AUTHOR ARCHIVES: Kris Oldland

Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Clay Barker, Director of Service and Support, Revolution Retail Systems about their use of Augmented Reality within their field service operations.

During the discussion, Barker outlines how the tool has driven multiple benefits across their field service operation including improving customer satisfaction and increasing first-time fix rates as well as outlining how they achieved an effective roll-out which achieved excellent adoption rates in just three months of implementation.

Here, Barker reflects on the initial thoughts having seen the Help Lightning Augmented Reality tool and the potential he could see for its application within their field service operations.

Want to know more?

FSN Premium subscribers and FSN Elite members can access the full length interview plus many, many more in the Field Service New Digital Symposium.  If you have an FSN Premium account you can access the video on the button below. If you are currently on our FSN Standard subscription tier you can upgrade your subscription by clicking the link below. 

If you are yet to subscribe you can join 30,0000 of your field service management peers by subscribing to FSN Standard for free to gain access to a monthly selection of premium content or select either FSN Premium or FSN Elite for even more resources. Click the button above to visit our subscription page to find out more. 

 

For further information on this topic read the latest exclusive Field Service News white paper that features additional insights on Augmented Reality

Subscribers across all our subscription tiers can currently access this paper instantly by hitting the button below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can join our free-forever subscription tier FSN Standard by hitting the button to access a dedicated registration page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soon as you are registered.

 

 

 

 

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Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content Help Lightning who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this white paper, as per the terms and conditions of our privacy policy available here which is in line with GDPR regulations and is an ongoing condition of subscription.

Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Hilbrand Rustema, Managing Director and Founder of Noventum to discuss the findings of Noventum's Remote Service Delivery Benchmarking study.

During the discussion, Rustema outlines the key data trends that emerged within their study as well as offering his deep-level insight into the meta-trends of field service and how these have shifted dramatically in recent times.

In this excerpt from that detailed discussion, the two discuss if remote service delivery capabilities are set to become table stakes in the service portfolio as we move into the new normal of the field service sector.

Find out more about this study and the work Noventum undertake @ www.noventum.eu

Want to know more?

FSN Premium subscribers and FSN Elite members can access the full-length interview plus many, many more in the Field Service New Digital Symposium.  If you have an FSN Premium account you can access the video on the button below. If you are currently on our FSN Standard subscription tier you can upgrade your subscription by clicking the link below. 

If you are yet to subscribe you can join 30,0000 of your field service management peers by subscribing to FSN Standard for free to gain access to a monthly selection of premium content or select either FSN Premium or FSN Elite for even more resources. Click the button above to visit our subscription page to find out more. 

We would also point you to the excellent Service Centricity Playbook that is available over at Noventum Service Management's site which you can access on @ https://www.noventum.eu/the-service-centricity-playbook

Further Reading:

• Read more exclusive Field Service News content from Hilbrand and the team at Noventum @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/hs-search-results?term=Noventum
• Read more about Digital Transformation @https://www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/tag/digital-transformation
• Follow Noventum Service Management on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/ByNoventum
• Read more research-based content dedicated to the field service sector @ https://research.fieldservicenews.com/
• Connect with Hilbrand Rustem on LinkedIn @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilbrandrustema/

In this fourth feature from our series of excerpts from an exclusive Field Service News white paper published in partnership with Help Lightning, that is exploring the practical questions surrounding Augmented Reality we look at how its introduction improves multiple facets of field service operations...

 

If you would like to read this exclusive paper right away Field Service News 

subscribers across all our subscription tiers can currently access this paper instantly by hitting the button below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can join our free-forever subscription tier FSN Standard by hitting the button to access a dedicated registration page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soon as you are registered.

 

 

 

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Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content Help Lightning who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this white paper, as per the terms and conditions of our privacy policy available here which is in line with GDPR regulations and is an ongoing condition of subscription.

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Revolution Retail Systems have been using the Help Lightning Augmented Reality tool for almost two years, having had the opportunity to observe it being used and instantly seeing an array of opportunities.

As Clay Barker, Director of Service and Support, recalled on the Field Service News Digital Symposium, “we could see how we could use the tool in a number of ways, to improve customer and technician interactions as well as the ability of our internal staff and level two support to troubleshoot and diagnose, to make sure we send the right part, one time – the opportunity we saw was endless.”

When we look at the metrics that are often sat at the top of the list in terms of critical KPIs for field service organisations, we can instantly see how AR can be aligned in improving such metrics.

As is the case for many field service organisations, for Barker and Revolution Retail Systems, one of the most important of these metrics is the first-time-fix.

“The idea that we can’t get resolution on our first attempt is a challenge and if we can eliminate a dispatch, it’s an even larger benefit to the customer, because we’ve reduced the amount of downtime required to for resolution by using the AR effectively,” Barker explains. 

“I saw the opportunity that it was going to give my employees in communication with the customer. That is because what we’re asking the customer to do more often than not is look at the asset. We’re guiding them through this very technical, mechanical device, asking them to open access points, we’re asking them to turn knobs, we’re asking them to do lots of different things.

"As soon as I saw the tool, I listed off ten or fifteen ways in which that we could use the solution. It was so clear to me that that we could add value with this software..."

“We were trying to do that all via audio without a visual of what they could see and without being able to share visuals at our end that coudl guide them. 

“When I saw that we could take a pin and point to an access point and say slide this over to the left and show them exactly what we wanted them to do. The idea of how easy that made what we were trying to do from a communication standpoint, it was a no brainer for me.”

The team at Revolution Retail Systems did attempt some trials with video using apps like FaceTime, but while an improvement on audio-only calls, the functionality remained lacking the levels of interaction that sets AR apart as the obvious vehicle for remote service.

“At the end of the day, you can’t reach into it, you can’t point, you can’t take a screenshot, you can’t capture a picture off of it,” Barker explains.

“There are just so many other layers to how we use Help Lightning that has improved our business, outside of just customer experience. For example, the ability to capture pictures which allows more accurate invoicing. If the customer’s damaged the unit somehow, we can capture an image of it when we’re using Help Lightning; we can use that for support on our invoicing - there are hundreds of thousands of dollars that are spent on out of scope charges. Using the AR tools in this way provides us with the ability to invoice with more confidence with clear documentation and evidence.

“As soon as I saw the tool, I listed off ten or fifteen ways in which that we could use the solution. It was so clear to me that that we could add value with this software. There were savings, layered in savings over and over again on it – the ROI on it just was too easy!”

 

If you would like to read this exclusive paper right away Field Service News 

subscribers across all our subscription tiers can currently access this paper instantly by hitting the button below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can join our free-forever subscription tier FSN Standard by hitting the button to access a dedicated registration page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soon as you are registered.

 

 

 

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Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content Help Lightning who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this white paper, as per the terms and conditions of our privacy policy available here which is in line with GDPR regulations and is an ongoing condition of subscription.

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Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News welcomes Gary York, CEO and Evans Manolis, Senior Consultant Help Lightning as the group discuss the practical considerations of implementing Augmented Reality in Field Service.

The discussion looks at whether Augmented Reality (AR) is set to become a key part of the field service toolkit, how the shift to remote services will change the role of the field service engineer, the importance of effortless when it comes to new technology, how AR can improve multiple facets of field service operations and how it can be implemented effectively within just a matter of months.

Here the Manolis outlines just how significantly the field service section has evolved in the last twelve months since the pandemic hit.

Want to know more?

FSN Premium subscribers and FSN Elite members can access the full length interview plus many, many more in the Field Service New Digital Symposium.  If you have an FSN Premium account you can access the video on the button below. If you are currently on our FSN Standard subscription tier you can upgrade your subscription by clicking the link below. 

If you are yet to subscribe you can join 30,0000 of your field service management peers by subscribing to FSN Standard for free to gain access to a monthly selection of premium content or select either FSN Premium or FSN Elite for even more resources. Click the button above to visit our subscription page to find out more. 

 

For further information on this topic read the latest exclusive Field Service News white paper that features additional insights on Augmented Reality

Subscribers across all our subscription tiers can currently access this paper instantly by hitting the button below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can join our free-forever subscription tier FSN Standard by hitting the button to access a dedicated registration page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soon as you are registered.

 

 

 

 

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Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content Help Lightning who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this white paper, as per the terms and conditions of our privacy policy available here which is in line with GDPR regulations and is an ongoing condition of subscription.

Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Clay Barker, Director of Service and Support, Revolution Retail Systems about their use of Augmented Reality within their field service operations.

During the discussion, Barker outlines how the tool has driven multiple benefits across their field service operation including improving customer satisfaction and increasing first-time fix rates as well as outlining how they achieved an effective roll-out which achieved excellent adoption rates in just three months of implementation.

In this excerpt from that discussion, the two discuss whether the introduction of Augmented Reality could mean we need to completely rethink the way we approach field service operations entirely.

Want to know more?

FSN Premium subscribers and FSN Elite members can access the full length interview plus many, many more in the Field Service New Digital Symposium.  If you have an FSN Premium account you can access the video on the button below. If you are currently on our FSN Standard subscription tier you can upgrade your subscription by clicking the link below. 

If you are yet to subscribe you can join 30,0000 of your field service management peers by subscribing to FSN Standard for free to gain access to a monthly selection of premium content or select either FSN Premium or FSN Elite for even more resources. Click the button above to visit our subscription page to find out more. 

 

For further information on this topic read the latest exclusive Field Service News white paper that features additional insights on Augmented Reality

Subscribers across all our subscription tiers can currently access this paper instantly by hitting the button below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can join our free-forever subscription tier FSN Standard by hitting the button to access a dedicated registration page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soon as you are registered.

 

 

 

 

---

Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content Help Lightning who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this white paper, as per the terms and conditions of our privacy policy available here which is in line with GDPR regulations and is an ongoing condition of subscription.

In this third feature from a series of excerpts from an exclusive Field Service News white paper published in partnership with Help Lightning, that is exploring the practical questions surrounding Augmented Reality we explore the importance of effortlessness in any new technology we introduced into the complex machine of field service operations - especially one that can change our industry as dramatically as Augmented Reality... 

 

If you would like to read this exclusive paper right away Field Service News 

subscribers across all our subscription tiers can currently access this paper instantly by hitting the button below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can join our free-forever subscription tier FSN Standard by hitting the button to access a dedicated registration page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soon as you are registered.

 

 

 

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Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content Help Lightning who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this white paper, as per the terms and conditions of our privacy policy available here which is in line with GDPR regulations and is an ongoing condition of subscription.

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Any new technology’s true strength when introduced into a complex workflow such as field service is that it needs to just work. It needs to be seamless and effortless for both the customer and the technician or engineer.

In this sense, AR is no different. It has to fit comfortably within the workflow. It has to integrate with other applications crucial within the field service management technology stack to be easily adopted. In a world of APIs and increasingly open architecture, this, on the surface, would seem a relatively simple request. Yet, in a world of data security and mobile device management, introducing a sophisticated new technology is not always as easy as it might seem at first glance.

So has AR reached this tipping point from exciting potential to effortless implementation?

York believes it has, although as he explains, AR is not actually a single technology but instead a set of technologies that can be used to solve problems of a variety of sorts.

“The visual assistance and the merged reality that we offer really is one of the most natural but the simplest of the augmented reality technologies,” York explains.

“It doesn’t require a lot of upfront capital cost, and it can be rolled out very rapidly. It can be rolled out standalone, and we have many customers who’ve got a lot of value in doing so with benefits across costs, revenue and customer satisfaction. These benefits are often not only incredible but also very achievable.

"We believe it’s incredibly important to use the devices that are already available and allow somebody to interact without even having to download an app..."

“However, even when these technologies are used as a standalone, it is important to remove any friction associated with using new tools and to make doing so a seamless experience for the customer but also for the call centre and the field techs.

“That’s really been a big focus for us. We look at every point in which there is potential friction in the process, and we say can we take that friction out?

“A good example here would be the inclusion of smart glasses within the technology stack. Smart glasses are fantastic. We support smart glasses. We have several customers experimenting with smart glasses, and we also have users who are using smart glasses in production today to roll out equipment.

“We have one customer that sells large, complex equipment to an international customer base, and during the pandemic, their equipment was in high demand, but they couldn’t go and set it up and train the customer. They started sending a pair of smart glasses with the equipment, so when local technicians or the customers themselves would put the smart glasses on, they would call back home using Help Lightning, and they’d be guided through an installation process as well as the training process.

“They were able to get their customers up and running with the technology even though they never had a physical interaction – so in the last twelve months, such solutions have proven to be really valuable.

“However, most people don’t have smart glasses, but all of us have a smartphone in our pocket. We believe it’s incredibly important to use the devices that are already available and allow somebody to interact without even having to download an app. A user can literally join a Help Lightning call by simply clicking a link in an email. 

“We’ve looked at every point in which there potentially could be friction; from the customer to the call centre all the way to the domain experts and the field techs. You can remove friction at each of those points through integrations. These are essential steps that allow the technology to work seamlessly and make it easier to improve those efficiencies by reducing the complexity often associated with using new technology.

“We have we have a lot of tools that allow us to integrate with Field Service Management solutions, Customer Relationship Management solutions and with Call Centre platforms. We even have integration with mobile apps. For example, we have a customer who has a mobile app that they use for service and in their mobile app, they have a call Help Lightning button built in. If the user clicks that button, it calls a group of technicians who are able to help with that product, at that location with that particular asset ID, at that exact time. Those kinds of integrations can be incredibly powerful for the customer.”

 

If you would like to read this exclusive paper right away Field Service News 

subscribers across all our subscription tiers can currently access this paper instantly by hitting the button below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can join our free-forever subscription tier FSN Standard by hitting the button to access a dedicated registration page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soon as you are registered.

 

 

 

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Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content Help Lightning who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this white paper, as per the terms and conditions of our privacy policy available here which is in line with GDPR regulations and is an ongoing condition of subscription.

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Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News welcomes Gary York, CEO and Evans Manolis, Senior Consultant Help Lightning as the group discuss the practical considerations of implementing Augmented Reality in Field Service.

The discussion looks at whether Augmented Reality (AR) is set to become a key part of the field service toolkit, how the shift to remote services will change the role of the field service engineer, the importance of effortless when it comes to new technology, how AR can improve multiple facets of field service operations and how it can be implemented effectively within just a matter of months.

In this excerpt from the full discussion, the group discuss how while the pandemic shone the spotlight on the important role AR can play in the field service sector, the tools that are available have been slowly evolving for a number of years now and are more mature than many may think.

Want to know more?

FSN Premium subscribers and FSN Elite members can access the full length interview plus many, many more in the Field Service New Digital Symposium.  If you have an FSN Premium account you can access the video on the button below. If you are currently on our FSN Standard subscription tier you can upgrade your subscription by clicking the link below. 

If you are yet to subscribe you can join 30,0000 of your field service management peers by subscribing to FSN Standard for free to gain access to a monthly selection of premium content or select either FSN Premium or FSN Elite for even more resources. Click the button above to visit our subscription page to find out more. 

 

For further information on this topic read the latest exclusive Field Service News white paper that features additional insights on Augmented Reality

Subscribers across all our subscription tiers can currently access this paper instantly by hitting the button below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can join our free-forever subscription tier FSN Standard by hitting the button to access a dedicated registration page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soon as you are registered.

 

 

 

 

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Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content Help Lightning who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this white paper, as per the terms and conditions of our privacy policy available here which is in line with GDPR regulations and is an ongoing condition of subscription.