Service management with field technicians — and directly with customers — has long been held back by a reactive break/fix model. In this model, customers have to notify the service organization of a failure or a break. The field service team then must attempt to solve the issue with limited information gleaned from the customer or historical data from the last service visit. This process typically involves dispatching a service technician or engineer to a customer site to validate a diagnosis, often leading to a secondary or tertiary service call. Real-time visibility into the product or asset with detailed collaborative capabilities can transform the service and customer experience.

The shift from reactive service models to proactive service experiences has an impact that transcends operational efficiency to enhance the customer relationship. Establishing an operating model where the customer and the service employee are at the heart of the service experience is transformative and can be a true industry differentiator. This framework establishes a new partnership of shared goals, outcomes, and experiences that optimize service and deliver new value.

Connected service insights are part of the innovative future for manufacturers and service organizations. A few of the most impactful benefits derived from this approach are:

• Having the right content and insights at the point of need, which speeds up service resolution and avoids the need to sift through irrelevant manuals and work instructions with reactive and proactive service interactions

Field Service News subscribers can access the full white paper sponsored by CareAR and written by Ali Pinder, Program Director, Service Innovation and Connected Products at IDC, and Tom Mainelli, IDC's Group Vice President, Device and Consumer Research, by clicking on the button below.