AUTHOR ARCHIVES: Sharon Clancy

Service Management Expo 2015 saw a number of excellent debates including a panel discussion that focused on the challenge of replacing an ageing workforce. As the millenials take over the work place, moderator Kris Oldand asked the panel just what will the changing face of field service look like?

The challenge for service companies was not so much the age of their current workforce but the aptitude and willingness to learn new skills, said Andy Beer, European Service director, Pitney Bowes. "As technology changes, the engineer's role may change from being field-based to carrying out remote diagnosis on a Help Desk. Regardless, they still need an underlying skill set and it's important those skills sets are up-to-date. Do they have the aptitude to learn and adapt?"

In field service, solutions are knowledge-based, pointed out Susannah Richardson, Marketing Director at mplsystems. "What is important is to get that knowledge documented - and your ageing, very experienced workforce can often be the best source for that. See it as an opportunity to get that valuable knowledge out of one engineer’s head and into the wider workforce. Once you've secured that knowledge, your service levels won’t drop if key staff leave or retire."

Formal, documented knowledge can also improve customer service, she added. "Once available, it can be used by the Help Desk engineers for remote diagnostics and repair, or even to guide customers on fixing problems themselves via a help area on your own website."

It is important that during the process of documenting knowledge, experienced engineers do not feel threatened, said Beer. "The solution is to show them you appreciate that knowledge and involve them in the process - such as sending them the final document for approval."

How important is technology in attracting tomorrow's engineers?

The consensus on the panel was that technology would play a key role in attracting the Millennials who will be the next generation of field service workers. As Professor Howard Lightfoot of Cranfield University School of Management said: "Young people don't think about technology, they just use it. They access everything digitally, including training and education."

 

Service companies need to remember that Millennials would also form a large part of their customer based in future said Lightfoot. "They'll expect a different sort of service and engineers will need training in soft skills. Managing clients and client behaviour, coping with complaints on a face-to-face basis will become an important part of the skill set."

A service sector that used modern technology would help attract the next generation and get buy-in from existing engineers when work processes were changing. "Giving engineers an iPad to work with wins hearts and minds," said Beer. "We found giving them permission to use the device in their personal lives made them excited and got them thoroughly engaged in the changes we were making in the business."

The sharing generation

Service companies could also benefit if they grasped the fact that the millennial generation, whether customers or engineers, are used to social media and sharing of information, remarked Richardson. "In the workplace, millennials will want to be part of a social community that shares information, interacts and is collaborative.  This generation are more likely to communicate via Instant Messaging than make a voice call. Millennial customers wouldn't be phased by requesting a service via an app, not via a call to the help desk. "

It might also drive earlier resolution of a problem, she added. "Technology enables a three-way web chat, for example, with the customer calling the help desk who then brings in a field-based engineer to discuss the problem."

Trusted advisor or sales person?

The panel was asked whether a new generation of engineers would be less resistant than older workers to the idea of leveraging their position as “trusted advisor” to become a “trusted sales advisor". All were adamant that while this might be appealing for service companies, there were also inherent risks.

"There is potentially a lot to be gained, but if the field engineer starts to act in a more overt sales fashion, there is also the risk of losing that trusted advisor status with the customer," commented Beer. "Field engineers see themselves as trusted advisers and fixers. Many will resist the ideal of becoming sales representatives and customers, indeed, can see through overt sales tactics. "

Richardson however, thought some engineers would welcome a sales/upselling role. "Incentivising engineers for sales rewards them monetarily, but can also be attractive from a career development point of view."

Technology for training

"Skills training needs to accept that there is a wide spectrum of workers, from those who are scared of a mouse to those comfortable with a smartphone,” remarked Professor Lightfoot. "Training is no longer just talking to people, it’s more interactive these days,” he added.

 

Baby steps and the gamification concept was the way forward, thought the panel with Dan Lancaster, Field Service Specialist with Telogis, advising "Set questions in a dynamic format. The process can be heavy at the start but you soon reach the point where you can get them to filling in questionnaires to test their skills levels."

Ageing workforce: crisis or opportunity?

Having already identified the need to interact with Millennial workers, each of the panel members were asked whether they considered if an ageing workforce represented a crisis (all that knowledge disappearing from the company) or an opportunity (with all those young people with a new outlook, enthusiastic about embracing the technology) that is going to be essential for service delivery over the next couple of decades.

"There are over 1 billion mobile devices out there: your workforce will be using them anyway, so tap into that mindset," urged Lightfoot.

"Technology is delivering the opportunity to document a vast amount of knowledge and get it out there to the wider workforce and customers," pointed out Richardson.

Finally, Lancaster added: "Younger people expect to be engaged in what they are doing, at work or play. So engage them. It's a fantastic opportunity to look at your operation in a different way."

So, in conclusion, our panel unanimously agreed that any potential crisis in terms of loss of expertise as older workers retired could be overcome and that service companies should explore the different aptitudes and mindset of a younger generation to drive process change and transform customer service strategies.

The face of field service is changing, but as with anything change can be both frightening and exciting at the same time. The trick is to walk the line in the middle so you are prepared for the pitfalls and ready to embrace the opportunities. Is your company up to the challenge?

 

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The installed base of wireless M2M devices in the oil & gas industry will reach 1.25 million by 2019 according to latest report from analysts Berg Insight:  M2M Applications in the Oil and Gas Industry

The number of devices featuring cellular or satellite connectivity deployed in oil & gas applications worldwide was 0.5 million at the end of 2014, says Berg, and  is growing at a compound annual growth rate of 20.1 percent and expected to reach 1.25 million units by 2019.  Of these, 0.99 million are predicted to be cellular units, with the remainder satellite based.

The oil and gas industry is characterised by remote and inaccessible facilities where wireless communication in many cases is he only viable option for transferring M2M data. Pipeline monitoring and tank monitoring are the top two M2M applications in the midstream and downstream segments, reports Berg, while on-shore well field equipment is the most common wireless application in the oil and gas upstream segment.

Wireless M2M solutions have become increasingly popular in oil and gas applications in the past few years. The main drivers for adoption are safety and environmental concerns, regulatory compliance and demand for improved operational efficiency.

“In 2014, M2M solutions in the oil and gas market experienced very healthy growth levels before slowing down at the end of the year when oil prices reached half of previous levels”, said Johan Svanberg, Senior Analyst, Berg Insight. North America is the leading region for wireless M2M in oil & gas and energy producers in the region were particularly affected by the price drops which resulted in halted investments. This change in the market has however led to an increased focus on cost savings and efficiency. He adds that new technology and solutions with a demonstrated high ROI are prioritised, especially when combined with Solution-as-a-Service business models which minimise the initial investment. Automation, remote control and monitoring are extra important in order to make it cost effective to extract, transport and distribute unconventional resources such as shale gas and tight oil.

Sierra Wireless, Digi International, Orbcomm and Numerex are major M2M players that deliver solutions to a wide range of industries including oil & gas.

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Facility management and construction specialists, Oakley Industrial Services, reports  improved vehicle utilisation and more accurate job scheduling since fitting the routeMASTER tracking system from AGM Telematics.

“We started with the system about a year ago with the aim of improving the way we allocate vehicles to particular assignments," says director Natalie Clarke. "Previously we would spend quite a lot of time trying to locate drivers and would have to calculate when they could get to the next job.”

Now, Natalie and the team can monitor each vehicle’s movements in real time from the moment they switch the engine on until the end of the day.

“We have the ability to switch vehicles from job to job with no uncertainty regarding the optimum route to take. We can also keep tabs on individual driving history and always know how long each driver has been behind the wheel. “

This, according to Natalie, helps to maintain cost effective journey plans, reduce time wastage and save fuel. Furthermore, the traffic office can provide customers with accurate and instant ETA information at any time.

“For every project” concludes Natalie Clarke, “we provide detailed risk and method statements along with safety planning and security provision. Accuracy and safety lies at the heart of what we do and it makes good sense to bring our fleet control in line with general policy. Certainly, the routeMASTER system provides a number of benefits in this regard and it fits well with our overall approach of supplying a reliable and efficient backup service in the field.”

Oakley Industrial Services is based in the Midlands and provides a nationwide service which covers all aspects of facility management including roof maintenance and gulley clearing, fall protection, drain jetting, general façade maintenance and wall cladding.

 

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For some time, it seems everywhere you look, companies in or close to the field service software sector are on the acquisition trail. Microsoft's acquisition of field service software company Field One in June was followed in July by the sale of ClickSoftware Technologies to a private investment group, preceded by Oracle’s acquisition of TOA in 2014.

Why the scramble to acquire field service expertise? Well, there seem to be a number of drivers for this round of vendor consolidation, including a seismic shift in the corporate mindset that is seeing service operations transformed from cost centres where the focus is on greater internal efficiencies to one where the KPIs are all about delivering top-in-class customer experience to grow recurring revenue streams. Field service is no longer a silo, but an important cog in the growth of next-generation customer-focused business processes.

Another driver is the relentless advance of cloud computing and cloud platforms for both traditional business activities and mobile operations. The cloud is a great enabler of real-time communications with field workers. Currently, acceptance may be more advanced in North America, but European service organisations are catching up. Service, after all, is now a global business, and Cloud platforms can deliver much of the technology required to lift customer service to that higher level.

Finally, as their existing customer base matures, the large ERP vendors are seeking new revenue opportunities. “Larger ERP vendors are waking up to the vast potential of the global field service market. There are over 20 million field engineers deployed worldwide - that's a significant market opportunity,” points out Neil Lewis, EMEA Sales Consulting Director, ServiceMax.

 

Lewis likens consolidation in the field service marketplace to a few years ago when ERP vendors acquired companies with expertise in marketing and social media. "Now they are looking for companies with expertise in field service.”

For Rue Dilhe, Managing Director of Exel Computer Systems, consolidation in field service is inevitable. “There are restricted  opportunities for the large ERP vendors to sell new systems in manufacturing. The maturing market has already led to consolidation among ERP vendors. Those that are left are now looking at integrating field service into their systems, a process Exel's development team achieved back in 2008. ”

Neither of these field service specialists view the entry of the large ERP vendors into field service as a threat, more of a recognition that the sector is both maturing and set for a period of high growth. Both are also confident that their experience and understanding of service organisations' processes and requirements and ability to offer end-to-end solutions is what matters to their customers.

Integration issues

For service operations to be a revenue earner requires easy integration between systems, points out Dilhe. “Having been in business for 30 years, first in ERP then in field service, at Exel we know how important integration of processes and the latest technology is if our customers are going to deliver the best possible service to their customers.”

Companies which have a manufacturing division and a service arm want them to work together in future, acknowledges Dilhe. “However, while the need for removal of data silos and real-time connection with field workers are driving demand for greater integration between ERP and field service systems, it is not necessarily as straightforward as might first appear for those vendors looking to integrate products through consolidation."

For Exel, ERP and field service can be provided as a truly "fully integrated" single solution as both have been developed together in-house," he points out. "Those looking to integrated two previously disparate solutions will certainly have their work cut out for them. It’s one reason some companies have run field service software outside of their ERP system, he points out. “Updating and integrating field service software into ERP may not be easy, and implementing on-premise ERP into a mobile field service environment can also be a fraught process. You have to a clear understanding of processes, data flows and so on.”

While large ERP vendors do have some mobility solutions, they may not have a solution that meets the demands of field service organisations or one that can be deployed on a global scale,” says Lewis. “Some will build mobility platforms on ERP software. However this may not deliver the end-to-end solution offered by vendors such as ServiceMax, a pure play company focused on cloud-based, end-to-end field service management solutions since 2007."

 

"Large vendors have to manage multiple products and technical stacks,” points out Lewis, which may make them slower to respond to changing customer requirements, new technical developments and changing business landscapes and demands.

What next

The latest consolidation is the acquisition by Microsoft of FieldOne. Some field service companies will already be familiar with Microsoft Dynamics CRM, but until now it has had little integrated field service support: software has had to be acquired from a Microsoft software partner, one of which was Field One.

Analysts at Gartner believe the deal as a shrewd acquisition choice, and will add add a strong set of integrated field service capabilities to Dynamics CRM, including work order management, scheduling and contract management. FieldOne’s Sky solution is already built on the Dynamics platform, it points out, easing potential integration issues.

Concerns flagged up by Gartner include whether Microsoft will continue to support multiple device OS including Android and iOS and potential channel conflict with independent field service software vendors who are already in the Microsoft ecosystem.

For Oracle, the appeal of its acquisition of TOA Technologies, the US-based provider of cloud-based field service solutions, would seem to be that it  expands the ability to provide end-to-end customer service solutions into field service operations, providing visibility throughout the customer relationship lifecycle. TOA's field service suite has been incorporated in the Oracle’s Service Cloud online platform.

The future for ClickSoftware  is also seen as part of a larger business suite, following  its acquisition by Francisco Partners Management in July when it became a private company. Gartner believes that once is cloud platform is fully developed, ClickSoftware will be sold on  to a company with a business application suite with weaknesses in field service management.  "The business application suite vendor that ends up without a leading field service optimization capability will be the eventual loser in this scenario, as it will need to buy a second-tier product or develop its own."

 

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Workwave, the US-based provider of cloud-based solutions for businesses with mobile workforces,  reports revenues up 55% and adds 900 new customers. 

WorkWave, the US-based provider of cloud-based field service management and last-mile fleet management software solutions has announced it added over 900 new customers in the first half of 2015, grew recurring revenue by 55% and increased staff by nearly 30%.

The company, founded in 1984,  was best known as Marathon Data Systems until it underwent a corporate rebranding in June 2015 coinciding with its  acquisition of telematics company Foxtrax. Workwave has made significant investment in its field service management platform to improve the level of connectivity and visibility its customers have inside their office and in the expansion of its mobile workforce platform. This now includes proprietary mobile apps and route planning and optimisation technology, to provide the same visibility and connectivity for field service operations.   The tightly integrated, mobile-first,  suite of software solutions includes WorkWave Service, WorkWave Fleet, WorkWave GPS, PestPac, together with marketing and sales automation  solutions.

“Demand for WorkWave’s field service management and fleet management software solutions continues to grow among both small businesses and enterprise customers, as they increasingly realise that efficiencies from the cloud continue to make their options more affordable and effective,” said Chris Sullens, CEO of WorkWave. “WorkWave helps clients large and small operate more efficiently and profitably, and our combination of deep industry expertise in multiple service and delivery verticals and flexible cloud-based solutions enables us to quickly scale to support this continued year-over-year growth.”

 

WorkWave is off to a strong start in 2015, fuelled by growth in its core vertical of pest control and rapid adoption of its integrated routing, GPS and lead generation offerings across its target industry segments. Key customer wins US Coachways, Friendly’s Ice Cream, Fort Point Beer Co., Hoskins Pest Control, Budget Pest Control, Molly Maid, City of Houston and Spring-Green. Staff numbers increased from 144 employees to over 180 during the first half of 2015 and are expected to reach 200 by the end of 2015.

WorkWave and CEO Chris Sullens were also named a winner in the 2015 Globee Fastest Growing Private Companies Awards which recognise company growth and success in privately-held organisations from around the world.

 

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Texas is home to two of the biggest names in rugged computing and earlier this year they came together when Xplore Technologies acquired Motion Computing. It's good news for field service companies, says Ian Davies, Country Manager, Northern Europe, for Motion, in this interview with  Field Service News Editor, Sharon Clancy.

SC: Where do the two product ranges sit in the rugged PC sector?
ID: Both companies sit at the top of the rugged PC sector. Xplore is the number one vendor in the ultra-rugged PC sector, while Motion claims second place in the rugged tablet space. Motion has a more mature and stronger presence outside the USA, with 50% of sales to European customers. The majority of Xplore's customers (80%) are in North America.

This give us plenty of opportunity to grow our customer base. The Motion brand will be retained, with the product being called Motion by Xplore.  Xplore has said it sees the acquisition of Motion as consistent with its goal to establish the best and broadest line of rugged tablets for the enterprise market and a one-stop shop for rugged devices.

As part of Xplore Technologies, Motion is in a stronger, more secure position financially.

SC: Will there be any rationalisation of the product ranges?
ID: In the long-term there might be some, but for the immediate future, no. In my working life, I've experienced several acquisitions and appreciate customers are naturally nervous about how long availability and support for existing products will continue. They have invested in devices that have a lifespan of at least five years, sometimes seven or even longer, and they're being used for mission-critical tasks. They want reassurance.

 

There's actually very little overlap in the product range because of the different sectors the two brands are focused on. Xplore is very active in large-scale deployments in sensitive sectors where security is a paramount: energy, public safety, telecoms and cables and the military. Motion has a broader customer base, active in utilities, healthcare, retail, construction and the emergency services.

There is some overlap is on the technology front, but we make no apologies for that: customers benefit from our using best-in-class components. Earlier this year, our processor supplier Intel, named Xplore as its Mobile Platform Partner of 2015.

SC: Both Xplore and Motion have adopted the indirect channel sales route. Will that continue?
ID: Yes. There should be no integration issues as far as channel partners are concerned.
Our partners have different strengths: some are hardware specialist, others are independent software vendors. What they have in common is a commitment to the customer. At this end of the market, buyers are interested ensuring tablets have the functionality for their workflows. It's why we work closely with IT departments and our channel partners: you are not just selling a piece of hardware but everything that goes with that. It will need customising for the workflow and configured for integration with back-office systems, for example.

Never underestimate the value of a great partner: our Motion Valued Partner eco system recognises the important role they play. Our partners need to be consistent and have integrity: they are our face to the customer and the first port of call for support. In return, we believe in long-term partners: we won't pull the run from under their feet and we won't change the rules down the line.

 

SC: Motion has stayed loyal to Microsoft Windows, even when the clamour for Google's Android OS was at its highest. Why was that?
ID: Continuity is important to us and our customers. We have been advocates of Windows because our enterprise customers prefer a back-office compatible OS and they want their mobile workers to be able to switch smoothly from the office and into the vehicle and field via their tablet PC, including for those advanced tasks that are proving a challenge on other mobile devices.

All Motion tablets currently ship with Windows 8 and are capable of supporting Windows 10. Windows 10 combines the best of Windows 7 and 8 and its arrival is good news for those companies who decided to skip Windows 8 and have been patiently waiting for the next incarnation.

 

However, there is now a big market for Android OS and it is on the technology roadmap for the Motion range.There is customer demand in some vertical industries with unique application and workflow needs, and we acknowledge that. Android OS gives them with greater flexibility and a wider access to more apps. Xplore's Ranger X tablet already ships with Android OS.

SC: Finally, will the trend for consumer tablets in field service impact on future sales for the group?
ID: I believe that field service companies recognise the value in enterprise-grade rugged tablets and understand Total-cost-of-ownership. There's little demand from enterprises or their workers for consumer devices. Companies understand the risks on mission-critical operations of breaking the tablet and losing data and the affect device reliability and that field workers who don't trust the device, won't use it as intended, will leave it in the vehicle, adding or retrieving data when they return, all of which has a direct affect on productivity.

One often overlooked aspect of the consumer v rugged debate is the critical role supporting peripherals accessories and additional modules play smoothing workflows.

Both Motion and Xplore understand that the ease of charging, mounting, carrying and storing tablets is key for user acceptance and that enterprises may need a variety of data capture and communications modules to maximise productivity - none of which is usually available on a consumer tablet.

 

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Warranty, claims and customer care provider Castelan Group is using scheduling software from Paragon Software Systems to centralise the planning of its UK home service operation and manage the allocation of its mobile technician team.

The Paragon software schedules service calls for Castelan’s nationwide team of mobile technicians, enabling the company to improve the customer care experience it offers on behalf of the UK’s major high street retailers.

Castelan (previously Homeserve Warranties) provides furniture and electrical warranty and care packages to more than 1.5 million households. With a team of over 80 service engineers carrying out home visits ranging from damage assessments to TV repairs and French polishing, Castelan wanted to streamline the routing and scheduling process, enhancing the overall efficiency of its technical service operations and in turn improving the company’s customer satisfaction levels.

Castelan chose Paragon’s Multi Depot system with HERE Map Content, enabling the company to plan the routes and schedules for its entire team of mobile technicians as a single planning task. With each technician treated as a “depot”, the system is able to flex the depot boundaries automatically to take into account the availability of its technicians, and provide a higher level of route planning capabilities. This results in improved efficiency in a multi depot planning environment.

“We’re very happy with the support we get from Paragon,” said Lisa Harbison, Network Deployment Coordinator, Castelan. “Paragon’s support team helps us with software upgrades and to use our solution to address new business requirements as they arise. For example, we needed to incorporate the collection of spare parts from stores prior to the service engineers’ visits into our planning process. These collections are now routed through Paragon.”

William Salter, Managing Director, Paragon Software Systems concludes “Paragon’s flexibility helps our customers create efficiencies in many different ways including fleet optimisation, cost control and reduced planning time. Paragon Multi Depot has facilitated the switch to central planning for Castelan, providing the ability to share results and incorporate changes from other sites across the operation. Not only does this reduce planning time, it also improves visibility of the service schedule and gives the planning team added flexibility, helping Castelan to distribute the workload evenly between its service engineers.”

 

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Mobile workforce solutions company Fleetmatics Group has launched Field App, the latest enhancement to its REVEAL web-based mobility platform. The Field App software is designed to keep dispatchers, managers and drivers on the same page by delivering important information directly to the driver’s mobile device and improving the experience of the mobile worker.

The app is available as a free customer download and provides mobile workers with a variety of capabilities. Customers can push routes to the field in real-time, enabling mobile workers to easily access turn-by-turn directions on their mobile device. The application also provides mobile workers with direct access to their performance metrics, allowing them to track their own progress and benchmark against the rest of their team. Using both the location of the worker’s mobile device as well as vehicle location, the Field App intelligently recommends vehicle assignment, an easy means for customers to unlock additional insight into mobile worker performance.

“Having seen the efficiencies our mobile apps have brought to fleet operators for several years now, we felt the time was right to extend these gains to the mobile workers themselves with our new Field App,” said Peter Mitchell, the Company’s Chief Technology Officer. "And because it's specifically tailored for the driver, it effectively puts the power of Fleetmatics in the pockets of those directly operating more than half a million vehicles that are globally utilising our software platform.”

The Fleetmatics REVEAL Field App is a free download from Google Play or Apple App Store.

 

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Copperberg hosted 100+ field service leaders from across Europe and cross-sectors within the manufacturing industry at its 2nd Annual Field Service Forum, which took place in June at the Sheraton Amsterdam Airport.  Thomas Igou, Editorial Director for event producer Copperberg gives us his personal overview of how the two day event took place... 

Pre-Event Workshops

The conference was preceded by two pre-event workshops that focused on core aspects of a successful Field Service business. The mobility workshop, hosted by Marc Tonen, Pre-Sales Consultancy Manager EMEA at Astea, delved into how to best integrate mobility solutions to create a mobile workforce that will enhance the value of your service offerings to your customers. As many manufacturers are planning to or are currently rolling out mobility solutions, this was an essential topic to be discussed, and one that would be further covered during the rest of the conference.

The second workshop was hosted by Jim Baston, President of BBA Consulting Group, and covered an ever growing topic in field service today: the technician’s role in pro-active business growth in order to go beyond great service. In other words, how to develop the soft skills of field technicians they can lay the groundwork for up-sells or customer retention. Considering the amazing reaction to Jim’s workshop, it is clear that for many field service businesses, technicians are more than maintenance experts. They are the first pawns in the battle of creating long lasting relationships with customers.

Service Mastery Day

The conference officially kicked off with a new and highly appreciated feature: the Service Mastery Day. The three hour seminar from Chris Daffy, a renowned customer service specialist from the UK, covered the key aspects to building exceptional customer loyalty through field engineers. Chris is a very charismatic speaker who is not afraid to use humor to put forth his message, built from years of experience working in customer service, as well as research from professionals and academics into the topic. The result was a refreshing presentation on the art and science of customer loyalty building, why a balanced brain approach is essential for building sustainable customer loyalty, and the engineering excellence principles and tools that are equally effective in engineering customer loyalty.

Networking Evening

Following the Service Mastery Day, participants joined for a long evening of structured networking, always one of the highlights of Copperberg events. Delegates, speakers and partners were able, prior to the event, to schedule one-to-one meetings to ensure making the most out of the event and creating long lasting professional contacts. The evening featured different activities such as a mingling drink reception, elevator pitches from some of the partners, and an inspirational session from Motivational Coach Malcolm Larri. Participants were then invited to a very relaxed dinner banquet where they were also treated to a magic show.

The main conference day offered participants a wide array of formats, from morning masterclasses, keynotes, industry-driven and technology-driven executive circles, and parallel tracks of focus sessions meant to challenge them to not only learn, but also share. There were three key themes that floated around during the event: global workforce, smart services, and operational efficiency.

Global Workforce

Further to Jim Baston’s introductory workshop on the development of a technician’s soft sales ability, many sessions focused on talent and the workforce needed for a successful field service. ServiceMax’s morning masterclass, held by Patrice Eberline, best resumed the reason behind why this topic is of great importance: 40% of service technicians are over the age of 40, and 60% of companies are understaffed in their technical and highly skilled positions, meaning that the service industry has a looming talent problem.

There were also many discussions during networking breaks and executive circles on the underestimated importance of good leadership, as field service is by definition a people business, and people crave for good and inspiring leadership. Another session that stood out was from Brian Dahl Thomsen, Head of Operations and Regional Support for Siemens Wind Power, who shared his views on the needed competencies to be a service technician. Brian developed on Siemens Wind Service’s method of analyzing what competencies are need to cope with the environment of their products, the technology as well as the logistics aspect. Finally, they ensure to have the right approach on a management level to cope with talent management by setting clear target and objectives and investing in the right training methods.

Smart Services

Another hot topic at the event was how to develop smart services, such as predictive maintenance. A lot of manufacturers are currently looking into IoT, and how M2M/Big Data can help them improve their service business. One session from Magnus Sävenäs, VP Customer Service, Head of Global Field Service & Training at ABB Robotics gave an insight on how to use the latest technology trends to improve your business. The session focused on how to run a data driven organisation with the motto, “easy to buy, easy to service”. Magnus explained the five pillars for this: installed base data, organisation, remote service, customer access to information, and knowledge management.

Operational Efficiency

The highlight of the third track was a great case study from Andre Skerlavaj, Director Global Service Strategy for Pentair Valves and Control. His session focused on their PRONTO project, a holistic approach to increased service levels. PRONTO is a cross-functional approach that was developed to ensure streamlined processes and smooth execution from service scoping through to international service delivery. The rest of the track also featured interesting sessions from Brick, on how to make heroes of your service sales team, and Elektrobit Wireless, on how to conduct a successful mobility project.

Technology

The event was also a great showcase of the latest technological developments that support field service activities. Mobility was of course a big part of the event as more and more organizations understand the necessity to connect their front line (field service technicians dispersed all over the globe) to the back office. Through focus sessions, case studies, and roundtable discussions, delegates were able to get a full spectrum of implementing mobility solutions, from the key challenges faced when mobilising business processes, how to achieve ROI, or even the possibilities with a mobile service sales tool. Another, more disruptive, technology that was discussed was Internet of Things (IoT). Mark Brewer from PTC gave an exciting keynote on the impact IoT will have on service operations by looking at breakthroughs in operational effectiveness and strategic differentiation. Staying on the theme of connectivity, there was a lot of buzz about wearables technology. XMReality were able to give a demo of wearable tech on the exhibition floor, while Måns Granholm, General Manager Process Development & Commissioning at Wärtsilä, gave a keynote on their use of Virtual Engineers in an augmented reality environment.

The closing keynote from Edmilson Toledo, Head of Global FSO Program at Ericsson, was one of the highlights of the event. Edmilson’s session focused on the networked society, and how digital technologies can transform field service businesses in a game changing way. The keynote covered mobility, and how Ericsson is using mobile phones as a tool available for all field technicians, as well as wearables smart glasses, which Edmilson feels is a market moving to maturity. Lastly, the session highlighted UAV’s (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), also known as drones, as a tool to support technicians.

Conclusion

All in all, the event was an impressive gathering of industry leaders and solution providers. A lot of innovative ideas were thrown around by the participants either during the presentations, roundtable conversations, Q&A’s, or networking sessions, on how to grow the field service business.

 

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ABOUT AFTERMARKET

The 9th Aftermarket Business Platform will take place October 21st-23rd at the Grand Hotel Huis Ter Duin in the Netherlands, gathering 200+ service leaders from global manufacturers. The theme of the event will be, Service Transformation: delivering value and differentiation to customers and will feature case studies from KONE, Zimmer, Scania, Emerson Process Management, ABB Power Generation, AGCO Parts, Hyundai Motor UK, Medtronic and many more. The event will be chaired by Rob Van Hove, CEO of Kuiken Group. For more information, visit: www.aftermarketeurope.com

 

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