AUTHOR ARCHIVES: Kris Oldland

Field Service News was proud to publish the inaugural edition of our quarterly magazine earlier this month, which is available for free to UK field service professionals. If you missed out on this first issue or you are based outside of the UK then you can download a digital copy here.

We are fortunate enough to be joined by some of the field service community’s brightest and best and have a wide range of guest contributors from differing areas of the industry, all coming together in one place, to keep you fully up to date of all the latest key trends, technologies and practices emerging in the industry today.

Although we haven’t just gone and brought together a great bunch of writers and let them get on with it - that would be a bit of a cheat wouldn’t it?

No, the team here at Field Service News have been earning their keep as well and amongst all the other the great insight and analysis you will also find a five page special report looking at the appetite for the Cloud in the field service industry. This report comes off the back of a two month long research project we conducted in partnership with Tesseract systems.

I won’t put any spoilers in at this early stage but suffice to say that not all the findings were what you might have expected them to be, so it is certainly worth a read.

Then there is our exclusive interview with Telogis’ Top Man in the UK, Sergio Barata. He has been given the somewhat unenviable task of replicating Telogis’ exceptional growth in the US (Deloitte Fast Track 500 6 years running?!) here in the UK.

No mean feat, however, Telogis did announce an investment of £90M not too long ago to help grow their British business so it’s clear they mean business and Sergio whilst being an amiable and approaching guy, is also very switched on, very knowledgeable about the industry and also has an excellent grasp of what he needs to achieve and exactly what steps he needs to take to do so.

Yet another feature you cannot miss is our panel debate - ‘All change please.’ With the industry seemingly in constant flux as wave upon wave of ground-breaking technology appears (each with the potential to change the industry as we know it entirely) we thought we would try to make sense of things by bringing five of the smartest folks we know and putting the same three questions to each of them. With a diverse range of backgrounds and specialisms they make a formidable panel (I certainly wouldn’t want to bump into them on a dark night!) and provide some fantastic answers across the four pages.

And then there is more! But you are going to have to download the issue to find out for yourself!

So Click here to download your copy now!

 

 

In theory field service would seem to be an industry that could benefit greatly from the cloud. The ability to give remote access to systems for mobile workers is obviously advantageous to an industry that by its very definition has a high percentage of its workforce on the move.

But has the field service industry leapt into the cloud feet first, or is there still some reluctance until the technology proves itself robust enough to be trusted with service management systems?

Across the last few months Field Service News in partnership with Tesseract have undertaken a research project, which aims to take a measure of the appetite for Cloud based software and the Software as a Service distribution model within the field service industry.

Read our executive summary below or download the full white paper for free by registering on this link 

 

On Premise versus Cloud in field service today:

The first major insight from the research is that despite Cloud and SaaS becoming more widely understood as a concept, as far as the headline numbers are concerned currently those companies that have placed there field service management systems in the Cloud remain in the minority. In fact currently 77% of companies are still using an On-Premise solution with just 23% having actually moved their field service software to a Cloud based platform.

At first glance this may seem somewhat of a surprise. We have been hearing things about the Cloud, good and bad, for quite a while now. Salesforce.Com the Grandaddy of the Cloud who pretty much single handily made a mockery of computing giants such as Oracle and SAP’s dismissive stance towards SaaS as a passing fad, are now a ripe old 15 years old. The cloud’s been around for long enough to take route by now hasn’t it? One argument could be that actually fifteen years isn’t that long, especially when we take into consideration that it took a few extra years for the first browser based service management solution to appear (Tesseract’s Service Centre 4.2 in 2001) and also as all service management software previously had been purchased on a pricey CAPEX model then the life cycles of these systems were understandably relatively long.

The shift to a new, emerging technology will likely be weighted towards a slower start in such an environment. Actually we can find further evidence of this when we look at exactly how long those companies who are currently using an On-Premise system have been using that system for. The vast majority (60%) have been using their current system fro at least three years so this would certainly seem to correlate with this theory. In fact just 18% of On Premise solutions are recent implementations (within one year). A slightly larger amount 22% of systems are between a year and three years old.

However, it is when we look at the next question we asked of those respondents using an On Premise system “Are you likely to consider a SaaS/Cloud solution when you next update your service management system” that we start to see some genuine evidence that the shift to the Cloud is starting to speed up. Of those companies currently using an On-Premise solution just over half 53% have stated that they are considering a move to a Cloud based solution in the future. With 47% stating that they will not consider the Cloud for their next iteration of field service management solution.

If this figure remains true and there is a conversion from those ‘considering’ the Cloud to those adopting the Cloud then within a period of perhaps three to five years, by when most companies will have moved onto next generation platforms, it is highly likely that we will see an almost 180º switch in the ratio of On Premise to Cloud systems being in place with SaaS becoming the dominant model for software distribution within the field service industry. Whilst the shift may be slow initially, it would seem that when it does happen it could be quite dramatic.

 

The benefits of Cloud in field service

So what exactly are the benefits of Cloud based service management software to merit such a dramatic shift? We asked those respondents that were already on a Cloud based system what were the reasons they chose to choose Cloud over an On-Premise solution, asking them to indicate if any of the following reasons were important to them. The benefits we listed were: more affordable pricing model, scalable solution, disaster recovery, easy remote access, speed of going live, less reliant on IT department.

The results were interesting in that perhaps they did not conform to what are often seen to be the key USPs of Cloud based solutions. Of these options easy remote access was the most popular reason cited with 61% of respondents indicating this was an important factor to them. The second most popular benefit was the fact that Cloud solutions are scalable with 54% of those surveyed ticking this option. Often the most heralded benefit of the SaaS distribution model is that it makes expensive solutions more affordable.

However, this was only the joint fourth most popular option tied with another benefit that we regularly see being championed i.e. the speed of going live. With just over a quarter of respondents (28%) indicating that these were important factors to them. When we look just at companies with the smallest category of mobile workforce (under 50 field engineers) we do see an increase to 35% of companies that cite affordability as an important reason for choosing SaaS, yet again it remains only the fourth most popular choice. The conclusion to be drawn from this is that whilst the fact that a SaaS model does of course offer a more affordable payment model, it appears that it is the other benefits that enable improved efficiency in the mobile workforce that mostly attracted these early adopters.

But what about the actual benefits that are being seen by those using a SaaS service management system? Beyond the hyperbole and marketing speak what are the benefits that genuine field service companies are experiencing in the real world?

So as to not to colour the results in anyway around this critical question we opted to leave the response to the question ‘What has been the biggest benefit to your company since moving to the cloud” as a open text response. This has given us a truer understanding of what the key benefits to Cloud based field service software were.

The most prominent benefit that stood out was the general performance of the systems themselves alongside the ease of updates. A quarter of all responses (25%) were grouped around the fact that by having a system that was easy to upgrade respondents found they were essentially getting a regularly improved and refined piece of software so performance levels remained above those that they had experienced previously. The other most significant benefit was in fact the cost which also was listed by 25% of the respondents. So whilst cost may not have been as high as anticipated as a reason to initially opt for a SaaS model, it would appear that once the decision had been made, the more manageable payment methods of SaaS did indeed shine out as a key benefit of the model. This would be particularly relevant for those companies whose service division operates its on P&L of course.

Speed was also a regularly used term word amongst the responses. In the main the reference was to the speed and ease of set up however the speed of information flow between field engineers and head office was also raised as a key benefit. Speed alongside the term ‘ease of use’ was both common terms that appeared in 13% of all responses. Other benefits that are worthy of mention are increased mobility, scalability and flexibility including being able to put multiple countries onto the same operating system easily and the easy accumulation of data via remote access in one source.

However, certainly the greatest acid test of how successful the Cloud has been in terms of delivering field service software to those that have taken this path is whether or not they would recommend a similar move to others. In this instance it would certainly appear that the implementation of Cloud for those field service companies that have made the move has been an overwhelming success with 90% of companies that are currently using a Cloud based field service management solutions stating they would recommend doing so. Such a majority is certainly a powerful statement to the positive impact of the Cloud for those field service companies that have been early adopters and embraced the technology.

 

Yet some many remain unconvinced

So it is evident that those who are working with a Cloud based solution seem to be satisfied having made the change and it also seems that many of those still using an On-Premise solution are actively considering a move to the cloud when the opportunity to upgrade there service management software next arises. Yet there is still a sizeable amount of companies (circa 30%) that are not considering the Cloud at all.

Why exactly is this and what fears do they have? We asked those respondents that indicated they would not be considering a Cloud based solution to identify the key reasons they did not feel comfortable with the cloud. Perhaps somewhat unsurprisingly the leading reason cited was Security. Front-page news stories about the lack of security in the Cloud continue to cast doubt it seems as 47% of companies that are not considering the Cloud still cite security as a key fear. Concerns around connectivity and issues integrating issues with existing legacy systems were also both common objectives with 34% and 37% of companies respectively indicating that these issues gave them cause for concern around a move towards the Cloud. What is interesting is when we compare these issues with those that are currently operating a Cloud based service management solution these fears do not necessarily match up to the reality. In fact when looking at the issues that those who are using the Cloud have actually encountered we actually see the reverse of the above.

The most common issue with the Cloud has proven to be connectivity issues, which 60% of companies using a Cloud based system have experienced problems with. The second most common issue is then integration with existing systems, which 40% of companies have faced. Security in fact ranks the lowest of the issues cited by companies using a Cloud system with only a quarter of companies having had any issues in this area whatsoever. Looking further at those companies that are not considering a Cloud solution, it is interesting to note that whilst the large majority (72%) have not implemented Cloud systems in any area of their business, a still sizeable 29% of companies did have at least one element of their business requirements based in the Cloud.

This initially seems odd as with a clear benefit of Cloud being ‘easy remote access’ it would seem a perfect bedfellow for the field service systems and therefore one might assume, one of the first systems to be moved into the Cloud. However, when we look at the reason given for why respondents felt Service Management software in particular should still be held On Premise the majority of respondents (70%) identify integration with existing systems as the main reason why they believe they need to keep their systems out of the Cloud. Essentially as service management systems are so core to company’s operational efficiencies, for some it simply isn’t worth the risk of moving to a system that cannot be easily integrated into wider business systems.

For those more conservative companies that would prefer to see a technology fully established and road tested before committing to it, connectivity issues between the Cloud and existing systems to still remain so it could be prudent to hold back for the near future, until these issues are fully resolved. However, of course the longer a company waits to take advantage of the benefits of a new technology, the greater risk they are in terms of falling behind the rest of the market in terms of efficiency and translating this into better service standards.

 

Conclusion - SaaS will eventually become the norm in field service

Whilst at the current time Cloud computing has yet to take a firm hold amongst the majority of field service companies, with most companies still using an On-Premise system, it would certainly seem that there is a definite shift towards the Cloud and the SaaS model and that shift is starting to gain momentum. If those companies that are currently considering a move to SaaS do actually make the transition, then within the next few years we could see a complete reversal in the ratio of companies operating On Premise systems versus those operating on Cloud based solutions, with Cloud becoming the dominant platform.

The benefits of Cloud are numerous and well suited to field service, with the ease of remote access being the key factor for companies either considering moving to the Cloud or those that have made the move already. Wider benefits such as the more affordable pricing structure of SaaS, the speed of implementation and less reliance on IT departments also of course are attractive factors to field service companies also. The biggest issue that has slowed the adoption of the Cloud in field service to date is the perception that security is a major issue for Cloud systems.

However, in reality this has not proved to be the case for those field service companies that are actually operating in the Cloud. Yet these doubts still remain and perhaps it is a matter of the technology having to continue to prove itself secure over a longer period of time for these to abate fully. At the same time the biggest issues felt by those using the Cloud are possibly likely to be resolved by surrounding technologies in the near future. Connectivity, which is the largest problem facing companies with a Cloud system for example will ultimately ebb away as serious issue as mobile internet standards continue to increase.

Within the UK for example all of the major providers are required to meet 90% 3G coverage of the UK as part of their contracts with UK Government by this summer. Currently the only provider to have fallen short of this target is Vodafone who offer 3G coverage to 88.5% of the UK. Of course with 4G now being rolled out this situation will only continue to improve.

When we consider that there is a building appetite for the Cloud in Field Service Industry, the key fear around the Cloud (security) is proving in reality a far less common issue than the perception would have us believe and that the most common issue being faced by those currently using the Cloud is potentially going to diminish naturally as internet coverage becomes ever more widespread it would seem that the Cloud is set to become an established platform for field service technology, and even ultimately become the most commonplace method.

 

Want to know more? Download the complete white paper based on this research for free by clicking this link

 

This research was undertaken in partnership with Tesseract. Find out more about Tesseract in the Field Service News Directory here

 

 

 

Masternaut, one Europe’s largest provider of telematics solutions, has been working with logistics firm Currie European since October 2008, delivering both vehicle tracking and driver behaviour monitoring functionality to the business.

The deployment has generated a marked uplift in the productivity of Currie European’s fleet, which operates across the whole of Europe and was awarded the Transport News Scottish European Haulier of the Year award for 2014.

Masternaut’s system has facilitated improved fleet planning, with at-a-glance visibility of every vehicle enabling the organisation to cut down on wasted journey time while sharing exact whereabouts of vehicles and expected arrival times with customers. The driver behaviour module has also allowed Currie European to monitor the safety of its drivers, highlighting habits such as speeding or vehicle idling in order to deliver preventative measures and issue training where necessary. As a result, Currie European has recently renewed its contract with Masternaut for a further five years.

Steve Walls, Business Systems Director at Currie European, comments: “Masternaut’s system has had a huge impact on our business. Since bringing on the solution in 2008, we’ve been able to significantly improve the operational efficiency of our fleet.”

“Improving our productivity has had a knock-on effect on customer service; we can ensure we always reach our customers in time, while keeping them better-informed en-route. What’s more, we share this fleet intelligence directly with customers, allowing them to view exactly where our vehicles are on a map-based interface generated in real time by Masternaut’s data, via our customer portal.”

Martin Hiscox, chairman and CEO of Masternaut, adds: “Managing the efficient coordination of a fleet the size of Currie European is no easy task.  By using our solution, Steve and his team are exemplifying how telematics can be used to not only drive tangible business benefits back to the organisation, but also to deliver significant service improvements to its own customers.

As Currie European goes from to strength to strength, we look forward to a continued successful partnership as we enable the business to keep tabs on its ever-expanding fleet.”

The field service industry continues to evolve at pace. New technologies are constantly emerging which have the potential to change the industry as we know it.

At the same time we are seeing a huge cultural shift with many seeking to realign their service division from cost centre to profit centre. To help us keep up with these changes Field Service News has put together a panel of five field service industry experts and asked them each to share their insight on the industry today. Second in the firing line is Paul White, CEO mplsystems

 

What is the biggest driver for change in field service today?

It’s all about customer expectations, today’s smart phone empowered customers expect immediate service when they want it - or they’ll switch. Delivering field service is no longer just about dispatching resources. Instead the focus is on delivering end-to-end customer service targets and reacting to changes in real time. However the reality for most organisations is still a proliferation of disconnected systems and processes that make it impossible to monitor and deliver true end-to-end service. Systems integration simply won’t fix this for most organisations, it will just result in inevitable manual data fill and mistakes – and an inability to deliver the reactivity and service that customers demand.

 

Which technology has had the biggest impact on the field service industry in the last 5 years?

The ability to deploy affordable field service apps on standard mobile consumer smart phones and tablets rather than expensive dedicated devices has had the biggest impact, enabling an entirely new generation of connected field service solutions. You can now equip field staff to support customer engagement activities, track on-site attendance and feed back into HR, monitor time in the field for improved financial management, as well as provide specialist telematics services - all via flexible smart phone apps. However, these will still require integration to avoid the kind of piecemeal approach that inevitably leads to efficiencies, with vital customer data getting stuck in individual departments.

 

What is the most important consideration when moving from cost centres to profit centres?

Turning field service from a cost centre into a profit centre demands an end-to-end approach that’s reactive to customer requests and strengthens loyalty by driving out errors. This then empowers those people who spend most time with your customers – your field service staff – to identify and action the right cross sell and upsell opportunities with your loyal customers. An engineer fixing the lighting, for example, may notice that an air conditioning system also needs work – so it’s important that they have the sales mechanisms in place to immediately recommend and action repairs.

 

Who is Paul White? 

Paul White joined mplsystems as Chief Executive Officer in May 2005. Paul has spent the last 20 years working in and around the Field Service and Contact Centre industry and is one of the industry pioneers in the creation of affordable service management and CRM and Customer Service contact centre solutions. Prior to joining mplsystems Paul was the founding CEO of BT Contact Central, which, over 4 years, grew into a global business across UK, Europe and Asia Pacific. Whilst at BT, Paul was responsible for designing some of the largest CRM and Customer Service solutions in Europe and had major roles in systems architecture, product management and sales.

 

To read this full panel debate and much more download a free digital copy of our quarterly magazine. Click here to register.

 

 

 

 

Trimble Field Service Management are set to release a new report following on from a research project they have be conducting looking at how field service organisations need to transform their service delivery to remain competitive in today's market. Ahead of the release of the report Field Service News spoke exclusively with Trimble FSM Managing Director Mark Forrest. 

FSN: You report that customer service is widely regarded to be the number one priority for field service organisations. How are organisations adapting to meet this priority?

MF: The correlation between customer satisfaction, retention and profitability is proven and we know the most common customer complaint is when a technician does not resolve the problem first time. As a result, field service organisations have to strive to get it right first time to meet customer expectations. A return visit is not only significant in terms of time and cost but can also be damaging to the brand and reputation from a customer view point.

Recent studies show that over a quarter of dispatched jobs fail to be resolved first time, requiring two or more follow-up visits. Making sure you get the right people with the right skills with the right assets to the right place within a set time is therefore essential. Work management technologies can help with this. They incorporate technician knowledge, parts availability, and capacity into scheduling processes to ensure that the technician arriving on site is the person who can resolve the issue first time.

FSN: Your research found that 1 in 10 field service organisations still collect data from the field via paperwork and some collect no data at all. Is there a cost to field services of collecting data in this way? If so, what can be done to address it?

MF: To pick up on a finding like this was a real surprise considering, with the advancements in workforce management technologies, that some organisations are still relying on paperwork to manage their field service work and some are not collecting any management information at all. Not only are there immediate implications for, and restrictions on, the day-to-day management of the work in terms of efficiencies, scheduling and productivity, but if you don’t have a real-time understanding of what is happening, there is little scope to then apply this information and identify trends for longer term business planning.

With customer expectations at an all-time high, field service work has become increasingly mission-critical in terms of timing, skills and consequence. More organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to manage their work more efficiently and effectively and adopt intelligent scheduling which allocates the right technician to the right job. As a result we will see organisations move away from the traditional methods of data collection and look towards automated learning tools to accelerate this process.

FSN: The importance of measuring service performance and that you ‘cannot manage what you cannot measure’ is discussed in the report. What metrics should field service organisations use to measure service performance effectively?

MF: While some organisations aren’t collecting data at all, for those that do, time taken to complete a job, customer satisfaction and the number of jobs completed were the three main metrics used to measure field service performance. For most businesses, measuring and improving just three key metrics will offer meaningful and significant improvements so it’s fundamental that businesses chose the right three to keep an improvement project manageable and on track. The emergence of Performance Management Analytics (PMA) can help considerably in the measurement process. Such tools provide the visibility to analyse the productivity of a field service operation and showcase key metrics. These metrics can range from how often SLAs are met, total tasks completed, distance travelled and utilisation in terms of actual tasks completed against total time of the working day. This can be seen at an organisation, region, team or even individual level, allowing businesses to drill down to the areas of concern or opportunity and make the necessary changes.

FSN: The report states that the ability to make sense of ‘Big Data’ can make the difference between a business that is good enough and one that stands out from the pack. What hurdles do field service organisations face in tackling ‘Big Data’ and how can they overcome these?

MF: Due to the sheer scale of data being created in everything we do, field service organisations can be overwhelmed by the amount of information coming in from multiple sources, in various formats and through an array of tools. Our research found that around a third of field service managers believe that their organisation is ineffective at using the data they collect to make decisions and the main concern with using data from the field was the reliability of the information.

The key is to firstly use technology that you trust to provide you the data you need. The next step is cutting through the amount of data and identifying the trends and metrics that really make a difference to your operation. Starting with a benchmark is key so you can track improvements as you start to measure the impact of change. Using field service data correctly can give vital insight to field service managers in areas such as identifying the most productive performers and those which need training, determining how long job types take and predicting peaks and troughs in capacity based on previous trends.

FSN: You report that more than 90% of the change programmes rolled out by field service organisations in the last year improved their operations. What is the key to rolling out change well and how can other organisations achieve this?

MF: We’ve worked with a number of large organisations in the roll-out of very large programmes of change and organisations that implement change well, can be seen to do so because of the culture of their organisation, employee engagement and having the right processes and strategy in place. It is also of the utmost importance that change is driven by the Board of Directors and that they keep on top of it to ensure that all processes and people remained aligned with the set goals. I cannot stress enough the need to really engage the workforce in a technology roll-out. Organising workshops in order to educate them on a new technology is essential and will give them the opportunity to ask questions and understand the overall value attributed to change. Using a new technology can be daunting so providing that on-hand support after implementation is also, just as important.

FSN: What are the most important considerations when implementing new technology?

MF: Our research found that many field service managers still believe the most important factor in choosing new technology is ease of use. This was closely followed by integration into current systems. We know from the companies that we work with, that field service organisations are increasingly seeking modular, scalable and easy to integrate solutions that allow them to deliver on their business objectives and which they can easily roll out to employees, is easy to use and offers them an enhanced work experience.

Organisations that understand how to strategically leverage new and existing technologies stand to drive efficiencies, profits and improve their customer service. Some of the most important developments to look out for include integration of M2M, leveraging of mobile apps, profit-driven analytics and cloud-driven transformations.

FSN: You conclude your report with a section on ‘What the future holds for field service management’. In your opinion, what will be the most significant trend to shape the industry going forward?

MF: It is an exciting time for the field service industry as we’re seeing a different kind of field service worker emerge. Those entering the industry are more proficient with technology and tools and that is already having an impact on not only the increased adoption of mobility and apps but also the way in which we, as customers, are communicated with. Gamification is a developing step for this tech savvy workforce as it offers a more interactive, competitive environment for the mobile worker, increasing productivity. From a wider technology point of view I see M2M as having a significant effect on the industry with predictive and preventative maintenance growing to make up a significant proportion of service work; potentially with service companies taking the place of the customer as the instigator of a service visit, having been alerted to a potential issue by the machine or device they are going to fix – a huge step change for our industry.

Trimble are hosting a virtual summit on the Third of April which will be discussing this report and the industry at large and you can register for this event here 

Background

Travis Perkins plc is the UK’s largest supplier to the building and construction market, with a national network of more than 1,900 branches and annual turnover of £5 billion. The organisation is home to businesses including Travis Perkins, Wickes, BSS Industrual, Toolstation and Tile Giant, and has supplied building materials to the trade and home improvers for over 200 years.

The Travis Perkins Group uses Masternaut’s technology across its 3,000-strong commercial fleet.

Masternaut has been an integral part of the Group’s day-to-day fleet operations for some time. The telematics system is used across the fleet to improve fleet efficiency and customer service, cut costs and reduce emissions. Since using the technology, Travis Perkins has seen a reduction in fuel costs of over £1.4million to-date, a 70% daily reduction in vehicle idling, as well as reduced depot turnaround times from 45 minutes to an average 25 minutes.

The organisation is constantly looking for new ways to improve its performance across all divisions of the business.

The Group’s Transport department has implemented a number of initiatives to improve the safety of its drivers. One of these initiatives is the Driver of the Year award, an annual nationwide competition open to all drivers in all businesses across the Travis Perkins Group. The competition aims to identify and acknowledge the organisation’s safest driver. More recently, the company has introduced a Group-wide ‘Safer Roads’ policy to further improve driver safety awareness and identify drivers who require additional coaching.

Challenge

In order to introduce these initiatives, Travis Perkins needed a way to accurately monitor and record the behaviour of its drivers and determine those who are exhibiting the best driving performance across the group.

This information needed to be available in real-time, to promote and enable improved safety and driver awareness ‘on-the-job’, as well as being recorded in highly detailed retrospective reports. With thousands of drivers across the organisation involved in both initiatives, these reports needed to offer the functionality to drill down into individual driver performance, as well as providing top-level visibility into overall trends in order to develop ranked league tables.

The focus on safety awareness associated with the Safer Roads initiative meant that fleet and HR managers also required a system that could highlight individual driver habits, such as harsh braking, speeding or idling.

Solution

Working very closely with a Masternaut consultant, the Travis Perkins Group has developed both initiatives with the help of intelligence generated by Masternaut technology.

For the Driver of the Year award, a shortlist of suitable drivers is drawn from each Group business before benchmarking these drivers against each other during an intensive two-month monitoring period. This period relies heavily on Masternaut’s telematics systems to monitor each driver against set criteria in order to compare driver performance. Each criterion carries a certain weight, and Fleet and HR managers can modify the emphasis placed on a driver ‘event’, tailored to the particular business requirements of that business or Division.

Similarly, the Safer Roads initiative also uses data provided by Masternaut technology to identify drivers that show signs of requiring one-to-one coaching.

All information generated by Masternaut is transmitted from the vehicle in real-time, as well as being compiled into reports which are delivered back to the Group’s Head Office for full retrospective analysis.

Results

Together, the two initiatives have led to a significant increase in health and safety awareness and driving best practice across the Travis Perkins Group, and helping to improve the safety of the organisation’s drivers and other road users. Those exhibiting habits such as speeding, idling, harsh braking and accelerating are quickly identified so that the appropriate ‘on the road’ coaching sessions can be arranged with one of the Group’s 16 dedicated risk assessors.

As well as receiving formal coaching, drivers also receive real-time training via Masternaut’s in-cab light bar, which instantly alerts the driver when they need to alter what they are doing – whether they need to slow down or brake less harshly.

As a result, accident figures over the last 5 years have reduced.

Using Masternaut’s technology as the backbone for these initiatives also means that, where previously HR policies around driver safety monitoring and training were very siloed to particular divisions or areas of the business, the whole organisation now has one consistent, consolidated approach.

Commenting on the success of the partnership Richard Horton, Head of Transport Development, Travis Perkins said: 

“We have worked closely with Masternaut for a number of years, and the organisation has become an integral part of our business. And it’s not just our transport department that sees the benefits. We have seen tangible benefits across the whole of the organisation and direct impact on our bottom line, with significant cost savings year-on-year.

The ‘Driver of the Year’ and ‘Safer Roads’ are two examples of initiatives based on Masternaut’s technology which go way beyond straight forward vehicle tracking. The two initiatives are allowing us to raise awareness of driver safety, and the importance of responsible driving across the business – from HGVs through to light commercial vehicles.

Our drivers are not only more conscious of how they are performing behind the wheel, they’re motivated and incentivised. When the Driver of the Year award comes around each year there’s a great sense of healthy competition among the whole team – and that’s fantastic to see!”

Trimble Field Service Management are bringing together a panel of field service leaders and industry exerts from around the globe to participate in a virtual summit which will be focusing on the shape of the industry today.

The summit, Transform Service Delivery: A Global Perspective will be held on Thursday 3^rd April and follows on from the launch of a new research paper from Trimble FSM entitled Transforming Service Delivery: An Insight Report, and addresses issues and challenges that are faced by field service organisations today.

There are five speakers scheduled to participate in the event whose presentations will cover topics including change management, emerging technologies, mobile resources, issue resolution, performance excellence and future trends.

The Aberdeen Group’s Aly Pinder, will lead the presentations discussing “Breaking through the roadblocks to deliver exceptional customer service.”

He will then be followed by:

• Anil Tiwari, solutions architect at Trimble Field Service Management, discussing Leveraging Data to Optimise Field Operations
• Barry White, CEO of G7 Consulting, discussing Effective Change Management: Strategies for Success
• Nate Vineyard, director of operations & performance for Multiband, discussing Managing the Mobile Workforce
• Sharon Clancy, editor of m.logistics, speaking on What the Future Holds for Field Service

• Sarah Nicastro, publisher and editor in chief of Field Technologies magazine, will moderate.

To register for the summit, or to obtain a recording of the event click here

 

Across the last couple of years there have been a number of recurring themes coming out of varying research projects looking at the field service industry.

One fact that is highly apparent is that whilst the global economy has steadied herself somewhat following the worldwide downturn in 2008, the field service industry, like most other industries is still feeling the effects of the decline. One poll conducted by the Aberdeen Group highlighted the two biggest market pressures were reduced customer spending alongside increasing resource costs.

These factors sitting alongside each other are major drivers for the need for companies to rethink how they structure their profit and loss sheets and shifting the service division from a cost centre to a profit centre is in some cases a sensible move to make, in others it is absolutely essential to secure a long term stable future.

Another recurring theme is that in general service standards appear to be falling. One report run by TomTom and TNS highlighted that 87% of Europeans suffered field service operatives turning up late to an appointment. Another report, this time based on research conducted by Cognito identified that 67% of UK consumers believe service has deteriorated within the last three years.

Is this decline in standards the result of strained resources due to lack of financial support? Or is it the result of the ‘connected consumer’, where through social media and the vast array of communication tools readily available via the internet the consumer is not only fully empowered to voice there dissatisfaction, but also have expectation levels raised beyond any previous standards? Likelihood is it is a combination of both, however if monetising service is a target, then a field service organisation delivering anything less than excellent service is likely to struggle to make the transition smoothly.

Yet at the same time the tools to improve field service standards, raising efficiency, lowering costs and improving productivity are not only becoming more sophisticated than ever before. Due to the impact of Cloud computing and the Software as a Service model they are also more easily available for even the smallest companies. The days of service management systems being available only to those organisations that could afford the initial capital expenditure are no more. Today, technology that can enable and empower the mobile workforce is accessible on even the most modest budgets.

With this in mind it would seem fool hardy for any company to not explore investing in the technology available that can facilitate the move from cost centre to profit centre (although whilst technology is a key factor, there are of course other more strategic and cultural considerations to be implemented too of course.)

However, as with anything in life it is not always feasible (or even sensible) to try to undertake a huge redevelopment of your service department in one go. It is important that you understand where you are today, where you want to be and then plot a sensible and achievable roadmap of how you are to get from one to the other.

There are a number of stages between your field service solution evolving from out-dated manual processes that eat up your companies time and money, to a fully automated, efficient and streamlined field service solution, that allows you to position your staff resources into the most optimal positions to allow you to harness and secure new and on-going revenue streams.

Broadly these evolutionary stages are as follows:

• Stage One: Basic Automation
• Stage Two: Extended Automation
• Stage Three: Integration
• Stage Four: Optimisation
• Stage Five: Decision support and effectiveness.

Whilst each companies path will be unique to them, it is good to have an understanding of each of these stages, so you can use them as sign posts on your own road map.

To give you further insight into these stages, Field Service News has compiled the white paper “The 5 Stages of Field Service Evolution”. This white paper, which is sponsored by Solarvista details each of these key stages, what they entail and what the benefits you will see at each level are, as well as further analysis of the state of the field service industry today, and the importance of moving from cost centre to profit centre.

To download your free copy of this important resource simply click this link and complete the very brief registration form.

The field service industry continues to evolve at pace. New technologies are constantly emerging which have the potential to change the industry as we know it.

At the same time we are seeing a huge cultural shift with many seeking to realign their service division from cost centre to profit centre. To help us keep up with these changes Field Service News has put together a panel of five field service industry experts and asked them each to share their insight on the industry today. First up is Ian Mapp, Director with Wyser Stewart...

What is the biggest driver for change in field service today?

Field service has always coped with constrained resources – in terms of manpower and investment in spare parts inventory - and the recent harsh economic times have been very tough for many, both OEMs and independent maintainers. Those now poised to grow have continued to invest through the downturn, particularly in skills development, and that will now enable them to out-compete others.

With no money to waste themselves, customers are more demanding in the standards they expect and less tolerant of poor performance. This has accelerated a trend already entrenched for a number of years. Plus, bad news travels further and faster than ever via social media. Equivalent stories about exceptionally good service (they do exist!) do not travel as far or as fast. Service organisations will have to learn to live in this unbalanced environment, obsess about quality and focus on protecting and communicating hard-won reputations. It as a discriminator when customers choose suppliers.

Which technology has had the biggest impact on the field service industry in the last 5 years?

In my opinion, it is all about the mobility revolution. Specifically, the intersection of two trends. The higher adoption of mobile devices by service organisations, and the explosive growth of smartphone usage amongst customers – 72% of the UK population according to a 2013 Deloitte survey, up 14% in just 10 months. The result of near ubiquitous use means more enthusiastic acceptance by technicians and engineers of a mobile device as an integral part of their everyday work. Maybe “grudging acceptance” is still more prevalent than “enthusiastic acceptance” in some organisations and industries!

Once upon a time, and not that long ago, mobile devices – typically ruggedised – were seen as the sign of a tech-savvy, forward-thinking service provider. Today, that has been turned on its head and organisations that do not deploy mobiles – more commonly consumer-grade or BYOD – are seen as laggards.

What is the most important consideration when moving from cost centre to profit centre? 

That’s simple. Independent maintainers are, by definition, driven by profitable service provision. For OEMs, the profits on after-sales services are frequently higher than products sales, and servitization has become an obvious strategy to maintain financial performance. For some it is a matter of survival and so it is a “no brainer”. The question becomes ‘how-to’ and not ‘whether-to’. Particularly as more product categories become commoditised, and manufacturers are unable to compete simply on product quality.

This is not the same as engineers being transformed into salespeople, as is often imagined. Many OEMs do not properly credit their service departments with revenue for their work. A notional accounting transfer is made, one that does not reflect the true commercial value. This gives a misleading impression of the service operation’s financial viability. Resolving this anomaly - to give an accurate baseline – and training service managers in financial disciplines are critical transformational steps.

Who is Ian Mapp...

Ian is a veteran of customer service - both in the provision of software applications and consultancy, and in actual service delivery. He has worked with companies large and small, both in the UK and internationally over 25 years. Presently, he is providing specialised customer service and customer experience consulting services to “people-powered” organisations through his company Wyser Stewart.