International retailer Tesco, which has more than 6,900 stores globally and employs nearly half a million people, is deploying Journey Management and Trailer Tracking from transport management solutions provider Microlise on 940 trailers in Hungary,...
AUTHOR ARCHIVES: Kris Oldland
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.
Nov 17, 2016 • Fleet Technology • News • MIcrolise • Retail • Haulage • tesco
International retailer Tesco, which has more than 6,900 stores globally and employs nearly half a million people, is deploying Journey Management and Trailer Tracking from transport management solutions provider Microlise on 940 trailers in Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic.
Journey Management is a telematics product that provides the insight and visibility to debrief drivers by exception against route and schedule adherence to reduce mileage run.
It will also help the Tesco team to monitor the status of trips against schedule in real-time, as they unfold, and enable improvements through "planned vs actual" route comparison. Ultimately it will help Tesco to minimise mileage, increase efficiency and reduce environmental impact and costs.
The Microlise Trailer Tracking module allows trailers to be monitored without the need for them to be connected to a tractor unit and ensures that the location and identity of each trailer unit is accounted for at all times.
With location and activity reports, as well as unauthorised movement notification, Microlise Trailer Tracking will help the team with their proactive management of the trailer fleet. Round the clock visibility will enable the transport team to take action to keep assets safe and utilisation high.
Being able to track journeys and identify how the routes we have scheduled are unfolding, compared with how we planned them, is fundamental to our adoption of Microlise in central Europe -John Steventon, Tesco
“Being able to track journeys and identify how the routes we have scheduled are unfolding, compared with how we planned them, is fundamental to our adoption of Microlise in central Europe,” said John Steventon, Primary Operations Manager Europe, Tesco. “The technology will enable us to understand how to improve our logistics efficiency and ultimately provide the best service for our customers, whilst keeping our assets safe.”
The new project in Central Europe is part of a reorganisation programme within Tesco to centralise the way journeys are planned. Microlise Journey Management and Trailer Tracking fully integrates with the Ortec planning optimisation software in place.
“Working with a true industry-leader on this project reaffirms that we have a world-beating product. It’s great to see our transport and logistics solution being used effectively and providing value on a large-scale to optimise the Tesco fleet operation,” said Nadeem Raza, Chief Executive Officer, Microlise.
Alongside the Journey Management and Trailer Tracking deployment, Tesco’s sub-contractors in Central Europe will also be using the pay-as-you-go Microlise SmartPOD Proof of Delivery solution, downloadable free from the Google Play Store.
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Nov 17, 2016 • Features • Interview • interviews • servicemax • Software and Apps • software and apps
The Field Service Management software industry is fiercely competitive and one that in the last few years has been in almost constant flux as new technologies continue to push the boundaries of what is possible.
The Field Service Management software industry is fiercely competitive and one that in the last few years has been in almost constant flux as new technologies continue to push the boundaries of what is possible.
Yet, across the last decade there has been one company that has risen from a humble start-up to globally recognised industry leader. That company is ServiceMax, and the man that has led that incredible rise to prominence is CEO Dave Yarnold. Kris Oldland, FSN Editor-in-Chief, spoke exclusively with him as he stopped by the ServiceMax London HQ on whistle-stop tour of Europe...
The ServiceMax story really is an incredibly compelling one - while stories of start-ups that become market leaders are not completely unique, they are few and far between and in the competitive world of field service management systems, their rapid rise to prominence within the last decade is out their on it’s own in terms of success.
Indeed, there are some really great service management providers out there that have a built solid businesses serving their small corner of what is in reality a huge market. Companies that are happy to feed off the crumbs (and make a very profitable living in doing so) that fall down from the big table where the traditionally established players such as ClickSoftware or Astea fight for elbow room with software heavyweights such as Microsoft and Oracle.
But this was never going to be the path that Dave Yarnold, CEO and co-founder of ServiceMax was going to choose.
Even back in the inception days in what Yarnold affectionately refers back to as the ‘beige palace’, a nondescript office tucked away in Silicon Valley, there was a distinct vision - and perhaps a key reason for their success was that, that vision wasn’t just to be another software provider trying to serve the field service sector but instead to form a company that intrinsically understood what good service was and then build tools to help engender that within their clients.
We looked at what everybody was doing around service and we thought everyone was missing the point in two respects
“We also felt that all the technology was geared to taking cost out and what we stumbled on early on was an interesting trend that anybody who was building products were experiencing much faster growth in the services side of the business than the product side.”
“The global economy has slowed down - especially since the last great recession, so that means you’re not selling as much product but there is certainly enough opportunities to get value out of the infrastructure, customer base and install base that you have. So we focussed on helping companies to grow their service business as opposed to squeeze their technicians for more productivity - which is still where most of the technology in our space is focussed.” He adds.
It is a valid point that Yarnold makes, as the economy crashed on a global scale, suddenly service became fore and centre as very simply there were no more margins left to cut. Competing on price in many industries was just no longer an option.
However, with the economy on (slightly) more stable footing these days, the shift to service centric businesses is less about a necessary differentiator and more about building more profitable and sustainable, longer term relationships. A case in point being Sony’s Professional Service’s division, who have developed a servitized business model, using ServiceMax as their FSM system. But was this shift to services something that Yarnold had always envisaged?
“A great analogue to answer that question is to look at the software industry.” He replies. “I remember back in the year 2000 when Salesforce emerged and the idea of Cloud computing and Software as a Service as a business model was nowhere to be seen. The reason why it became the primary mode of delivering software was because it was what customers wanted. They wanted a balanced relationship , a long relationship, a relationship where they felt like they weren’t entering into an agreement knowing the supplier was getting all of the profit up front on day one.
The fact that the software industry has gone through this complete disruption, and all the leaders in the sector have now embraced this model - that’s not lost on manufacturing companies.
“You look at the long-term, recession proof benefits of that business model and the lock in that that brings, it’s a really attractive proposition.”
Of course mention of Salesforce, brings us to the elephant in the room.
While Yarnold and his co-founders vision was certainly a driving force for the success of ServiceMax, it is undeniable that they also rode the slipstream of Salesforce’s own phenomenal growth. Now with Salesforce entering the market themselves with Field Service Lightning, does this represent a significant threat to ServiceMax’s continued growth?
“It’s not like it was a surprise to us, it took them a while but they realised that this [field service] is a pretty big market,” Yarnold begins bullishly.
“For us, it’s interesting being the only guys in the market that believe in the business model of servitization and where this is all going. I see even in the direction of their [Salesforce’s] product that it’s the old cost reduction approach. It’s a scheduling centric app that is leveraging technology that ClickSoftware built on their platform - which is all around schedule optimisation.”
I think it’s interesting what they [Salesforce] are doing, but it is also old school in my opinion, it’s still cost based, which is kind of boring to people who run service businesses.”
One for is for certain though, if an original vision and harnessing the growing momentum of Salesforce were the initial keys to success, the ‘special sauce’ that has allowed ServiceMax to truly flourish has been there intelligent acquisition of talent in key roles that truly understand the industry. Yet, it’s clear that the passion for service stems from the very top.
“At the core of it, if you go back to the three of us when we started, we just care about this. We think it’s vital. From a standpoint of what we as consumers expect from a service relationship. When we really start to dig into it, it’s not just software, it’s an important part of business, an important part of the relationship that we all expect and take for granted, and there’s this army of people making it all happen.”
“So the follow on from that is if we are going to try and enable all this, then we’ve got to try and find people who’ve experienced it - people like Dave Hart (a former Service Director and customer now working in a global customer transformation role with ServiceMax) who live eat and breath this stuff and have built there career around it.”
Having spent an hour in Yarnold’s company the one thing that is clear is that ServiceMax isn’t just a software company. They are a company which already deeply understands field service, yet is continuously learning more about the sector each day and that I would venture is the true key to their success.
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Nov 17, 2016 • Features • Astea • Future of FIeld Service • resources • white papers • White Papers & eBooks • Service Innovation and Design
Resource Type: White PaperPublished by: AsteaTitle: What is the next phase of service innovation
Resource Type: White Paper
Published by: Astea
Title: What is the next phase of service innovation
Click here to download the white paper now
By downloading you agree to the T&Cs listed available here
Synopsis:
Click the links at the top or bottom of this feature to download this white paperInnovation causes company evolution and every year service is becoming more important to companies not only as a source of revenue but also as a key driver of customer loyalty...
It is no longer enough to merely deliver quality service in a timely manner. Customer demands and competitive pressures are driving service companies toward service innovation – developing new service offerings and service delivery mechanisms that their customers will find valuable.
To remain competitive, service organisations need to make investments in developing and designing new service products, tapping into new markets, and finding new ways to deliver service – making innovation part of the culture, from the executive suite to the field technicians.
This White Paper published by Astea takes a look at best practices for companies looking to innovate their service and it covers:
- Where the best opportunities for service innovation exist
- How to institutionalise innovation with 'service innovation teams'
- What metrics to use to measure the ROI of innovation activities
Overview:
As service has grown in importance as a source of revenue and a key driver of customer loyalty, customer expectations of service delivery have increased. It is no longer enough to merely deliver quality service in a timely manner. Service organisations have to do more than simply keep costs low and maintain market share.
Customer demands and competitive pressures are driving service companies toward service innovation – developing new service offerings and service delivery mechanisms that their customers will find valuable.
This type of service innovation has become an increasingly vital component in a company’s competitive strategy. Executives recognise that focusing on cost control is not in line with long-term value creation. To grow, organisations need to reinvent customer relationships and embrace new technologies and business models.
Where is Service Innovation Needed?
In March 2016, The Service Council (TSC) conducted a survey on service innovation to gauge respondents’ perceptions of their own organisations.
When asked how innovative their entire organization was, the majority of respondents said their company was somewhat innovative (58%), while roughly one-third (31%) said their company was innovative. Asked specifically about their service organization, the responses were very close, with 23% responding “innovative,” 56% “somewhat innovative.” A slightly larger group said the service organization was not innovative (11% for service compared to 3% for the entire company).
Service companies can innovate on a number of levels: the service delivery process, customer management and communication, service design, new product/ service development, the client interface, and in their technological choices.
Institutionalise Innovation
According to The Service Council survey, just 31% of respondents have a service innovation team in place. For service organisations to thrive in a marketplace that puts greater value on innovation, that has to change.
Service organizations have to look at innovation on a strategic level, and at all the ways that the service team can innovate – from developing new services and process-oriented changes to focusing on external service delivery processes and finding more opportunities to provide service.
These companies need to develop a service innovation team focused on fostering such projects. The team should include input from supervisors and managers, frontline employees/technicians, VP-level service leaders, regional leaders, and C-level executives.
Measure Your Success
Those innovation investments can’t be made blindly, however. Establishing whether a given innovation provides a return on investment (ROI) requires metrics around those innovation activities and their results. In The Service Council survey, just 20% of respondents said they already had innovation metrics in place.
Measuring innovation is a combination of art and science, which makes those metrics difficult to develop. You have to find the right things to measure; every company has its own organizational culture, so every company must fine-tune what it measures to reinforce the goals, values, and norms that it finds critical for inspiring innovation and best practices.
Technology Enables Innovation
One key enabler of both new service products and new service delivery mechanisms has been technology. Digital technologies have driven radical change and disruption in the service sector.
These include customer self-service portals and mobile apps, mobile field service automation and work order management solutions, GPS-enabled fleet tracking/management systems, and automated dispatch and scheduling solutions.
Getting Started
Service organisations that want to improve these efforts should institutionalise innovation by establishing dedicated innovation teams and resources and develop metrics to measure the effect of innovation. Frontline employees should be involved, and customer needs and insights should be analysed to develop an innovation road map.
- Begin with customer insights
- Understand the funding mechanism
- Determine who will develop and deliver new innovative service products and models
- Track innovation activity
- Institutionalize innovation
Click here to download the white paper now
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Nov 16, 2016 • Features • FieldAware • softrware and apps • Software and Apps • steve mason
Kris Oldland talks exclusively to Steve Mason, Chief Revenue Officer with FieldAware about the changing landscape of FSM software...
Kris Oldland talks exclusively to Steve Mason, Chief Revenue Officer with FieldAware about the changing landscape of FSM software...
FieldAware is a brand that has been slowly building a presence as a rising star amongst field service management (FSM) software providers for the last few years now. However, across the last twelve months or so they seem to be distinctly focussing on pulling together a team with an enviable background and history within the sector - perhaps readying for a major assault on the market?
The addition of Tabitha Taylor-Higginson and Caroline Pennington (both from Trimble Field Service Management) has added a depth of industry knowledge and understanding of best-practice, go-to-market strategies on the communications side of the business, whilst new Chief Revenue Officer Steve Mason, has an eight year record with industry stalwarts ClickSoftware to his name - holding a variety of titles ranging from Vice President of Sales for the EMEA region to Vice President of Russia, CIS and Mobility - in short he is not only a man who has experience in successfully working with top-tier enterprise account sales, but also a strong knowledge of product development within FSM systems.
In short, it seems that within the last twelve months things have stepped up a gear for FieldAware in terms of how they intend to approach the market going forward.
“There has been a lot of momentum that has been building over time, but now it is beginning to become more visible as things are all coming together around the product, around the marketing and around our go-to-market strategy,” begins Mason as we touch on the subject.
“We are becoming more visible in the market, but in a controlled way. From the board’s perspective it has been building up the momentum and now they are bringing in key personnel that will drive the company into the next market environment.”
Controlled seems to be the key word here. There seems to have been a very clear plan from the senior team at FieldAware to get the product right, before then building the team that can firmly establish the company as a key player within the FSM software community.
Indeed, as Mason explains there was a lot of behind the scenes work in developing the product in order to be able to integrate easily with others that had to be completed before FieldAware could really begin to move forward into the enterprise.
“Whilst the company were operating primarily in the small to medium sector, we invested heavily in developing a mobile led, innovative solution that was built on an enterprise approach architecture. We wanted the ability to have a field force management solution, where we could have custom objects associated at multiple levels, so the application could through configuration be quickly tuned to the needs of different customers in different verticals.”
“To then expose that flexibility to all of the communications channels - so out through the API, into the integration layer out to the mobile and then out to the web, as you can appreciate it takes time to build that kind of product, but it was where we saw future.”
However, listening to Mason speak it is not just care and attention that FieldAware have put into the development of their product - he is keen to outline how they have taken a very different approach than some of the more traditional vendors in the market have done in the past.
“Our focus has been to develop a mobile application that is very intuitive and easy to use - everything we do is about intuitiveness and being thumb friendly. Successful solutions are always easily adopted because they’re so easy to use.”
“Everything we do is about intuitiveness and being thumb friendly. Successful solutions are always easily adopted because they’re so easy to use...”
“So we’ve really been focussing in from that perspective. We’ve been taking into consideration how millennials think when they are in the field and how do the older members of the workforce think whilst they are in the field too.
It’s a different approach from the traditional world of big optimisations that are focussed on macro management of a workforce and then driving that work out. In fact, it’s a very different approach.”
Indeed, this shift in thinking is perhaps mirrored in a number of different corners of the industry.
Whereas before the focus has been, both from a technology and a management point of view, about ensuring field service teams are working as efficiently as possible - i.e. on task such as processing the workload and optimising the work schedule, now with customer service rising to the forefront of most conversations about company wide KPIs, the focus is very much on empowering the field service engineer with the tools at his disposal to be able to delight customers on each and every visit.
“The workforce has changed,” comments Mason “even the way that people work and the relationships that there is between the field and those in the office, there is now an inherent trust. If someone has a smartphone then they are visible wherever they are.”
“So companies no longer need all the old tools that were there to micro manage, now it’s about empowerment and working in a trusted sense within the organisation. It is now effectively one department, rather than being field and back office - today everybody is mobile.”
“It is a changing market. It is rapidly changing mainly because customer service remains the critical differentiator for many organisations...”
“It is a changing market. It is rapidly changing mainly because customer service remains the critical differentiator for many organisations.” He concludes.
Indeed the landscape is ever changing (see Bill Pollock’s feature on page 22) and FieldAware find themselves in the interesting place of being able to compete with other FSM software vendors such as ClickSoftware or ServiceMax but also at the same time offering a solution that can also fully compliment such competitor systems due to their focus on integration.
But perhaps the greatest shift field service companies are having to deal with currently isn’t the ever evolving vendor landscape but more the shift within their own workforces - as Baby Boomers move on and Millennials take their place. But what role can technology play in alleviating the pain points of what is such a distinct changing of the guard?
“I would say that how a solution sits with Millennials in terms of functionality and usability should be one of the top priorities for field service directors because if you look at the Gartner view in terms of digitising the enterprise, they see adoption as the biggest barrier to success,” Mason comments.
“Applications like ours enable companies to effectively digitise the last mile - i.e. get all the work instructions, all the processes out to the workforce. They can use it online or offline depending on their connectivity, but is has to be intuitive.’
“It has to be intuitive for the traditional workers because they need to adopt it quickly, and it has to be an engaging tool for Millennials who want to work differently with modern, refreshing looking apps.”
“Adoption rates are critical for any digitisation strategies - so usability, whether it be for Millennials or Baby Boomers should be very high in the selection process.”
Of course one trusted route to speeding up adoption which we have discussed a number of times in various Field Service News articles is getting the involvement of some of the field service technicians in the selection process of any given new tool they will be using.
This is a trend that Mason admits he has seen growing in recent years with more and more field service organisations involving a selection of service technicians to give their insight into any potential new solution.
“We’re seeing a growing trend where the selection process will include some members of the field team,” Mason agrees. “What this does do is enable both us and the customer to accelerate the time to value because it allows the customer to see how the tool will work within their wider system, but also allows us to better understand the challenges we’ll have to work through in the project.” He concludes.
It is a sensible route and one that is quite indicative of the customer-centric approach that Mason and the team at FieldAware are taking. The question now remains can they build their own acceleration when it comes to gaining a significant role within the FSM landscape? The product is certainly up to par, and with the recent senior talent acquisitions, such as Mason, the team is shaping up very nicely too now.
So could 2017 potentially be FieldAware’s year? They are certainly getting them selves in the right place at the right time...
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Nov 15, 2016 • News • mergers and acquisition • GE • servicemax • Software and Apps • software and apps
The agreement expands the existing partnership that has driven significant productivity across GE; adds new capability to offer in the $1 trillion market for industrial service
The agreement expands the existing partnership that has driven significant productivity across GE; adds new capability to offer in the $1 trillion market for industrial service
GE Digital yesterday announced it has acquired ServiceMax, a leader in cloud-based field service management (FSM) solutions, for $915 million.
The acquisition provides GE Digital with enhanced capabilities to advance its Industrial Internet vision, enabling customers to immediately gain more value from their assets and find greater efficiency in their field service processes.
Service has always been a core part of GE’s strategy and capability and was an early target for the company’s work in analytics and productivity. GE has invested in the build out of digital twins for industrial assets. In addition the company has accelerated productivity improvements through digitizing service processes.
The ServiceMax product offering was an essential element to driving GE internal productivity. With this acquisition GE plans to add analytics and insights into the ServiceMax logistics, workforce optimization and deployment models. GE estimates there is a market-wide opportunity to improve service productivity by $25 billion through the use of analytical tools.
ServiceMax’s platform provides a full suite of applications, including inventory and parts logistics, scheduling and workforce optimization, and work order management.
As a result of this transaction, customers will be able to access these offerings from a modern rapid application development cloud and field-ready mobile platform that combines the strength of GE’s deep domain expertise and advanced industrial portfolio with ServiceMax’s field service expertise. The company plans to leverage the Predix platform to further the development of additional industrial applications focused on service delivery.
This acquisition builds upon our ongoing efforts to enhance our overall technology stack around the Predix platform and advance our Industrial Internet vision -Bill Ruh, CEO, GE Digital
The addition of ServiceMax’s complementary capabilities and highly-talented team better positions GE Digital to develop and accelerate the commercialization of Predix applications, delivering service products through a single, robust platform. This platform will address the service needs of enterprises across the entire service delivery process and provide the critical expertise and technologies needed to accelerate GE Digital’s existing services solution roadmaps. Coupled with the recent acquisition of Meridium, GE Digital will now provide a full suite of applications centered on driving comprehensive asset management for the Industrial Internet.
In addition, this transaction brings to GE Digital an immediate vertical customer base as well as significant recognition in the market and enhances GE Digital’s ability to commercialize its field services solutions. ServiceMax will have access to new verticals and will be able to utilize GE Digital’s scale and comprehensive Predix platform to enhance and strengthen their offerings for customers.
The transaction will help position ServiceMax to reach its next phase of growth by having access to GE’s broad and advanced industrial portfolio -Dave Yarnold, CEO, ServiceMax
Acquisitions are part of the GE Digital strategy to accelerate efforts in leading the Industrial Internet. The company will provide an update on their strategy and demonstrate progress at their flagship Minds and Machines event November 15-16 in San Francisco.
The acquisition of ServiceMax is expected to close in January, subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of applicable regulatory approvals.
Morgan Stanley acted as exclusive financial advisor to ServiceMax with Gundersen Dettmer LLP serving as legal counsel for ServiceMax. King & Spalding, LLP served as legal counsel for GE Digital.
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Nov 15, 2016 • Features • research • Research • White Papers & eBooks • IoT • Serviceitzation • servicemax
Resource Type: Research report Published by: Field Service News and ServiceMax Title: IoT, Servitization and Field Service (2016)
Resource Type: Research report
Published by: Field Service News and ServiceMax
Title: IoT, Servitization and Field Service (2016)
Click here to access to the research report
By downloading you agree to the T&Cs listed available here
Synopsis:
In 2015 Field Service News and ServiceMax teamed up on a research report to look at the appetite for IoT as a mechanism for field service delivery, now one year on we return to the topic to see if the clear desire for IoT has translated into real-world application and ask just how key is IoT to the growing trend of servitization....
With responses from over 120 field service professionals, this exclusive independent research project undertaken byField Service News, in partnership with ServiceMax aimed to cut through the hyperbole and establish if IoT is truly set to become a standard tool within field service delivery.
In addition to this we focussed our research on the apparent symbiotic rise of IoT and Servitization to try to understand further just how closely these two important trends within the field service sector are linked and how emerging technology and strategy are intertwined...
Download this report to find out:
- Is the clear appetite for IoT in last year's research is translating into real-world implementations?
- What are the key reasons field service companies are adopting IoT?
- How important is IoT in the move to a servitized business?
- What are the key perceived barriers to adoption for IoT and can they be overcome?
- What is the recommended approach to IoT from those who have already adopted the technology?What cultural impact will IoT have amongst field service companies?
Overview:
In 2015 Field Service News and leading FSM software provider ServiceMax teamed up on a research project to assess the appetite for IoT as a tool for improving field service delivery.
Now one year on we return to the topic to see if the clear desire for IoT based field service delivery has turned to reality and if so what impact is it having on the growing trend towards servitization as a business model...
When we looked at the potential of IoT in field service last year we were confronted by what can only be called a genuine phenomenon beginning to emerge. One that could potentially change the way companies approach field service delivery entirely.
In this brave new world of servitization, service is no longer the supporting player there just to add value to a product. Instead, the product is now the facilitator for companies to deliver advanced services.
IoT on the other hand has the potential to completely revolutionise the processes and methodologies of field service delivery, and in doing so shift the service model into a new paradigm where contracts involving tightly adhered to SLAs are replaced by guarantees of uptime.
In this brave new world of servitization, service is no longer the supporting player there just to add value to a product. Instead, the product is now the facilitator for companies to deliver advanced services.
And this is largely made possible by the IoT giving us the ability to monitor assets in the field and react to fluctuations outside of accepted working parameters, delivering proactive maintenance to ensure that the asset continues to deliver its set outcome.
The benefits of such an approach are a more consistent and reliable solution for the customer and a more profitable business which is closer engrained to customers for the service provider - a win-win if ever there was one.
But whilst the theory may sound great, how is this translating into reality?
This is what this year’s survey set out to understand. Building upon last year’s research project which was predominantly focussed solely on IoT this time we have widened our focus somewhat to understand not just if companies are now actively adopting IoT, but what is their motivation for doing so and just how closely is that
Further reading within the research report:
- Overview of previous studies
- Year on year trends that have emerged
- Other technologies being employed by field service companies
- The cultural impact of IoT
- Servitization as a key driver for IoT adoption
- Best practice for IoT implementation
- Expert insight from Athani Krishna and Davw Hart, ServiceMax
Click here to access to the research report
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Nov 14, 2016 • Hardware • News • Xplore • rugged
Xplore Technologies has recently launched the XSLATE R12 detachable rugged tablet PC in the UK and Europe.
Xplore Technologies has recently launched the XSLATE R12 detachable rugged tablet PC in the UK and Europe.
Key features include advanced communications capability, and noteworthy is the ease with which it transforms from a tablet, to a notebook or desktop with a keyboard, and back.
Xplore incorporated specific customer feedback into the 12.5” rugged tablet design making it highly suitable as the primary computing device for emergency services, manufacturing, utility, insurance, and construction industry professionals alike.
The XSLATE R12's customer-requested features include antenna pass-through capabilities, an RJ-45 + Serial Port dongle and a Bluetooth-enabled keyboard that magnetically stows on the back of the tablet even when docked. It has an optically bonded 800 Nit "View Anywhere Display". It is also designed to sync with existing back office systems and software to deliver real-time data via multi-authentication access.
Steve Priestley, Xplore Director of Sales, Europe, said: "As well as the technical features, key to its practicality to user groups is the ease with which R12 transforms from a tablet, to a notebook or desktop with a keyboard, and back.”
It’s equipped with pen and touch capabilities, and backed by a Bluetooth-connected keyboard , and the standard hot-swappable battery is critical for long shifts while the large, outdoor-viewable display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass for damage-resistant, day-and-night viewing.
R12 also features more connectivity options than others in its class, including those antenna pass-through capabilities, an RJ-45 and True Serial port dongle, and a SlateMate barcode reader and HF RFID reader combo.
"The antenna pass-through technology will allow police, fire and ambulance services to prepare and share incident response plans from vehicles, but in the commercial sector the same technology means organisations of all sizes can to mobilise data in real-time to improve productivity and efficiency of those responsible for assembly, maintenance, logistics, inspection, and testing across many industries, such as manufacturing and utilities,” said Steve Priestley.
The XSLATE R12 is fully supported by a complete line-up of accessories purpose-built to ensure a seamless desktop-to-tablet transition. These include a desktop docking station, Secure Mobile Dock, and Work Anywhere Kit featuring a carrying case and tablet kickstand. This latest addition to Xplore’s line of award-winning tablets coincides with the company’s industry record-setting 20th anniversary as the only OEM to exclusively design and deliver rugged tablets for as long.
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Nov 13, 2016 • Features • research • Research • research report • resources • White Papers & eBooks • ClickSoftware • cloud
Resource Type: Research report Published by: Field Service News and ClickSoftware Title: Is field service finally moving to the Cloud (2016)
Resource Type: Research report
Published by: Field Service News and ClickSoftware
Title: Is field service finally moving to the Cloud (2016)
Click here to access to the research report
By downloading you agree to the T&Cs listed available here
Synopsis:
Click the links at the top or bottom of this feature to download this report now!In 2015 Field Service News and ClickSoftware teamed up on a research report to look at the appetite for Cloud based Field Service Management (FSM) systems. Now 12 months on we've come together again on a fresh project to see what trends are emerging...
Having connected with over 150 field service professionals in this exclusive independent research project Field Service News, in partnership with ClickSoftware are pleased to present this detailed research report which digs deep into the findings to uncover the trends within our industry when it comes to the adoption of Cloud based field service management systems.
Download this report now to establish how your own companies approach to the Cloud sits in context with the wider trends that are evidenced by your peers, colleagues and competitors...
Download this report to find out:
- Are field service companies now finally turning to the Cloud as the platform for FSM systems?
- What are the driving reasons for Cloud adoption?
- What are the benefits being felt by those who have made the move to Cloud based FSM systems?
- What are the barriers to adoption for Cloud based FSM systems?
- Is security still the number one concern around Cloud based FSM systems?
- What percentage of those now using the Cloud would recommend it over an on-premise solution?
Overview:
In this white paper, co-published by Field Service News and ClickSoftware, we shall review the data from our latest research, providing year-on-year comparative analysis to identify what new trends have emerged and how attitudes towards the Cloud have evolved amongst senior management within the field service industry.
Previously identified trends:
To begin let’s briefly recap the findings of last year’s research (which was the second time we had focused on the use of Cloud within a field service context as a subject for our research.)
Whilst the headline findings of that project identified that a large majority of field service companies (74%) were still using on-premise solutions, there was clear evidence that a shift to Cloud was on the horizon.
There were two key findings that supported this hypothesis.
Firstly, there was the overwhelming evidence that the Cloud was proving to be a success amongst those companies that had made the move away from traditional on-premise solutions. In fact, when we asked those respondents who had made such a move ‘would you recommend a Cloud based field service management solution over an on-premise solution?’ 100% of them replied that they would.
However, the findings were perhaps even more telling when we turned to those companies that were still using on-premise solutions.
38% of respondents that were not using a Cloud based FSM solution stated that they felt that security was the greatest issue with Cloud - form the 2015 research findings
Such findings led us to arrive at the hypothesis that eventually we would see a widespread move to the Cloud. It was our prediction that we would potentially see a complete pendulum shift, with up to 75% of companies using Cloud based FSM solutions within the next five years. Last year’s research also identified that concerns around the security of the Cloud were the biggest potential barrier to adoption.
In fact, 38% of respondents that were not using a Cloud based FSM solution stated that they felt that security was the greatest issue with Cloud. Yet that same research also highlighted that this is generally not the case - security issues were less prevalent than both connectivity and integration issues amongst companies actually using a Cloud based FSM tools.
It was our assertion last year that there was a need for greater education and understanding of the security of the Cloud, particularly at the enterprise level amongst executives within the field service sector - so that perception and reality could become more closely aligned. Once this was achieved we would likely see the shift to Cloud becoming the most widely used platform for FSM systems gaining greater momentum.
So how have the opinions of field service professionals changed across the last twelve months?
Year-on-year trends:
The headline finding of this year’s research is that we have indeed seen a continued shift towards more companies using the Cloud for their FSM systems. When comparing data from 2014, 2015 and 2016, we have also seen increasing year on year growth.
Indeed, the number of companies now using Cloud based FSM systems is well over a third, with 36% of our respondents stating that they are now Cloud users. This is a year on year increase of 8% in terms of companies using the Cloud for FSM systems.
Not only does this show a continuing move to the Cloud, but it is also a relatively significant increase in the year-on-year growth we saw in the previous year’s research. In fact, the increase in companies moving to the Cloud within the last twelve months is almost three times more than it was in the previous year (9% vs. 3%)
This would certainly add weight to our conclusions last year that Cloud was gaining traction as a platform for FSM tools, and that we would see this continue to increase as companies begun.
Further reading within the research report:
- The question of security
- The benefits of moving to the cloud
- Remaining barriers to adoption
- Cloud in other areas of business
- Expert insight from ClickSoftware's Marina Stedman & Paul Whitelam
Click here to access to the research report
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Nov 11, 2016 • Fleet Technology • News • connected vehicles • construction • IoT • John Deere • telogis
At its annual business conference, Telogis, A Verizon Company, announced that it is partnering with John Deere to enable construction companies to derive key data and insights from their connected John Deere equipment to help drive cost savings,...
At its annual business conference, Telogis, A Verizon Company, announced that it is partnering with John Deere to enable construction companies to derive key data and insights from their connected John Deere equipment to help drive cost savings, efficiency and productivity.
Through this alliance, Telogis and John Deere will enable existing and future mutual customers to leverage John Deere construction equipment's built-in connectivity. Customers will benefit from access to a richer data set that will help to eliminate manual data entry and generate deeper insights into customers' operations.
Customers also benefit from the ability to connect back into JD Link™ to order parts and service or contact local John Deere dealers for questions, appointments and equipment troubleshooting. They will also receive more accurate equipment maintenance records that can help lead to better uptime and lower total cost of ownership.
Equipment – not just vehicles – represent an enormous investment for mobile businesses, and it's more important than ever to ensure that equipment is running safely
"Telogis' successful track record working with both off highway and on highway customers gave us great confidence that this is the right strategic relationship to bring these mission-critical technologies and services to our customers," said Jena Holtberg-Benge, Director Worksight Solutions at John Deere.
"By working in tandem with Telogis, we're giving businesses the ability to run their entire mobile equipment business on one comprehensive software platform with one login for all their vehicles and equipment – whether it's John Deere or a mixed fleet."
"Equipment – not just vehicles – represent an enormous investment for mobile businesses, and it's more important than ever to ensure that equipment is running safely, and that it's out there earning money and delivering value and ROI every day," said Jeff Cohen, Vice President, Asset and Security Solutions at Telogis, A Verizon Company.
"By understanding how the equipment is being used, how many hours it's running and where there are opportunities to maximise uptime and utilisation, customers can identify opportunities to drive cost and time savings, plus productivity and efficiency in every aspect of their mobile businesses."
The offering will be available to organisations of any size through connected John Deere equipment or through authorised dealers through the end of 2016, and each new piece of equipment will have access to both JDLink and Telogis.
Field Service News is published by 1927 Media Ltd, an independent publisher whose sole focus is on the field service sector. As such our entire resources are focused on helping drive the field service sector forwards and aiming to best serve our industry through honest, incisive and innovative media coverage of the global field service sector.
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