AUTHOR ARCHIVES: Kris Oldland

Masternaut, one of the largest European providers of telematics solutions, has launched Masternaut Tax & Expense, offering customers automated and completely accurate mileage logging to support expense claims and compliance regulations.  

The module is the latest in a series of new applications announced by the telematics provider, following the launch of Masternaut Connect last year. Masternaut Tax & Expense is specifically designed to benefit the whole business from the finance department to individual drivers, enabling driver authentication of business and private mileage, while storing data for regulatory compliance. Benefits include quicker and more efficient processes due to automated mileage logging. Masternaut’s patented technology reports exact vehicle odometer which revolutionary compared to GPS-based calculations.

Tax & Expense can be used as a wholly independent module or as a component part of Masternaut’s Connect platform which includes ecoDrive, Live tracking and Business Intelligence as companion modules.

Delivered via the new platform’s core, integrated web interface, the application is available to all customers using Masternaut Connect, removing the need for lengthy bespoke deployments, and enabling rapid take-up.

The new Masternaut Connect functionality also offers improved privacy options, enabling customers to select map-based routes or data-only services, in order to protect employee privacy outside of working hours.

Martin Hiscox, Chairman and CEO of Masternaut, says: “Telematics has gone way beyond simply tracking vehicle whereabouts. The benefits span a wide range of business departments, and finance is no exception.

“For many of our customers, handling tax and expense claims – often for thousands of drivers, and across multiple regions – can be a complex and time-consuming task. Masternaut Tax & Expense automates the processes involved, delivering intuitive reports quickly and easily. Above all, these reports can be modified to support customer priorities and local requirements – and in the minefield of local compliance and regulation, for many of our customers this will be where the true benefit lies. ”

Masternaut’s CTO, Alex Rothwell, adds: “It’s been an extremely busy year of innovation and development for Masternaut. We invested millions of euros and the largest telematics R&D workforce in Europe into bringing Masternaut Connect to market; it’s very exciting to be at a stage when we can begin introducing the various applications of the platform – and Tax & Expense is just one of these applications.”

Alison Brindley, Operations Director of Bespoke Distribution Aviation, outlines what we should be demanding from our logistics partners to ensure field service divisions run smoothly...

In increasingly competitive markets, businesses that supply and fit parts as part of their service contracts have had to up their game and the successful ones are achieving this and reducing cost, whilst adding value to their customer proposition by paying particular attention to their aftersales service.

As part of the aftersales process, field service engineers need to make sure that they have all the tools and spares parts they need to respond when a customer needs them. Operating a lean supply chain can add value to your business with a logistics partnership and keep field service operations efficient by ensuring reduced inventory levels and stock holding. The dynamics of the delivery requirements within the supply chain range from a requirement to move freight quickly in the case of urgent requirements for immediate repair, and not so quickly for slower moving stock for regular services. The challenge is to streamline the supply chain into a simpler process while continuing to provide customers with a simple and efficient next day delivery. Moving the outline of your supply chain to a multi level, more dynamic solution, which utilises air and road express movements can achieve a slicker supply chain needed to make field service engineers more responsive.

Give your field service engineers greater flexibility

A streamlined supply chain supports field service operations at all times and ensures engineers are equipped with the spare parts they need to complete repairs to your customer’s service levels. Make sure when selecting a logistics company that they offer a flexible and rapid service, the best levels of IT reporting and inclusive client support.  One way of achieving this is through In-Night, same day delivery of parts, which ensures that spares are readily available from point of order through to final mile delivery in the shortest time frame possible.  Whether your main supply comes from a European Distribution Centre (EDC) or from a local regional parts centre, supply chain management is key to final mile delivery and therefore a successful Service Level to your customer.

Eliminate the need for multiple regional warehouses

A streamlined supply chain that connects mainland Europe into the UK and Ireland, provide early morning deliveries into service engineers and dealerships pre7 and reduce levels of inventory, provides an improved first time pick rate and speeds up the delivery of spare parts. Faster in-night air movement and bespoke ‘final mile’ solution means that they can access spares early morning the very next day giving a greater number of daily engineer fixes, improving Service Level Agreements and delivering benefits to your customer’s clients.

Think about reverse logistics and spare part returns

A company that offers a streamlined reverse logistics and returns solution can provide additional value for field service operations. The priority for field service engineers is having the repair made before considering a quick return. A reverse logistics service delivered as part of the wider supply chain delivery ensures that field service engineers have their repair made quickly on site, before returning the defect part back through the supply chain in the opposite direction. For customers who have an issue after the repair has been made where a resolve is required due to a warranty defect, your field service team will want to organise for the defect product to be shipped back to the manufacturer under warranty, tested, dismantled and repaired or recycled. By having the repair made first as part of a reverse logistics service, engineers save valuable time out in the field. Closing the returns loop, the return of spare parts is achieved whether under warranty or just as part of the recycling of parts, is as much a feature of a good supply chain management as the initial delivery.

Transparency of the supply chain enhances customer communication

After sales service managers need to be confident that spare parts will be with their field engineers when they need them. They require complete visibility of the supply chain and a strong communication from the logistics company, so they can be frequently updated as soon as the next status of their shipment is available. By having access to this information platform, and a pro-active customer service in the logistics company, they can maintain effective communication with the customer, keeping them up-to-date during every part of the service process. The ability to communicate with confidence makes all the difference to your customer’s perception of your business.

Getting the geographical coverage you need

Working in partnership with a good supply chain provider that can provide a strong geographical delivery presence is key to reducing inventory costs and yet still provides you with quick and easy access to spares.  A supply chain provider that has strategically positioned operating gateways across a broad area, and that enables you to benefit from both air freight and road express services, delivers a seamless distribution service straight into the field.

There are a lot of tools available to help make field service operations more streamlined, responsive and effective. The industry is benefitting from new mobile technology all the time but often the greatest advantage to a business operating in the field service arena is getting the right level of a lean supply chain. Complete visibility throughout the supply chain and same day, final mile delivery of spares are key to responsive field service and satisfied, happy customers.

A recent announcement from Motion Computing, one the leading providers of rugged technology solutions has revealed that Camtech Systems, a reseller and systems integrator have become the first company in the United Kingdom to be awarded Platinum partner status on the Motion Valued Partner (MBVP) scheme.

The recognition comes after working with Motion Computing since 2009 and cements a mutually beneficial relationship that will continue to see Camtech Systems identify and implement Motion Tablet PC solutions to organisations across differing sectors within the UK ranging from retail, to asset management, estate agency and even emergency services. The acknowledgement also comes in recognition of the outstanding service Camtech have provided to their own and the Motion customer base.

The MVP program is unique, authorised reseller programme designed to protect and enhance the return on investment made by Motion partners.  Structured into Silver, Gold and Platinum partners, the programme features an innovative online portal that delivers external and internal marketing tools and programs to improve partner visibility and drive sales opportunities. This includes presentations, case studies, new business material, corporate sales support, access to demonstration equipment and lead referral programmes to support sales teams and enhance customer acquisition.

Darrell Newman, Managing Director, Camtech Systems said: “Being awarded Platinum status by Motion is really important to us and we are proud of the recognition of our service levels.  Platinum status allows us to provide a more comprehensive service to all of our Motion clients, delivering total solutions as well as providing better volume deal pricing. We see the elevation in partner status as a clear indication of not only our long term business relationship with Motion, but the future opportunities we can build upon. The CL910, F5Te, C5Te and J-series are the preferred choice for the mobile professional and field service sectors and we are confident that we can continue to build a market-leading enterprise mobility offering around these rugged platforms.”

Ian Davies, country manager, Northern Europe, Motion Computing explained: “The Motion Valued Partner Programme reflects the value and importance Motion sees in partnering with dedicated, solution providers whose business goals align with ours.  For our channel partners delivering excellence, MVP offers a fantastic opportunity to build a successful business around the Motion portfolio and Camtech is a great example of this success.  As the currently exclusive Platinum partner in the UK, we are really pleased to recognise their achievements and we look forward to strengthening our relationship with Camtech further.”

If you are a reseller in the UK and would like to know more about this programme then please visit http://partners.motioncomputing.com/EnglishIntl

 ServicePower a market leader in field service management, have recently announced a new agreement with ServiceMax, the only global, completely native Force . com field service application in the industry. Another collaboration which could see users of both systems benefit...

The agreement sees ServiceMax integrating ServicePower’s patented schedule optimisation product, ServiceScheduling, which is acknowledged by many as being one of the leading leading optimisation technologies for large workforces, into OptiMax, ServiceMax’s workforce optimisation module available on the Force.com AppExchange.

This  integrated solution will enable the companies to provide a unified, sole vendor field management solution to a wide array of field service organisations, working across both geographies and industries such as medical devices, oil and gas, and utilities where customers are noted to be looking for the Salesforce CRM alongside highly developed optimisation capabilities.

Commenting on the agreement, Marne Martin, CEO of ServicePower stated:

 “Our relationship with ServiceMax creates a unique competitive offering in the field management industry, capitalising on the strength of our patented optimisation technology, and the breadth of the Force.com platform on which ServiceMax has built its 100% native solution.  As a single vendor solution for global field service organisations, we can provide clients productivity and efficiency improvements, in addition to Force.com’s CRM features through Optimax.  While increasing our penetration of the Force.com customer ecosystem, the partnership also expands our sales footprint to new geographies around the globe.”

CEO of ServiceMax.Dave Yarnold added:

“Our integration with ServicePower enhances the ServiceMax platform with industry recognised optimisation technology, further extending our ability to provide an end to end, field service management solution to the Force.com ecosystem, and beyond.”

For more information on ServiceMax click here visit their page in the Field Service News Online Directory which includes videos, news & features plus access to downloadable resources.  

In the third and final part of our exclusive interview with Telogis UK General Manager Sergio Barata, we find out what Sergio's thoughts are on the impact of smart phones on field service software and what he thinks is the next stage for the field service industry...

FSN: Given your such a fan of the iPhone, do you think that the consumerisation of mobile devices has led to a major shift in the design of the interfaces you and your competitors are designing?

SB: Telogis never really developed heavily in a Windows Mobile development - we just never felt it was right for us. Our belief was that these things would take care of themselves.

There were companies that would have 20 engineers just developing an environment [for Windows mobile]. We just felt that this was never a model we could get behind, however, we were always happy to partner and integrate and take a more open approach.

Now with the newer iOS and Android systems we can take advantage of the situation and have some pretty compelling technologies. Just downloading an application and updating it now is completely seamless whereas previously companies had to throw thousands of pounds at project management to get an update out to the field. So we are big believers in what’s happening with the mobile handsets and tablets. 

FSN: What is the biggest trend in solutions that you are seeing come to the market? What are your clients most commonly looking for today that they weren’t asking for two years ago?

SB: Today the market is asking for our platform. Two years ago we were pushing a platform and the benefits because we believed it was the right way forward, even though the market wasn’t necessarily asking for it. There were some organisations that were interested in that conversation - today we are finding that most of the market is asking for it.

One objection I have heard on a number of occasions is why would I deny the company the opportunity to have best of breed in all particular elements?

That’s an interesting discussion in that a large part of our platform, if you took it individually, is best of breed anyway. ABI Research last summer rated us as the most innovative telematics solution you can buy anywhere today. Even if we ranked third or fourth in each of those disciplines, it’s all about leveraging the data that each investment creates, rather than the sum of each of those pieces.

Now customers know what they are trying to achieve and ask us to present our platform. Often they may have a requirement for one of the elements, but it is now a very easy conversation to show the benefits of the whole holistic approach.

FSN: What do you think the next biggest technological advancement in field service will be?

SB: I think that bringing more Big Data to the field service individual, to the actual agent, is something we will see. I have seen it with driver behaviour for example. The traditional driver behaviour solution is that you put a unit in my vehicle, I drive and if I violate the rules then my line manager prints it out, confronts me and then hopefully I improve.

We have a solution called Telogis Coach, which has all of those same elements but does it in a very non-confrontational way.  It gets the driver to buy into the process through a portal on his phone, which just creates a different dynamic and environment for him to digest the information. I personally think treating agents in this way will engage them more positively.

People are ready for more information as long as it is done in a way that the employee can say, “okay this is positive, it’s not big-brother, they’re not policing me”. The trends towards more efficiency will probably add more benefits for the agents as well, whether profit sharing or incentives.

FSN: What is the biggest difference between when you started in the industry and today?

SB: I think the biggest difference between when I started and today is now we have new devices and tools to deliver the level of information required, which along with more platforms mean you can bring more and increasingly diverse data together and interpret it better. As a result we are seeing greater understanding both from agents working in the field and in the central offices alike, helping organisations work smarter and better.

Missed the first parts of this interview? Find part one here and part two here

Want to learn more about Telogis? Find more news, features, videos and resources in the Field Service News directory 

 

Background: Exel Computer Systems

The developing service industry requires improved quality through constant adaption.

Exel Computer Systems has brought increasingly sophisticated technology into the Service Management arena providing Software and expertise. There is no doubt that with skilled support, this technology will drive significant innovation into thought-leading organisations such as Triton Showers, who are prepared to open their minds to new ways of working and effectively use technological innovation. More than ten years ago Triton Showers realised that to be successful as a service-led business they had to be more agile and ready to adapt to the rapidly changing industry environment they faced.

To derive significant success from technological developments requires more than good luck, and unless companies are prepared to invest sufficient money, time and energy into getting it right, success will not follow. Most importantly the need to invest in the right staff, with the right training, equipment and business tools. But just as important is the need to join forces with a supplier who has made significant investment in developing leading-edge Service Software and can show innovation in the solution. Providing such an excellent product to a skilled workforce can bring to the industry leading edge skills, cost effective and excellent delivery, and set standards in the Industry.

Background: Triton Showers

Triton Showers has been producing high quality products since its inception in 1975, and is now one of the largest and best known in the field in the UK. In that time the company has invested in technological solutions and unwaveringly on recruiting high calibre staff to provide their customers with the best customer service possible. In addition to their success in future-proofing the technological aspects of their software solution by working closely with their software supplier and partner, they have been able to take advantage of the growing familiarity and acceptance of the technology by all their staff across  the business, to help their staff understand the needs and skills required of their new roles.

Like many other businesses over this time, Triton Showers has had to cope with a number of key changes including a shift from client-based solutions to browser-based, and from hardware-specific solutions into platform and product-independent solutions. Exel Computer Systems has incorporated all of these into their Eagle Field Service solution, taking in their stride the acceleration of technological development, the rapid and significant convergence of 'Mobile Communications', 'Browser-based software' and 'The Cloud' to keep abreast of technology, devices and software solutions across their customer's business. Triton Showers has grasped the opportunity to work with a very modern leading-edge supplier, critical in this complex environment to ensure the quality of the solution and the speed of implementation.

Preparing for the Journey

The service industry has developed markedly over the last 10 years, and Triton Showers has been at the forefront of this development; introducing a sophisticated call-centre supported by the latest scheduling and despatching software, as well as a comprehensive financial package. In the last three years, investing in developing and securing a powerful solution provided and supported by their highly skilled partner Exel, they have significantly updated their software solution onto one of the most modern platforms.

Most recently, Triton Showers have invested in mobile CRM and customer self-help mechanisms, as it has become obvious that the customer wants to use this form of communication. The key customer requirements across the industry are:

• immediate response time
• 24x7 access to self help to resolve issues themselves
• access to an engineer on line or in a forum or chat room

What has been Key to Triton Shower's success?

Working closely with Exel has provided them with a partner that has not only supplied the required Software to take the business into the future, but helped them to identify the most important profit levers within their business:

• Move from  cost-cutting to technology-driven process improvement and focus on customers
• Recognise that culture change within the organisation and across society is having more impact than specific technology devices, as the devices become more readily assimilated into the day-to-day environment
• Staff understanding the changes they have to make in their role as a result of the latest software and hardware solution
• Helping their staff at all levels to work differently, to deal with the local environment within the changing big picture.

The Challenge

Introducing a new software solution and associated hardware requires process change, so from the start there was a requirement that support staff understand the changes necessary in their role. The staff needed to accept that processes would be different and it was beneficial to get the processes stable and tested as soon as possible within the new solution:  They would have to see the big picture of the business process as well as demonstrate a local understanding.

Triton Showers has also recognised that the consumer market in which they work has changed its attitude towards the sovereignty of the customer, and that a significant shift of mind-set within the customer requires Triton Showers to work very differently, at all levels, to maintain control.

Historically, the quality of service was delivered contractually through service level agreements, ensuring the supplier would deliver within certain parameters. The agreement would be with the individual customer and not normally visible to anyone else, with the advent of Facebook, Linked-in and Twitter this situation has changed completely, and producing a very confused picture engendering significant potential for mis-communication, putting considerable pressure onto the supplier.  Included with this is the ability for the customer to broadcast their opinion of the service they have received.

The supplier has to have much better access to the customer experience through varied and reliable sources of information, including mobile CRM, so that data can be automatically collected by the hardware and software carried by the engineer, freeing the engineer to focus on fixing the customer, confident that all the data is captured correctly.  The engineer has to be trained and given the responsibility to gather customer information, through effective listening and good questioning. The engineer cannot allocate any more time to the customer, so information gathering has to be done during the fix (including up-grading customer value, providing new value and understanding issues facing the customer, their changing needs and if possible consulting on the customer’s processes to better serve them next time).

Supplier support and added value

Working closely and confidently with their software supplier, Triton Showers were able to significantly develop their customer interaction process to facilitate the capture of required information, to build up a picture of the customer in order to better respond to their needs and reduce the cost of provision while improving the quality.  In addition Eagle Field Service provided effective future-proofing to:

• Accommodate changes in technology, particularly the impact of mobile connectivity
• Deal with the growing impact of Social Media in the Business to Consumer (B2C) environment
• Ensure that Triton Showers work-force were  more comfortable with the modern platform format that Eagle could provide, in particular delivering a mobile CRM capability
• Develop the solution with Exel to provide an on-going, workable and stable solution

Conclusion

Service Manager, Graham Neve, has found working with the Exel team has considerably broadened the business calibre of his service team.  Working with Exel helped the staff at all levels in the business to understand the changes required in their role as a result of the solution, improving the way they communicate with the customer.

He believes Triton Showers are in a much stronger position thanks to their implementation of Eagle Field Service and the support received from Exel.

Find out more about Exel Computer Systems including videos, white papers and news in the Field Service News directory here

Field Service News has recently been undertaking a piece of research in partnership with Tesseract to assess the appetite for attempts to assess the appetite in the field service industry for moving software to the cloud and utilising a Software as a Service (SaaS) as a delivery mechanism for field service software.

With the survey closing at the end of the week we thought we would give you a sneak peak at the results so far and remind you one last time that you to can help us build the picture of the field service industry today.

The survey itself is a maximum of 12 questions long, should take no more than a few minutes to complete and all respondents will not only be given an exclusive copy of the report findings but also be entered into our prize draw to win one of three Fifty pound Amazon vouchers!

 

Click here to enter the survey now!

 

Some key findings of the survey so far include the fact that whilst there is an undoubted buzz around cloud solutions and the SaaS model the shift to cloud computing hasn’t really happened on a grand scale as yet with 77% of companies surveyed still using an on premise solution for their field service management software.

The old fear of security issues in the cloud still apparently looms large in the minds of those decision makers in the field service industry with almost half (48%) of companies that have not opted to move their field service management system to the cloud citing security as a key worry that is holding them back.

However, there are bigger obstacles holding back the shift to the cloud it would seem. Almost three quarters (74%) of the field service companies that participated within the research to date identified that a key reason for not choosing cloud models so far are that they foresee compatibility issues with their existing systems and software.

What would seem apparent is that whilst the shift to the cloud hasn’t taken hold as dramatically as some may have predicted quite yet, it does seem somewhat inevitable that their will be a continued and steady growth in companies moving across to a cloud based system within the next few years.

For a start we see that of those companies now utilising a cloud based solution almost two thirds (57%) have changed software systems within just three years. This would suggest that as companies refresh their field service system the majority are moving towards cloud based solutions.

This fact is further emphasised when we see that over half (54%) of those companies that are currently using an on-premise solution are actively considering moving to a cloud based solution already when they next upgrade their field service management system.

One of the biggest reasons for this shift is the easy remote access that the cloud offers. Over two thirds (68%) of those companies that are considering moving to a cloud based solution cited this as one of the key factors for doing so.

They may suffer some problems when making the move, depending on how quickly the technology continues to move forward. Currently just under two thirds (60%) of companies operating a SaaS system have experienced some problems with connectivity, which would be expected of a system that is reliant on internet strength across varying regions but of course this will become less and less of a problem as network coverage continues to expand both on the local and international level.

Yet our research predicts that those opting for a cloud based field service management system are almost guaranteed success as 100% of companies that have implemented a cloud based solution indicated that they would recommend moving from on premise to SaaS/cloud based field service management systems to others.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree? Take a few minutes to enter the survey before it closes and have a chance of winning one of three £50 Amazon vouchers!

 

In part one of this exclusive interview with Telogis' Sergio Barata we learnt both about his personal background and the background of the company. In this second part of this three part series we discuss the growth of Telogis and the technology that makes Sergio tick.

FSN: With the launch of progression a few years ago Telogis stepped much more firmly into the field service software arena rather than solely fleet management. We have seen similar moves from other companies with a fleet technology background such as Trimble and TomTom, are the lines blurring between mobile workforce management and fleet management technologies?

SB:There is no doubt that telematics on its own is a pretty competitive space with a low barrier to entry. I think Trimble, TomTom, Telogis, companies like this, have taken that next step of investment in terms of R&D in trying to develop a more holistic approach. I do think that the companies that win will be those that offer true value to any organisation.

FSN: Since 2009 Telogis has been on the acquisitions trail with the purchase of Darby, Remote Dynamics, Integris, Onboard Advisor, Maptuit and Navtrak across just three years. How have the acquisitions of these companies shaped Telogis’ own development both as a company and also in terms of your product lines?

SB: We have been fairly aggressive in our acquisitions, having secured companies for either market share or for more depth in a particular segment of the market place. For instance we acquired Maptuit as a very dynamic navigation technology that we have integrated into the rest of our offering. We are always monitoring the UK market to see what makes sense.

FSN: One of these acquisitions, Onboard Advisor was a risk reduction product and you subsequently partnered with Travelers Insurance on their IntelliDrive fleet safety program. How important is technology in improving driver safety?

SB: The telematics driver-profiling element is essentially a tool for our largest customers, the enterprise fleets, to help bring in behavioural change that will increase opportunities to save on fuel and insurance costs.

We look for technology that allows us to engage the drivers directly in an innovative way to help manage and improve their driving behaviour; the idling, how they drive - sudden braking, acceleration, their speed. We then needed tools and dashboards to take that underlying data and the driver profiles to help large organisations change business practices to make improvements.

Certainly Onboard Advisor and the tie up with insurance telematics has been very important for us and our largest accounts, which have global fleets that deal with these issues and can now take advantage of this approach.

FSN: What was the first piece of technology that made a huge impression on you both personally and in a work environment?

SB: I think the biggest impression on me personally as well as the workplace, has been my iPhone.

Working in a technology led industry I got into smart phones and the Internet early. I’ve always been an early adopter but I don’t think anything has changed the way I think as when first picked up my iPhone. I had Nokia N70s, Blackberrys and so on, but nothing has been as complete, as easy to use and as seamless as the iPhone. 

 

Read part one of this interview here

Find out more about Telogis in our online directory here

Engineer productivity doubles with FLS VISITOUR scheduling and FLS Mobile solution

Sky Deutschland is the leading pay TV company in Germany and Austria with over 3.5 million subscribers.

Sky offers live sports, current films, award-winning TV series, kids programs, and documentaries as well as outstanding innovations and an awarded customer service. One way to access this high quality content is via satellite.

Sky provides a service for on-site installation through its own technical support team and also approved partners. In 2011, with objectives to improve service and efficiency, Sky Deutschland made the switch from regional to centralized scheduling and chose FLS VISITOUR and FLS MOBILE to optimise its appointment and route planning.

With FLS VISTOUR, the time required to book appointments has been cut by half. The intelligent planning algorithm reacts within seconds resulting in the optimal scheduling of technicians.

"We are very pleased with FLS. Due to the combination of FLS VISITOUR and FLS MOBILE new processes and organisational structure were implemented. As a result, our technicians are able to complete twice as many jobs per day than before. Customer satisfaction has increased, showing that 93 % of customers now rate the service with grade 1 and 2." Lydia Otto, Sky’s Director of Field Service