About the Author:

Kris Oldland has been working in Business to Business Publishing for almost a decade. As a journalist he has covered a diverse range of industries from Fire Juggling through to Terrorism Insurance. Prior to this he was a Quality Services Manager with a globally recognised hospitality brand. An intimate understanding of what is important when it comes to Service and a passion for emerging technology means that in Field Service he has found an industry that excites him everyday.

The Pros and Cons of Remote Service Delivery for the Field Service Company

Oct 13, 2020 • Features • Digital Transformation • Salesforce

In the previous feature in this series of excerpts from an exclusive Field Service News White Paper, sponsored by Salesforce, we looked at the pros and cons of remote service delivery for the customer. Now in the final feature in the series we look...

Want to know more? Field Service News Subscribers can access a White Paper on this topic on the link below.

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Understanding Good and Bad of Remote Service Delivery for Field Service Companies

Having looked at the considerations from the customers perspective, now let us take a look at the pros and cons from the position of the service provider...

Pro#1: Reducing the Cost of Service Delivery

Ultimately the most significant benefit for the service provider when it comes to delivering service remotely is that it reduces the single biggest cost line on a service P&L – the truck roll. Not only is there the expense of getting the service engineer to site, including man-hours, fuel and vehicle maintenance costs etc., but the sheer amount of ‘windscreen time’ each engineer spends significantly impacts one of the most critical KPIs that field service organisations measure – engineer utilisation.

The cost of on-site service delivery vs remote service delivery is quite simply astronomical. By adopting a remote-first approach to service delivery, the service organisation can instantly improve profit margins, while potentially offering a faster and more efficient service to the customer.

Pro#2: Greater Geographical Coverage

Additionally, the adoption of remote services can allow the field service engineer to cover an infinite geographical spread essentially. Compare this to the average range of a field service engineer which, dependent on location, is usually viewed as a couple of hundred miles. In this respect, remote service delivery can offer a major benefit to the field service organisation.

Not only does it mean that there is greater flexibility in arranging and scheduling work calls as the restrictions of geographical regions are primarily removed, it can also potentially allow for further expansion of a service offering into an area that was previously physically impossible to access.

Con#1: The Loss of Meaningful Interaction with the Customer:

As we touched on above when reviewing the pros and cons of remote service delivery for the customer, where there is a distinct advantage for the customer to have a trusted advisor on site, this is very much a two-way street.

The on-site engineer is the ambassador of your business, and this is something that should not be overlooked. In an era of increasing digital touchpoints, the service engineer’s on-site visit is one of few, indeed potentially the only face to face interaction that your organisation may have with your customer. Statistically, we are, on average, 70% more likely to buy from someone we have met, and this is down to a matter of trust.

Having a real, physical presence when interacting with your customer is overwhelmingly more likely to lead to a more established, trust-based relationships than it will have a negative impact.

This is a massive aspect to be considered before adopting a remote-first approach.

Con#2: The Loss of the Eyes and Ears of the Engineer On Site

For the service provider, often it is said that the service engineer is the best salesperson within a company. Not only do they have the highly valued, but equally hard to achieve trusted advisor status within the eyes of the customer, but they can act as the eyes and ears of the sales department as well.

An engineer on-site may be able to notice competitor assets that are near the end of their lifecycle, or that your service organisation has also incorporated into your service offering, providing an opportunity for cross-selling of a new service contract.

When we couple subject matter level expertise, a trust-based relationship with the customer and the ability to see what opportunities for upselling or cross-selling are available for the engineer, this can prove to be a potentially potent mix when it comes to seeking out further revenue opportunities.

Look out for the next feature in this series coming next week where we explore the Pros and Cons of remote service delivery for the Field Service Provider...

Don't want to wait? www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full white paper now by hitting the button below. If you are yet to subscribe you can do so for free by hitting the button and you can access the white paper instantly upon completing the registration form!

The Pros and Cons of Remote Service Delivery for the Customer

Oct 06, 2020 • Features • Digital Transformation • Salesforce

So far in this series of excerpts from an exclusive Field Service News white paper sponsored by Salesforce we have looked at why requite service is becoming a necessity for field service organisations as well as the tools needed to offer remote services effectively. Now in the third instalment in this series we look at the pros and cons of remote service delivery for the customer...

Want to know more? Field Service News Subscribers can access a White Paper on this topic on the link below.

If you have yet to subscribe click the button below to join 30K of your field service management professional peers and subscribe now to access this content and our entire premium content library now!

Understanding Good and Bad of Remote Service Delivery for Field Service Customers

Having established the fundamental pieces of technology required for effective remote service delivery, in previous articles in this series, let us take a moment to look at a couple of positives and negatives of such an approach for the customer.

Pro#1: The Importance of Biosecurity in a Post-Pandemic World

In the short term, this is almost certainly the most significant point for consideration all round.

Quite simply, we are all working together to try to get the world back on track as quickly as possible. Every organisation around the globe is currently evaluating how they can get their business back operating in some capacity while still protecting their staff and also in some cases, their customers as well.

While equally field service organisations may also be doing everything they can to ensure that when their staff go on-site and they aren’t breaking their customers’ bio-security, questions will inevitably be raised when a customer is the third, fourth or even fifth site visit of the day.

Will customers have the right to reject an engineer if they have been on multiple different sites earlier in the day?

Can the service provider vouch for the bio-security of each of those sites which are beyond their control? In the short-term at the very least, pragmatically, a remote-first approach to service delivery would be an advantage for companies getting back on their feet.

Pro#2: The Importance of Uptime vs SLA Response

The second pro of remote service delivery is not a new discussion at all. It is at the very heart of much of the advanced services or servitization discussion. Ultimately, what holds more value to your customer – the costly approach of sending an expert to their site to get things fixed, or getting things up and running, minimising downtime as quickly and as efficiently as possible? In regular times there was a much more balanced debate around this conversation.

If the asset that was down wasn’t mission-critical, then bringing an expert on-site could be an advantage. It could equally be a matter of trust – if one engineer has a relationship with the customer, then that customer may be prepared to wait for the engineer to be available.

The uptime here is less important than the customer’s preference. However, as with the first pro we mentioned, in the short term at least, companies will be looking to get as much of their business operational as possible with as little interruption to their operations. Therefore, the speed in which a remote service approach could offer resolution will be a huge advantage for customers for the duration of the recovery period.

Con#1: The Loss of a Trusted Advisor:

This is, of course, the other side of the coin to the second pro we referenced above. For many service customers, the arrival of a trusted and experienced professional on-site is not just an opportunity to get a problem resolved – it is also an opportunity to further tap into that expertise and ensure you are running your operation as effectively as possible.
It has often been a discussion amongst field service organisations as to how we can leverage the trusted adviser status of our field service engineers.

However, we must also consider this to be a two-way street. Often our customers take far more value away from the service call than the surface level resolution.

For many organisations, the loss of having the ear of a subject matter expert on-site is significant.

Con#2: Delays in Resolution for More Complex Problems:

This second con may at first glance seem counter-intuitive , especially when we consider that the second of our pro’s was a quicker resolution.

However, consider for a moment, that no matter how sophisticated the tools being used by the service provider are, if a problem is particularly complex or unusual, then the fault may never be identified at all. Every service management professional will understand the frustration of the dreaded no-fault-found (NFF) diagnosis – something that can be even harder to identify on an intermittent fault.

However, in a world of remote-first service delivery, it could be a reasonable prediction that NFF percentages may begin to rise. From the customer’s perspective, this means a lengthy remote service call, taking up his resources with no resolution. Potentially, followed by a repeat remote call, this time with a more experienced engineer but still no resolution and then finally an on-site call to diagnose the issue. All the while, the customer is becoming increasingly frustrated as their asset remains down.

Look out for the next feature in this series coming next week where we explore the Pros and Cons of remote service delivery for the Field Service Provider...

Don't want to wait? www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full white paper now by hitting the button below. If you are yet to subscribe you can do so for free by hitting the button and you can access the white paper instantly upon completing the registration form!

Farewell to One of the Very Best

Sep 29, 2020 • Features

It is with great sadness that we must announce the passing of a very, very dear friend and industry giant in Bill Pollock, who sadly passed away at home over the weekend. Before his death Bill had left the editorial team at Field Service News a folder that was not to be opened until he passed away. Within that folder, within his own inimitable style was an obituary that recapped his wonderful life. Who better to write the tale of such a great man, than the best writer to have ever contributed to FSN - Bill himself. So the below is unedited, from his own words.

Bill Pollock, president & principal consulting analyst for the Westtown, Pennsylvania-based services research and consulting firm, Strategies For Growth℠ (SFG℠), died peaceably this past week after undergoing years and years of working for bad employers, until he started working for himself (and his clients). However, electing to be his own bad employer, his last 30 years in the business were with the company he founded in 1992.

Pollock leaves behind his Wife and best friend of 42 years, Constance – and a few rescue cats acquired by the couple in recent years.

During the course of Pollock’s career as a Field Services research analyst and consultant, he has conducted more than 350 client engagements; published more than 450 articles in trade publications, including Field Service News; and participated in numerous trade show presentations, panels, workshops and seminars.

Pollock was born in 1948 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as his Father, Morton, was teaching repair service classes at the Connecticut School of Radio & Television, based in West Haven, Connecticut – a company that he co-founded earlier that year. Mort had earlier been a Field Service Tech for RCA Service Company in Camden, New Jersey prior to establishing the school. He had also partnered with Milt Schapp (ne: Shapiro) who was the founder of Jerrold Electronics, and the two had built a closed circuit television system that they sold post-WWll to numerous U.S. Army and Navy bases throughout the U.S. Schapp later went on to become the Governor of Pennsylvania. Mort went on to work as a contractor for the NASA Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) used as part of the U.S. Apollo Space Program.

"Pollock always claimed that inheriting his Father’s intellect and ability to think things out and express himself via his writing, was a more-than-equal trade-off for the disease part of the equation..."

Pollock believed that he had inherited the DNA required to serve in the services sector from his Father. Unfortunately, he may have also inherited Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) from his Father, as well. In any event, Pollock always claimed that inheriting his Father’s intellect and ability to think things out and express himself via his writing, was a more-than-equal trade-off for the disease part of the equation.

Pollock went through infusion chemotherapy for seven months in 2009/10, and had been on a daily chemo pill regimen for the rest of his life. The average cost for his monthly medication over the previous decade+ was $24,000.month; however, his co-pay was less than $100/month. Thanks, Obama! During his initial chemo regimen, he conducted business as usual from his infusion cubicle, including writing reports and articles, drafting questionnaires, conducting sales calls and client updates, etc. During those seven months, however, he received more than 70 infusions of hemoglobin and/or platelets, each session lasting between two and 10 hours of titration, elapsed time.

Over his nearly 30 years in business as SFG℠, Pollock enjoyed conducting the company’s annual surveys, analyzing the data, and presenting the findings at client boardrooms, trade shows and seminars, Webcasts, and through his Analysts Take white papers. Apparently, his clients also enjoyed his work, as they continued to put food on his family’s table for more than 30 years.

"Finally, he acknowledged that “I could easily mismanage my own company better than they’ve been mismanaging their company” – so he went off to found SFG℠..."

Pollock’s academic career was pretty straightforward – although it did not go exactly as planned. He received his BA in Economics from Temple University, and went on to receive his

MBA in Marketing from Temple’s Fox School of Business. He also took a Market Research course at the University of Pennsylvania early on in his career. What he should have done, as he would say, is “Go to Temple’s Radio, Television and Film (RTF) school to become a screen- or script writer for something like Saturday Night Live”, etc.

He later returned the favor by teaching a Marketing For Bankers class at Philadelphia’s Peirce College for three years while working for The Fidelity Bank.

Pollock’s first job came as a result of his first job interview following graduation from college. He was a Marketing Officer and Senior Marketing Officer at The Fidelity Bank for seven years, before moving on as a Vice President at a bank consulting firm. He then spent one year as a TQM/ISO 9000 consultant (or what he typically referred to as “the worst year of my career!” “Why would any organization want to receive the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award, named after the former U.S. Cabinet member who was killed when he fell off, and was kicked to death by, his polo pony!”, he would proclaim.

He then went to his first services consulting company in 1981. Over the next 11 years, the company changed its name five times, and fluctuated from as many as 110 employees, to as little as two (i.e., Pollock and his boss, working in the boss’s basement). Finally, he acknowledged that “I could easily mismanage my own company better than they’ve been mismanaging their company” – so he went off to found SFG℠.

"Pollock was also a prolific donator to the Girls Scouts over the years, who reciprocated by giving him boxes of cookies for every donation he and his Wife made..."

SFG℠ lasted roughly 30 years, until Pollock “left the building”. However, during that time, he had a few dalliances, including seven years as Managing Analyst, Services Industry at Gartner; two years as Vice President – Service Management Practice at The Aberdeen Group; and Co-founder, President and Chief Research Officer at The Service Council. Of these three dalliances, the first was great! The second, not so much! And, the third – well, let’s just say, “We came; we sued; we conquered!” On Earth, there had been a gag order on the court case; however, Pollock would repeatedly say, “When you get to the other side, look me up, and I’ll tell you the whole story. BYOB!”.

Pollock also served, along with his Wife, Constance, on the Board of the West Chester, Pennsylvania-based Friends Association for Care and Protection of Children, and was the Board Chairman of the Delaware Center for Creative Arts (CCARTS). Pollock was also a prolific donator to the Girls Scouts over the years, who reciprocated by giving him boxes of cookies for every donation he and his Wife made.

On a personal note, Pollock loved music and concerts, having seen everyone from the Beatles (twice); to Paul McCartney (8 times), the Rolling Stones (5 times), Billy Joel (12 times), the Who (14 times), David Bowie (3 times) – and Ella Fitzgerald (twice). He was an avid autograph collector for many years, and had exchanged letters with John Lennon multiple times. His prized autographs were, of course, The Beatles, too many rock and pop stars to mention, astronauts, heads of state, science/medicine pioneers, movie and TV stars and baseball players (Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were his favorite baseball players – and he has their signed balls to prove it!).

“My glass is always half-filled – with champagne! And the reason it’s only half-filled, is because I had half-a-glass of champagne earlier this morning!”

Pollock played guitar almost every day for more than five decades, and had 15 guitars in his collection by the time he completed his final encore. His prized possessions were his

Rickenbacker 12-string guitar and accompanying Jangle box; his Gibson guitar that he got signed by Les Paul at his 88th birthday party at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York, with the inscription “To Bill, Keep Rockin’, Les Paul”; and his vintage Hagstrom 3-pick-up electric Corvette guitar (acquired at the tender age of 17).

Throughout his life, Pollock’s attitude was always positive. He would say, “My glass is always half-filled – with champagne! And the reason it’s only half-filled, is because I had half-a-glass of champagne earlier this morning!”

He would also describe himself as being, “50% Dr. Spock, and 50% Mr. Spock”, which he claimed was necessary to provide his clients with the analytical analysis they need, but with the practical guidance as to what to do ”first, next and later”.

Many of Pollock’s friends, family, clients and services community network will, most likely, miss him. You know who you are! Some others – well, maybe not so much! Your call! Still, the highlight of his life was meeting, marrying and sharing his life with Connie all these years, augmented by the reputation and respect he believed he received from the clients, publications and the trade shows he served.

All told, he’d rather still be down here. However, at least, he believed, “There will be no more freakin’ deadlines!”

His final thoughts before exiting the building were, “To all my friends, family and network, have a beer as a tribute and sendoff to me! To everyone else, may you all enjoy a case of Corona!

A brief personal note from Kris Oldland:

Bill was much more than a mere colleague to me, he was a mentor, someone who has been with me on every step of the incredible journey of the last 8 years as I've built Field Service News, but most importantly he was a true, true friend.

The September issue of Field Service News was literally in the midsts of going to press today as I heard the tragic news but we have 'stopped the press' (something I think Bill would have got a kick out of) to rework that issue to include a number of great insightful articles from Bill from his extensive bank of articles he has contributed to us across the years.

Much like our shared hero David Bowie, Bill was working ahead of himself to build up a series of articles to be published posthumously, which we will be publishing across the coming week in memory of a great man that had touched the hearts and minds of most of us in the field service sector at one point or another.

Finally, I would also encourage any and all of you who have known Bill to take a moment to leave a comment below, to celebrate his extensive career and life.

The Tools Needed for Remote First Service Operations:

Sep 29, 2020 • Features • Digital Transformation • Salesforce

In the last article in this series which is taken from a series of excerpts from an exclusive Field Service News White Paper sponsored by Salesforce we looked at how the world is moving towards remote service delivery as a default. We also began a look at the tools needed for delivering service remotely including Augmented Reality. Now we continue exploring those tools with a closer look at three more crucial pieces of tech...

Want to know more? Field Service News Subscribers can access a White Paper on this topic on the link below.

If you have yet to subscribe click the button below to join 30K of your field service management professional peers and subscribe now to access this content and our entire premium content library now!

Field Service Management Solution:

This is perhaps a very obvious layer in the field service management technology stack!

However, there are still some important considerations that should be discussed when looking at your FSM solution. While there are a wealth of options available to field service organisations when it comes to this fundamental piece of the puzzle, frankly not all FSM is created equal, and as systems become more advanced, there will be increasing demands and expectations of how your FSM tool plugs into other critical parts of the stack. Does the solution have a built-in AI, for example, such as Salesforce’s Einstein? Is it capable of reading IoT based asset data and utilising that to help with triage and on-site fault identification?

Does the solution have a modular approach where you can bring in other aspects of additional functionality where needed such as via the Salesforce AppExchange? Does the FSM tool act as a conduit for the smooth flow of data from one area of the business to another? Or does it act as a barrier? This last point is perhaps increasingly critical as we move forwards into a world of digitalisation. As the global economy continues to slowly recover from the impact of the global lockdowns of 2020, we look forward to the next couple of years where we are predicted to see a far greater focus on service and maintenance of existing assets. Many organisations are going to be seeking to increase asset performance, and service providers who can utilise their warranty and contract data to improve asset uptime, reduce costs, and drive revenue, are going to be the ones who flourish.

When it comes to remote service delivery, the FSM platform is what everything is built upon. It must be robust and ready to meet these new challenges.

Parts Management and Optimisation:

For all the effort that is put into optimising the field service engineer, there is decidedly less time spent on managing and optimising parts inventory. However, with many companies getting caught out during the lockdowns as borders temporarily closed and supply chains became restricted, this gap in the field service sector’s efficiency became considerably more noticeable. While, we all hope to see a future, where 2020 remains a once in a lifetime event, we cannot be certain we will never see such circumstances again. Our world is a connected world, a globalised world, and therefore, it is essential that we make our processes and systems more resolute and a robust parts management solution is a crucial area of focus. Visibility of stock can also help companies reveal considerable gaps in ‘lost cash’ tied up in assets that become lost somewhere in between the P&L of the service operation and the P&L of the manufacturing side of a business. Garage stock and van stock can amount to a huge amount across the entirety of a field service workforce.

Visibility into ‘what is where’ is vital for a field service organisation. This is perhaps even more relevant at a time where cash is sparse. Additionally, spare parts sales is a reliable revenue generator, even more so at a time when customers are ‘sweating’ their assets while we slowly edge towards a recovery. Against a backdrop of remote-first service delivery, the one factor that is going to slow the whole process down is an inadequate supply chain that delays getting the part to the customer on time. It is crucial when we talk about remote service delivery that we have built a strong layer of trust with our customers, and that means every aspect of the service delivery must be optimised – especially parts management.

Artificial Intelligence:

Let’s not make any bones about this; Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going to be at the heart of almost all field service operation in the not too distant future. Indeed, as digital transformation projects have been accelerated since the pandemic, that future is even closer today than it ever has been before.

This is why major organisations such as Salesforce and IBM have invested heavily in their own respective AI solutions and are set to be at the heart of innovation in the future. Particularly in field service, AI is essentially set to be the glue that binds all of the various elements of remote service delivery together.

Quite simply, it will touch each and every aspect of the service call from start to finish. If an asset begins to operate outside of acceptable operating parameters, AI will schedule a call. Suppose a contact centre agent is discussing an issue with a customer. In that case, AI will be able to prompt the agent through the right questions to identify the fault quickly and effectively and also suggest a resolution. Suppose an engineer in the field doesn’t have the skill-set to resolve a particular issue.

In that case, AI will be able to guide them to a knowledge bank that can guide them through the solution, or even connect them to a colleague who is not only available to offer remote assistance but has resolved this issue many times before. If a part needs replacing, AI will have identified where the closest part is and have it ready for the engineer when they get on site. AI is set to be the secret sauce in the mix of service excellence – and it is going to be the differentiator between clumsy and effective remote service delivery.

Look out for the next feature in this series coming next week where we explore three more key technologies required for remote service delivery.

However, www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full white paper now by hitting the button below. If you are yet to subscribe you can do so for free by hitting the button and you can access the white paper instantly upon completing the registration form!

Beyond the Headlines: The ServiceMax/Salesforce Partnership

Sep 25, 2020 • Features • Digital Transformation • Salesforce • servicemax • Neil Barua • Stacey Epstein

As part of our ongoing series where we go beyond the industry headlines to dig deeper into the news that matters for field service management professionals, Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News talks to ServiceMax's Neil Barua and Stacey Epstein about the recent announcement of a deeper relationship with one time competitor Salesforce...

A Compelling Move by Two of the Big Names in Field Service Technology:

The last time I spent time with ServiceMax's Neil Barua and Stacey Epstein in person was nearly 18 months ago, where, in the desert heat of Palm Springs we shared a beer towards the end of a long day of discussions, presentations and interviews at the Field Service USA conference.

Fast forward to today, and the memory seems like a relic from a different time. Such casual catch-ups, indeed, even simple business conferences seem like a luxurious relic of another time. A time where we weren't restricted by a pandemic that no-one saw coming.

Yet, for all the pain, suffering and heartache COVID-19 has brought us, in the field service sector at least, in equal measure the pandemic has sharpened us, refined our offerings and pushed us singularly as an industry towards the adoption of what were, not too long ago, seen as best-in-class technologies, processes and strategies.

When a market is disrupted, we see innovation flourish. COVID-19 has been the most significant disruptor the world has ever seen.

"While others may want to talk about the great reset, I see what we are currently going through more akin to hitting the fast forward button..."

It feels like we are living in triple time at the moment. While others may want to talk about the great reset, I see what we are currently going through more akin to hitting the fast forward button (for those of us old enough to remember the halcyon days of analogue tape). In a major research project for which I am currently authoring the report, I see evidence of this. What we are seeing emerge around us in many ways is not the sudden emergence of new thinking and new technologies. It is the natural endpoint of a journey we have been on for a long, long time. We are just getting there a lot quicker than we ever thought we might, because, quite simply, we have to.

This sentiment is echoed in Neil Barua's words as we reconnect. "If you recall, when we last me 18 months ago, that was only the first week of my taking on the CEO role with ServiceMax although it feels like 6 years ago, a lot has happened since then."

It certainly has. The very world in which we all exist has changed. However, even without the backdrop of a global pandemic, you have a feeling this was going to be a big period of evolution for Barua and ServiceMax either way.

"I'm really proud of this team and what we have achieved since I've been here and candidly, the tail-winds of service transformation that you have been following for many years, if not decades, is now truly upon us and COVID, while the tragedy continues, has really driven the need for our customer base to adopt new tools to both be competitive and also to be able to serve the essential workers out there in a way that is modern that can support them out there on the frontline," Barua adds.

This is an important point. In our sector, we have always known that our field service engineers are the unsung heroes of our industry, long before the term 'essential workers' ever entered into our everyday lexicon. However, as that value is magnified even further, we must be able to offer our engineers the latest technologies. Technologies that not only allow them to do what they do best and keep the world working but to be able to do it safely and effectively.

"This announcement is the evolution of the reconnection with Salesforce that began back in February that is a far greater partnership..."

- Neil Barua, CEO ServiceMax

The role technology will play in allowing us to do that will, of course, be huge. So the recent announcement of a much deeper working partnership between two of the industry behemoths in ServiceMax and Salesforce was met with great fanfare. Add into the mix that we are now seeing Salesforce acquisition of ClickSoftware begin to bear fruit and we have something coming close to an FSM supergroup. There are a lot of very experienced, knowledgeable people now working alongside each other, pulling in the same direction. This can only be a good thing for the wider industry. To use a quote that I am particularly fond of, as JFK once said, 'a rising tide lifts all boats'.

"This announcement is the evolution of the reconnection with Salesforce that began back in February that is a far greater partnership," Barua explains. "We're taking a significant part of the eighty million dollars coming from Salesforce Ventures and began the continuous communication between the two companies to think about what more can we do beyond the transfer of money to make value for customers and to do more than what either company has ever done before.

"When we look at this market opportunity, Salesforce are really excited about the opportunity, it [FSM] is the fastest growing product in the history of Salesforce, we are also seeing extremely fast growth in our core busines and we decided to put our product teams together in collaboration," Barua added.

Yet, having seen the initial press statements from both organizations, and reading between the lines of those statements, which as with all such press announcements carry a slightly sanitized tone, polished by corporate communications departments, I couldn't escape the feeling that there was far more to the announced partnership than the standard industry collaboration.

"This is a time period where partnerships really matter, so we've reached across the aisle on both sides to make sure we do right by our customers..."

- Neil Barua, CEO, ServiceMax

Personally, knowing both companies and a number of the key players involved, I had a sense that this partnership ran far deeper than similar partnership announcements. This was more I felt than a formal agreement to share a go-to-market strategy. It seemed to be something far more engaged at the micro-level, rather than the usual surface-level macro approach.

I was keen to see if this truly was the case.

"We've brought together our R&D teams, our marketing teams and our sales teams and the announcement earlier this month, of ServiceMax Asset 360 for Salesforce, is an announcement of a really strategic partnership which unleashes the most complete field service solution in the market out there. It brings to the table the strengths that they bring to bear, particularly the appointment centric capabilities and all the platform technologies that they are evolving and building our asset-centric capabilities on that platform. Putting this together, there is no use case we cannot serve now. We now have execution in front of us to really take advantage of the strengths of both companies."

With this in mind, then it truly is a genuinely exciting proposition for the industry to see such a complete solution come to the fore. It is also perhaps the perfect example of a solution borne in 2020 – a year where in the face of all the adversity we have begun to understand the importance of true business partnerships. As Barua wisely comments "this is a time period where partnerships really matter, so we've reached across the aisle on both sides to make sure we do right by our customers."

Again, the cynical old journalist listening to soundbites about 'doing the right thing for customers' might just see a selection of play-book quotes ready to hand. Yet, there is an earnestness and excitement to the way Barua communicates that makes it hard to stay cynical. While undoubtedly like every great CEO, Barua knows what to say and how to say it, you also get a feeling that his words are built on a foundation of honesty and a belief in doing things the right way.

When I first met Barua, one observation I made was that there was a feeling of continuation from the preceding CEO's he had taken the mantle from. Initially being Dave Yarnold, and then during the GE period, Scott Berg.

That is not to say that under the stewardship of Barua the ServiceMax story isn't evolving, it most evidently is. However, the ethos that underpinned the organization's previous meteoric rise, a focus on understanding the challenges that their customers, and the field service sector at large face remains. That ethos has been key to ServiceMax's approach to building solutions to meet those customer needs which has remained consistent across the various chapters of this compelling story.

I also commented at the time, that I felt a large factor in maintaining a consistent ethos would be the return of Stacey Epstein, now CMO and Chief Experience Officer at ServiceMax to the fold.

Epstein was part of the early team at ServiceMax under Yarnold, who went on to become an impressive CEO in her own right, nurturing communications platform start-up Zinc to becoming an innovative tool that again addressed the needs of modern field service organizations.

"Integrated isn't even the right word, these solutions are all built on one data model leveraging all the same native objects... "

- Stacey Epstein, CMO & Chief Experience Officer, ServiceMax

ServiceMax's subsequent acquisition of Zinc was thus doubly important.

It not only brought another piece of the FSM puzzle into Servicemax's suite of solutions, but it also brought back another experienced voice and mind, one who understood the 'special sauce' that made ServiceMax such a success, back into their senior leadership team.

"I've been in this space for decades," Epstein reflects.

"Well before ServiceMax I was selling field service software for Clarify in the nineties. Field service has been around forever; probably people were going around in wagons and on horses to offer services for people! But I think technology has just continued to fuel the maturity of what field service teams can do. In the past everything was client-server, there was no such thing as mobile. So then it was all about optimizing and tracking parts.

"When ServiceMax came along, it was one of the first Cloud-based FSM solutions and the first vendor to offer a mobile solution. Then Salesforce started building, and Click had great scheduling, and now we have really combined all of this into one very integrated solution.

"In fact, integrated isn't even the right word, these solutions are all built on one data model leveraging all the same native objects." Epstein adds as she considers the point further.

"The things that companies were buying piecemeal before, they can now access on one platform, which will mean a much faster time to value for customers. There are more features out of the box, so there is less customization, and it puts our customers in the position to adopt the new things that come up, like ScopeAR's augmented reality tools, like Aquant's artificial intelligence tools and like the Zinc communication tools.

"If my core features and functionality, asset-centricity, resource -centricity, are all covered in a very robust platform integrated into my CRM then it is not a big step to leverage the cutting-edge tools that allow me to achieve a digital transformation.

"In some ways it is a maturity, but in another way is that it doesn't mean we are 'there' yet . In a sense it simply means that when new technologies emerge, companies are really ready to adopt."

This final point of Epstein's is a good reflection on the place that FSM technology has arrived at today. Much has been refined within recent years, the foundational building blocks of what we now perceive as an FSM platform are in place and proven to be robust and reliable. However, we are also entering a new era of FSM solutions, and thanks in no small part to the pandemic our arrival at this new point came sooner than the majority of us might have anticipated.

The next iteration of FSM will involve remote diagnostics, augmented reality, artificial intelligence and more. However, without a cohesive platform to build upon these tools cannot live up to the value propositions they promise. We are entering a new phase of FSM technology, and the partnership of Salesforce and ServiceMax will see both companies play a leading role in shaping how technology in our industry is set to evolve.

Redefining the Value Proposition of Service in a World of Remote First Service Delivery

Sep 22, 2020 • Features • Digital Transformation • Salesforce

In a new series of excerpts from a a recent exclusive Field Service News white paper sponsored by Salesforce we explore how the very definition of field service is being redefined as we move towards a world of remote service delivery. In part one we will be assessing today's environment and the challenges we face and start to look at some of the tools required for remote service delivery...

Want to know more? Field Service News Subscribers can access a White Paper on this topic on the link below.

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Welcome to the New World...

As the global pandemic swept across the world, many, many things changed. The way we interacted with each other in some ways became more distant; in others, we felt closer to each other than we had ever been before. Those of us based in offices invited the world into our homes through tools such as Zoom, Skype and Got To Meeting. Switchboard recordings notified us that we might hear unusual noises like dogs or children during the call as contacts centres were moved in a surprisingly seamless manner onto kitchen tables across the land. Yet, field service delivery is not such an easy role to transition to a world of lockdowns and isolation.

Field service is by its very definition delivered off-site, in the field. However, with many field engineers being classed as essential workers, and with service and maintenance operations under intense pressure to keeping the world ticking over, while we all endured lockdown, innovative thinking was required to keep service operations moving as much as possible. The result we saw was a massive swing in demand for the delivery of remote services. Before the pandemic, remote services were an option that remained primarily viewed as an offering of less value than the traditional on-site service call. Almost overnight, this switched. Suddenly, the requirements for remote service solutions were of paramount as companies desperately avoided breaking their own carefully erected bio-security measures.

Now, as we look towards building the recovery and establishing a new normal, many field service organisations are discussing a remote-first approach to service delivery. However, there are valid concerns that too much of a swing in the other direction could be akin to throwing the baby out with the bathwater. In this exclusive White Paper, authored by Field Service News, Editor-in-Chief, Kris Oldland, we set out to weigh up the pros and cons of adopting a remote-first as default approach and ask is this the way we should approach service delivery in the new normal of our post-pandemic world?

The Tools Needed for Remote First Service Operations:

To begin the discussion, we should first look at the specific requirements in terms of technology for delivering remote services at all. In today’s modern technology ecosystem, it is common to view the different layers of technology required as a stack with one building upon another rather than a self-enclosed platform.

In today’s age of APIs, mostly when it comes to software at least, everything works well in tandem. The advantage of this approach is the flexibility to build a solution that can take the best tools available to you that meet the needs of your organisation. Ultimately though, a robust platform that underpins your service technology ecosystem is crucial. Salesforce, for example, is an immensely powerful application, whether it be as a CRM or an FSM solution. Yet, it is within the flexibility of the app ecosystem, that Salesforce pioneered within business solutions, that the true power of the technology stack lies.

"While there are strong arguments for such devices allowing an engineer to work hands-free, the reality is that almost all AR solutions available to field service organisations currently also support tablet and smartphone configurations..."

With a rich layer of solutions available, the ability to build a robust and powerful solution to meet all of your field service requirements becomes far easier for companies of all sizes and levels of complexity. When it comes to remote service, there are a couple of fundamental aspects of the technology stack that need to be in place to achieve a seamless and fully optimised approach.

#1 Augmented Reality:

Augmented Reality (AR) is a crucial aspect of effective remote services. Effectively, what AR enables the field service organisation to accomplish is to place experience exactly where it is needed. This could come in the form of engineer-to-engineer (or even engineer-to-customer) assistance that is delivered in a you-see-what-I-see environment.

Alternatively, it could come in a more automated form, leveraging artificial intelligence and pre-programmed guides that can walk the engineer on-site through the various stages of the maintenance at hand. The advantage of AR over alternatives (such as video calling) is the ability to annotate clearly on the screen which area of an asset should be focused upon.

This can even be as granular as annotating which direction to turn a dial or by how much. While on the surface, this could be seen as a nice, but non-essential benefit, the reality is that as humans we take in visual instructions 8 x faster than aural instructions1. In field service, this is vitally important as we are continually looking to seek out every efficiency possible, as this soon scales up to significant resource savings when viewed across the entire mobile workforce. Indeed, one of the critical areas of focus for all field service organisations is being able to maximise resource utilisation, and alongside tools such as Salesforce’s enhanced optimisation engine, shift management and intelligent parts recommendations, the introduction of AR is an essential element for field service organisations to be able to achieve this.

One final point for consideration is that while often we think of AR solutions being based upon smart-glasses (or head-based computers as they are increasingly being termed) this is not necessarily the case. While there are strong arguments for such devices allowing an engineer to work hands-free, the reality is that almost all AR solutions available to field service organisations currently also support tablet and smartphone configurations. This can allow service organisations the ability to begin utilising AR almost instantly without the requirement of any additional hardware other than what the engineer is already using every day.

Look out for the next feature in this series coming next week where we explore three more key technologies required for remote service delivery.

However, www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full white paper now by hitting the button below. If you are yet to subscribe you can do so for free by hitting the button and you can access the white paper instantly upon completing the registration form!

The Importance of Ensuring Our Engineers Feel Safe as We build the Recovery

Sep 20, 2020 • Features • Aly Pinder • IDC • Managing the Mobile Workforce • Field Service News Digital Symposium

In this first excerpt from an in-depth interview on the Field Service News Digital Symposium IDC's Aly Pinder Jr, talks to Kris Oldland about the importance of ensuring our engineers feel protected and valued as we face ongoing concerns over a...

2020 has been the most testing of years. We have had to rethink our approach to almost everything as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns that have been ensuing for over six months now. While some parts of the world have reopened such as Germany, others such as Sweden never really closing down, others such as the UK and Australia remain on a precipice, waiting with various regional lockdowns and the threat of the return of nationwide lockdowns hanging in the air like a dark, ominous cloud.

We never expected to it to take quite so long to 'flatten the curve', back in April we were already planning on what the recovery might look like yet, as we approach the final quarter of 2020 we are still holding meaningful discussions about how we operate within such uncertain parameters.

Back in April this year, IDC's Aly Pinder Jr joined Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News, for a discussion that rings as pertinent today as then, perhaps even more so. The discussion centred around the understanding the human equation to our engineers. As Pinder commented, "these are not just resources we are sending out, these are people."

At the time of the interview, it was a conversation against a backdrop of frantic scrambling as companies all across our industry adapted to the unprecedented lockdowns, and a radical rethinking of how field service operations could be delivered was created on the fly. With much of that thinking now complete, with more robust processes in place, innovative technologies that allow for remote service delivery in embraced, we are for sure much better placed to cope with further lockdowns as international governments react to the potential threat of a 'second wave.'

"I think having a daily check in the same way that we do in our white collar jobs, is important..."

- Aly Pinder Jr, IDC

Yet Pinder's thoughts from back in April still resonate powerfully. While those of us in office-based roles are now well transitioned into the routine of home working. Our engineers in many cases will still need to be out in the world, working, keeping essential services moving. How do we ensure that they feel protected and valued at such a time?

"I think the first thing is communication," Pinder explained.

"We don't all have the most appreciation for real time collaboration as we do in a more white collar scenario. For our technicians, oftentimes the environment they're working in is they have an application or a laptop that they open up and they walk through a checklist of items to close out a work order. I think we're getting to the point where we understand the technology that's out there to provide us with real time collaborative tools," he continues.

"The opportunity is to go in whatever way in which your technicians are willing to interact with you, whether it be the phone or a newsletter that provides them with a daily update or an email that you check-in and understand, this is what we hope for us to be able to deliver today and asl is there anything that's going to keep you from attaining those goals? And do that on somewhat of a daily perspective.

"I think having a daily check in the same way that we do in our white collar jobs, is important. obviously, for technician base is ten thousand then it is going to be a little more difficult. But, I think putting forth the expectation and figuring out what is stopping you from getting there, I think is a good first step. If you don't have a full, video collaborative real time tools that we're starting to see more and more service organizations have, it's still just a phone call or still just an email, it's still just a way to communicate, to get a better understanding.

"This also allows companies to work with their engineers to put them on a schedule that actually opens up more productivity for the organization"

- Aly Pinder Jr, IDC

This is good practical advice that many field service organizations will adhere to. However, Pinder is also a strong advocate of ensuring that the engineer understands that they are valued in their role as more than just a pair of hands as well. This means understanding how the current situation is impacting them beyond just their ability to do the job at hand.

As Pinder added "… and then opening up a channel that says every other day, 'I want you guys to let me know how are your home lives being impacted? Is there something where your work schedule may not be what it's always been can we readjust from a scheduling perspective what hours you're able to work based off of your own concerns.' Here in the US, it could be that they're struggling for daycare or, other support systems for their family. Maybe their working hours should be XYZ as opposed to what the regular nine to five?

"This also allows companies to work with their engineers to put them on a schedule that actually opens up more productivity for the organization because they can move things around from a scheduling perspective that also allows us to meet our customer's requirements to not have so many people on site at any given time."

Announcement: Field Service News Sympoisum Cancelled Due to Government Uncertainty

Sep 15, 2020 • News

Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News, makes an announcement regarding the forthcoming planned events scheduled to be held in the UK next month...

It is with great reluctance that I must unfortunately announce that we will not be able to follow through with our plans for a special event, the Field Service News Symposium planned to be hosted at Edgbaston on the 20th of October.

As many of you will know, the vision behind this event was to try to bring our sector together as we all work through the challenges of overcoming the global lockdowns and begin to repair the impact the pandemic has had on the global economy.

Indeed, it remains my belief that the field service sector will play a critical role in that process and as we all find ourselves attempting to navigate unchartered waters the intention was to bring those who were comfortable doing, together in an environment that was designed for knowledge sharing, collaborative working and guided peer-to-peer education.

"It was something we believed in, something that I believed, was the right thing to do for the industry and community that we serve here at FSN.."

It was such a fundamental belief of mine that such an event should take place as soon as possible to help kick-start the conversations that will be at the heart of driving the recovery that, this special one day event was to be funded solely by 1927 Media Ltd, the publisher of Field Service News in its entirety.

There was no sponsorship on this event, we were not charging anyone to attend. We were doing it because it was something we believed in, something that I believed, was the right thing to do for the industry and community that we serve here at FSN.

Sadly, following the UK government's announcement last week regarding new regulations which have been implemented since this Monday and also the Birmingham area subsequently being also placed under greater lockdown I see know way for us to be able to realistically continue with our plans.

Since the announcement we have waited for further clarification from the UK Government on whether the event would be possible, unfortunately there has been no such clarification forthcoming as yet.

However, with the event date now being only a month away I feel we have to make the decision in the interests of all those who had already agreed to give up their time to help facilitate this event, to postpone for the time being. We unfortunately cannot guarantee we will be in a position where we will be allowed to host what will be an important opportunity for knowledge sharing and discussion in our sector, - so we must now wait for an opportunity where it is feasible to do so.

A phenomenal amount of work has been put in behind the scenes by a huge amount of people to ensure that this event would not just be hosted in a safe environment in line with the previous COVID-19 regulations but also that would bring a huge amount of value to all who would be able to participate.

"It is here where the spark of innovation that can light the torches that shine the light on the path towards a full recovery is most likely to be found..."

I would like to thank each and everyone of you who have assisted with this project so far. The good news is that this work will not go to waste, as soon as we see a genuine chance to move forwards with a revised date for the Field Service News Symposium - we will.

Finally, I feel I must urge the UK Government to think of business as they continue to make policy.

While I and all of us here at Field Service News absolutely understand the need for ensuring the safety of everyone, there simply must be a pathway back towards industry events such as this being able to resume - it is here where the spark of innovation that can light the torches that shine the light on the path towards a full recovery is most likely to be found. It is now when businesses need the clearest of instructions, that we must avoid the uncertainty created by the vague outline of last weeks announcement.

As I said in a previous Field Service News Digital Sympoisum Live Stream, these are the most challenging of times, yet having been surrounded throughout 2020 of examples of innovation and ingenuity, having seen the temerity and tenacity abound as we have all adapted time and again to the challenges put before us, I have every confidence that we as an industry will come out the other side of this stronger than ever.

It might take a little bit longer than we first thought, but I stand by these words today more so than ever.

Thank you for your time and I'm sorry we couldn't pull this off - yet, but we will and when we do it will be something very special indeed.

Kris

Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief and Founder, Field Service News

Think Tank Debrief: Should We Be Moving to Remote First as a Default?

Sep 09, 2020 • Features • Digital Transformation • Covid-19 • Think Tank

One of the key areas that was discussed heavily in a recent Field Service News Think Tank Session was whether the move towards remote first as a default a key part of the new normal?

Missed the full debrief session? Field Service News Subscribers can access the full debrief session on the link below.

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The Pros and Cons of a Remote First Default Approach to Service Delivery

As is always the case with the Think Tank Sessions there was robust discussion with the pros and cons of such an approach both put forward. For some around the table including Konica Minolta’s Ged Cranny the shift to a remote first approach was not only likely but also potentially a necessity.

For others in the group including Siemens' Tony Chapman, the conclusions were less certain.

As Chapman commented during the session, “the value for me in the engineer is the knowledge. By that I mean it is not just the knowledge of the product, it is knowledge of the product and the process that we delivered to a customer - then you have to devolve that to a remote service.

“The benefits of that type of knowledge for the customer are that you get the expertise on hand. The question is how much does value does the customer see in that expertise?”

What we saw begin to emerge from this Think Tank session was the start of a new conversation within the field service sector, or perhaps more accurately an increased urgency to assess a conversation we have been having for some time, but where the balance of importance has suddenly been shifted as a result of the global pandemic.

"It all revolves around what have you sold to your customer? Are you fixing downtime? Or are you selling uptime?”

- Coen Jeukens, ServiceMax

Do we need to guide our customers towards understanding that remote first is the way forward and start having firm conversations about the value of uptime and quick issue resolution over on-site presence? Yet, many customers will still see the value of having an engineer on site – something that is a fundamental part of where their value perception of field service delivery lies. Where do you sit on that?

Perhaps the answer lies in some form of halfway house as is often the way in both life and business. Perhaps, in a world of remote first as a default approach to service delivery, the physical presence of an onsite engineer becomes a premium service offering?

“There are two elements to it this conversation,” mused Coen Jeukens, Vice President of Global Customer Transformation, ServiceMax during the detailed debrief session held on simultaneously on the Field Service News Digital Sympoisum and ServiceMax’s executive circles webinar series.

“On the one hand, it all revolves around what have you sold to your customer? Are you fixing downtime? Or are you selling uptime?” Jeukens continues.

“If you are selling the fixing of downtime, then I think the customer is really going to continue seeing the value of the technician being on site. If the technician isn't on site anymore and you start fixing the issues remotely then it is a completely different value proposition.

“On the other hand, if you're selling uptime, for the customer, it doesn’t really matter whether you do it with the technician on site or remote. In fact, maybe fixing it with an remote type of service has a lesser impact on the downtime of the customer. Therefore, I think you first have to know what the customer is buying.”

"I always would always take into account service is not only a matter of let's say metrics, I also see that service has a human element to it..."

- Coen Jeukens, ServiceMax

However, there as most service leaders will note, there is often more to the longevity and success of a service contract than just the cold hard metrics. There are always countless examples of customers who truly value the rapport of the field service engineer, the human interaction that will be lost within a remote services fix.

As Jeukens comments, “I always would always take into account service is not only a matter of let's say metrics, I also see that service has a human element to it. I do see that there are a lot of customers out there who really value seeing of a technician on site - especially when the technician on site is not only fixing the product, but if the technician is also ‘fixing’ the customer by providing additional services such as how they could better utilize a piece of equipment. For that you really need human interaction.

“Depending on what you're tasking your technicians to do, fixing the downtime or selling the uptime, or even fixing the customer, I think we you will see a hybrid model emerge. However, I definitely see that a lot of companies who have been reluctant in allowing remote connectivity or remote service because they always saw a fear of connectivity, the firewall, etc. - I think a lot of those customers right now see that they have to reassess the fear of opening up a chat channel in the firewall versus their need for uptime,” Jeukens adds.

Want to know more about this Think Tank Conversation?

The full Executive Briefing Report from this Think Tank Session is now available for Field Service News Subscribers. If you are already a subscriber click the button below to read the report now!

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AUTHOR ARCHIVES: Kris Oldland

About the Author:

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Understanding Good and Bad of Remote Service Delivery for Field Service Companies

Pro#1: Reducing the Cost of Service Delivery

Pro#2: Greater Geographical Coverage

Con#1: The Loss of Meaningful Interaction with the Customer:

Con#2: The Loss of the Eyes and Ears of the Engineer On Site

Look out for the next feature in this series coming next week where we explore the Pros and Cons of remote service delivery for the Field Service Provider...

Don't want to wait? www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full white paper now by hitting the button below. If you are yet to subscribe you can do so for free by hitting the button and you can access the white paper instantly upon completing the registration form!

Further Reading:

Want to know more? Field Service News Subscribers can access a White Paper on this topic on the link below.

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Understanding Good and Bad of Remote Service Delivery for Field Service Customers

Pro#1: The Importance of Biosecurity in a Post-Pandemic World

Pro#2: The Importance of Uptime vs SLA Response

Con#1: The Loss of a Trusted Advisor:

Con#2: Delays in Resolution for More Complex Problems:

Look out for the next feature in this series coming next week where we explore the Pros and Cons of remote service delivery for the Field Service Provider...

Don't want to wait? www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full white paper now by hitting the button below. If you are yet to subscribe you can do so for free by hitting the button and you can access the white paper instantly upon completing the registration form!

Further Reading:

"Pollock always claimed that inheriting his Father’s intellect and ability to think things out and express himself via his writing, was a more-than-equal trade-off for the disease part of the equation..."

"Finally, he acknowledged that “I could easily mismanage my own company better than they’ve been mismanaging their company” – so he went off to found SFG℠..."

"Pollock was also a prolific donator to the Girls Scouts over the years, who reciprocated by giving him boxes of cookies for every donation he and his Wife made..."

“My glass is always half-filled – with champagne! And the reason it’s only half-filled, is because I had half-a-glass of champagne earlier this morning!”

A brief personal note from Kris Oldland:

Finally, I would also encourage any and all of you who have known Bill to take a moment to leave a comment below, to celebrate his extensive career and life.

Want to know more? Field Service News Subscribers can access a White Paper on this topic on the link below.

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Field Service Management Solution:

Parts Management and Optimisation:

Artificial Intelligence:

Look out for the next feature in this series coming next week where we explore three more key technologies required for remote service delivery.

However, www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full white paper now by hitting the button below. If you are yet to subscribe you can do so for free by hitting the button and you can access the white paper instantly upon completing the registration form!

Further Reading:

A Compelling Move by Two of the Big Names in Field Service Technology:

"While others may want to talk about the great reset, I see what we are currently going through more akin to hitting the fast forward button..."

"This announcement is the evolution of the reconnection with Salesforce that began back in February that is a far greater partnership..."

- Neil Barua, CEO ServiceMax

"This is a time period where partnerships really matter, so we've reached across the aisle on both sides to make sure we do right by our customers..."

- Neil Barua, CEO, ServiceMax

"Integrated isn't even the right word, these solutions are all built on one data model leveraging all the same native objects... "

- Stacey Epstein, CMO & Chief Experience Officer, ServiceMax

Further Reading:

Want to know more? Field Service News Subscribers can access a White Paper on this topic on the link below.

If you have yet to subscribe click the button below to join 30K of your field service management professional peers and subscribe now to access this content and our entire premium content library now!

Welcome to the New World...

The Tools Needed for Remote First Service Operations:

"While there are strong arguments for such devices allowing an engineer to work hands-free, the reality is that almost all AR solutions available to field service organisations currently also support tablet and smartphone configurations..."

#1 Augmented Reality:

Look out for the next feature in this series coming next week where we explore three more key technologies required for remote service delivery.

However, www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full white paper now by hitting the button below. If you are yet to subscribe you can do so for free by hitting the button and you can access the white paper instantly upon completing the registration form!

Further Reading:

"I think having a daily check in the same way that we do in our white collar jobs, is important..."

- Aly Pinder Jr, IDC

"This also allows companies to work with their engineers to put them on a schedule that actually opens up more productivity for the organization"

- Aly Pinder Jr, IDC

Further Reading:

"It was something we believed in, something that I believed, was the right thing to do for the industry and community that we serve here at FSN.."

"It is here where the spark of innovation that can light the torches that shine the light on the path towards a full recovery is most likely to be found..."

Missed the full debrief session? Field Service News Subscribers can access the full debrief session on the link below.

If you have yet to subscribe click the button below to join 30K of your field service management professional peers and subscribe now to access this content and our entire premium content library now!

The Pros and Cons of a Remote First Default Approach to Service Delivery

"It all revolves around what have you sold to your customer? Are you fixing downtime? Or are you selling uptime?”

- Coen Jeukens, ServiceMax

"I always would always take into account service is not only a matter of let's say metrics, I also see that service has a human element to it..."

- Coen Jeukens, ServiceMax

Want to know more about this Think Tank Conversation?

The full Executive Briefing Report from this Think Tank Session is now available for Field Service News Subscribers. If you are already a subscriber click the button below to read the report now!

If you have yet to subscribe click the button below to join 30K of your field service management professional peers and subscribe now to access this content and our entire premium content library now!

Follow the latest features from the Field Service Think Tank Sessions @ thinktanks.fieldservicenews.com

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