IFS, the global cloud enterprise applications company, announces that it has concluded the acquisition of Axios Systems.

The transaction, which was initially announced in March 2021, combines two pioneers of the service management space: IFS, with its leadership in Field Service Management and Axios Systems, with its strength in IT Service Management (ITSM) and IT Operations  Management (ITOM). The combined IFS Enterprise Service Management proposition is unique in how it enables companies to orchestrate their value chain and optimize their workflows so they can not only deliver amazing moments of service to their customers, but also so they can maximize revenue creation opportunities and increase profitability.

IFS STRENGHTENS LEADERSHIP in service management with THE ADDITION OF AXIOS SYSTEMS' POWERFUL ITMS AND ITOM CAPABILITIES

Since the acquisition was announced, IFS is proud to have attracted many of the best leaders from the sector to bolster the already growing team at Axios Systems. Now under the framework of a dedicated Business Unit within IFS, the team are focused on delivering new product innovation, increased investment in customer experience, and a more focused, industry-led, go-to-market.

Martin Schirmer, President of the Enterprise Service Management Business Unit, commented, “Over the past two months I have met with many employees, customers and partners who I would like to thank for their openness and enthusiasm for what lies ahead. It’s clear to me that we have acquired a company with many assets and strengths, in a market that is evolving and in need for further disruption. With the investment we are committing as well as our customer-centric approach, I am confident that our current customer base will benefit, which will in turn help attract new customers, and we will further extend IFS’s dominance in the overall service management space.”

To learn more about IFS’s service management solutions, please visit: ifs.com/service. For more information on the Axios Systems best-of-breed proposition Assyst, please visit: ifs.com/assyst.

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Further Reading:

 

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about IFS on Field Service News @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/ifs
• Find out more about IFS @ www.ifs.com/
• Learn more about Axios Systems @ www.axiossystems.com/
• Follow IFS on Twitter @ twitter.com/ifs

 

Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Dr Chris Raddats of the University of Liverpool a seasoned expert with experience from both the industry and academic sides of the aisle centred around servitization, digitalisation and service marketing.

During the discussion, the two discuss a wide range of topics related to Raddat's sphere of insight including reflecting on the current learnings that are coming from a recent raft of academic literature.

In this excerpt from that full interview, the two discuss the sheer magnitude and importance of the role of big data in the field service sector is and why we mustn't underestimate its impact.

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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 Servitization @ www.fieldservicenews.com/servitization
• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about Academic Studies @ www.fieldservicenews.com/the-view-from-academia
• Find out more about participating in Chris's latest academic study @ research.fieldservicenews.com/current-studies
• Follow Chris Raddats on Twitter @ twitter.com/chrisraddats
• Connect with Chris Raddats on LinkedIn @ linkedin.com/in/chrisraddats

Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Dr Chris Raddats of the University of Liverpool a seasoned expert with experience from both the industry and academic sides of the aisle centred around servitization, digitalisation and service marketing.

During the discussion, the two discuss a wide range of topics related to Raddat's sphere of insight including reflecting on the current learnings that are coming from a recent raft of academic literature.

In this excerpt from that full interview, the two discuss if we need to be clearer in our definitions around concepts such as servitization, advanced services, and outcome-based 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 Servitization @ www.fieldservicenews.com/servitization
• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about Academic Studies @ www.fieldservicenews.com/the-view-from-academia
• Find out more about participating in Chris's latest academic study @ research.fieldservicenews.com/current-studies
• Follow Chris Raddats on Twitter @ twitter.com/chrisraddats
• Connect with Chris Raddats on LinkedIn @ linkedin.com/in/chrisraddats

Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News welcomes Gary York, CEO and Evans Manolis, Senior Consultant Help Lightning as the group discuss the practical considerations of implementing Augmented Reality in Field Service.

The discussion looks at whether Augmented Reality (AR) is set to become a key part of the field service toolkit, how the shift to remote services will change the role of the field service engineer, the importance of effortless when it comes to new technology, how AR can improve multiple facets of field service operations and how it can be implemented effectively within just a matter of months.

In this excerpt from that conversation, the group discuss how the pandemic drove many field service companies to embrace the technology in a way they never would have thought possible in normal conditions.

 

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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. 

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Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Dr Chris Raddats of the University of Liverpool a seasoned expert with experience from both the industry and academic sides of the aisle centred around servitization, digitalisation and service marketing.

During the discussion, the two discuss a wide range of topics related to Raddat's sphere of insight including reflecting on the current learnings that are coming from a recent raft of academic literature.

In this excerpt from that full interview, the two discuss whether we are beginning to see servitization and advanced services reach a critical mass in the terms of momentum amongst field service focused organisations.

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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 Servitization @ www.fieldservicenews.com/servitization
• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about Academic Studies @ www.fieldservicenews.com/the-view-from-academia
• Find out more about participating in Chris's latest academic study @ research.fieldservicenews.com/current-studies
• Follow Chris Raddats on Twitter @ twitter.com/chrisraddats
• Connect with Chris Raddats on LinkedIn @ linkedin.com/in/chrisraddats

In this final feature from our series of excerpts from an exclusive Field Service News white paper published in partnership with Help Lightning, that is exploring the practical questions surrounding Augmented Reality we see how Revolution Retail Systems achieved an incredible adoption rate in record time when rolling out AR... 

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So how have Revolution Retail Systems (Revolution) adopted Augmented Reality into their existing service workflow?

“We phone-fix 70% of our calls that come in through level one and then we move to level two before dispatch,” explained Barker.

“If a customer comes through to level one and that call is then progressed to level two, we send them a Help Lightning link to work with the customer to ensure they’re opening the appropriate access points, for example. It also allows us to see if we can identify any broken cables or anything like that. We can see if anything has happened to change the structure of the device, so we know exactly what is going on before dispatching an engineer. We can capture pictures, know what module requires attention, and attach that information to the case. Only then would will we dispatch a technician to replace the module."

Revolution are currently using Help Lightning as a standalone application within the Help Lightning server in terms of workflow. However, it is available as an integrated CRM app, the implementation of which is currently on the roadmap for Revolution. However, even in its standalone format, the tool’s adoption within the contact centres’ workflow has been hassle-free.

Similarly, from the customers’ side, the tool’s use is simple, which is critical for any new technology we expect our customers to adopt. In Revolution’s workflow, a link is simply sent to the customer via email, which can either open in a dedicated app or even in a standard browser.

Indeed, for Barker’s team, the adoption process was a smooth one, which is both testament to the ease of use of the solution and Barker’s own change management skills.

 

"Firstly we kept talking to the teams about it, explaining the ‘whys’ behind it. It is essential to have those daily conversations with the folks who are using it and those who are not...."

 

“The solution is very intuitive,” Barker explains, “so it wasn’t a complicated training session. In our learning management system, we built a computer-based learning module, rolled it out to the floor, and just let the team see it.  We trained everybody on it, and we then gave it a week or so to see what we were getting in terms of adoption.

“Initially, we weren’t seeing the interaction that we wanted, which can be expected with any new technology rollout, so we looked at how we could improve the adoption rate. We did this in several ways. Firstly we kept talking to the teams about it, explaining the ‘whys’ behind it. It is essential to have those daily conversations with the folks who are using it and those who are not.

“We then ran some incentive schemes. For example, we’d run a contest for a month based around utilizing the AR. We offered prizes and rewards for the team if they could prevent a dispatch. These incentives were designed to make the benefits of using the tool tangible for our team. We wanted to prove to them that they could do it and use it in their day to day workflow.

“Then once we’d shown them that they could leverage the tool, we then said, ‘OK, now you have to use it. Now it’s part of the process.”

Introducing the solution in a gentler way that reinforced the benefits allowed Revolution to formalize the process to the point where it is now a fundamental part of the triage process.

“Now it is part of our agents QA forms and their requirements are that they’re using the AR on a daily basis. We now pull the stats around AR usage and communicate those numbers regularly. Our agents are held to a metric and it is part of their employee scorecard,” Barker explains.

This two-tiered approach has achieved an impressive adoption rate, with the process taking just three months to go from roll out to becoming a cornerstone of their workflow.

Having done so, the value for Revolution in leveraging the power of AR has been not so much in developing dedicated new revenue streams but reinforcing their position as an industry leader, helping to both secure new business and strengthen existing relationships.

“We’ve leveraged our use of Help Lightning almost as a marketing tool,” explains Barker.

“When we have executive meetings with Walmart or Target and in fact, any of our significant customers, our CEO has done demos of Help Lightning with their executive team so that they see what the store’s interactions with our help desk are like. It’s a compelling demonstration, placing us on the cutting edge of technology and being able to demonstrate we are an industry leader and show that we’re investing in the latest tools to help our customers.

“That’s the value proposition for us. We didn’t change our billing model at all for our customers. When we integrated Help Lightning, we didn’t increase their cost. Because while we’re absorbing the cost of Help Lightning we’re also seeing the savings associated with it.”

 

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Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News welcomes Gary York, CEO and Evans Manolis, Senior Consultant Help Lightning as the group discuss the practical considerations of implementing Augmented Reality in Field Service.

The discussion looks at whether Augmented Reality (AR) is set to become a key part of the field service toolkit, how the shift to remote services will change the role of the field service engineer, the importance of effortless when it comes to new technology, how AR can improve multiple facets of field service operations and how it can be implemented effectively within just a matter of months.

Here the three discuss why AR is set to become an absolutely vital tool in the not too distant future of the field service sector.

 

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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. 

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Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News welcomes Gary York, CEO and Evans Manolis, Senior Consultant Help Lightning as the group discuss the practical considerations of implementing Augmented Reality in Field Service.

The discussion looks at whether Augmented Reality (AR) is set to become a key part of the field service toolkit, how the shift to remote services will change the role of the field service engineer, the importance of effortless when it comes to new technology, how AR can improve multiple facets of field service operations and how it can be implemented effectively within just a matter of months.

In this excerpt from that session the conversation focuses on whether remote service and Augmented Reality should primarily be viewed as a standalone mechanism for delivering service or part of a broader, more holistic service portfolio.

 

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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. 

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Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined on the Field Service News Digital Symposium by Clay Barker, Director of Service and Support, Revolution Retail Systems about their use of Augmented Reality within their field service operations.

During the discussion, Barker outlines how the tool has driven multiple benefits across their field service operation including improving customer satisfaction and increasing first-time fix rates as well as outlining how they achieved an effective roll-out which achieved excellent adoption rates in just three months of implementation.

Here, Barker reflects on the initial thoughts having seen the Help Lightning Augmented Reality tool and the potential he could see for its application within their field service operations.

 

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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. 

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