ARCHIVE FOR THE ‘cloud-service’ CATEGORY

Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) supplier GasTech has incorporated BigChange's cloud-based management system.

GasTech, based in Newcastle, has issued its engineers with rugged cloud-connected technology to assist with its 24 hours a day, seven days a week operation which includes the supply, install and service of HVAC. 

The platform, JobWatch, allows workers to carry out risk assessments and method statements and gives access to procedures, manuals, job cards and quotations, which are synced to GasTech's central office system.

The firm's fleet operation is monitored with vehicle tracking, producing real-time data for customer services. Client history information is accessible to the engineers who can look up previous work on-site. A live spare-parts manifest give workers an accurate overview of what parts are available in the company and also in other vans.

GasTech's Gareth Firth commented on the advantages a paper-free process brings to the business. "With our growing workload we knew we needed to reduce the time engineers spent filling out forms," the firm's Director said. "We undertook extensive research into the available systems on the market and it was clear BigChange was very easy to use and would take away the administrative headaches from engineers so they could be more productive."

Customer be central to every organization’s customer support strategy. Every field service repair should be treated as an opportunity to exceed expectations and deliver a truly exceptional customer experience, writes Martin Boggess from Hitachi.

It’s imperative that your organization consistently deliver on the four “R’s” of field service management: delivering to the right person, at the right place, at the right time, with the right tools. Proper field service management ensures that work is completed in accordance with customer expectations — within their budget, timeline, and quality specifications. 

Meeting customer expectations is often easier said than done. Field service technicians are expected to be aware of everything that occurs at each stage of the customer lifecycle, to possess detailed technical knowledge about equipment and regulatory compliance, to execute complex repairs, and to draw upon this vast wealth of information at a moment’s notice — and they need to be able to do everything right the first time to avoid the dreaded callback. The job of a field service technician can be overwhelming, to say the least.

Fortunately, cloud and mobile technology have made it much easier for organizations to adopt field service software to automate and optimize core work processes, such as scheduling, dispatch management, contract, SLA and warranty management, inventory management, and more. Advanced field service solutions include applications tailored to complete specific tasks and resolve specific issues, which makes a field technician’s job more manageable and increases employee productivity in the process. To demonstrate how a field service solution can resolve some common problems, let’s look at a few examples.

As mentioned above, two of the four “R’s” of field service are the right person and the right tools. It’s essential that a field service organization dispatch the technician with the right level of expertise for the job and with the proper tools to complete the repair. Field service software makes it easier to match the right technician to the job, and the technician can then use the software to review service orders and see what parts they need for the job — all prior to meeting with the customer. This foresight drastically reduces the number of unnecessary trips and can increase an organization’s overall first-time fix rate.

"The job of a field service technician can be overwhelming, to say the least..."

Many field service solutions leverage mobile technology. Once a technician is on-site, they can use either a tablet or mobile phone to access the history of a piece of equipment, including previous repairs, previous service tickets, technician’s notes, meter readings, and so on. This information makes it easier for the technician to determine why the equipment is malfunctioning and what the best strategy is to repair it. Technicians can also use mobile field service applications to pull up service contracts while out in the field and present customers with accurate pricing.

The internet of things has also radically changed how field service organizations administer repairs. Put simply, the internet of things (IoT) is a system of connected devices capable of rapidly transferring data via virtual network. By attaching IoT-enabled sensors to equipment, field service organizations can receive real-time diagnostics from anywhere in the world, which enables them to identify and respond to issues before they even arise. This shift from a preventative repair model to a proactive model will be crucial to field service organizations’ success in an increasingly competitive market.

In addition to mobile and cloud technology, augmented and virtual reality are also transforming the way field service sector operates. Organizations can use AR and VR in conjunction with IoT-enabled devices to simplify knowledge transfer via interactive training, while technicians can use it to access equipment repair history and diagnostics without taking it apart and even perform remote fixes. Since AR and VR are still relatively new technology, only certain field solutions will offer AR and VR functionality.

As you can see, field service solutions provide innovative tools and capabilities to reduce costs and increase employee productivity and first-time fix rates. Hitachi Solutions’ Extended Field Service solution is one such solution with extended functionality to optimize scheduling, simplify contract and inventory management, increase mobile productivity, perform remote troubleshooting, deliver an end-to-end customer-centric experience, and more.
Martin Boggess is Industry VP, Manufacturing and Field Service at Hitachi Solutions America. 

 

IX Reach, a leading global provider of carrier services and connectivity solutions, and eStruxture Data Centers, a prominent pan-Canadian provider of network and cloud-neutral data centre solutions are further strengthening their partnership and commitment to providing first-class connectivity, cloud and zero-downtime hosting solutions to major blue-chip networks.

This enhanced partnership with IX Reach complements eStruxture’s strategy to give customers more choice, by offering all the benefits of remote peering to the most popular Internet Exchanges in North America and Europe. Customers can access all major IXPs via a single port and enjoy transit that’s optimised for cost and network routes.

The partnership also demonstrates IX Reach’s dedication to supporting the growth of eStruxture as its market share in advanced network and interconnection services continues to expand in both the Canadian and global business marketplace.

 

"Continuing to set IX Reach apart from other network solution providers is its strong partnerships with major Cloud Service Providers..."

 

Continuing to set IX Reach apart from other network solution providers is its strong partnerships with major Cloud Service Providers: Amazon AWS, Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure. The IX Reach platform enhances eStruxture’s Cloud Connect service, a network and cloud-neutral exchange that allows customers to connect securely, easily and directly from the company’s state-of-the-art data centres to an extensive ecosystem of major cloud service providers, network and application providers, bypassing the Internet and taking advantage of a faster and more reliable option for their cloud strategies.

“Our partnership with IX Reach is hugely valuable to us and augments our ever-growing ecosystem of carriers and cloud services. Our customers are able to avoid open networks by connecting directly to hyper-scale cloud providers and benefit from increased speed and security and lower latency,” says Todd Coleman, CEO of eStruxture. “The leading elastic interconnect platform provided by IX Reach enables customers to securely access major peering points and a rich portfolio of products and services such as hyper-scale cloud providers, SaaS providers and partners, via a single connection.”

“We are thrilled to continue working closely with eStruxture Data Centers,” commented Simon Vye, CEO of IX Reach. “IX Reach and eStruxture started their partnership in 2015; since then, both businesses have grown and evolved to provide their customers with world class services and support. We’re looking forward to building on the success of our partnership in the future. “

From eStruxture’s facility in Montreal, IX Reach is well-equipped to support any network with its national and global expansion, regardless of size.

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