Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

Oct 09, 2020 • Features • Bill Pollock • Leadership and Strategy

The differences betweeen Yesterday, Today and Tommorrow as they relate to the services industry are just as disparate now as they were back in 1965, however they’ve been amplified due to the literal ‘life and death’ nature of the COVID19 pandemic,...

Even Paul McCartney wrote about the differences between “Yesterday”, “Today” and “Tomorrow”:

Yesterday (1965) – “All my troubles seemed so far away!”
Another Day (1971) – “At the office where the papers grow”
Tomorrow (1971) – “When we both abandon sorrow.”

Of course, John Lennon also echoed these sentiments in “Tomorrow Never Knows”. But, what did the Beatles know about the COVID-19 pandemic that we still don’t know?

The differences between “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” as they relate to the services industry are just as disparate now as they were back in 1965 - 1971; however, they’ve been significantly amplified due to the literal “life and death” nature of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

HOW DO WE DO IT THIS TIME?

One thing to be sure of, however, is the fact that the services industry has already been hit many times before, resulting in a succession of “yesterdays, todays and tomorrows”, but has always risen to the task, performed over and above the call of duty, and aspired to the next levels of “hero-style” performance. World War ll, the Korean Conflict, Viet Nam, 911 and – oh, yeah – a number of recessions, terror attacks, natural disasters and economic downturns – have all tested our strength and leadership; and yet, here we are, once again, called to the frontlines because that’s what we do – and what we do best!

The question on the table now, however, is “How do we do it this time?

The answer may not yet be readily apparent, so we may have to “wing it” for a while until things start to settle down. What this means, though, is that we all will quickly need to have a plan in place (that is, if we don’t already) to guide us through the foreseeable uncharted territory, until we can once again gather our bearings on the other side in a new and different world.

The plan will need to be flexible (i.e., as all plans need to be); however, it will also need to be more fluid, agile and able to turn-on-a-dime in order to successfully address everything that is thrown our way in the interim. From this perspective, planning has never been more important – nor more complicated!

Are we all up to the task? The proper answer is “You bet!” So …, where do we get started? The following highlights from Strategies For Growth℠’s (SFG℠’s) 2020 FSM Benchmark Survey Tracking Update will hopefully provide some guidance in terms of where we should be focusing as we deal with these current existential disruptions.

Nonetheless, field services managers are increasingly being faced with multiple future challenges, with the top challenge essentially reflected in satisfaction with respect to the anticipated ROI of the selected FSM solution (i.e., cited by a plurality of survey respondents at 43%).

However, the second most cited challenge is not cost-related, focusing more on identifying the required functionality of the software solution (33%). Integrating new technologies into the existing FSM solution platform (33%), the cost of the technology acquisition (29%); and identifying the most appropriate devices to support field techs (25%) also appear among the top five factors. Selecting the most effective FSM solution falls just a bit lower at (24%).

Accordingly, some field service managers may also find themselves deluged with additional challenges, many of which relate directly to selecting the right solution/vendor, and the rest to functionality- and implementation-related issues, among others.

However, the benefits of successfully addressing each of these challenges are also multi-fold. For example, when thinking about the overall customer service experience, the single-most commonly cited reason for moving forward on the Journey is centered around the ability to meet (or exceed) customers’ services expectations, ultimately leading to improved customer satisfaction (i.e., cited by 41% of respondents as the top benefit)

"It will be the adoption and implementation of new technologies that will allow yesterday’s leading services organisations to maintain their respective positions among tomorrow’s leaders...."

Several of the other top-cited benefits are clustered in the 25% to 33% range, including ability to run a more efficient field service operation (33%), establish a competitive advantage (31%), improve field technician utilisation and productivity (27%) and provide an end-to-end customer experience relationship (25%).

Marc Tatarsky, SVP Marketing at FieldAware, a cutting-edge, cloud-based, mobile field service management platform that empowers companies to transform their field service organisation through automated processes and streamlined operations, agrees that, “It will be the adoption and implementation of new technologies that will allow yesterday’s leading services organisations to maintain their respective positions among tomorrow’s leaders.

Further, it will be the same process for those services organisations just beginning their aspirations toward Best Practices performance by enabling them to utilise the same technologies and tools used by the market leaders. All services organisations now have the same opportunity to compete head-to-head against all others”. Tim Andrew, CEO and Co-Founder of Localz, a global provider of real-time customer communications and service tracking solutions for field, collection and delivery teams, concurs that, “Rapid changes in customer expectations should be seen as an opportunity for service providers.

By taking advantage of readily available technology, companies can increase satisfaction while also driving down costs. We have designed our offering to help organisations deliver a competitive experience – all without the need to rip-and-replace existing systems.”

New technologies are also playing a big role in helping services organisations to move more quickly from a “yesterday” scenario to one that is more focused on “tomorrow”. To bear this out, the 2020 survey results cite that currently, just over one-quarter (27%) of services organisations are using Augmented Reality/Merged Reality (AR/MR) in support of their field service operations, and that within five years, the percent of FSOs incorporating AR/ MR into their services operations is expected to increase to more than 50%, or more than twice the existing reported level.

"As Servitisation continues to transform the field services industry, so, too, will the way in which services will likely be offered to the global services community..."

Similarly, just over one-quarter (28%) of services organisations are currently using Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Machine Learning (ML) in support of their field service operations, and this percent is also expected to grow significantly over the next five years to more than 50% or, again, more than twice the existing reported level.

Finally, a majority of services organisations (51%) are currently incorporating Predictive Diagnostics / Predictive Maintenance into their field service operations and the percent usage is expected to increase to an estimated ±85% range, if not higher.

But, the adoption of new technologies is not the only factor that is moving the services segment along the time continuum. As Servitisation continues to transform the field services industry, so, too, will the way in which services will likely be offered to the global services community. For example, today, 91% of service contracts are built on the basis of traditional Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that focus on such parameters as on-site response time, number of scheduled preventive maintenance service calls, guaranteed uptime (i.e., with vendor sanctions for non-compliance), and the like.

However, within the next three to five years, this percent is expected to drop by nearly 20% to less than three-quarters (72%) of all service contracts. Conversely, the percent of FSOs offering SLAs/contracts based on Uptime, is projected to more than double, from 16% today, to 40% by 2022 - 2024. Further, the use of Outcomes-based SLAs is projected to rise from a virtually non-existent 0% today, to at least 16%, or one-in-six, by 2022 - 2024. As such, this represents a rapidly-moving reversal of the way SLAs/contracts will be offered in the not-too-distant future.

The bottom line for FSOs in the current era of the COVID-19 pandemic is that the data derived from the SFG℠’s 2020 FSM survey make it clear that if your services organisation already finds itself behind the curve with respect to

Its ability to meet (if not exceed) its customers’ demands or requirements;
The automation of its existing field service management processes (or lack thereof);
Its ability to support its field technicians and customers with real-time data and information;
Its ability to deal with escalating costs associated with running its services operations; or
Its ability to gain management “buy-in” for new technology acquisition, this gap will likely only get larger over time – unless it considers implementing a new, more state-of-the-art, Field Service Management (FSM) solution (that is, one that incorporates “new” technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR)/Merged Reality (MR), Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML), predictive diagnostics/maintenance and/or Remote Expertise).

For some FSOs, the pandemic has dampened their ability (or inclination) to acquire these new technologies; however, for others, it has had the opposite effect, fostering a belief that now is the best time to upgrade its technology base to one that is both state-of-the-art, and can be used to manage the wellbeing of the services organisation as it transitions from “survival” through “sustainability. It will be among the latter organisations that are likely to be the most successful as they re-emerge in a post-COVID-19 scenario.

For more information, or to download a complimentary copy of the companion SFGSM Analysts Take paper that contains an Executive summary of the firm’s 2020 Field Service Management (FSM) Benchmark Tracking Survey, please visit either the FieldAware or localz websites.

Augmenting the First-Hand Knowledge of the Territories Your Field Technicians Support through Advanced Route Management Technologies

Sep 27, 2020 • Features • Bill Pollock • Route Planning • Managing the Mobile Workforce

Bill Pollock, President Strategies for GrowthSM outlines the importance of advanced route management for field service engineers and sks is this the responsibility of the engineer, the company or both?

Every day, your field technicians travel the highways and the side streets, they fight the rush-hour and lunchtime traffic, and they avoid both the posted and non-posted detours to get to their customers’ sites. They have made customer calls to offices once located in the middle of nowhere, that are now located in the middle of busy shopping districts; and they have driven miles to get to locations for which there are now easy-on/easy-off highway interchanges that put them instantly right where they want to be.

Your field techs probably already know as much about the geographic areas they cover as any taxi or Uber driver in the city. This is an extremely valuable resource that does not replace, but certainly augments, any GPS-mapping functionality that may be incorporated into your company’s field services operations. The key question is, "How can you best leverage this first-hand knowledge of the territories they support into an effective means for improving your overall ability to support the organisation’s customers?” And what new technologies, or tools, are available to augment this knowledge?

Every field technician has his or her own "tricks of the trade" for dealing with “getting from point A to point B". Sometimes, it is nothing more than knowing the right shortcuts and through routes for getting from one customer site to another; and other times it is simply a matter of knowing which restaurants along the way can provide them with a quick – but wholesome – meal when they're starting to run slightly behind.

"What is important, however, is that they [field service engineers] are able to leverage all of the resources at their disposal to empower themselves to make intelligent decision..."

Knowing their territories does not only mean knowing the highways; it also means knowing what is located alongside the highways, including everything from rest stops, office supply stores, fax and copy centers, drug stores, supermarkets, and any other types of facilities that provide the products and services they may require as they're making their daily calls.

The proliferation of cell phones and tablets has made all of our lives quite a bit easier; but especially for those of us who are regularly on the road. However, cell phones have little value if they are not used every time the situation warrants. For example, if the field tech has a service call scheduled for 2:00 pm; it’s 1:45, and they believe they’re about half-an-hour away, this would represent a perfect time to make a quick call to the customer to let them know that they’re running a bit late, and that they will be there shortly.

Whether they know the territory so well that they can judge how long it will take to get through traffic, detours, or bad weather; or whether they know which local radio stations to listen to for the most up-to-date and accurate traffic reports, is irrelevant. What is important, however, is that they are able to leverage all of the resources at their disposal to empower themselves to make intelligent decisions, and that they pass on that "intelligence" to their customers in the form of pre-arrival alerts, notifications, warnings, or other types of "heads-up" calls. But, sometimes, they may need extra help!

"It may be arguable as to whether route management is the field technician’s responsibility, the responsibility of the company in supporting them in the field, or both..."

In some cases, it may be arguable as to whether route management is the field technician’s responsibility, the responsibility of the company in supporting them in the field, or both. What is inarguable, however, is that route management is also a critical component of any service organisation’s call handling and management function – and that all parties – including the field technicians – have something to contribute directly to the process.

Your organisation probably utilises route management applications primarily for the purpose of achieving improved scheduling of service calls. However, the total package of benefits is quite wide ranging, and typically results in the following outcomes:

Increased number of service calls per route/per day
Improved field technician utilisation and productivity
Quicker and more responsive service delivery
Increased profitability per route/per field technician
More satisfied customers

Through the effective use of route management, the organisation can ultimately save a great deal of time and money by routing and scheduling its field technicians more efficiently. But merely analysing and assessing route management from an internal operations or IT center, in and of itself, will not totally do the job. From time to time, the field technicians may also need to be called on to contribute some of their first-hand territory information to the organisation's general model or, if they are not, they should be prepared to proactively contribute any information that they think may ultimately be of value with respect to their territory.

Most route management models are extremely sophisticated, relying on GPS mapping functionality and a variety of mathematical algorithms to select the most efficient routes between two or more points. They may also provide field techs with real-time maps and recommended travel route printouts, or they may be displayable on screens embedded either in their vehicle’s dashboard and/or their handhelds; but they may end up being totally worthless in any given situation if they do not take into account the most current and accurate traffic-related data. This is where advanced tools come into play, for, otherwise, it will rest primarily on the shoulders of the field technicians’ particular expertise in their own territories that can serve to elevate a good route management system to a great one.

In addition to travel optimisation, route management models are also relied upon to improve a service technician’s efficiency in the field by allowing them to electronically:

Log in service call activity reports
Place orders for parts
Collect an electronic signature and close out the call
Generate customer invoices
Print customer receipts
Enter updated customer information

The benefits of route management are also multi-fold, typically including:

More effective scheduling of service calls and appointments
The elimination of manual data entry and paperwork
Reduced data entry errors (i.e., through the use of barcode scanning, etc.)
Improved cash flow resulting from real-time, point-of-service billing
Shortened time windows for customers
Reduced mileage and fuel costs
Reduced overtime hour requirements
Improved time efficiency in the field

An efficient route management system can make a good services organisation even better. And, the organisation’s field technicians should learn to rely on it when they can, suggest improvements to it when they are able, and use it as a tool for making both themselves and their customers happy.

Knowing their territories is important; however the ability to apply that knowledge is what will ultimately differentiate your field technicians from those who cannot. It is a safe bet that by applying this knowledge effectively, augmented by the new technologies and tools that are currently available, they can avoid many cases of unnecessarily keeping their customers “hanging”, while increasing their ability to complete their calls more productively.