LaurentOthacéhé, CEO of CognitoiQ explores the importance of going beyond meeting customer expectations and ensuring you are delighting your customers...
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Feb 22, 2018 • Features • Cognito • white papers • service excellence • Software and Apps • Customer Satisfaction and Expectations
LaurentOthacéhé, CEO of CognitoiQ explores the importance of going beyond meeting customer expectations and ensuring you are delighting your customers...
Want to know more? There is a white paper on this topic that provides further insight available to fieldservicenews.com subscribers.
Not a subscriber but you are a field Service Professional? Click here to apply for a complimentary industry subscription to Field Service News and get this white paper sent directly to your inbox now as a thank you for your application
For some years now, the prevailing wisdom has been that in order to stand out from their competitors, businesses of all types must focus on their customers’ experiences.
Gartner says that in 2017 “89% of marketers expect customer experience to be their primary differentiator”.
The costs of bad service are well documented:
- Bad customer service costs UK companies over £37Bn each year
- More than a quarter of UK customers took their business elsewhere or spent less with a company due to bad service in 2016
- A customer is four time more likely to switch to a competitor due to problems with services, compared with pricing and product issues.
As are the benefits of good service:
- 86% of people will pay more for a better customer experience
- Better customer experiences can lift revenue by up to 15% and reduce the cost of service by up to 20%
This wisdom has taken hold in the field service industry too: our industry has traditionally been more focused on keeping costs down, but research now shows that field service companies are putting the customer first.
Field service managers say that ‘customer satisfaction’ is their most important KPI... But customer experience is more than just customer satisfaction.Field service managers say that ‘customer satisfaction’ is their most important KPI, ahead of technician productivity and utilisation, and first-time-fix rate. But customer experience is more than just customer satisfaction.
Managing customer experience means paying attention to every interaction, the customer has with your company, whether that is through using your products and services or via your website, call centre, billing or social media.
In this context, it becomes clear that a visit from a field service engineer is loaded with opportunities to delight – or disappoint – your customer.
Think about your own experiences as a customer
You are never going to be delighted with a company that fails to deliver: the product doesn’t work; the parcel doesn’t arrive; the engineer is late and can’t fix your problem.
The basics have to be right. And if they aren’t right, the company has to go out of its way to resolve your issue or deal with your complaint. So far so good, but what takes customer experience from good to great is those occasional ‘moments of magic’: the unexpected extras, or the human touches that you remember, and tell people about.
For example, when an airline gets everyone seated, their hold luggage stowed, and the plane takes off on time, then that is a Brilliant Basic: customers get the experience they expect.
The good news is that for every service organisation becoming a best-in-class service provider is an achievable goal.When the flight is delayed on the tarmac, but the airline gives everyone free food and drinks and lets them switch their phones back on to call ahead, then that is a Remarkable Resolution: the airline deals well with a failure of the basic service.
But when the flight attendant overhears a passenger worrying about getting her connection and making her sister’s wedding and contacts the destination airport to get the connecting flight held back, that is a Moment of Magic.
Of course, it is only the best-in-class companies that generally positioned to identify these needs and deliver those Moment's of Magic, however, the good news is that for every service organisation becoming a best-in-class service provider is an achievable goal.
The first step has to be adopting a customer-centric culture across your organisation and then empowering and enabling your team to deliver the new culture you have embedded through the application of technology such as mobile and data analytics.
Want to know more? There is a white paper on this topic that provides further insight available to fieldservicenews.com subscribers.
Not a subscriber but you are a field Service Professional? Click here to apply for a complimentary industry subscription to Field Service News and get this white paper sent directly to your inbox now as a thank you for your application
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Dec 11, 2017 • Features • Management • Cognito • KPIs • Laurent Othacéhé • Productivity
Improving productivity is the cornerstone of establishing a framework for delivering field service excellence. Laurent Othacéhé, CEO, Cognito iQ outlines why and how you should approach improving your field service productivity...
Improving productivity is the cornerstone of establishing a framework for delivering field service excellence. Laurent Othacéhé, CEO, Cognito iQ outlines why and how you should approach improving your field service productivity...
Want to know more? A white paper on this topic is available to Field Service News subscribers - if you are a Field Service Professional you may qualify for a complimentary industry practitioner subscription - apply now and we will send you a copy of this white paper whilst we process your application!
Expectations of field service have never been higher
Customers are used to the speed of delivery and quality of service that they get from consumer companies such as Amazon; this has raised the bar for all service companies. Customers want a service appointment quickly, they want smaller appointment windows and they expect your field worker to have the right information as well as the skills, knowledge and parts to resolve their issue first time.
Against this backdrop is the growing need for the service department to both reduce costs and contribute to revenues. Uncertain economic conditions have led many companies to strive to be more efficient and field service departments are facing significant pressure to cut costs and “do more with less.”
How do field service organisations provide a better service to their customers, with fewer resources? Our customers tell us they are focused on efficiency and productivity gains, and this is borne out by the market:
- 56% of field service professionals say that their customers are demanding faster response times
- 47% of field service professionals say they need to improve service process efficiencies
- 49% of field service professionals say that the primary objective for their field mobility investment in the coming year will be maximising productivity [/unordered_list]
So how do you improve productivity?
To answer that question, you have to know what productivity means to your business. All businesses will have a different definition and an individual approach. For example, would you be happy to drive up the number of visits per day your field workers attend if that meant fewer first time fixes, or reduced customer satisfaction scores?
The old adage is that you can’t manage what you can’t measure but, these days, companies know that it is a bit more complicated than that – measurement for its own sake or using the wrong metrics to set targets can be counter-productive. It is vital to know how to measure success: which metrics are useful and which aren’t, which can be accurately determined and which can’t, how metrics interact and how setting goals and targets will affect how employees go about their jobs.
At the operational level, field service leaders need accurate, timely data about field operations and the analytic capabilities to look for bottlenecks and opportunities to improve.
In 2016, Field Service News reported that improving the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) used to measure performance was the top strategic action for the year ahead for 64% of field service organisations in the UK and Europe.
Field Technologies Online reported that 75% of field service organisations do not effectively measure their KPIs and 27% of those do not use KPIs at all.
Our customers tell us that the biggest challenges in improving productivity come not only from a need to define and measure it, but also from knowing how to influence workers to behave in the most productive way. This is a challenge that plays out at an operational level and an employee level.
At the operational level, field service leaders need accurate, timely data about field operations and the analytic capabilities to look for bottlenecks and opportunities to improve. At the employee level, leaders need to know how each field worker is performing, how to solve performance problems and how to motivate, train and support each worker effectively.
Simply, through continual improvement
This is not a new idea. Continual improvement is a well-established practice that seeks to increase customer value, reduce waste and optimise resources via incremental change, feedback and analysis. These techniques originated in manufacturing; on a production line, it is relatively simple to measure variables such as number of defects, as you can easily see how the work is being done and you can observe the impact when you make changes to the process. But as continual improvement methodologies have developed, they have been profitably applied in many other industries, so why not field service operations?
There are challenges: field service workers aren’t widgets that can be counted and checked. They work remotely, often independently, and may only come back to base on rare occasions.
Field service workers aren’t widgets that can be counted and checked. They work remotely, often independently, and may only come back to base on rare occasions.
Adopting a continual improvement approach means that first you plan and do: Planning data has historically been focused on task, time and location: telling workers what to do, where to go and when. But if you want to improve the plan for tomorrow, you will need to study how efficiently the plan worked today and act to make changes.
For example, were job durations as you expected? If tasks took longer than planned you may have unhappy customers and a big overtime bill. If they took less time, are you paying workers who have gone home early? Detailed data on durations enables you to act, adjusting task durations to feed back into the plan for tomorrow. It is the combination of many small changes, and the continual feedback loop of measurement, analysis and change that will gradually and incrementally improve productivity.
Want to know more? A white paper on this topic is available to Field Service News subscribers - if you are a Field Service Professional you may qualify for a complimentary industry practitioner subscription - apply now and we will send you a copy of this white paper whilst we process your application!
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Nov 29, 2017 • Features • Cognito • Cognito iQ • Productivity • resources • White Paper • White Papers & eBooks • Employee Engagement • Software and Apps • Customer Satisfaction and Expectations
Resource Type: Written Guide Published by: Cognito iQ Title: Your Guide to Flawless Field Service - Perfecting Productivity
Resource Type: Written Guide
Published by: Cognito iQ
Title: Your Guide to Flawless Field Service - Perfecting Productivity
Want to know more? Access to this resource is available to Field Service News subscribers only - but if you are a Field Service Professional you may qualify for a complimentary industry practitioner subscription!
Synopsis:
Outside of the field service industry, the growth of big data and analytics is old news. The most advanced organisations have already gone beyond the hype and have developed strategies that are delivering exciting performance-enhancing results. For example, Leicester City’s surprise Premier League win was based on the club’s expert use of football data analytics. Stories such as this are why Gartner say “Data and analytics are taking centre stage as the single most powerful catalyst for change in the enterprise”.
However, field service companies have been slower to achieve similar levels of success from the use of advanced analytics. Whilst in many organisations there is plenty of data available, it can be hard to use effectively: the data may not be sufficiently accurate or timely, and service professionals may lack the skills and tools they need. But this is changing. Field service organisations are getting smarter with both the data they collect and how they use it.
Over this series of three special guides, Cognito iQ demonstrate how simple analytics can make a significant difference to three key components of field service excellence:
- Customer Satisfaction
- Employee Engagement
- Productivity (the subject of this first instalment)
Overview:
Topics covered and addressed in this white paper include:
Expectations of field service have never been higher
Customers are used to the speed of delivery and quality of service that they get from consumer companies such as Amazon; this has raised the bar for all service companies. Customers want a service appointment quickly, they want smaller appointment windows and they expect your field worker to have the right information as well as the skills, knowledge and parts to resolve their issue first time.
So how do field service organisations provide a better service to their customers, with fewer resources?
So how do you improve productivity?
To answer that question, you have to know what productivity means to your business. All businesses will have a different definition and an individual approach. For example, would you be happy to drive up the number of visits per day your field workers attend if that meant fewer first time fixes, or reduced customer satisfaction scores?
The old adage is that you can’t manage what you can’t measure but, these days, companies know that it is a bit more complicated than that – measurement for its own sake or using the wrong metrics to set targets can be counter-productive.
It is vital to know how to measure success: which metrics are useful and which aren’t, which can be accurately determined and which can’t, how metrics interact and how setting goals and targets will affect how employees go about their jobs.
Perfecting productivity
Continual improvement is a well-established practice that seeks to increase customer value, reduce waste and optimise resources via incremental change, feedback and analysis. These techniques originated in manufacturing; on a production line, it is relatively simple to measure variables such as number of defects, as you can easily see how the work is being done and you can observe the impact when you make changes to the process.
But as continual improvement methodologies have developed, they have been profitably applied in many other industries, so why not field service operations?
With the right data, it is possible to adopt a proactive, systematic approach, breaking down the processes within the operation.
Want to know more? Access to this resource is available to Field Service News subscribers only - but if you are a Field Service Professional you may qualify for a complimentary industry practitioner subscription!
Please note that by applying for subscription via the above links you consent to our Terms and Conditions as listed here.
Not one for a load of legalese? Neither are we - that's why we put together a jargon-free version of our T&Cs on our subscription page which you'll find here
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Jan 27, 2016 • News • argos • Cognito • courier • Software and Apps
Cognito iQ, a leading provider of cloud-based management solutions for the mobile workforce, has been selected by Argos to power the delivery intelligence for its Fast Track service, the first same day UK wide delivery service from a high street...
Cognito iQ, a leading provider of cloud-based management solutions for the mobile workforce, has been selected by Argos to power the delivery intelligence for its Fast Track service, the first same day UK wide delivery service from a high street retailer. The Cognito iQ platform gives Argos the agility, flexibility and traceability to fulfil the same day service, which offers nationwide same-day home delivery, seven days a week, 364 days a year for a flat rate of £3.95.
Upon collection of delivery manifests, the Cognito iQ Mobile platform guides the drivers via their handsets enabling both customer home deliveries and delivery to other stores. With GPS integration, Argos drivers are guided through their delivery route, obtain electronic proof of delivery and receive real-time updates via messaging to inform them of any last minute changes.
From a customer perspective the service is fast, with four delivery windows throughout the day, and seamless with SMS updates informing them of accurate delivery times and any delays.
The information flow is real-time via the cloud and visible to Argos Call Centre via the Cognito iQ portal. With up to the minute information on deliveries, agents can provide customers with accurate information on where their parcels are, if they’ve been delivered, where the parcels have been left and who signed for them.
Andy Brown, Central Operations Director at Argos, said: “We are the only retailer able to offer same-day delivery nationwide and we’ve been delighted with the fantastic reception customers have given our new Fast Track services. Our selection of Cognito iQ to make Fast Track happen is a validation of the power of its platform and the faith we have in it to enable such a complex, mission critical service for our business.”
Fulfilment is the next big retail battleground, but it’s incredibly difficult to bring to life new delivery services for multi-channel businesses
“Fulfilment is the next big retail battleground, but it’s incredibly difficult to bring to life new delivery services for multi-channel businesses with such a broad product range as Argos,” comments Laurent Othacéhé, CEO of Cognito iQ. “We’re delighted that Argos is taking full advantage of our unrivalled technology expertise, understanding of the market and consumer needs, and ability to deliver. We look forward to continue helping Argos unleash
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Sep 16, 2015 • News • Cognito • Kerridge • EPOD • Parts Pricing and Logistics
Cognito and Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) have combined their respective flagship products to offer Cognito iQ’s Electronic Proof of Delivery (EPOD) capabilities as a fully integrated module for the latest release of K8, the KCS Enterprise...
Cognito and Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) have combined their respective flagship products to offer Cognito iQ’s Electronic Proof of Delivery (EPOD) capabilities as a fully integrated module for the latest release of K8, the KCS Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution.
This initiative further strengthens a long-standing partnership between the two firms.
For the many traders who still rely on paper-based proof of delivery and collection, upgrading to an EPOD system can have significant business benefits. Electronic manifests and signatures at point of delivery can greatly reduce invoice disputes and stock loss, and help to manage branch transfers and collections.
Pushing delivery schedules to drivers on handheld devices not only increases efficiency, but also gives them access to any information they or the customer may need, increasing satisfaction or even enabling them to up-sell.
Cognito iQ’s EPOD capabilities are a great complement to K8, which is designed to help customers source effectively, stock efficiently, sell profitably and service competitively[/quote]With live information on deliveries, managers have real-time visibility of delivery status; they can re-route or re-allocate on the fly. They can also review the day’s deliveries against metrics such as ‘on time in full’, and use the management information to improve ongoing performance.
Ian Bendelow, CEO at KCS says: “Cognito iQ’s EPOD capabilities are a great complement to K8, which is designed to help customers source effectively, stock efficiently, sell profitably and service competitively. We have worked very hard together to ensure that the integration is seamless, and we know that our joint customers in the distributive trades will be excited about the enhanced product.”
Cognito CEO, Laurent Othacéhé adds: “Our relationship has always been strong, and we share a culture of innovation and development expertise. This new offer reinforces our partnership and adds an important dimension to KCS’s ERP system, giving users access to vital delivery and collection information.”
As well as the integration of Cognito iQ, the latest version of K8 has more than 180 enhancements in several key areas. Notable changes include browser client functionality, an improved hire management application, superior graph and charting capabilities, additional facilities to handle returns and tools to streamline user management.
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Jun 25, 2015 • Management • News • Cognito • software and apps
Cognito, the field service management solutions company, has appointed Laurent Othacéhé as CEO, as part of a wider organisational restructure intended to position the company for growth.
Cognito, the field service management solutions company, has appointed Laurent Othacéhé as CEO, as part of a wider organisational restructure intended to position the company for growth.
Othacéhé joined Cognito in 2014 as Sales Director, bringing with him more than 20 years’ experience in the field service industry. Prior to that he was CEO of 360 Scheduling, a company he created from scratch, which grew to be one of the world’s leading providers of mobile workforce scheduling and optimisation software.
Othacéhé was recently named by Field Service News as one of the ‘20 most influential people in field service’. As such, he is ideally suited to lead Cognito
Cognito’s plans to grow the business include expansion into new markets, and the goal of the restructure is to support this strategy. Other changes of role within the management team include the appointment of Dave Webb, who joined Cognito in 2010, as COO, and Steve Alderson, who has been with the ompany for more than 20 years, as SVP – Service Operations.
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Feb 19, 2015 • Features • Cognito • FSN20 • Future of FIeld Service • Getac. Gartner • Cambridge Alliance • Field Technologies Online • IFS
Across December and January we asked our readers to nominate candidates for the inaugural #FSN20, a list of the twenty most influential people in field service. We received nominations from across the globe through social media, email and even a...
Across December and January we asked our readers to nominate candidates for the inaugural #FSN20, a list of the twenty most influential people in field service. We received nominations from across the globe through social media, email and even a phone call or two directly into the news-desk.
Armed with a list of candidates, a Field Service News panel selected the final list of twenty based on the number of nominations, their impact on the industry (past, present and future) and their sphere of influence in both the physical and digital world.
After much long deliberation, heartful debate (read arguing) and enormous amounts of coffee we managed to whittle our list down to a final twenty which we pleased to present to you here the inaugural edition of the #FSN20. You may not agree with our selection and if you don’t tell us, tell your friends, tell your colleagues, hell tell the world – because at the heart of it that’s what this list is all about, getting people talking about excellence in field service and raising the profile of those leading us to a better future.
We are now announcing who made the list in alphabetical order in four sections across four days. So without further ado we are pleased to bring you the third five of the #FSN20
William McNeil, Principal Analyst, Gartner
Gartner, alongside Aberdeen, remains one of the most influential organisations in the field service industry. Their Field Service Magic Quadrant report, which outlines which organisations are leading the way in terms of innovation in field service technology, is hotly anticipated and widely quoted each year.
McNeill, who co-authored the most recent report alongside Gartner colleagues Michael Moaz and Jason Wong, has extensive experience analyzing the latest developments across predictive support, remote service monitoring, service parts planning and optimization, and warranty management and is a regular commentator on the field service industries whose work is widely respected.
Peter Molyneux, UK President, Getac
Rugged manufacturer ,Getac, has not only managed to develop one of the rugged spaces most consumer feeling tablets last year grasping the consumerisation nettle with both hands, but unlike some of their competitors, they have continued to invest in rugged laptops acknowledging the niche they serve – i.e., in some corners of field service where heavy data input is required, a tablet screen just doesn’t cut it.
In Molyneux, they have a man who not only fully understands his product set, but also his customer base, and is about as well versed in all things rugged as anyone on the planet.
Follow Peter @GetacUK
Professor Andy Neely, Director, Cambridge Alliance
Another of the key figures within the growing movement of ‘servitization’ which could have a massive impact on the operation of field service.
Having held appointments at Cranfield University, London Business School and Cambridge University, Neely is widely recognized for his work on the servitization of manufacturing, as well as his work on performance measurement and management.
His organisation continues to work with leading companies such as IBM and BAE on research into ways to provide, implement and employ complex new service systems.
Sarah Nicastro, Editor-in-chief, Field Technologies Online
Whilst here at FSN Towers we think we’ve done a pretty good job of reporting on the tends and technologies of the Field Service industries over the last year. We’re humble enough to admit that we’re the young upstarts and we are very much walking a path led by our U.S. cousins at Field Technologies Online.
Having been at the helm for half a decade, a large slice of the credit goes to Nicastro for the respected position the magazine holds today both in their native America and beyond.
Follow Sarah @FTOnline
Laurent Othacehe, Director, Cognito
Othacehe is internationally regarded as a guru when it comes to scheduling and optimization, a reputation fully deserved after founding 360 Scheduling. The company, whose scheduling engine was built upon research with Nottingham University to establish effective scheduling for the emergency services, was later acquired by Service Management heavyweight IFS.
Unlike many who would have perhaps taken the easy life after building such a success with 360, Othacehe’s passion for the industry was evident when he returned to the market with Cognito – and his acceptance of therole there was seen by many in the industry as a significant endorsement as well as a statement of ambition for the UK-based company.
See the rest of the list here: Part One, Part Two, Part Four
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Mar 01, 2013 • Cognito • Field Service Software Providers • Field Service Software Providers directory listing
Contact information:
Phone:+44 (0)1635 508200 Web: www.CognitoiQ.com Email: info@CognitoiQ.com
Contact information:
Phone:+44 (0)1635 508200
Web: www.CognitoiQ.com
Email: info@CognitoiQ.com
Services Provided by Cognito iQ:
[unordered_list style="bullet"]
- Mobile Workforce ManagementDepot repair
- Operational Performance Management
- Dynamic Scheduling[/unordered_list]
About Cognito iQ:
Cognito iQ Mobile Our industry specific mobile workflow is fully configurable and based on 23 years experience working with service organisations.
It seamlessly guides field workers through their activities creating an electronic timesheet.
Cognito iQ OPM (Operational Performance Management) Real-time data from the field presented in clear, easy to understand dashboards.
Plus, the ability to drill down into granular detail for a thorough understanding of operational performance.
[quote]“With Cognito iQ we have developed a very solid and flexible field mobility platform which is enabling us to stay ahead of our competition - Bruce Ginnever, VP OPERATIONS, STANLEY SECURITY EUROPE
Understand your service organisation at every level:
- Organisational
- Regional
- Team
- Individual
- Task
Cognito iQ features:
- Standard API
- Compatible with 4rd Party software
- Cross-Platform capability
News & Features from Cognito iQ:
Cognito iQ revolutionises online shopping for Argos customers
Cognito iQ, a leading provider of cloud-based management solutions for the mobile workforce, has been selected by Argos to power the delivery intelligence for its Fast Track service, the first same day UK wide delivery service from a high street retailer...
Field Service News is published by 1927 Media Ltd, an independent publisher whose sole focus is on the field service sector. As such our entire resources are focused on helping drive the field service sector forwards and aiming to best serve our industry through honest, incisive and innovative media coverage of the global field service sector.
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