AUTHOR ARCHIVES: Kris Oldland

In a time when more and more field service companies are considering moving to  cloud based solution new research from leading market analysts, Juniper Research, suggests that the rapid digitisation of consumers’ lives and enterprise records will increase the cost of data breaches to $2.1 trillion globally by 2019, increasing to almost four times the estimated cost of breaches in 2015....

The research, entitled ‘The Future of Cybercrime & Security: Financial and Corporate Threats & Mitigation’, has found that the majority of these breaches will come from existing IT and network infrastructure. While new threats targeting mobile devices and the IoT (Internet of Things) are being reported at an increasing rate, the number of infected devices is minimal in comparison to more traditional computing devices.

The Cybercrime Economy Driving Action

The report also highlights the increasing professionalism of cybercrime, with the emergence of cybercrime products (i.e. sale of malware creation software) over the past year, as well as the decline in casual activist hacks. Hacktivism has become more successful and less prolific – in future, Juniper expects fewer attacks overall, but more successful ones.

‘Currently, we aren’t seeing much dangerous mobile or IoT malware because it’s not profitable’, noted report author James Moar. ‘The kind of threats we will see on these devices will be either ransomware, with consumers’ devices locked down until they pay the hackers to use their devices, or as part of botnets, where processing power is harnessed as part of a more lucrative hack. With the absence of a direct payout from IoT hacks, there is little motive for criminals to develop the required tools.’

Other key findings include:

• Nearly 60% of anticipated data breaches worldwide in 2015 will occur in North America, but this proportion will decrease over time as other countries become both richer and more digitised.
• The average cost of a data breach in 2020 will exceed $150 million by 2020, as more business infrastructure gets connected.

The whitepaper, ‘Cybercrime and the Internet of Threats’ is available to download from the Juniper website together with further details of the full research.

 

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Within field service the IFS brand is well known, having gone through an aggressive expansion drive fuelled by key acquisitions of US based Metrix and UK based 360 Scheduling the brand has secured both headlines and customers alike within our industry in recent years. However at this year’s IFS world conference held in Boston there was a real sense that the ERP software provider has truly come of age as a key global player.

Hosted in Boston the three-day event combined some inspirational keynote speakers, a slick mix of presentation formats – including a US TV Style panel show and most importantly given the profile of the delegates an impressive array of technology for the attendees to get their hands on.

At the heart of the conference was the announcement of IFS Applications 9 which having be revealed on the first morning of the conference caused a significant amount of interest and excitement. Admittedly the audience was already fairly engaged with IFS’s product suite with an initial poll showing almost half of those in attendance were already considering moving to Applications 9, however, if the general reception to the series of new functionalities and tools announced was anything to go by, by the end of the three days that figure may well have increased further.

IFS Applications 9 revealed

After an initial opening keynote from IFS CEO Alastair Sorbie we were soon greeted with an impressive promotional video giving us a glimpse of what the next generation of IFS applications will include. Shots of a very modern, intuitive looking interface sitting across multiple devices, including interestingly a variety of smart watches ensued as the video rolled across the obligatory 100ft screen, accompanied by an upbeat dance track.

The message was very clear. IFS Applications 9 was something the Scandinavian based company were very proud about and they wanted the world to know it.

 

As Thomas Sald SVP Research and Development, IFS announced as he took to the stage as the video came to an end “It looks quite exciting doesn’t it? And it’s beautiful as well”.

Indeed this is perhaps the first initial response of IFS Applications 9. It simply looks great. It is a clean, modern, and intuitive looking user interface. The growing trend of customisation in enterprise technology is something that the development team of IFS have clearly given a lot of consideration to.

“We know that user experience is important to you as it is directly linked to your business.” Sald continued “A great user experience increases productivity, makes it easier to make the right decisions and helps in attracting and retaining talent. It also shortens the implementation time and creates enthusiasm for the new system.”

“User experience is important. Yes it’s looks good, but it is important because it supports your business and the people that run your business.”

However, there needs to be more to a new system than just a facelift. Fortunately IFS Applications 9 has introduced a number of new capabilities that also raise the bar in terms of the functionality of the software that could potentially some real benefits to those field service companies that elect to implement it.

The first of these introduced was the IFS Lobby.

IFS Lobby essentially provides a very clear and highly customisable view of a business or a specific project within a business, in relation to a specific job role or process. Being fully customisable IFS can bring the users at-a-glance information that they need for their own specific requirements and it can be tailored to each unique user.

The user is also then able to drill down into specific finer details relating to either their role or a specific project and it’s elegant UI is fully responsive making it accessible from desktop, tablet or even smart phone.

 

Such easy access to key information whilst out in the field could of course be equally as vital to enhancing and improving how a field engineer’s workflow as it could to making reporting at management level a far easier and less troubling task.

Another impressive benefit of lobby is the ability to observe and interact with other departments within the ERP structure and this leads neatly into the second big introduction of IFS Applications 9 – Streams.

Streams is basically an inbuilt notification system within IFS Applications 9. With a similar look to something akin to the lovechild of instant messenger and twitter it was a neat way to receive updates on tasks that require your action.

However, Streams doesn’t just sit in your Lobby waiting for you to spot the new notifications pop up. No Sir, with apps for both smart phones and smart watches available Streams is able to bring your attention to the task at hand as soon as it arrives.

What was soon becoming clear with the release of IFS Applications 9 was that the software is hugely customisable. From being able to quickly and effectively build your own Lobby that provides the key information you need at a glance through to tweaking the UI so that it looks more familiar and comfortable to you and your colleagues.

However, being able to make aesthetic changes and user level functionality is one thing but a true customisation, one which essentially changes elements within the base code, which are sometimes still both genuinely needed and well motivated is another entirely.

In the past a significant consideration if you have a customised version of any software, let alone something as mission critical as an ERP, is how much additional work is there to make the upgrade feasible due to the customisations in place. Often the amount of work to transition from one version to another can simply outweigh the benefits of moving to the new platform.

This is where the next major new element of IFS Applications 9 comes in. It is built on a ‘Layered Application Architecture’ which essentially removes such worries from the equation making upgrades as simple a process for customised versions of the system as those that have been run straight out of the box.

“We’ve broken the code into separate transparent layers” explained Sald “That means when we come with an update to IFS applications your customisations can remain unchanged. That’s going to save a lot of time.”

Indeed it is, and this layered architecture has been applied to all of the varying pieces of IFS Applications 9 such as the data models, the design models the business logic and the user interface which could be a potentially massive incentive for those companies looking to opt for a system which is set to grow with them.

 

The other big enhancement that could be a real game-changer for both IFS and ERP providers in general is the inclusion of an embedded CRM. As data becomes more and more important in field service both in terms of capturing it, interpreting it and most importantly removing barriers to accessing that data for those who need it is critical.

With the inclusion of Embedded CRM within IFS Applications 9 essentially users can now have an enterprise application that combines ERP and CRM into a single package so now the barrier of using a CRM as a separate application with it’s own separate database is removed.

However, whilst each of these components of the new release are important, it was undoubtedly the Lobby function that had caused the most excitement with the conversations in the coffee break clearly being centred around this new innovation, with a number of attendees clearly keen to get a hands on experience with it in the later sessions.

Playing with the Big Boys…

I mentioned at the beginning of this feature that this was the year that perhaps IFS have truly emerged as a major global player. And whilst IFS Applications 9 is truly an impressive step forward for the company, it was just element of the announcements revealed at the conference that led me to this conclusion.

Another significant factor is the announcements of a number of key strategic partnerships that signify just how far IFS have progressed in recent years and how important a player they may set to become in the various verticals they operate within.

The event itself saw a number of these partners including the likes of Oracle and Intel showcasing how they are working with IFS in the innovation and networking area.

However, there were two top tier partnerships that really caught the eye. The first of these was a co-operation agreement wit Accenture that was announced the day before the conference, which will see the two companies, strengthen there existing partnership with training and certification of over 100 consultants through the IFS Academy.

With IFS and Accenture jointly pursuing sales and delivery opportunities the core of the agreement will focus on growing IFS’s licence sales together with Accenture’s implementation and application management services. Such an approach could be key in opening up a path to top tier, blue chip organisations for IFS who have traditionally be more focussed on the mid-level sector.

Whilst this five year partnership may well prove significant for IFS, it was the other ‘diamond level’ partnership that was announced that is of likely interest to their customers both past and present.

That partnership was with Microsoft.

As a result of this high level collaboration IFS announced during the conference the global availability of IFS Applications as a fully managed service on Microsoft Azure, which could provide a much more flexible and cost effective way to take advantage of the IFS suite of solutions.

 

Optimised for IFS Applications versions 8 and 9, IFS Managed Cloud is a security-enhanced single-tenant cloud within the world-class Azure environment. Customers can decide how and when changes are made to IFS Applications, specify maintenance and upgrades to suit their business needs.

“Not everybody wants to go about the cloud in the same way” began Dan Matthews, Chief Technology Officer IFS as he made the announcement. “Some of you may see it as a virtual data centre, others may be working with a partner who are moving multiple assets to the cloud. Some of you may want the vendor to take care of everything for you”

It is to those in the last categories that IFS Managed Cloud is aimed at.

“IFS Managed Cloud marks a major milestone in our company’s history as it offers our customers a new set of options for deploying, running, and using our solutions,” Matthews commented in the accompanying press statement to the launch.

“We have designed IFS Managed Cloud to provide flexibility, improved security, and reliability at a level that would be very expensive to achieve in any on-premise installation. Coupled with the layered application architecture of IFS Applications 9 and the ability to utilize Azure’s global network of data centres, we are offering a truly future-proof cloud solution that reduces complexity, risk, and cost.”

So what about Field Service?

Of course whilst understanding the bigger picture is important, for those with field service operations the burning question is what have you improved for my team and me. In fact there were a number of major updates that were announced during the conference that related specifically to their IFS Enterprise Service Management (ESM)suite of products, which comprise of IFS Service Management, IFS Field Service Management and IFS Mobile Workforce Management.

In fact Cindy Jaudon, North American President for IFS went as far as defining IFS ESM as the most “comprehensive suite of service management solutions available.”

So what has been added?

For a start the latest iteration of IFS Field Service Management (version 5.6.2) includes a number of enhancements including running natively on Microsoft Azure which as well as being a robust and proven platform of allows customers to dynamically scale system resources based on actual usage.

There has also been a large focus on added mobility tools with some really nice enhancements including an automatic calculation of ETA using GPS data and the long awaited ability to record videos with the system. However, here it is perhaps the under the hood tweaks that were most impressive with initial tests showing that the new update is delivering 92% decrease in sync times and a 500% increase in maximum file sizes.

 

Notifications have had an overhaul too with the Android version now support the Android notification bar (a key missing feature for many Android users) and alongside the ability to accept or reject a job assignment directly from notifications just makes the user experience that much more streamlined than before. We also see the notifications system having a wearable option for the first time as well with integration with Samsung and other Android watches.

There is also the introduction of what promises to be an excellent automated knowledge management solution, which will make recommendations of which solutions are appropriate for a job as information is being entered by customer service staff or customers.

The system considers user rankings and actual usage. Additionally, solutions include attachments (FAQs, product manuals, etc.), service notes and sync with the mobile devices; efficiently extending knowledge management from call centre to field service.

In both IFS Field Service Management and IFS Mobile Management there is a focus on scheduling and IFS Mobile Workforce now features support for a number of increasingly complex scheduling problems including being able to now even cater for jobs that have different start and finish areas.

Alongside this there is increased support for dispatchers including simplified visualisation of the schedule, and manual, semi automated and dynamic scheduling options.

For management there is then the excellent inclusion of target-based scheduling which gives them the ability to set business-goals and KPIs within the system that automatically impact on the way the scheduling system allocates work whilst at the same time it can consistently monitor actual performance versus business targets such as SLAs and first time fix rates etc.

IFS Mobile Workforce Management also now incorporates an Advanced Resource Planning tool, which supports the manning requirements of more challenging and complex operations such as Oil Rigs, Ships, high-tech machinery and so forth.

Finally IFS Service Management boasts the same love and attention to it’s UI that has been seen across the whole of IFS Applications 9, plus improved remote warehouse capabilities, and again a focus on both scheduling and mobile.

Milestones

As I mentioned in the beginning, the IFS World Conference from the very start had a sense of celebration and pride about it all underscored with a deep lying confidence.

The technology showcased across the three days was undoubtedly impressive and at the forefront of the various industries it is designed for. And as we’ve touched on here through some strong strategic partnerships IFS may well soon find themselves playing in a bigger pond and attracting even bigger fish.

Another announcement made at the conference is that IFS have now got 1 million users on board.

 

It’s a big milestone but one that is all the more impressive if look back at their history and see that it took, 21 years to reach the 500,00 mark. A further 8 years to grow that figure to 750,000 and just a further 2 years to grow there user base by a quarter of a million users to hit the big seven figure milestone.

One thing is sure; IFS’s growth is now gaining some serious traction. They’ve got a product that can deliver and are rubbing shoulders with some very powerful friends.

Now wonder they’re feeling confident. The question is now just how big can they become? How long before we are talking about the next milestone? And just what will that Milestone be?

 

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Garmin International has recently announced nüviCam, the first portable navigation device (PND) to feature a built-in dash cam and advanced alerts to enhance driver awareness on the road.

Thanks to the integrated dash cam that continuously records and automatically saves files on impact, the nüviCam offers the protection of having an eyewitness that records exactly where and when events occurred.

One of the most comprehensive sat navs to ever hit the roads, the nüviCam offers the latest in premium driver-assist features typically found only in luxury vehicles.

For example, Forward Collision Warning alerts drivers if they’re driving too close to the car ahead; Lane Departure Warning2 alerts will appear and sound if the driver drifts off the road or into oncoming traffic; and Garmin Real Vision™ takes the guess work out of deciphering hard-to-see house numbers by displaying the camera view along with a bright arrow to direct drivers where to go when approaching select destinations.

“The nüviCam goes beyond helping drivers get from Point A to Point B,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin Vice President of worldwide sales. “The intuitive driver-assist features not only lessen the stress of getting you to your destination, but the nüviCam also provides peace of mind in knowing that your commute is being recorded and can be referenced should you need it.”

 

The nüviCam features a 6-inch pinch-to-zoom glass display with a high-definition dash cam built in to the back of the device. When powered on, the integrated dash cam continuously records on the included microSD card, and if an incident occurs, the device’s Incident Detection will automatically save files on impact. GPS records exactly where and when events occur and drivers can play back the video on the device or from a computer using garmin.com/dashcamplayer.

There’s also a Snapshot feature on the nüviCam that allows drivers to capture still images in or outside of the vehicle if desired. The included magnetic mount enables the device to be easily and quickly secured or removed from the vehicle.

Other navigation features offered with safety and convenience in mind include voice-activated navigation that allows drivers to speak commands to the device while their hands stay safely on the wheel, and Bluetooth wireless technology for hands-free calling (requires Bluetooth-enabled smartphone sold separately). Smartphone Link, a free mobile app that connects nüviCam with a compatible iPhone or Android™ smartphone, can also provide real-time data services3, such as weather or safety cameras to the sat nav. Drivers can even pair the nüviCam with the Garmin BC™ 30 Wireless Backup Camera (sold separately) to see what’s behind their vehicle when they reverse.

To make sure drivers never miss a turn, the nüviCam utilises Active Lane Guidance, which uses a combination of voice prompts and visual cues to prepare users to drive through an exit or interchange with confidence. “Up Ahead” appears alongside the driving map and constantly informs of nearby services, including restaurants, fuel stations and rest areas, and spoken Garmin Real Directions™ guides drivers like a friend would, using recognisable landmarks, buildings and traffic lights.

Additional features included are speed limit warnings, school zone warnings, PhotoReal Junction View, Bird’s Eye Junction View and preloaded Foursquare® data that adds millions of new and popular points of interest like restaurants, shops and more.

The nüviCam comes preloaded with detailed maps of Europe and free lifetime map4 updates are included to ensure the most up-to-date maps, points of interest and navigation information is available. This sat nav also features Garmin Digital Traffic via DAB, the best and fastest traffic solution available from Garmin, for the life of the device.

 

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Whilst telematics is now a well established part of field service operations, connected devices will open the way for even greater efficiency gains. With the TomTom .connect conference just around the corner just around set to bring together the IT and developer community together to further improve the efficiency of connected vehicles TomTom Telematics George De Boer outlines how connected vehicles are changing the face of field service... 

The face of field service is changing more rapidly than ever before. Technological innovations are constantly expanding the boundaries for what is possible and connectivity, in particular, is predicted to sit at the heart of this bold new generation.

Effective use of software and hardware has long been key to delivering top-class field service but developments are now occurring at breakneck speed and the quickest adopters will gain a head-start on the competition.

Telematics itself is nothing new in the field service industry. It has long been crucial for providing visibility into the activities of mobile workers, delivering data on everything from time on site and job completion to driving performance. But connectivity and the open platform will transform its use, allowing companies to easily overcome the physical distance between a mobile worker and the office with an increased number of automated, paperless processes.

 

Data from a range of sources, including routing and scheduling, CRM and mobile hardware, can be brought together on one platform to improve efficiency and increase the sharing of intelligence across different departments.

The power of the API

A number of big players in business technology, such as Salesforce and Mendix, have long operated an open platform approach. This basically means software developers are provided unhindered access to their platform for the purpose of developing scalable integrations and applications that add extra functionality to the core system.

As a result, technological platforms can be tailored to suit a multitude of purposes and offer specific solutions for a variety of different industries.

At this year’s Service Management Expo, TomTom Telematics will showcase its own three APIs that allow developers to create solutions that bring together data from different sources.

 

The WEBFLEET.connect API allows office software - such as routing and scheduling optimisation, ERP, transport management system (TMS), supply chain planning, and asset

management - to integrate with the WEBFLEET fleet management platform.

LINK.connect allows mobile hardware - including barcode scanners, printers or temperature sensors - to integrate with the in-vehicle LINK telematics device via Bluetooth, while PRO.connect allows the creation of mobile apps for use by drivers on the tablet-style PRO driver terminal.

Efficiency through apps

The outcome for field service organisations is greater efficiency in workflow processes, improved control over mobile workers and less reliance on paper for the recording of data.

To provide an example of how that happens in the field, workers can be given access to a single app on a centrally-controlled, tablet-style device that allows them to complete a number of daily tasks.

At the start of each day or week, vehicle checks can be made via the device, with the results instantly updated in the back office to ensure maintenance schedules are up to date and Duty of Care responsibilities strictly enforced.

Once checks have been completed, daily workflow is loaded onto the device and navigation provided to each destination along the worker’s route. Using live traffic data, the fleet management software can generate accurate ETAs for each journey, with automatic alerts sent to customers via text or email to advise them of arrival time.

On arrival, the worker can submit proof of delivery using the app’s signature capture functionality or by scanning with the device’s in-built camera or NFC chip. Once jobs are completed, status is updated in the back-office system, along with daily mileage records and worker hours, eliminating the need for laborious record-keeping processes.

Revolutionary processes right out of the box

One of the most important things about the recent growth of open platform technology is that companies do not need to invest large sums in IT consultancy to benefit from the latest advancements.

Development projects no longer need to be undertaken on a case-by-case basis. Once a developer or integrator has used an API to create an app, this can be made available to all customers out of the box. TomTom Telematics, for example, has more than 330 technology partners and lists all available applications in its App Centre.

In the field service sphere, these include integrations with Brother and Zebra mobile printers and route planning and scheduling software, such as Ortec and PTV Smartour.

 

The latter integrations can deliver significant gains in customer service, allowing companies to develop a new model of dynamic planning that changes according to the situation out on the roads.

Existing routing and scheduling software can take advantage of real-time traffic information, historic journey times and up-to-date ETAs from the telematics system to ensure schedules are immediately altered to take account of any delays in previous jobs or out on the road. Similarly, the future of field service is constantly changing but firms have the tools at their disposal to meet increasing customer service demands and tackle an uncertain economic landscape by striving for greater efficiency.

 

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IT professional or Developer? Join TomTom Telematics and Field Service News at the .connect developer conference in Amsterdam June 9th

 

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Service Professional? Join TomTom Telematics and Field Service News at the Service Management Expo June 16 to 18

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In our recent webinar run in partnership with ServiceMax, we explored two of the biggest topics in field service in 2015.

Firstly Nick Frank, Principal of Frank Partners explored how field service companies can harness the potential of IoT.

Whilst many of us may have heard the examples of the likes of Rolls Royce, General Electric or Alstom being held up as key case studies of how IoT can improve the way field service operates, Frank was able to bring us some really interesting examples of smaller companies harnessing the technology to improve their workflow busting the myth that such an approach is the sole domain of the blue chip international companies.

Our second speaker, Patrice Eberline, Vice President of Global Customer Transformation for ServiceMax looked at perhaps the greatest challenge field service companies have faced in decades. The threat of an ageing workforce.

However, as Eberline explained whilst there is undoubtedly a potential crisis looming, there is also an excellent opportunity. Whilst the baby boomer generation is preparing to walk out of the door, ma new generation, the millennials, are potentially a perfect fit for field service. In her presentation Eberline outlined exactly what traits millennials have that makes them so suitable for field service and what we need to do attract them to work for our companies and to field service in general.

 

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Click here to download the webinar now!

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New and extended business modules for customer experience management software include configurable self-help portals, enhanced field service technician mobility applications, real-time integration with Microsoft Dynamics AX, and dynamic field scheduling with optimisation 

Vertical Solutions, Inc. (VSI), the developer of customer experience management software solutions,announces new business modules for field service solution VServiceManagement™.

Modules include self-service supply chain portals, a multi device field technician app that includes Android and iOS apps for field service management, a routing and scheduling optimiser, and a robust Microsoft Dynamics AX API. These modules are integrated in the cloud version of the field service management software, and also are available for on-premise installations.

• MyServicePortal™ enables external partners and customers across the service supply chain to schedule, monitor, and manage their service experience via a secure, online portal. This self-help portal experience offers real-time configurable dashboards, appointment scheduling, service history, and parts orders. All service-related information is available via any device, at any time.  
• FieldCom™ is a highly configurable online/offline mobility application for field service organisations. Field technicians can access current assignments, view inventory levels, access knowledge articles, create parts orders, view their KPIs, and more while posting their labor, parts, and expenses. Additional functions such as signature capture, payment processing, and bar code scanning are also now available. Featuring online and offline capability, FieldCom supports iOS, Android, and Windows-based smartphones, tablets, and notebook devices.
• VSchedulerTMdelivers dynamic optimised field scheduling, mapping, and routing. Field technician scheduling can incorporate skills, service level agreements (SLAs), travel times, inventory availability, shift patterns, and more. When variables change, VScheduler suggests the most efficient and cost-effective route and schedule for each field tech, with auto-updating when variables change. Further, integration with leading GPS/telematics providers allows for geo-fencing and automated alerts throughout the scheduling process, enabling a pleasant (or satisfying)  customer experience.
• VSM-Connector™ offers real-time integration with Microsoft Dynamics AX, using direct web services. The Certified for Microsoft Dynamics (CfMD) integration enables companies to benefit from the native business logic and workflows of each system, yet share all service information that has financial implications – including entitlements, incurred costs, inventory, and invoicing – in real time.

 

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The Scottish Ambulance Service has signed a deal with leading ICT supplier Terrafix to use Getac’s T800 fully rugged thin and light Windows 8.1 tablets within its fleet of emergency vehicles.

Under the framework contract, Terrafix will supply 1,200 of the 8.1” Windows tablets from Getac, the global designer and manufacturer of rugged mobile technology.

Each ambulance will be equipped with two tablets - one for use in the front of the vehicle for mobilisation and routing, and the other positioned in the rear of the vehicle, but remaining portable to be used as a method of recording Electronic Patient Report Forms. Paramedics benefit from high-speed processing power and an 8.1” display for accessing critical patient information, while also providing full ruggedisation designed for critical field performance, ensuring focus on patient care.

The device complements the Terrafix Aggregator (T.AGG), a vehicle-based communications management hub with integrated GPS that streams data to the T800 tablets. The complete system is the first step in Scottish Ambulance Service’s Telehealth programme and their strategic framework, Towards 2020: Taking Care to the Patient.

Liam Coughlan, Programme Manager, Scottish Ambulance Service, says: “We needed a device that could survive every environmental condition, because device failure can be the difference between life and death. With the Getac T800, we have a device that can handle drops, shocks and performs in all weathers, while still being extremely portable and easy to use. It gives us reliability and therefore, peace of mind.”

 

The T800's 8.1” screen allows patient data to be read even in direct sunlight and new information to be entered easily thanks to Getac’s proprietary Lumibond® screen technology. With ruggedisation to military standards (MIL-STD-810G) the T800 can survive a drop of 6 feet and with an ingress protection rating of IP65 and operating temperatures between -21°C to 50°C, the T800 is designed for all weather.

Running Windows 8.1, the T800 incorporates BitLocker disk encryption which provides government-level data security.

The T800 incorporates the latest communication interface technology for unparalleled connectivity. The unit plugged into the docking station makes use of the ambulance’s in-built connectivity, while the mobile field-use terminal can connect to data networks via 4G, Bluetooth and 802.11ac WiFi. Weighing just 880g, the T800 is one of the thinnest and lightest devices of its class, making it perfect for both portable and fixed use.

Chris Green, Terrafix Managing Director, says: “Utilising the Getac T800 alongside the Terrafix T.AGG provided us with the opportunity to put forward a bid-winning system. The Scottish Ambulance Service’s vision of mobile consultation, coupled with reducing the need to travel to receive healthcare, can now start to become a reality. The Getac T800’s reliability and extended support proved the best choice for this mission-critical system.”

 

Peter Molyneux, President, Getac UK, says: “The T800, with its unparalleled connectivity, ruggedisation and portability, fits perfectly into the Terrafix solution. We are very pleased our hardware can perform a critical role in the complete technology solution, which is helping Scottish Ambulance Service to protect life and health for people across Scotland.”

The first tablets will be rolled out to the ambulance fleet this summer, giving Scottish Ambulance Service a complete tablet and resilient communication solution that will provide a leading patient care service.

 

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Despite 86% of fleets experiencing collisions in the past 12-months, an alarming number of drivers are still driving without consideration for their safety...

One in six (16%) business drivers feel invincible when driving, claiming that they never consider their safety to be at risk, according to research from Masternaut, a pan-European provider of fleet telematics solutions.

Van and LCV drivers are the least likely to feel invincible, with only 10% saying that they don’t consider their safety while driving. This contrasts to 26% of public transport drivers, who feel invincible on the road at all times. 17% of business fleet car drivers and HGV and lorry drivers never think about their personal safety on the road.

In contrast, 15% of business drivers said that they feel vulnerable all of the time when they are on the road. HGV and lorry drivers feel the most unsafe, with 21% of drivers feeling vulnerable all of the time when they are driving.

 

As part of a focus on helping fleets improve safety on the road, Masternaut surveyed 2,000 UK employees that drive as part of their job to highlight the progress in road safety education and the work that is still required for further improvement.

Steve Towe, Chief Commercial Officer and UK Managing Director, commented, “Our research shows that a high percentage of business drivers don’t consider their safety to be at risk - despite driving being amongst the most dangerous profession. Research from The Institute of Advanced Motorists’ Drive & Survive shows that 86% of fleets have experienced an accident in the past 12 months, so it’s alarming to see so many drivers still not considering their safety when driving.”

Motorways were cited as the most unsafe type of road to drive on with 27% of drivers concerned about their safety. This is despite just 3.9% of all 2013 UK road accidents* taking place on motorways, showing that motorways are comparatively the safest type of road to drive on.

Drivers also felt unsafe on rural roads, with a quarter (25%) saying they feel vulnerable. This rises to 42% amongst HGV and lorry drivers and 36% of LCV and van drivers.

“The tools and technology exist to help educate drivers on safe driving practises, which can be driven by the intelligent application of telematics,” continues Towe. “Telematics has broader social benefits that it can offer to protect our drivers, not just in terms of notifying us of a collision, but in preventive and proactive driver-centric applications designed to improve behaviour”.

Driver training programmes should be one of the critical tools for fleets to ensure that their drivers feel safe when driving and most importantly, avoid causing unnecessary risks to other road users. We, as an industry, are great at articulating fuel savings but we also want to see the debate widen to include safety. We believe we can do so much more” added Towe.

 

Telematics technology from Masternaut has evolved so that driver centric training programmes using data and insight from an intelligent telematics system can be delivered without the traditional map-based services protecting driver privacy. This in the past has been the limiting factor in the uptake of driver services, but has now been solved with Masternaut’s next generation telematics platform, Masternaut Connect.

Masternaut Connect is proven to improve driver behaviour, reducing instances of speeding and harsh braking, acceleration and cornering. UK businesses and fleet managers can easily implement a driver training programme using data and insight gained from Masternaut Connect. By collating information on driver behaviour, Connect can give an in-depth look at how businesses can improve safety and driving standards within their workforce, helping to reduce the amount of invincible and vulnerable drivers on the roads.

 

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IFS's Tom Bowe takes a look at the feeling we've all had before where the day is spinning out of control and helps identify how we can stop it with field service technologies... 

You know what I mean. It’s 8 a.m. Two field techs have called in sick, three started late and four more are in training, your dispatchers are already biting their nails, and the schedule is looking more like scrambled eggs and less like the beautifully organised chart that 30 minutes ago was going to hit 100% of your SLAs.

Perhaps you have a legacy system that just can’t keep up with demand. Perhaps you use a ‘temporary’ Band-Aid application, or a hodge-podge of Excel and other manual systems. Whatever your predicament, there is a better way.

You’ve heard it before - the right technician, at the right place and right time, with the right tools. Right? This marketing buzz only means so much. What does an optimised schedule truly mean for your business?

For one, it means the situation I described above can be addressed without daily fire-fighting and crisis management. A schedule that continually and automatically re-optimises in real-time based on changes (expected and unexpected) that happen throughout the day, eliminates human error, frazzled dispatchers, missed SLA’s and so much more. Let’s take a deeper look.

 

The end game is to deliver the best service possible balanced between lowest cost and highest profit. Pretty simple, right? No, actually that is kind of hard. There is a cost and usually a revenue side of every factor that drives your service business. If you had unlimited resources you could probably keep all your customers happy all the time, right?

If you had engineers within a few minutes’ drive of all of your customers and they all had every part that could ever be used to service the equipment they repair, you could literally achieve the ultimate goal of 100% satisfaction because these techs would be there when equipment fails, and they would always have the right part. But that’s fantasyland, not to mention super-expensive.

What you need is an intelligent system to consider all the dimensions and constraints of your service operations and evaluate them in real-time to make sure you are making the best decision to achieve target service levels.

In other words achieving a level of customer satisfaction where customers return for additional product and service purchases, while you deliver that service at the highest profit and lowest cost possible. So what kinds of dimensions and constraints are we referring to?

The dimensions of field service scheduling usually include geography, capacity, traffic, work to be performed, rules about the work to be performed, parts, people and time. These constraints, and many more, each have an impact on your operating margin.   Let’s look at some examples.

Capacity is the number of resources available to handle the workload. This can include employees, contractors or service partners and needs to address emergency jobs, appointments, installations, repairs and PM work. Capacity costs money so shift rosters are carefully planned to provide adequate coverage. But parts come into play because they need to match up with the assigned resource. And so does travel times, traffic and proficiency.

 

The work itself is defined when the job is created. It could be an urgent job that requires immediate attention, or a lower priority PM service inserted into the schedule at the last possible moment given their proximity and availability.

Maybe a technician arrived on site and could not get access to the equipment, or the repair took half the time expected. Why not recognise that you now have additional capacity and dynamically adjust the schedule to increase productivity? Perhaps you can do one more job today or you can arrive 10 minutes early to the next one, but maybe there is a penalty clause. These are all factors in making the best decision.

Rules usually define who can do a given job. Do they have the skills, certifications or even travel visas. Are they qualified, available and how much do they cost? Are they close enough, can they get the parts needed, or is someone else closer and equally qualified?

All of these decisions are balanced against time. For instance, knowing where each resource is currently located, who is on time vs. running late, how far do they have to travel to their next job, and if that made sense at 8am in the morning, does the same set of circumstances apply at 9:05am? The same can be said about the value of each service call to your business.

The customer’s happiness is not static. There is a time period within which your response is adequate and after that satisfaction dwindles or costs rise depending on the SLA. And 1 hour appointment windows are better than 2, 3 or 4 hours. Even better if you tell the customer the tech’s estimated time of arrival (ETA).

Today, the best enterprise service management software solutions take all of these factors, and more, into consideration when providing an optimised end-to-end service delivery schedule. Optimised scheduling, as part of an intelligent mobile workforce management solution, means complete field visibility, on-time every time, anywhere.

It means less human error and better efficiency. It gives you back the control you might think you’ve lost…so you can get that cup of coffee at 8:15am instead of having to manage another blow-up crisis.

 

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