AUTHOR ARCHIVES: Kris Oldland

Infographic showing the key benefits of a truly end-to-end field service software solution based on exclusive research conducted by mplsystems and existing client case studies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are currently conducting a research project in partnership with Tesseract, which aims to establish exactly what you think about SaaS field service solutions. Having now reached the half waypoint of this project there are some interesting results already becoming prominent…

SaaS field service solutions still in the minority

Of the total respondents so far the overwhelming majority (83%) are currently still using an on premise solution as opposed to a SaaS field service solutions. However, of those still using an on-premise solution 62% have stated they were considering moving to a SaaS platform when they next upgrade their field service management software.

The key driver in this shift towards the cloud is the added mobility cloud solutions offer, with 66% of companies citing most easy remote access as a factor in why they are considering SaaS. Other common reasons were the scalability of SaaS solutions and the more affordable pricing structure of SaaS, which 59% and 51% of companies cited respectively.

Mythbuster – security is not an issue for SaaS field service solutions

The biggest fear around moving to a SaaS field service solution was security which 52% cited as a reason they would not choose SaaS. This is largely to be expected due to the often-high profile doubts raised about cloud security.

However, it would seem it is not substantiated by the facts. Of those companies operating a SaaS field service solution none cited security as an issue they had faced.

The biggest issues surrounding cloud based systems were in fact connectivity and communication with existing legacy systems. Exactly half of companies with a cloud solution had suffered from one or both of these issues. However, only 36% of companies cited either of these as a reason why they wouldn’t choose SaaS.

Of those who have chosen SaaS all have identified easy remote access as the key reason why they opted for SaaS. Scalability was the second most popular reason for opting for a SaaS solution which was cited by 75% of companies. A more affordable pricing model and built-in disaster recovery being the joint third popular reasons that 57% of companies listed.

Additional benefits of SaaS provided by respondents included increased functionality and availability, cost, flexibility, ease of upgrades and infrastructure and all countries being moved to the same platform.

It is interesting that for both companies either already on a SaaS field service solution or considering a SaaS field service solution that less reliance on the IT department was the least common factor in choosing the cloud.

Only 28% of companies already using a SaaS field service solution identified this as a reason for choosing SaaS whilst only 10% of companies considering a SaaS field service solution cited it as a reason for consideration.

Who’s in the DMU

Whilst it is certainly true that SaaS will reduce the strain on the IT department, it is clearly not a factor that most field service managers take into consideration.

However, what is clear is that when the CIO/IT Director etc is involved within the decision making process there is more likelihood of the company opting for a SaaS field service solution.

In fact the CIO or equivalent was involved in the decision making process in 71% of companies who had opted for SaaS field service solution and was the most common figure within the decision making unit (DMU) of such companies.

However, for companies who were still operating on an on premise solution the CIO or equivalent was only involved in 46% of cases with the CFO/FD being more prominent and being involved in the DMU in 56% of cases.

As you would expect in both instances the Field Service Manager was a prominent figure in the DMU being the second most common member in companies with SaaS and most common within those companies still operating an on premise solution.

Bringing in the mobile workforce

However it appears that there are two groups that are largely being omitted from the DMU yet who strategically could have a massive impact on the success of the implementation of any new platform whether it be on-premise or a SaaS field service solution.

One of the biggest obstacles often highlighted to a successful implementation of the technology is getting the buy–in of the mobile workforce.

It is a topic we have discussed on field service news a number of times and one regular suggestion by industry experts is to get representatives of the field staff to be part of the DMU for the latest field service solution you intend to deploy. However, in both groups (SaaS or on premise) less than 15% of companies sought to include representatives of their field staff in the process.

Also with the trend to move service departments away from being cost centres and towards profit centres it would surely be sensible to include a senior figure from the sales division into the conversation also. However, again the inclusion of a sales director or equivalent was a rare occurrence with no more than 7% of companies bringing the sales director into the process.

How does this shape up to your own situation? Is your company operating a SaaS field service solution? Are you considering a move to the cloud  or do you think that you would always rather a platform that remains on premise instead of a SaaS field service solution?

If you haven’t taken part in the survey as yet then please do and help us build up a complete picture of the industry today.

As a thank you all respondents who complete the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win one of three £50 Amazon vouchers!

The survey is designed to only take about 2 to 3 minutes to complete and will be no more than 12 questions maximum. Enter the survey now by clicking here.

One of the UK’s leading building insurance claims management companies LAS Claims Ltd has achieved a 32% saving in fuel costs just one month after implementing two systems provided by field service software provider FLS.

LAS Claims who manage thousands of claims for household buildings claims every year work on behalf of a number of the UK’s leading insurers. The claims management process requires LAS Claims to deal with validation, investigation, and then achieving the best settlement outcomes and then fulfilment.

They have chosen to implement both FLS VISITOUR which incorporates real-time scheduling and optimisation technology alongside a cost-led booking system as well as FLS MOBILE, which delivers improvements in the efficiency of the field force. Together the two technologies have allowed for quicker response times for both LAS Claims’ insurer clients and of course the insurers customers also.

With offices in Birmingham and Bristol the claim management company have a number of strict SLA timescales to adhere to when reacting to a claim. An appointment for a home visit must be scheduled and attended by one of the LAS field force which is comprised of 65 claim surveyors. These claims surveyors also need to be flexible to relocate to meet the demands of surges in claims such as the recent flooding and devastation in much of Somerset and other areas in Southern England as a result of the recent extreme weather.

The FLS solution is delivered via a Software as a Service platform so was able to be fully deployed and being used by all of the team at LAS including office based staff and the field operatives within just 3 weeks of the projects start.

Having adopted a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) strategy for subcontractor surveyors FLS MOBILE, which is device agnostic allowed easy deployment, whilst FLS VISITOUR is being used alongside the LAS Claims proprietary claims management system in the central offices.

Ian Hogarth, LAS Business Development Director, commented:

“We have long believed that technology can deliver significant improvements to claims management in the UK household market. FLS VISITOUR is the latest addition to our technology portfolio, and we are delighted with the results to date.”

“FLS allows our claims handlers to select an appropriate appointment date/time, it tells us where the surveyor is, how long it will take to get to their appointment, how long the surveyor has been on site, and where they’re going next,” he said.

“It enables us to give our customers real time information for example exactly when to expect our surveyor to arrive, but also ensures we only send a surveyor with the appropriate skill set and equipment for each claim, not just any surveyor.”

He added “We can cluster the appointments to optimise the number of visits per day, and this has been especially effective during the recent surge, where LAS claims volumes increased by over 600% above the daily average.”

“We have been using FLS for a month across our business and it has already delivered exceptional benefits. For example, we have reduced surveyor mileage between appointments from an average of 34 miles per job to 23 miles. This means less travelling time and more time spent in customer’s homes helping them after a claim.”

Aside from improvements to scheduling, Mr Hogarth points to other benefits from using FLS:

“There are the obvious environmental benefits from travelling fewer miles, but it also helps improve the safety of surveyors, who are almost all lone workers, as we know where they are at any given time.”

Jeremy Squire, FLS UK Managing Director stated:

“LAS Claims are using FLS VISITOUR to great advantage in a competitive industry. We are proud to welcome LAS as a new customer and of their early achievements using FLS technology. Further gains are attainable and we will work closely as a team to quickly achieve these.

 

 

In the first part of this feature we looked at why a successful customer interaction strategy should be at the heart of every field service organisation as well as why companies shouldn’t be afraid of failure.

Now in the concluding part we see why you should think of bringing your customer service department and all other business divisions of the service supply chain, under one roof and why putting the customer first always is the key to ongoing customer satisfaction.  

 

Applying intelligence: the control centre & the service supply chain

Bringing your customer support service under the same roof as the other divisions of your business including field service dispatch, logistics and operations and other elements of the after service supply chain, is essential and needs to become the regular way of working across all industries if companies are to drive brand loyalty forward. This is the belief of Carolyn Wilson, services director of technology support specialist Centrex Services.

Carolyn comments:

“The current approach to after sales is a siloed one, contact centres often pass the customer onto the next silo if they are unable to resolve the problem themselves; washing their hands of the problem at the first opportunity.

“A control centre provides true added value to the customer, utilising a legitimate knowledge-base to not only resolve a high quantity of issues during triage, but controlling each step of the process from opening the call to booking the correct engineer, with the right part or loan product. The result; the SLA failure is eradicated.”

A good example of such a 'controlled service supply chain' approach in action is in the repair centre that Centrex Services provide for Fellowes, a manufacturer and marketer of business machines, shredders and office accessories, with a global presence. The business aim for Fellowes is to enhance the quality, efficiency and productivity of the workplace. Therefore it is key that their own after sales service meets the very highest standards and there service supply chain needs to be efficient and effective.

The Centrex representative responsible for the Fellowes service supply chain oversees calls from clients whose devices are both in and out of warranty. He is responsible from the outset in determining the type of call and then controlling the entire process. From the very beginning of the process he liaises directly with the client, confirming of the level and type of support required, identifying the correct engineer is allocated to the request and ensuring either a new machine (if the client is in warranty) or a loan machine (if the machine is out of warranty) is then available for the next day.

He will then personally telephone the customer to confirm the engineer’s call time and has responsibility for ensuring the engineer is on site at the agreed time. The whole process is only considered complete after a replacement or loan machine has been installed on the customer site and the customer has indicated that the issue has been resolved satisfactorily.

By adopting this type of approach where the customer is at the front of the solution, the entire way that after sales service calls are resolved is completely changed. Fellowes are certainly seeing the benefits of such an approach already, as EU after sales manager, Neil Cosgrove attests:

“Our partnership with Centrex Services ensures our consumers receive a seamless experience from the second a Fellowes shredder is purchased, and offers them total peace of mind through industry leading support service in the unlikely event they should require hassle free in and out of warranty support,” he says.

“On the occasions when it is not possible to source a replacement part the next day, Centrex has implemented a system which enables loan equipment to be made available the next day.”

 

The customer must truly come first in the service supply chain

By thinking out of the box and offering a loan service that is combined with dedicated control centre representative, Centrex and Fellowes are together treading a new path and it is this new way of thinking and approach to the service supply chain and service delivery that is yielding such positive results. By asking the right questions, the control centre is able to give  clients realistic expectations, while guaranteeing that whatever the problem is, the consumer will not be left stranded without an important piece of hardware overnight which could impact their business continuity.

Carolyn adds:

 “The loan service we offer shows the importance of listening to the needs of our customers. After an issue has been resolved following the deployment of a field engineer, the control centre sends a short questionnaire to gain an insight into how service can be improved.

“We found that supplying loan machinery during those periods where the malfunctioning machine is in need of in-depth maintenance was a highly sought after service. We have improved our after sales service due to the intelligence of the control centre and there is no reason why other businesses can not follow suit.”

 

Creating ongoing customer satisfaction

By creating a system where the customer’s needs are viewed as the most important factor of after sales support, it is clear that control centres can continue to offer high customer service levels on an on-going basis.

Ensuring triage is effective and efficient allows for the issue to be resolved as swiftly as possible, and by offering short-term hardware loans where required, a supply chain is created in which the customer’s satisfaction is assured and as a result both brand loyalty and reputation continue to be enhanced.

 

 

Due to their recent research on the fleet management market Frost & Sullivan have presented Masternaut with their 2013 award for Competitive Strategy Leadership. Masternaut were selected after successfully differentiating themselves from their competition through a mix of product quality, up-to-date functionality, unique offerings and significant cost savings delivered to their customers.

Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Latha Rani commented:

“Being adaptive and resilient is a key success factor in the fiercely competitive fleet management services industry, and Masternaut has designed its strategies around offering better value to its customers”

“Masternaut’s product offerings help minimise the carbon footprint of fleets, improve safety, and augment efficiency, which ultimately translates to unparalleled customer value.” Rani added.

In particular it was Masternaut’s desire to collaborate with customers to establish a deeper understanding of their needs whilst simultaneously having their finger on the pulse of the latest market trends that went a long way to securing enhanced customer value. Leveraging market experience to innovate on an ongoing basis, developing truly customisable solutions that meet their clients demands and offering best-in-class after sales service were also key factors for them receiving the award.

With an investment of over €20 million to take forward their technology , their platform  Masternaut Connect is designed to employ the latest advancements in telematics, with the aim of delivering superior real-time tracking and communications to improve driver behaviour and fuel efficiency, whilst reducing reduce carbon dioxide emissions. It is through this platform that Masternaut have helped their customers employee management and vehicle expenses, while giving them greater visibility into trends and strategic business data.

Delivering quality end to end service which ranges across hardware, software, communication gateways for data collection, data hosting, server hardware and technology and QA and web-delivered software, Masternaut also has highly experienced in-house customer service teams who specialise on specific sectors.

The company also has a deep pool of satisfied customers using their solutions who will vouch for their services and the fact that many of them have achieved savings as significant as 20% whilst benefitting from the added security fleet management provides.

"Masternaut currently holds an impressive market share in this highly competitive space," noted Rani.

"With over 300,000 vehicles across Europe, the company has achieved an excellent compound annual growth rate of 30 percent from 2009 to 2012."

Of course this would be expected with Masternaut being the largest fleet management services company in Europe, in fact they are now providing services across 32 countries. As the first telematics company worldwide, and with 16 years of experience in telematics, Masternaut have established an excellent brand presence in the market and made the most of their early-mover advantage. With a strong reputation and wide reach the company have built themselves an enviable position from which they can thrive in a competitive market.

The award is handed out each year Frost & Sullivan presents this award to a company that has utilised competitive intelligence to successfully execute a competitive strategy resulting in stronger market share, competitive brand positioning and customer satisfaction.

Frost & Sullivan’s Best Practices Awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

Many congratulations to Masternaut for achieving this award. A shining beacon for the telematics industry.

In part one this two part feature we looked at the how tablets are coming to the fore as sales of rugged laptops decline in the consumer markets and whether this trend is mirrored in field service industries as well. In part two we explore the impact of the BYOD trend on companies purchasing rugged laptops, why tablets are perfect for ruggedistation and the solution for those field service technicians that require high data input levels.

 

Is BYOD a threat to rugged laptops?

A major factor to consider in the decline of rugged laptops is the BYOD trend that is becoming more common in industry.

Being led by the growth in high powerful, accessible mobile consumer devices, BYOD takes advantage of the power of personal devices such as smartphones and the way almost all applications are now delivered via the internet. The combination of improved processing power in smaller devices, web based systems and user familiarity have seen a huge amount of companies move towards using device agnostic applications that can be placed on field workers own devices.

This again has given yet another reason for companies with mobile workers to shy away from purchasing laptops for their field staff – why bother when the workers themselves are able to provide the hardware necessary to fulfil their duties themselves?

 

But there are some tough environments out there

But what about more extreme environments where fully rugged devices are required?

Well the fact that tablets (and indeed smart phones) are a single unit does make them that much more robust and of course this also lends them to ruggedisation more naturally also. Whether it is simply buying rugged protective cases for more standard devices such as the apple iPad or purpose built rugged tablets from makers such as Motion, Getac or Handheld, powerful, portable devices are available that are designed to withstand a wide range of environmental conditions.

Whilst most specialist manufactures do still produce both rugged laptops and rugged tablets there does seem to be a case for field service companies following the consumer trend.

Cawsey’s Handheld are one such manufacturer seeing the trend mirrored in their own sales.

“We are certainly seeing a move from keyboard based devices like traditional laptop form factors to non-keyboard/touchscreen input devices across the board, particularly in Field Service projects.”

Adding further insight Cawsey continued

“Data collected in the field, as opposed to the data sent to the field tech, is less therefore there is no need for a bulky data input intensive device and field service data can be added through photos, barcode or RFID scans along with data input via pull down menus”

However, there is still one area in which the laptop outshines both smartphones and tablets. That is when large amounts of data input is required. Reflecting on this Cawsey adds

“Bottom line is that if you have a data input hungry workflow or application then you can’t beat a keyboard for efficient mass input of data”

So whilst tablets may be becoming the optimal choice for many field service companies there are still going to be some companies who will need their field technicians to have the functionality of a laptop.

 

Making the conversion

In this instance the perfect solution is the hybrid/convertible device.

Such devices have a tablet top-half with a (sometimes detachable) keyboard bottom-half. Whilst heavier than standard tablets they have the major benefit of keyboard input.

However, they do often have a common weakness. Typically, the base of a convertible attaches to the display at a single joint called a swivel hinge or rotating hinge. This common design element creates a physical point of weakness which is of course unacceptable in tougher field environments.

However, as with laptops and tablets there are specialist solutions available. The Panasonic Toughbook 19, for example, is advertised as a more durable convertible notebook. The HP EliteBook 2760p convertible notebook uses a reinforced hinge that protrudes slightly from the rear of the unit.

Whilst it is seemingly inevitable that smartphones and tablets will continue to become the primary sources of mobile computing in the field service industry it is these convertible devices that will ultimately see traditional laptops become a thing of the past.

 

 

Demolition contractor and asbestos removal expert Maylarch have opted to use Masternaut’s full telematics solution across the entirety of their fleet in a move to reduce costs, lower fuel emissions and improve driver safety.

The decision to work with a telematics provider was made by the company in a bid to optimize their transport management system and having installed the Masternaut system they have seen benefits impact not only on its fleet division but also in a number of other business areas as well.

Nick Williamson, Managing Director of Maylarch commented:

“We chose Masternaut above other telematics providers because the solution was more user-friendly for our staff and offered far clearer, more detailed reporting – particularly from a driver behaviour point of view”

“Since implementing the solution we have seen a wide range of benefits across many areas of our business.” He continued

“Fuel costs have been reduced by 7% in addition to lowered vehicle wear-and-tear thanks to improved driver behaviour, which in turn has led to a reduction in emissions. When it comes to compliance and insurance, we are now able to identify both the location and driver of any vehicle at any given time, enabling us to prove or disprove a driver’s involvement in an incident. Finally, driver behaviour monitoring with a focus on speeding has helped improve driver safety and awareness of best driving practice amongst our employees – which truly is invaluable.”

The system Masternaut have implemented by Maylarch not only allows for the them to report on drivers whereabouts but also includes the ability to score drivers based on vehicle economy and driving behaviour.

With built-in, localised speed limits for every road network, this offering includes tailored real-time speeding alerts, as well as comprehensive reporting.

A direct result of this is that Maylarch have launched their Safer Driving Scheme, which aims to improve driving standards across the organisation by monitoring drivers and incentivising good driver practise. Based on the reports generated by Masternaut’s data, the scheme has already seen a reduction in speeding by 9%.

Martin Hiscox, CEO and chairman of Masternaut, commented:

“Nowadays, the benefits of using telematics are no longer restricted solely to the fleet department – and Maylarch is the perfect example of how businesses can be using our solutions to achieve results across all areas of the organisation.

“We’re delighted that Masternaut’s technology has formed the backbone of the Maylarch Safer Driving Scheme, and look forward to working very closely with Maylarch in the future to support similar initiatives.”

“Transforming Field Service - Key trends and common pitfalls: how can new technology combat your field service issues?” is a brand new white paper published by mplsystems which provides an excellent review of the key considerations Field Service Managers should be aware of when assessing their own operational systems and processes.

Written from a refreshingly impartial viewpoint this detailed white paper provides a clear picture of the issues currently facing Field Service Managers in todays service industries whilst giving solid, intelligent guidance on the technologies that are currently available to circumvent those issues as well as advice on what questions you should be asking of potential providers when reviewing possible solutions.

Drawing on research from a number of different sources including Aberdeen, The Service Council, Gartner as well as exclusive research commissioned by mplsystems themselves the white paper presents a considered and balanced viewpoint on the industry today.

The white paper begins with perhaps the most important question any Field Service Manager should be asking – Why do some organisations fail to deliver? As the white paper explains the picture of the European service standards are not quite as rosy as one may expect.

Indeed although field service technology has moved forward in giant leaps across the last decade, the stark reality is that still the vast majority of organisations are failing to dramatically improve their service standards.

According to mplsystems there are three key underlying factors that are preventing improvement; these are disparate systems, reliance on overly complex scheduling and large ERP systems and finally a lack of visibility in the field. However, there is a huge array of technology based solutions to overcome these problems and this white paper explores many of these systems, whilst providing honest commentary on why the technology may or may not be the right fit for your own company.

The technology trends covered within the white paper are:

 

• Mobile field service
• Scheduling and optimisation
• Parts locator and boot stock management
• Analytics
• Real-time monitoring
• Sales and marketing in field service
• Off the shelf versus customised
• Self service and web portals
• End to end KPI’s
• The rise of cloud

Each of the above sections of the white paper contains an overview of the relative trends which combines a strong understanding of the technology, yet manages to present the information in clear, jargon-free language. Making this 8 page document simultaneously meaningful, yet easily read. The content is logical, well thought out and certainly provides the reader with valuable insight that is required when facing a combination of constantly emerging technologies and numerous suppliers offering what on the surface at least can appear to be very similar products.

I am pleased to recommend this white paper as a highly valuable resource and would strongly suggest downloading it.

To register for your copy of this excellent white paper, simply click here to complete the 10 second registration form.

Find out more about mplsystems in our online directory. Click here to go to the mplsystems directory page.

Trimble has recently announced that they will be providing both their GeoManager Fleet Management and their Driver Safety Solutions to one of the UK’s food industry’s leading service, maintenance and supply company Millers Vanguard. The technology has been implemented in order to help the business stream line its field service operations and improve customer service.

The GeoManager Fleet Management solution boasts real-time visibility into day-to-day fleet operations, which can potentially help Millers Vanguard see major improvements in their service performance and productivity, with faster and more accurate response times a major benefit. In addition, with the availability of real-time status information, communication with customers and drivers about service call timing can also be improved.

"We pride ourselves on offering the best support to our customers, delivered to the highest standard and Trimble's technology is integral in helping us to achieve this," said Mo Williams, operations manager at Millers Vanguard.

"The real-time location intelligence and trip management tools provided by Trimble Fleet Management will allow us to optimise route planning, reduce unscheduled stops and allocate tasks to a technician closest to a call out. This can help us to respond to customer requests as quickly and as efficiently as possible and will help us to improve productivity, with technicians being able to complete more jobs per day."

As well as implementing the Trimble Fleet Management solution, Millers Vanguard will also be using Trimble Driver Safety to monitor and review driving behavior across its fleet.

"We are delighted to be working with Millers Vanguard to help improve the safety of their employees," said Mark Forrest, general manager of Trimble's Field Service Management Division.

"Trimble Driver Safety allows aggressive maneuvers, such as hard acceleration, braking, turns and speed to be recorded, offering real-time feedback to the driver as well as a complete analysis for the back office. "This insight means that training can then be provided to individuals to improve their driving style which will not only help reduce accidents and vehicle downtime, but will also help reduce the fleet's fuel consumption and carbon footprint."

Finally Trimble vehicle diagnostics will be implemented across the fleet to assist with vehicle management.

The vehicle diagnostic solutions provide real-time data so information can be drawn directly from the vehicle. The information delivered includes alerts about engine problems before they become a major problem, fault codes and real-time insight into fuel consumption, including miles per gallon (mpg) and emissions per vehicle. All of these factors help the fleet management team identify where fuel is being wasted on poorly performing vehicles.

By efficiently managing its vehicles through vehicle diagnostics, Millers Vanguard are able to preserve their assets, extend vehicle life and increase productivity through lowering the risk of mechanical failure.

 

Find out more about Trimble, including, videos cases studies and news and features in our online directory here.