ARCHIVE FOR THE ‘digital-transformation’ CATEGORY

As pharma companies continue to scale up digital transformation processes, a survey by GlobalData has highlighted that teaming up with experienced external vendors is driving innovative technology implementation.

The leading data and analytics company notes that technologies such as 5G, IoT, sensors, blockchain, cloud and virtual/augmented reality were the top technologies for which pharma companies used external vendors, whereas they were more likely to develop artificial intelligence (AI), big data/analytics or robotics in house comparing to the rest of smart technologies.

IMPLEMENTING SMART TECHNOLOGIES INTO PHARMACEUTICAL PROCESSES REQUIRES FINANCIAL RESOURCES, TIME AND KNOWLEDGE.

The survey, which was published in GlobalData’s latest report, ‘Smart Pharma’, revealed that the majority of healthcare professionals would turn to external vendors to implement 5G to their processes, at 65% of respondents. This was followed by Blockchain at 55% and IoT and sensors at 50%. On the other hand, 28% of respondents would implement AI in house, followed by big data/analytics and robotics at 26% each.

Urte Jakimaviciute, Senior Director of Market Research at GlobalData, comments: “Implementing smart technologies into pharmaceutical processes requires substantial financial resources, time, and knowledge, especially since the speed of innovation is accelerating rapidly. As pharmaceutical companies continue to revamp their portfolios and digital transformation speeds up, partnering with technology providers becomes a natural step for the industry to take.

“Businesses are more likely to use external vendors to deploy technologies that are less widespread, have fewer use cases, or need to be implemented in short timeframes. While there is no way to slow down the digital transformation, a collaboration with external technology vendors may be a key to success.”

Jakimaviciute continues: “Partnering can enable not only faster adoption of the new technologies, but also bring substantial cost savings. External vendors tend to have specific domain knowledge, and are also fast to respond to any regulatory or compliance requirements that the pharmaceutical sector needs to adhere to.

“Pharma companies are already accustomed to working with external vendors to enhance processes in research and development (R&D), manufacturing and supply chain management. As the need to control the rising costs of pharmaceutical processes is becoming more pressing, leveraging smart technologies is expected to create more sustainable operational models and improve business agility. The companies that can optimize the processes faster are primed to succeed - this forces healthcare industry to pursue more open and collaborative approaches.”

In 2021, Boehringer Ingelheim signed a collaborative agreement with Google Quantum AI to implement quantum computing in pharma R&D; UCB and Microsoft announced a strategic collaboration to combine Microsoft's computational services, cloud, and artificial intelligence (AI) with UCB's drug discovery and development capabilities; Bristol Myers Squibb created a collaboration with Exscientia to use AI to accelerate the discovery.

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Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about Technology in the Healthcare sector @ www.fieldservicenews.com/healthcare+technology
• Learn more about the latest GlobalData report "Smart Pharma" @ store.globaldata.com/smart-pharma-thematic-research
• Find out more more about GlobalData @ www.globaldata.com
• Read more about GlobalData on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/globaldata

Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News, is joined by Mark Belenky, CEO of Software Outsourcing Solutions and a specialist in workforce management solutions, to work through some of the key findings of an exclusive Field Service News Research project that spoke to over 100 service leaders from the field service sector and beyond to understand the key trends in workforce management.

During the discussion, the two discuss a number of key insights revealed from the data including the key metrics that define workforce management success, how companies are optimising the costs of managing the workforce and what tools and processes are being used for best-in-class workforce management.

In this excerpt from that full interview, the conversation focuses on the findings of the study revealing equal issues with downtime and overtime in workforce management.

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Want to know more?

FSN Premium subscribers and FSN Elite members can access the full-length interview plus many, many more in the Field Service New Digital Symposium.  If you have an FSN Premium account you can access the video on the button below. If you are currently on our FSN Standard subscription tier you can upgrade your subscription by clicking the link below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can join 30,0000 of your field service management peers by subscribing to FSN Standard for free to gain access to a monthly selection of premium content or select either FSN Premium or FSN Elite for even more resources. Click the button above to visit our subscription page to find out more. 

 

Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about Workforce Management @ www.fieldservicenews.com/workforce-management
• Learn more about Software Outsourcing Solutions @ www.s-o-services.com
• Connect with Mark Belenky on LinkedIn @ linkedin.com/in/markbelenky

Anvl announces today that their Connected Worker platform has surpassed the milestone of 10 million data points collected from frontline workers and supervisors. The easy-to-use mobile platform helps companies capture and unlock critical data from the workforce to drive continuous improvements in quality, safety and operations. 

Anvl connects frontline workers and supervisors to make it easier for companies to detect and capture insights straight from the frontline at the earliest possible point. This data keeps management informed, and worker concerns can trigger alerts for escalation messages, helping organizations make better decisions in real-time based on valuable data from the workforce. Companies can then address issues faster, resulting in productivity improvements and reduced costs.

ANVL'S MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENT HIGHLIGHTS THE CRITICAL NEED FOR DATA COLLECTION TO CAPTURE INSIGHTS FROM FRONTLINE WORKERS

Anvl connects frontline workers and supervisors to make it easier for companies to detect and capture insights straight from the frontline at the earliest possible point. This data keeps management informed, and worker concerns can trigger alerts for escalation messages, helping organizations make better decisions in real-time based on valuable data from the workforce. Companies can then address issues faster, resulting in productivity improvements and reduced costs.

“Fast-tracking digital transformation for our Safety Programs is a key initiative for us and we've been able to achieve that goal with Anvl, “said Cliff Gibson, Senior Manager Safety, Exelon Corporate Safety and Environmental Sustainability. “Our Behavior-Based Safety process was rolled out with Anvl in one of our divisions within a couple of months, and we immediately saw high engagement from users who had only used paper processes before.” 

The capability to consolidate multiple processes into one platform within Anvl allows workers to be more effective and efficient compared to  the myriad of applications, forms and spreadsheets often used today. With nearly 60% of the workforce disengaged with their work, Anvl helps drive business performance by providing a solution that frontline workers and their supervisors will actually use. Anvl routinely sees a user engagement rate of over 90% across a broad demographic and range of technology skills and has collected over a million distinct processes and photos and over 46,000 triggered interventions and stopped jobs.

“Because of the positive adoption of Anvl by our frontline and the data insights we now have for safety professionals and line leaders,” continued Gibson, “we've also rolled out a Hot Work Permit and we'll soon roll out additional Inspection processes. It's exciting to see the speed of change and leading data insights that we can achieve in partnering with the Anvl team.”

This milestone comes at a time when Anvl is expanding its platform. While real-time escalations and alerts have been part of the core features of the software platform from day one, the team recently augmented these features with In-App Messaging and Distributed Push Reports with additional features in the works. 

“Finding new ways to drive quality, operational and safety improvements and keep workers connected is a top focus for many businesses, especially after the challenges that emerged from the past year, '' said Robin Fleming, CEO and Co-founder of Anvl. “This means leaders are looking for solutions like Anvl that go beyond a technology pilot and can make a direct, positive impact to worker engagement and the bottom line. I’m thrilled that we can help our customers go from concept to value in record time,” continued Fleming.

To learn more about Anvl and its Connected Worker Solution or to schedule a demo, please visit www.anvl.com.

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Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about Managing the Mobile Workforce @ www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/tag/managing-the-mobile-workforce
• Find out more more about Anvl @ www.anvl.com
• Read more data collection on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/data+collection
• Follow Anvl on Twitter @ twitter.com/anvlapp

In this new article for Field Service News, Marc Tatarsky, SVP of Marketing at FieldAware, discusses what organizations in the field service sector should expect as the world gradually reopens for business.

As we enter just past the halfway point of 2021, it feels as though the trials and tribulations of the last 24 months are finally working their way into the rearview mirror. While the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t entirely behind us, much of the world is indeed getting back to a new normal of operating, and the global economy is kicking back in. With the global vaccination rate reaching over a majority of the population in many countries (well over 50% and rising), summer vacations are starting to kick in. Airlines are adding flights, global business events are beginning to go back on the calendar, and many businesses are re-evaluating their office policies.

There is no doubt that the ramifications of COVID-19 are still being felt. Some of the effects of a paused global supply chain are still creeping up in many unanticipated areas – chip manufacturing shortages, surging lumber prices, and even a national chicken wing shortage in the US. But as the dust begins to settle and we analyze some of the lasting repercussions from our survival responses to COVID-19, several unique business model implications have risen to the top. For example, within the service management sector, one lasting transformation has been the consumerization of the end-to-end service experience.

THE RAMIFICATIONS OF THE PANDEMIC WILL STILL AFFECT THE FIELD SERVICE SECTOR AS COMPANIES QUICKLY TRY TO ADAPT TO THE "NEW NORMAL"

Something interesting happened when the service industry was forced to deal with the global pandemic. A blurring of B2B and B2C customer experience (CX) expectations occurred. New biosecurity requirements forced many field service organizations to adopt new processes and technology quickly. They needed to fulfill requirements to be accountable for the timing and biosecurity of their dispatched resources. In addition, businesses and employees of all levels were exposed to the art of the possible in their personal customer experiences regarding home deliveries, food services, and other remotely delivered services. The patience for working with an organization that doesn’t take a 360-degree view of customer experience is waning.

Businesses expect the same level of service and data continuity for their business interactions as they do with their consumer interactions. Consumer industry giants like Amazon, Uber, and Netflix are leading the way. Raising the bar of expectations for what customer satisfaction and customer experience can be for all businesses resulting in elevated expectations for understanding past and future service history à la Netflix and point-to-point transparency and status monitoring à la Uber as well as a true 360-degree buyer experience à la Amazon. Businesses expect their B2B interactions to incorporate many of these consumer experiences and have increasing demands for a truly transparent customer experience.

 

"One of the most critical elements of any modern field service management system is interconnectivity and data transparency across various systems of record."

 

Field service organizations raced to adopt new processes and technologies to accommodate expanded service delivery requirements as part of their required response to COVID protocols. However, many of these efforts were rushed into production, leaving the overall customer experience somewhat flat. Now that the new normal operations are stabilizing, advanced service organizations are taking a closer look at their execution models and identifying necessary enhancements and optimizations to deliver the customer experience anticipated. They know the patience for adapting to and getting the workflows right has shortened, and B2B expectations have risen.

One of the most critical elements of any modern field service management system is interconnectivity and data transparency across various systems of record. With the rising consumerism of the service experience, customer data, history, and the workflows associated with field activities must be thoroughly interconnected and transparent. It is not sufficient to have a closed-loop field service workflow. The workflows must interact and leverage data and insights across the organization to enable a seamless 360-degree customer experience.

While this sounds intuitive, many single-vendor solutions lack the functionality or easy connectivity to accomplish this task without significant customization and professional services investment. A best-of-breed approach can often offer better ROI and additional functional advantages by providing unconflicted integration, improved specialized usability, and scale. This flexibility and robust field service-specific capabilities help meet the changing needs and requirements of the service organization – now and in the future.
Many field service segments are bracing for a surge in demand and must be agile to respond. For example, infrastructure service organizations such as renewable energy must not only contend with macro demand pressures created by a global sustainability push but, in the US, a looming federal infrastructure mandate. As both sides of the aisle start to come together to work through the pressing infrastructure challenges in the US, it appears a significant, albeit slimmed down, infrastructure bill is gaining support. This new federal legislation, combined with the global focus on sustainability and reduced carbon emissions, has set the stage for the next wave of demand in a segment that had raised customer experience expectations accelerated by COVID-19 activities. This surge in demand and hyper-focus may create a new mini “crisis” in the supporting field service management activities. Leading vendors in the segments impacted by this surge (and similar surges) will need to closely evaluate their service delivery model to ensure they can deliver on the rising expectations and capitalize on the boom in demand.

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Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digitaltransformation
• Read more exclusive articles by Marc Tatarsky on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/marctatartsky
• Read more News and Features from FieldAware @ /www.fieldservicenews.com/fieldaware
• Learn more about FieldAware @ www.fieldaware.com
• Connect with Marc Tatarsky on LinkedIn @ www.linkedin.com/in/marctatarsky/

 

Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News, is joined by Mark Belenky, CEO of Software Outsourcing Solutions and a specialist in workforce management solutions, to work through some of the key findings of an exclusive Field Service News Research project that spoke to over 100 service leaders from the field service sector and beyond to understand the key trends in workforce management.

During the discussion, the two discuss a number of key insights revealed from the data including the key metrics that define workforce management success, how companies are optimising the costs of managing the workforce and what tools and processes are being used for best-in-class workforce management.

In this excerpt from that full interview, the two discuss findings of the research into workforce management amongst service-centric companies showing that small personal gestures of appreciation can have as positive effect as financial remuneration in employee engagement.

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Want to know more?

FSN Premium subscribers and FSN Elite members can access the full-length interview plus many, many more in the Field Service New Digital Symposium.  If you have an FSN Premium account you can access the video on the button below. If you are currently on our FSN Standard subscription tier you can upgrade your subscription by clicking the link below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can join 30,0000 of your field service management peers by subscribing to FSN Standard for free to gain access to a monthly selection of premium content or select either FSN Premium or FSN Elite for even more resources. Click the button above to visit our subscription page to find out more. 

 

Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about Workforce Management @ www.fieldservicenews.com/workforce-management
• Learn more about Software Outsourcing Solutions @ www.s-o-services.com
• Connect with Mark Belenky on LinkedIn @ linkedin.com/in/markbelenky

While 5G is being widely deployed on a global basis, we haven’t even begun to see the full potential of this technology, according to GlobalData.

The leading data and analytics company notes that 5G is yet to make a significant mark in terms of the faster data speeds, latency and other hallmarks that will enable advanced features such as self-driving cars and immerse gaming. However, more advanced telecom bundles are appearing, and GlobalData expects 5G subscriptions to increase as more powerful applications come through.

THERE WILL BE 3.9 BILLION 5G MOBILE SUBSCRIPTIONS GLOBALLY BY THE END OF 2026, WITH WORLDWIDE SERVICE REVENUES EXPECTED TO HIT $609BN

Lynnette Luna, Principal Analyst with GlobalData, comments: “Although we have not yet seen all that 5G is capable of in early deployments, the technology has a multitude of future opportunities for telecom operators. Not only will capacity bring down the per-bit cost for carriers, the basic cost efficiencies that 5G brings will enable operators and developers alike to create new applications for the technology as it becomes to mature and develop.

“This growing innovation will contribute to an expected rise in 5G mobile subscriptions worldwide. At the end of 2026, GlobalData predicts there will be 3.9 billion such subscriptions, representing a whole 35.1% of total subscriptions. Global 5G service revenues will total $609bn.”

Some revenue-generating strategies seen in the US and Europe on 4G networks also resonate on 5G networks. Within the US postpaid wireless market in particular, operators have always enticed users to sign up for premium plans through service bundles, such as video streaming and gaming.

Luna adds: “5G ARPU in 2026 is expected by GlobalData to greatly outpace that of earlier technology generations, with 5G bringing in monthly ARPU of $14.15 per month versus 4G’s monthly ARPU of $5.48.”

In some markets, we are beginning to see more advanced bundles marketed with 5G. Vodafone is in the process of rolling out Nreal smart glasses in its 5G markets across Europe, offering an interest-free hardware bundle and an app called Vodafone 5G Reality AR. In addition, a number of 5G operators are beginning to sell cloud gaming services. Telia in Sweden and EE in the UK are selling Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass Ultimate memberships that include cloud gaming. Telia customers can also buy a dedicated cloud gaming promotion featuring an Android phone, Telia plan and a free Razer Kishi universal Android controller and the Xbox Game Pass in one bundle.”

Luna concludes: “Operators will continually improve their bundles with new 5G features. Eventually they will take advantage of ultra-low latency and consistent gigabit data speeds.”

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Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about 5G @ www.fieldservicenews.com/5g
• Find out more more about GlobalData @ www.globaldata.com
• Read more about GlobalData on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/globaldata
• Read more about Mobility on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/mobility

Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News, is joined by Mark Belenky, CEO of Software Outsourcing Solutions and a specialist in workforce management solutions, to work through some of the key findings of an exclusive Field Service News Research project that spoke to over 100 service leaders from the field service sector and beyond to understand the key trends in workforce management.

During the discussion, the two discuss a number of key insights revealed from the data including the key metrics that define workforce management success, how companies are optimising the costs of managing the workforce and what tools and processes are being used for best-in-class workforce management.

In this excerpt from that full interview, the two discuss why so few service-centric companies are embracing gamification when data from the industry study reveal its clear benefits on workforce management.

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Want to know more?

FSN Premium subscribers and FSN Elite members can access the full-length interview plus many, many more in the Field Service New Digital Symposium.  If you have an FSN Premium account you can access the video on the button below. If you are currently on our FSN Standard subscription tier you can upgrade your subscription by clicking the link below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can join 30,0000 of your field service management peers by subscribing to FSN Standard for free to gain access to a monthly selection of premium content or select either FSN Premium or FSN Elite for even more resources. Click the button above to visit our subscription page to find out more. 

 

Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about Workforce Management @ www.fieldservicenews.com/workforce-management
• Learn more about Software Outsourcing Solutions @ www.s-o-services.com
• Connect with Mark Belenky on LinkedIn @ linkedin.com/in/markbelenky

Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Aly Pinder Jr, Program Director of Service Innovation and Connected Products at IDC. Aly is a seasoned expert in the field service industry, technology and innovation and he always thinks forward and spots the upcoming trends in the industry.

During the conversation, the two discuss a wide range of topics related to the evolution of service, the rapid changes and challenges that occurred during the last year and what organisation should do to adapt and prepare for the future.

In this final excerpt from that full interview, Aly and Kris discuss the need of distinguishing between hardware and software for remote service delivery.

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Want to know more?

FSN Premium subscribers and FSN Elite members can access the full-length interview plus many, many more in the Field Service New Digital Symposium.  If you have an FSN Premium account you can access the video on the button below. If you are currently on our FSN Standard subscription tier you can upgrade your subscription by clicking the link below. 

If you are yet to subscribe you can join 30,0000 of your field service management peers by subscribing to FSN Standard for free to gain access to a monthly selection of premium content or select either FSN Premium or FSN Elite for even more resources. Click the button above to visit our subscription page to find out more. 

 

Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about the impact of COVID-19 in the Field Service industry @ www.fieldservicenews.com/covid-19
• Read exclusive articles by Aly Pinder on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/aly+pinder
• Follow Aly Pinder on Twitter @ twitter.com/Pinderjr
• Connect with Aly Pinder on LinkedIn @ linkedin.com/in/aly-pinder-jr

In this third and final excerpt from a recent white paper published by Aquant, we look at the possibilities that Artificial Intelligence opens to make accurate decisions based on concrete data.