewed by its customers.

Given that the role of the consumer has largely changed over recent years due to the consumerisation of technology, customers are now expecting to be able to have more visibility and control when it comes to interacting with a business, especially with online self-service.

Taking Customer Self-Service Portals to the next level

As customers are given more visibility and control in other areas of business through online channels, they are expecting this control in all areas of life. Research carried out by US based consultancy, Software Advice, reported that whilst access to an online portal for self-service tasks such as scheduling and bill paying had the second-strongest positive impact on respondents’ likelihood to hire a field service company the data also indicated that an online portal could have the most negative impact in customers eyes.

It is clear that out of all the customer self-service technologies available, online portals are currently the most used within the industry, however the functionality of these portals is still quite limited and often do not provide the customer with the control they require.

 

One of the main problems that is limiting self-service portals providing the tools the customer needs is the lack of integration with existing business technology such as scheduling systems and field service engineer’s mobile device technology. This means that whilst the portal may provide the customer with basic information such as billing, service requests or appointment booking, they are often unable to make payments through the app, amend or cancel appointments or have real-time updates of their service delivery without human interaction.

Web Chat and Messaging

In a recent interview, Nicola Millard, BT’s Head of Customer Insight and Futures, references how web chat is set to become the dominant customer contact channel of the future. She comments, “Firstly, web chat is an immediate channel, like the phone, you can have a conversation. Secondly, the ability to manage multiple chat sessions means that the economics of chat is positive, assuming the volume is there. Thirdly, chat can be blended with other channels for example email and social media.”

However, whilst this channel is already being successfully implemented across many industry sectors, the field service industry has been somewhat slower in the uptake of web chat. Field service organisations have traditionally struggled to unite two key elements – the technical expertise of their field-based engineers with the availability of their service desks. Not surprisingly, engineers are always busy – either travelling to a customer location or already engaged onsite.

However, as the traditional browser based web chat extends to messaging on mobile devices, it becomes possible to bring field engineers, the service desk and customers together in a virtual world, despite location or device.

Business Clients Mobile Apps

Whilst mobile apps are helping transform operational efficiency for field workers, the extension of this technology to customers is still very limited.

 

Only 5% of organisations currently offer their customers mobile apps as a communication channel into the service desk. However, it is reported that over 50% of smartphone users chose apps over phoning a contact centre and this will continue to rise as the influence of generation Y and the proliferation and innovation of mobile devices continues. Mobile apps are a key technology in field service, but this mostly focuses around apps for engineers who are out in the field and need access to information from the service desk. But if we are able to provide engineers with integrated apps and scheduling capabilities, then why not offer this to business clients as a simple, quick way to check service requests, book appointments or access billing capabilities?

Integration and Interaction

There has been much talk around integration of field service management solutions to create a true end-to-end approach to the customer life cycle allowing full visibility across different areas of the company. However, when adding new technologies, such as customer self-service, businesses often overlook the importance of fully integrating this new technology with existing business systems.

On many occasions, businesses will introduce a third party supplier and then face multiple problems when trying to get each system to speak to each other. In the 2014 Field Service Software research report, it was confirmed that over a fifth of businesses were working with five or more providers to implement their field service technology.

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Event Name:Enterprise Mobile Technology 2015
Date: 26 February, 2015
Registration: Click here to register

Overview: Hosted by Panasonic Toughbook & Toughpad the Enterprise Mobile Technology 2015 is a unique one day event bringing together leading executives and key decision makers, partners and suppliers from the mobile services industries.

The event is designed to provide a platform to discuss smarter technologies for a connected mobile workforce. You’ll hear from industry experts, explore new and emerging technologies and also have the opportunity to network with peers and colleagues.

From discussions about the tablet productivity revolution to connectivity in the field and transforming mobile operations, this is a must-attend event.

The day has a full itinerary planned with a number of key speakers including

• Kevin Tristram - General Manager, UK & Ireland Panasonic Computer Product Solutions
• David Rodger, Commercial Lead, Windows Business Group, Microsoft UK
• Lee Johnson - Director, Global Marketing, NetMotion
• Kris Oldland - Editor of Field Service News

With a mix of workshops, presentations and networking including a gala dinner with guest speaker Alan Hansen the day is set top be an excellent opportunity for all field service professionals and those who are responsible for the effective management of a mobile workforce.

 

"With terms such as the 'fourth paradigm', 'industry 4.0' and the 'golden age of information' being readily applied to the early decades of the twenty first century, it is in no doubt that we are currently in the middle of a perfect storm of innovation that is pushing both technology and industry beyond evolution and into revolution."

"Not only is this happening but it is happening faster and faster than ever before. So how will the field engineer of five years time differ from the engineer of today? This is what intend to explore in my presentation at Enterprise Mobile Technology 2015 and it will be great to hear how others at the event see the future also"

The event is being hosted at the Hilton at St George’s Park, Burton Upon Trent which is approximately 30 miles from Birmingham and trains from London St Pancras and Euston both run regular services to either Derby or Lichfield Trent Valley stations respectively which are close enough to get a taxi from. 

A limited number of tickets are still available and registration ends this week.

You can register for the event on this link

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Understanding and extracting the value of the knowledge within your field service engineers is not just beneficial but essential for field service organisations writes Derek Korte, Editor of thesmartvan.com…

For service leaders, knowledge sharing is a top — and urgent — priority One reason? Older technicians are nearing retirement, and executives need to capture every morsel of those seasoned technicians’ know-how before it’s too late. Another reason is that companies increasingly recognize how powerful the collective knowledge of their workforce could be, if only every employee could access it.

Investing in new technology alone isn’t enough, though. Company culture is the primary driver of knowledge management success. And service leaders set the culture, says John Ragsdale, vice president of technology research at the Technology Services Industry Association. We spoke with Ragsdale about how service leaders can develop a culture of knowledge sharing, and some common mistakes they make along the way.

WHY DOES KNOWLEDGE SHARING MATTER FOR FIELD SERVICE ORGANISATIONS?

Ragsdale: Companies continue to invest in this year after year because they perceive enormous value. In our2014 knowledge management survey, 40 percent of respondents said that great knowledge sharing would improve their team’s productivity by 20 to 30 percent, while a third said they would see a 40 or even 50 percent boost. People really perceive knowledge management as a missing link in their operations.

The survey asked how respondents would rate their company’s culture regarding knowledge sharing on a 10-point scale, from one being share any knowledge and others will take credit to 10 being leaders set the example and reward knowledge sharing. A high “5” was the average, but field service had the highest culture score of any group we surveyed.

 

I spoke with a lot of companies about this finding that said sharing is a part of the culture of field service organizations. Technicians walk into a location to fix something and may see a piece of equipment they didn’t know existed. Collaboration is key. It’s natural for field service people to ask their peers for help, whether through Chatter, email or a phone call.

WHAT’S THE LINK BETWEEN COMPANY CULTURE AND SUCCESSFUL KNOWLEDGE SHARING?  

A lot of service leaders I spoke with at Technology Services World 2014 wanted to talk about culture, specifically how culture is a top-down initiative. If the company doesn’t have a sharing culture, or if there isn’t executive support for the movement, how can managers change the culture of their departments?

Others were curious about the differences between older and younger workers. It’s never safe to make generalizations, but the older workers (baby boomers, like me) tend to hoard knowledge. We’ve spent our entire careers being rewarded for knowing something no one else did. Younger workers, meanwhile, grew up in a very collaborative age, and they don’t think they should have to learn anything someone else knows. They want to share all their knowledge and post it out there for the world to see.

 

We’re seeing a culture shift occurring within companies and even departments. It’s great for knowledge management because the new folks are much more willing to share. They don’t want to hoard their knowledge. They want to post it out there for everyone to see.

HOW DO COMPANIES ENCOURAGE MORE SHARING? 

When I talk to companies that are on their third, fourth or fifth knowledge implementation, culture is very often at stake. If executives don’t value knowledge sharing, they won’t give the service leaders the necessary budget or staff to build or maintain the knowledge base. If the executive team isn’t setting a good example, managers will have to work harder than ever to overcome that challenge.

I’ve spoken with companies who admit to rewarding people for hoarding their knowledge, but they’re trying to change that culture. One step is to hire people who want to share knowledge and to stress its importance during orientation — and to reinforce that. If the only way people will get a raise or a promotion is to become an incredible knowledge sharer, they’ll likely do it — even if executives don’t send a warm, fuzzy message about sharing knowledge.

 

 

ANY BIG SURPRISES ABOUT HOW COMPANIES HANDLE KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT?

In the survey, I asked respondents about mobility. Interesting, we found that 50 percent of companies haven’t made updates to their knowledge management system to support mobile. That stat is very telling because you know how horrible it is to consume an old-fashioned webpage on a smartphone. There are helpful knowledge management features, such as index trees and dynamic FAQ lists. But these features often don’t work on a mobile device. I was surprised that so few companies have created an app or rewritten a site in HTML5 to optimise for mobile browsing.

 

We’ve put a lot of emphasis on field service tools and technology, but we haven’t gone back and looked at the knowledge base and other content repositories that technicians access in the field. Some of those are barely accessible on a mobile device. The industry clearly needs more investment in the actual infrastructure to make knowledge more accessible.

This feature first appeared on Smartvan.com and is republished here with kind permission

 

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Workforce optimisation specialists Leadent Solutions have recently launched a new health-check service for companies operating a mobile workforce to ensure they are getting the most out of their existing systems and processes.

To find out more about what this service entails Field Service News Editor Kris Oldland spoke exclusively with Emma Newman, Managing Consultant at Leadent Solutions and we will be bringing you this interview across the next four weeks.

In this first part of this new series the discussion focussed on perhaps the most important part of any organisation, the people.

In part two we discussed why processes are such a key ingredient in the successful mix of a field service organisation and how we can get these right.

There is also an accompanying series of articles to this interview which add further insight into the health-check. The first of these of which is available here.  The second feature written by Mark Thompson, Managing Consultant with Leadent Solutions is available here and looks at processes and finally the third feature written by Kevin Anderson and like this video looks at systems is available here 

If you think your company could benefit from the Healthcheck you can contact Emma and the team directly by clicking this link

Whether it’s buying a holiday, a car, or new gadget to play with I invariably check out reviews online and when ever possible I seek out the independent reviews written by regular folks like you and me...

Yes I know that these can be manipulated by the occasional misguided and naive marketeer or business owner (come on guys we can see through false reviews a mile off) but on the whole I find the process pretty much integral to my selection process.

I’ll also use them when selecting a field service company to come to my house and undertake some form of home maintenance. Plumbers, Electricians, Decorators etc.

Small businesses such as these have always held word of mouth close to their heart as without the resources to undertake a sophisticated marketing campaign recommendations are the lifeblood of their ongoing success. So for companies such as these the online reviews – the digital equivalent to a word of mouth recommendation are also vitally important.

Of course negative feedback has it’s value too and the savvy businesss owner will be abld to look at the recurring weaknesses and apply field service management tools like work order histories and intuitive scheduling and dispatching to try and continuously improve their service levels. By doing so they increase the chances of more positive reviews and therefore more business.

A sound theory for sure but does it actually stack up in practice?

To test the power of online reviews for SME home maintenance companies technology consultancy Software Advice surveyed home maintenance customers to determine how they used online reviews sites to select home maintenance companies and here we look at some of the key findings of the research.

Headline findings

• A majority of respondents (68 percent) say they find online reviews to be “extremely” or “very valuable” when evaluating residential service providers.
• The most important information respondents look for in online reviews is the quality of service provided (87 percent) and cost (78 percent).
• Fifty-six percent of respondents say they used online resources to find their most recent residential service provider.
• Eighty-six percent of respondents would pay more for a residential service provider with higher ratings and reviews.

Many Would Pay More for Well-Reviewed Service Provider

Perhaps the most interesting statistic that the findings unearthed was that cost was not the most significant factor in selecting a company to provide home maintenance. In fact an overwhelming majority of respondents said they would pay more for a service provider with higher rankings and better reviews, versus paying less for a provider that didn't.

In all, 86 percent of respondents said they would pay more, to some degree, for a service provider with more positive reviews. Clearly, there is real revenue-generating potential for businesses with positive online reviews.

“Consumers highly value their dollars spent, and are typically willing to pay a higher price for what they believe is a better service or product,” explains Chris Sullens, CEO of Marathon Data Systems.

“Word of mouth has [been], and always will be, one of the strongest points of persuasion for consumers; now it is just digitised, and they trust what other consumers have to say more than any marketing material they might see.”

In fact it is service standards that are being sought after the most form home maintenance providers when people are reviewing customer reviews and not cost.

Among respondents to the survey 87 percent were seeking information on the quality of services provided, while 78 percent were seeking pricing and cost information.

So whilst both are significant factors it is interesting that especially when it comes to inviting workmen into their homes they value service standards ahead of costs.

Ninety-Six Percent Find Online Reviews Moderately to Extremely Valuable

It’s also interesting to see that I am not alone in finding reviews helpful. In fact it is an almost universal habit with 96% of the respondents stating they found online reviews at least moderately valuable.

This can be broken down further with a quarter of all respondents finding the reviews ‘extremely valuable’ and just shy of half (43%) finding them very valuable.

Sullens commented the value of these online reviews stems from the snapshots they provide of businesses’ relationships with their customers.

“Putting an emphasis on customer relationships can certainly help,” he says. “If a business consistently provides high-quality services, competitive pricing and quote accuracy, positive word-of-mouth from satisfied customers will come easily.”

Some highly interesting findings there for sure and should you want to know more then you can read the full report at http://www.softwareadvice.com/field-service/industryview/online-reviews-report-2015/ 

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Specialist time critical logistics provider Bespoke Distribution Aviation (BDA) has become a Regulated Agent for the screening of cargo, following a significant investment in new screening technology. 

The company has announced that its BDA NightExpress division has passed the stringent Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Security Audit and is now able to process air cargo to meet all aviation security regulations. From its Coventry hub in the UK, BDA NightExpress is already screening its own outbound freight to its Ireland hub, as well as scanning inbound and outbound freight to its hubs in Frankfurt and Maastricht.

The move is part of a wider growth strategy for BDA which last year saw the company negotiate deals with such brands as Suzuki, Arvato STOK, GE Healthcare and Neways. The ability to screen outbound freight for Ireland, Netherlands and Germany is a particular boost considering recent growth in the Irish logistics market. As Irish consumers embrace ecommerce, spending €3.8m online every minute last year, the country currently offers strong potential for BDA in the etail, agricultural, medical and automotive markets that it serves.

Regulated Agent status has followed a six-figure investment by BDA in a cutting edge Rapiscan 632DV system for pallet and air cargo screening, which enables the company to perform its own dual-view X-ray screening of inbound and outbound cargo.

The machine, which has been designed for the inspection of pallet and break bulk cargo screening, utilises dual view technology to screen items. Coupled with the machine’s impressive image quality, this allows a high throughput of screened items.

BDA Managing Director Kevin Turner commented: “We have ambitious growth plans at BDA and becoming a Regulated Agent for cargo screening is a major step in the right direction for us. Not only does it enable us to become more self-sufficient as a company, but it also means that we can ensure the cargo we carry on our dedicated In-Night flights is both secure and protected.”

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In this series we are tackling the topic of end to end field service and exploring the technology options across each stage of the service call lifecycle.

In part one we looked at taking that request, and in part two we focused on getting the right engineer to the right place at the right time.

Last time around we looked at selecting the right hardware for your field engineers and now in this the final feature in this series we look at what considerations should be put in place around the software we put on those devices.

There is also an accompanying white paper to this series which is available to download here

Tools to do the job  - Software

Having selected the device to empower your field engineers the next step is to select the right mobile software to make the most of that hardware.

Whilst there has been great strides forward with cross platform HTML5 applications a strong argument lies within a ‘native’ app approach where the application is specifically designed to work alongside your device’s operating system (OS).

A  strong argument lies within a ‘native’ app approach where the application is specifically designed to work alongside your device’s operating system (OS).Not only do native apps tend to be on the whole more aesthetically in line with the devices OS and therefore more intuitive for a user familiar with the OS but they are also able to take more advantage of the device’s capability – for example Near Field Communication.

 

There are of course numerous field service apps on the market, and as with office based systems the option to either sit within one platform or select a third party app is open to you. However, as with back office systems integration to your core ERP system is absolutely vital.

The whole point of moving your field workers onto a mobile device is to streamline processes and therefore communication between your office system and your team in the field must also be seamless.

As with all of the discussions so far again understanding your field engineers workflow is at the core of successfully selecting a mobile app that enhances your field service engineers productivity.

However, a few of the more common requirements for field engineers include:

Health and safety regulations:

Whilst your field engineers may undertake the appropriate steps to ensure they are working safely each and every time they tackle a job.

For example an electrician knows to turn off the main power to a house before he changes a light fitting – he certainly wouldn’t forget to do it more than once!

However, by locking an app until the ‘switch mains off’ box is checked not only prompts your field engineer but also ensures he and your company are confirming to health and safety regulations.

Similarly there are stringent regulations in place regarding loan workers, so many field service apps have necessary steps in place to ensure your loan working field engineers are both safe and complying with these regulations.

Knowledge Bases

Perhaps one of the most valuable tools you can arm your field service engineers with is access to a wider knowledge base.

This can range from information on the device they have been sent to repair – it’s previous fault history for example, through to knowledge bases with videos and articles that describe faults the engineer may never have come across before, through to video conferencing where the engineer on the job is able to discuss a problem he is unable to resolve with a more experienced engineer in real time – something that is particularly useful for organisations who are servicing devices in remote locations for example.

Access to parts ordering and contracts

Whilst in an ideal world the diagnosis of the issue would have been made in the initial stages of arranging a service call, in reality in many instances the field service engineer will find the right solution is something different upon arrival at the site.

In this instance it is absolutely essential that he has clear visibility into spare parts inventory and has the ability to order the parts needed if required.

Having to go back to the office and go through a separate chain to get these parts means further frustration for your customer and wasted time and resources for your company.

Similarly if they need to carry work that exceeds a normal maintenance contract – for example if the device he has been sent out to repair has been used beyond it’s normal working parameters, then it is vital he has an understanding of the level of cover the contract offers. Remember a field engineer’s main focus is making things work again and he will be under pressure from your customers when on site. The last thing he will be thinking of is ‘is this covered by there SLA’. Unless of course it is clearly highlighted in front of him.

This also leads us on to the next element, the ability to either communicate with the sales team or create sales directly from the field.

 

A customer falling out of warranty is perhaps the easiest sell a company can have when the engineer is on site – as long as the engineer can show clear evidence that the repair falls out of the agreed contract.

If the engineer can simply add the charge onto the clients account there and then so he can go about resolving the issue then the sales process becomes both simple and effective.

Similarly as a trusted adviser the field service engineer is in a great position to upsell.

“I’ve fixed the problem with your printer and noticed your running low on toner and will probably run out within a week – shall I order some more for you” is one simple example and 99 times out of 100 the customer will surely say yes.

Order approval:

A critical functionality of any field service mobile app is to approve the work as soon as it is done.

By giving your field engineers the ability to have customers acknowledge the work carried out and having this data instantly recorded in your back office system you are not only able to gather information on your field service engineers productivity but also have clear documentation of your work being approved should any dispute arise between you and your customers.

Communicating back to HQ:

Of course order approval is not the only metric you can assess your field engineers  productivity on. Every interaction the field engineer makes with the app provides the opportunity for further data collection on both the engineer themselves and the customer.

For example – is the engineer spending longer on each job than is average amongst his peers – in which case is training required? What about the travel between each job? Is he taking longer than expected? Or is regularly making journeys in less time than you would expect – perhaps indicating he is driving over the speed limit?

What insight does he have into your customers? Has there been a change in personnel since the last company visit? Can your engineer update the CRM system? Perhaps anecdotally he hears that your customers are thinking of expanding – can he arrange for a member of the sales team to come and speak with your customer about how you can ease that process?

 

What about the device he’s working on? Is he seeing common faults at each customer he visits?

Could this result in a design improvement if fed back into R&D?

Important data is everywhere and there are few better equipped to collect it than a field service engineer. Giving them the right tools to transmit that data to the place it has most value is a crucial part of the field service mobile app.

Conclusion: Understand your engineers workflow.

As we mentioned at the very beginning of this white paper the introduction of the concept of end-to-end field service is both emerging and ill defined as yet.

What we have tried to achieve in this white paper is take you as a field service professional whether it be on the side of IT, business leadership or operations, through an end to end journey of how at each stage technology can play a part in streamlining your field service operations.

 

However, not only is the topic itself vast but so to are the resulting options and it is far too easy to end up making costly mistakes in such an environment.

Therefore it is absolutely key to develop a road map that plots your path to developing an end to end service management solution and the only place to start that road map is by stepping outside of your existing framework and understanding two key concepts.

Firstly what do your customers require from you in terms of service, and secondly what is your field engineers daily workflow?

Once you have an understanding of both of these questions then you are in position to build up your solution to enhance and improve these two areas.

It may seem like the longer path in the early stages, however, ultimately such an approach will take you where you need to be far more effectively.

There is also an accompanying white paper to this series which is available to download here

This series is sponsored by:

 

 

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Xplore Technologies a manufacturer of the most powerful, longest-lasting, ultra and fully-rugged tablets, recently announced Xplore xCapture Pro camera software for its Bobcat and XC6 Windows-based tablet PCs. The new camera software provides end users with photo editing, geo tagging and enhanced barcode scanning functionality. The addition of xCapture Pro as an integrated tool for the Bobcat and XC6 reduces the need for additional devices in the field and offers functionality to enhance the productivity of mobile workforces.

“We continue to listen to our customers and deliver the features and capabilities they’re looking for. Customers in vertical markets such as utilities, field service and insurance can take advantage of these enhanced features to improve productivity in the field,” said Mark Holleran, president and COO at Xplore Technologies. “Our new xCapture Pro camera software is another example of the innovative engineering and design that Xplore is bringing to its robust line of ultra and fully-rugged tablet PCs.”

Xplore xCapture Pro is an ideal enterprise solution for field service calls, asset management, inventory management or occasional scanning of barcodes. The software is also beneficial for users who may need to know the time and location for when and where a photo was taken, such as a field service technician or insurance adjustor who wants to document an event or condition. They can also use the software to simply edit a photo or make notes on the image.

Features and Benefits

· Photo Editing: Software provides users the ability to crop, flip, rotate or annotate images. Field workers who have experience taking photos with their cell phones and editing with the tools that are available in popular consumer apps, such as Instagram, can quickly apply those same skills to the xCapture Pro software, minimizing the need for training, increasing the quality of images and allowing for innovative uses in the field.

· Geotagging: Users can now take a single picture of an incident or site with all relevant information included, eliminating extra documentation. xCapture Pro utilizes the tablet’s GPS location data to embed coordinates with a time/date stamp on the lower left corner of a photo and display the image taken location on a map which can be instantly shared by email or upload.

· Barcode Scanning: Functionality traditionally only available as a peripheral or additional device costing hundreds of dollars. The new feature enables usage of the Bobcat or XC6 cameras as a barcode scanner for light scanning needs.

Tools to do the job – hardware

In this series we are tackling the topic of end to end field service and exploring the technology options across each stage of the service call lifecycle.

In part one we looked at taking that request, and in part two we focused on getting the right engineer to the right place at the right time.

There is also an accompanying white paper to this series which is available to download here

In the previous features in this series we have looked at the transition from identifying the need for a service call and gathering as much information as possible to allow us to understand the requirements of that specific call out.

Following that we have looked at the importance of being able to have a 360 degree view across internal systems to enable us to get the right engineer to the job, with all the required tools and parts needed to complete the fix and of course to ensure that the service we are delivering is covered by our customers contracts so we are not giving our valuable service away for free.

All good! So now lets focus on empowering our field service engineers when they are on the job.

Paper is just so 20th Century

Having just had a field engineer visit my own home who was still required to fulfil the documentation of his work in paper based format I was amazed at how cumbersome this approach was and the sheer waste of productivity his organisation (one of the UK’s largest glaziers) must be facing.

Seeing it there in front of me as I signed forms in triplicate it really dawned on me that moving to a digital means of working is no longer a nice to have but a must.

 

Not only is there the very simple business case that moving to a digital first medium will almost certainly pay for itself when you factor in the saved man hours in needless administration (not to mention sheer paper costs!) but also the perception.

Despite the engineer being polite, friendly and doing a great job, I still felt I was dealing with an organisation that weren’t as professional as they should be. In the consumer realm this has some impact on the level of brand trust. In a business to business environment – this could be the difference between choosing your company or your competitors.

So if the decision to go mobile and finally turn away from paper is a given – the question becomes no longer why but how – and this is where there are almost as many variables as answers.

Is BYOD the answer?

 

Perhaps the biggest of these  questions centres around BYOD. The BYOD trend has been much vaunted for many years but has yet to truly take off in the UK and Europe as it has done in the United States.

Whilst the benefits are clear – less cost, quicker adoption and happier staff using the device of their choice, a counter argument surrounding security, insurance and the murky hidden costs of such a set up is easily made.

The emerging CYOD (choose your own device) could well take prominence as a solution that takes the best aspects of BYOD and negates the biggest fears.

However, it is my view that this debate is best left to the wider realm of enterprise mobility.

When selecting devices for field service engineers it is far more important to understand the requirements of their daily activities and then find a device that best suits those needs rather than try to utilise a variety of differing devices.

Build a case of requirements based on your field engineers’ workflow

Lets take a look again at the field engineer who visited my own home today as an example.

One of the first things that was evident was that he required a device that was big enough to accommodate the documentation of his work, much of which was form based. Therefore a smartphone or mini tablet device would have been cumbersome and the form factor that would have been preferable would have been either a more standard sized 10” tablet device or a laptop.

Despite their being a number of fields in each form the engineer completed, the actual level of data input was fairly minimal with short answers to most fields. Therefore the need for a keyboard is not huge so the portability of a tablet over a laptop comes more to the fore.

As his job was to measure up the windows we were to have replaced simple drawings were required within the forms that outlined the shape and style of each window. Therefore a pen input should be included for the device for ease of use.

Across one window there was potential for damage to our property during installation if not handled in the correct manner and scaffolding woul need to be erected. Photographic evidence of this would have been valuable not only for his companies due process but also in explaining where exactly the issue was. Therefore a camera should also be part of the device.

The engineer was working mostly indoors in a non hazardous environment so ruggedisation needn’t be a major consideration beyond perhaps a secure case for accidental drops etc. Similarly as the engineer was visiting mostly commercial homes additional connectivity such as RFID and NFC don’t generally come into play either.

 

And there we have it by taking into consideration our field engineers requirements we are able to identify a mobile tool that is right for his workflow.

In this instance a consumer unit such as Samsung Note 10.1 or perhaps the Microsoft Surface with a semi-rugged cover would be sufficient. In more manufacturing based environment a specifically designed rugged device maybe required. If you’re field engineer is servicing connected devices then RFID or NFC can become hugely important. Or perhaps a barcode scanner is required?

Also consider periphery devices, does your customer require a printed receipt for work carried out? In which case a wireless printer in the back of  the engineers van could be essential.

Maybe the engineer has to input large amounts of data manually so a keyboard is essential – in which case a laptop or perhaps a convertible is the way to go.

The important part here is to take a step back and assess the needs of your field service engineers and then select your devices accordingly.

The technology certainly exists to meet most demands however; it is also easy to end up selecting a device on reputation and either missing functionality you need or paying for functionality that your engineers may never use.
 
There is also an accompanying white paper to this series which is available to download here

This series is sponsored by:

 

 

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