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Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined by Michael Smythe and Alice Walton from eBecs as they discuss how their clients are using their site assessment survey tool to collect key data from the field when their field service engineers are on site...

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Field Service News, Editor-in-Chief Editor, Kris Oldland's latest white paper, sponsored by eBECS, explores why field service organisations should be ensuring their field service technicians are collecting data from assets whilst on service calls even if they aren't ready to implement an IoT based approach to service delivery yet as by doing so they can reap some of the benefits and more importantly build the processes for a future world in which connectivity and data will be at the heart of customer service operations...

Want to know more? The bad news is the full white paper is only available exclusively for fieldservicenews.com subscribers.

The good news is that if you are a field service practitioner then you may well qualify for a complimentary industry practitioner.

The even better news is we will send you a copy of this white paper when you apply as a welcome!

Click here to apply for your complimentary industry subscription to fieldservicenews.com and access the white paper now!

Note: Please do take the time to our T&Cs (available in plain English at fieldservicenews.com/subscribe) and note that this content is sponsored by eBECS

In today’s field service sector companies are facing an increasingly complex set of challenges and the collation and analysis of data paradoxically seem to often be found at both ends of the spectrum.

Data can be at the heart of many problems for a field service organisation as they struggle to find useful insight amongst ever-increasing banks of data locked away in differing business silos. Yet the rewards for breaking down those silos and also being able to identify where the insight is within your data can lead to better service levels than have ever been possible previously.

The vast amount of data that we have access to today can potentially give us a much more intimate understanding of our customer base than ever before, giving us the ability to understand and even predict their needs, far more accurately than we have ever been able to manage previously.

The vast amount of data that we have access to today can potentially give us a much more intimate understanding of our customer base than ever beforeHowever, the flip side of this benefit is that companies are now finding themselves drowning in data - which becomes meaningless without insight, a challenge which can be magnified further if data is locked away behind walls within an organisation.

It can be a daunting challenge to not only establish processes that allow the collection of data but also to ensure that when collected, data can move seamlessly across an organisation to fulfil its maximum potential. Yet in today’s business climate where service has become a core differentiator, there has perhaps never been a more urgent need to ensure you are harnessing every tool available to you in the most efficient manner in order to stay just one step ahead of the competition - and data certainly holds many of the keys to service excellence when it’s collected, processed and analysed correctly.

An interesting symptom of operating in a world of technological advancements, is that when we talk about data collection within a field service context the topic immediately turns to IoT - but in doing so are we overlooking one of the most important resource in a service organisation already at our disposal - the field service engineers themselves?

The importance of data collection in an increasingly connected world

The question of whether the Internet of Things will play a part in field service has been and gone. The answer was a resounding ‘yes it will.’

Research from Field Service News showed that 86% of companies were actively either developing plans to implement IoT or had already done so. Indeed, in terms of IoT and field service, the question for the overwhelming majority of companies has moved from why to how.

However, the impact of IoT in field service is set to be so revolutionary that it cannot just be viewed as a new technology to be rolled out, it is a decision which must be grounded with a firm understanding of your business strategies, your future goals and a rock solid foundation of both processes and technologies that can allow an organisation to fully reap the benefits of an IoT based service strategy.

But the revolution isn’t really an IoT revolution, it is a data revolution.

Asset performance data and even component performance data can open the doors towards moving towards both a more preventative maintenance focused approach as well as empowering your service engineers to be able to find a first-time-fix on a more regular basis.

Asset performance data and even component performance data can open the doors towards moving towards both a more preventative maintenance focused approach as well as empowering your service engineersYet, for many service organisations, the sheer volume of data that a fleet of connected assets will produce will cause a series of problems and pain points in and of itself.

With companies facing unprecedented levels of data coming into their service operation not only from IoT connected assets but also various digital customer touch points whether that be via contact agents, self-service portals or even sentiment analysis of relevant social media, finding meaning and value within such a deep data lakes can be a daunting task.

In addition to this, there is the further question of retrofitting assets that a discussion on IoT necessarily brings with it.

For organisations with a large install base there are a number of considerations that must be given thought including:

• Which assets are worth retrofitting with IoT connected sensors?
• Is it worth waiting for some assets in the field to reach their natural obsolescence and then replace them with newer connected models?
• Should you prioritise retrofitting assets for those clients that are the most profitable or will having multiple levels of service contract be a hindrance to service delivery?
• What data is it important to track from retro-fitted assets? What is essential and what is merely nice to have?
• What processes will you need to develop or adjust in order to facilitate this data within the workflow of your service delivery teams?

Want to know more? The bad news is the full white paper is only available exclusively for fieldservicenews.com subscribers.

The good news is that if you are a field service practitioner then you may well qualify for a complimentary industry practitioner.

The even better news is we will send you a copy of this white paper when you apply as a welcome!

Click here to apply for your complimentary industry subscription to fieldservicenews.com and access the white paper now!

Note: Please do take the time to our T&Cs (available in plain English at fieldservicenews.com/subscribe) and note that this content is sponsored by eBECS

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In this sample from the Field Service News webinar Field Service System Overview: Microsoft Dynamics for Field Service and the eBECS added IP Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News hosts a Q&A session with the session presenters Michael Smythe and Alice Walton.

 

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Want to know more? The full webinar is available to Field Service News subscribers only - but if you are a field service professional then you can apply for a complimentary subscription now on the link below and we will send you links to access the full webinar as a thank you for your application!

Apply for Field Service News subscription now by clicking here

 

 

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Resource Type: White Paper
Published by:  Field Service News and eBECS
Title: FSM System Analysis report - Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Field Service

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Want to know more? This white paper is available to Field Service News subscribers but if you are a Field Service Professional you may qualify for a complimentary industry practitioner subscription! Click here to apply for a subscription now and we’ll send you this white paper to your inbox now instantly as a welcome gift!

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Synopsis:

Almost all industry experts including practitioners, analysts and vendors are in agreement that the selection of a Field Service Management (FSM) system is far more than just an IT decision.

Field Service has always been a mission critical operation, but as we move into a world of servitization and outcome based solutions, efficient field service delivery is more crucial than ever before.

With this in mind, the correct selection of a FSM system to meet the demands of your individual organisation is crucial and should be based on a thorough understanding not of only the technology but also how a vendor can work with you to ensure best practice implementation - to help you see the efficiency gains, productivity improvements and return on investment promised.

Microsoft is of course a name that has been synonymous with enterprise computing for decades and their FSM offering is, as would be expected, one of the leading solutions within the FSM sector, identified by Gartner as a leader within the space.

However, its deep level of functionality, as part of the wider Microsoft Dynamics ecosystem, can perhaps be daunting for some - resulting in organisations potentially not taking advantage of its full capabilities.

 

This is where specialist providers such as eBECS can add additional layers of value in helping companies through the implementation process in order to make sure they are able to get the most from the tools embedded within Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Field Service (Microsoft Field Service) and do so as swiftly and efficiently as possible.

In this white paper we will be first taking a closer look at the key elements of Microsoft Field Service and then exploring the benefits of working with a systems integrator such as eBECS when implementing the system.

Overview

The white paper is split into two main sections. Each of which include:

Section One: The capabilities of Microsoft Field Service

The first section of the whiter paper explores the core functionality, pros and cons of Microsoft Field Service with a look at the following aspects of the solution:

• Major benefits of the system
• An overview of functionality
• Who is currently using Microsoft Field Service
• Scheduling Functionality
• Reporting Functionality
• The mobile aspect of Microsoft Field Service
• Integration capabilities of Microsoft Field Service [/unordered_list]

Section Two: Microsoft Field Service vanilla flavour vs. the added value of eBECS

In the second part of this comprehensive white paper we explore how an EBECS implementation differs to a standard implementation of Microsoft Field Service - here we look at two key areas the added IP that eBECS bring to the table and also their own approach to implementation.

Additional eBECS’ IP

Currently there are two additional software tools that are available exclusively to eBECS’ field service clients. Firstly, there is there is an additional tool to the Mobile Offering which is their Site Assessment Survey. Secondly, eBECS offer an ‘Accelerator Pack’ which is designed to help organisations take advantage of the powerful but often complex to set up tools such as PowerBI which is powerful part of the Microsoft technology stack discussed within the white paper.

Perhaps crucially, the eBECS approach is designed to not only aid organisations in getting the most out of their investment, but also empowering them to be able to continuously refine parameters themselves - something that in the fluid world of field service can be rewarded in significant savings in both time and money further down the line.

The eBECS’ Approach to Implementation

Whilst the added IP included within the eBECS solution is of undeniable value, it is arguably within their implementation process that the greatest benefits are to be found.

Michael Smythe, eBECS comments “When we talk about customisations and implementations etc, this is where we excel as we have built a team of industry experts - field service experts who haven’t just worked on IT implementation but have actually been in the industry and understand how these things work. People that can help you and work with you, side by side to build a platform that is suitable to meet your business goals.”

It is this intimate understanding of the industry that is perhaps key to their success to date. As it is this understanding that allows them to act within a truly  consultative capacity, rather than being simply a technology implementation team and again we explore this approach within the latter segment of the white paper.

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Want to know more? This white paper is available to Field Service News subscribers but if you are a Field Service Professional you may qualify for a complimentary industry practitioner subscription! Click here to apply for a subscription now and we’ll send you this white paper to your inbox now instantly as a welcome gift!

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Stephen Wilson, CMO, eBecs provides some key advice on making sure you select the right software provide to meet your needs when making the important decision to invest in Field Service Management software...

Choosing the right field service software is an important decision, as it has real, long-term effects on your business’ profitability and customer retention. So taking the initial time invest to understand your options and how they will improve efficiency, information, and communication sets you up for long-term success. You’re investing time and money into a product and so, in turn it should also save you time and money. There are questions you should ask and key issues you want to investigate as you compare vendors.

Development Costs

Oftentimes vendors will have a base product that provides your business with the basic tools to automate and store information. It’s the additional add-ons and customisation that starts to increase the initial set-up fee or monthly subscription fee. These costs are not always apparent when simply looking at a list of features.

It’s important to understand what features will incur additional costs, and whether or not you need them. While certain features may appear to increase productivity, reduce frustrations, etc. you need to know if the ROI is going to justify the cost.

Implementation Time

How soon can the system be up and running? If you’re working with a vendor who is building your application from the ground up, while being white-labelled and built to fit exactly your needs, development time can be up to a year. Meaning your ROI is a long way out and you may find that your business needs will change during that time.

A system built using a plug-and-play model tends to have shorter implementation time, and allows for those initial building blocks to be built upon, adding customised features as needed.

Mobile Applications

When building enterprise grade mobile applications there are some very key differences between the coding of a web application and a mobile application. What works on a desktop, doesn’t necessary translate to a mobile device. Performance, security, and features can all be affected.

Ask vendors what they use to build mobile apps;, if they say HTML5 they’re not going to be the right solution for you. Native apps provide a stronger, more dependable solution, especially for field service techs who are consistently on the road and rely on the app to manage client calls.

Third-Party Integrations

The ability to integrate with third-party applications is key. There is no solution that does absolutely everything a business needs. From a customer facing website, to a CRM, to payment processing. There are applications that will need to be integrated with your field service solution. Find out how the vendor handles third-party integrations. Are there limitations on what can be integrated?

Security

Consider all the different employees in your business. Do they have different access to different information? Does the vendor’s solution handle multiple roles and access permissions? You may need this on both a group and individual level and so the system needs to be flexible. Make sure you know what types of permission levels you need and what is possible.

Automated Routing

A key feature of many field service software solutions is the ability to automatically generate routes for techs, scheduling their service calls in the most efficient manner (to save time wasted between calls and the distance a technician has to drive). Automation can have big benefits, freeing up employees to do other tasks, but you want to ensure that the automation is creating the most efficient solution, and that it’s easy for a human to step in and make adjustments to the schedule board when necessary.

Also, take a look at the scalability of the solution. As your business grows and you add more technicians or additional jobs into the system you want to ensure that it runs as quickly as it did before. The ability for the system to update in seconds as opposed to minutes is important in ensuring that techs have the most up-to-date information.

Start making strategic lists

Before speaking to vendors, build a checklist of features: the needs and nice to haves.

Create a long list of vendors to ensure you are properly evaluating all your options. Then address your needs first so that you can eliminate any vendor that isn’t going to be able to provide you with a solution that will make your business run smoother and more efficiently.

The nice to haves can help you compare overall cost of working with one particular vendor over the other. When you’ve narrowed you’re your long list to 3-5 potential vendors, then use your checklist to compare each individual feature/benefit.

Your field service management vendor is going to be a long term investment, so you want a partner that will grow with you and provide you with the best possible solution for your needs.

If you would you like to learn how the right vendor and field service solution can help you grow your business, by better managing your customer’s changing expectations and still deliver high customer satisfaction, sign up for the January 31 live webinar here

Stephen Wilson, CMO, eBecs looks at why understanding customer expectations is perhaps the biggest challenge and requirement for field service companies in 2017...

How do you ensure that your field service technicians are completing their jobs effectively and fulfilling customers’ expectations? First, you’re going to have to identify what your customers’ expectations really are. Many businesses assume that because they know the product or service, they know best what customers need. This assumption is incredibly risky. It can lead customers to feel like they’re not valued, that their needs aren’t going to be met, and in the end selecting another company to do business with.

What can you do to better understand and meet your customers’ expectations in order to keep customers satisfied and loyal to your business?

Customer Information

Part of being able to meet your customers’ expectations is ensuring that your technicians are provided with all relevant information before they leave for a service call.

Working with a Field Service Management Solution like Microsoft Dynamics 365, keeps customer information all in one place. It ensures that all supplies need for the job are ready before the technician leaves your yard. When a technician has to make a second visit due to missing equipment, it’s not only costing your business money, but it’s not valuing your customers’ time.

 

Keeping customer information all in one place improves future service calls as well. Technicians can easily view past call notes, identifying any challenges that may not have been anticipated, thus saving everyone time.

Touch Points

Where do your customers interact with your company? What is their experience along all touch points? Your customers’ experience, from everything from your website, to the emails from your team, to the technician they interact with, matter. Even more importantly they all need to align with your brand and business image.

One of the biggest disconnects for a customer can be going to your website, expecting a certain level of professionalism, only to receive communications and experiences that don’t align. Regardless of the size of your company, holding your business to a professional standard at all touch points will ensure that customers’ expectations are being met. Adopting technology such as Microsoft Dynamic 365 for Field Service can help your business maintain a professional standard.

Time Management

When a customer has a problem, they want it resolved in a timely fashion. While they understand that they’re not your only customer, what expectations are you setting in regards to their service call? Are you even setting an expectation? One of the biggest disservices to a company is customers having low or no expectations at all. When customers’ expectations are met it builds trust in the relationship with the business.

When it comes to service calls, customers feel more comfortable when provided with a time frame, even before they submit their request. Take a look at your current service calls, are you typically able to make a service call within 72 hours of their request? Can you provide with reasonable accuracy when the field service technician will arrive at their location? If customers are provided with this information, you can start to build trust even before you speak with them.

 

Using a resource scheduling tool will help you to better calculate, with accuracy, when technicians will be able to complete work orders, and allow you to fit more work orders into each day. Setting those time expectations with your customers can provide huge benefits to your company, because the reality is, the competition likely isn’t making them or holding to them.

Customer Feedback

One of the most important aspects of understanding customer expectations is in getting direct feedback from them. Customer needs are continually evolving and changing, and to stay on top of it you must actively engage with customers.

Using an integrated system that automatically sends out a survey once a service call is completed is a quick and effective way to get immediate feedback. It will help you change and adapt your business to what your customer needs are.

Going above and beyond the customer survey can involve a phone call to customer who perhaps had an experience that was lower than their expectations. Knowing that their voices are being heard and their issues addressed increases the overall positive impression customers have of your business.

 

Customer satisfaction is ranked as the highest metric in defining service success. It ranks higher than first-time fix rates and service cost. When customer expectations are met customers have more trust in the business and are more likely to use your services again in the future. Using an integrated Field Service solution like Microsoft Dynamics 365 to help understanding customer expectations will be a game changer for any business.

 

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To learn more on how to understand your customer’s changing expectations and still deliver high customer satisfaction, sign up for the January 31 live webinar here

 

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Stephen Wilson, Chief Marketing Officer, eBECS, provides an outline for optimising field service operations in the new digital age...

In any business, increasing efficiency while minimising costs is absolutely critical, and failing to recognise new opportunities can result in declining profits. This is especially true when existing systems do not accurately track resources and information. So how do you tell if your Field Service processes are doing the job, and when to re-evaluate to see if they can be optimised?

There is a great underutilisation of technology in Field Service that can be solved with an integrated Field Service solution. Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Field Service, properly implemented, can have considerable positive impacts on the bottom line, reducing pain points for the field service technicians, customers, and the business overall.

To help businesses understand the value of an integrated solution they first need to recognise the pain points of the three parties involved, and how those pain points are costing them money.

Optimisation of Route Management

When a field service technician is sent out to a location, their fuel costs and driving time are taken into consideration in the overall expense.

The further a field technician has to drive, the higher the cost. So how does Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Field Service solve this? By accurately mapping out each service call, dispatched technicians can service more customers in a shorter period of time, with less travel in between each location for complete route optimisation.

 

This also reduces the time a customer must wait. A report by Forrester Research, Inc. noted that customers felt the most important thing a business could do to provide good service was to value the customer’s time. The less time a customer has to wait, the better experience they will have with the business. Increasing customer loyalty has high impact on the business’s overall profitability.

Improving Resource Utilisation

Each time a field service technician is sent out for a job it costs the business over £800. If that field service agent does not have the right equipment or skills to complete the job, another technician is sent. An integrated Field Service solution ensures that all the information required to complete the job is stored in the system. This enables the business to send the right technician to the location, with the right equipment, reducing the need for a second visit by over 26%.

Real-time visibility and scheduling

Do you know where and at what stage in the service call your technicians are at any given time? And why is this important?

Providing realtime data is essential to any business looking to increase efficiencies. By knowing how long technicians require to complete certain jobs, a Field Service solution can significantly improve scheduling functions. Customers can get updates on when they can expect the technician to be arriving for their service call, and if there are any unexpected delays in the schedule.

 

Overall, proper scheduling helps regulate workloads for technicians, as only service calls that can be handled within a technician’s regular work day are scheduled. This not only reduces overtime, but reduces the number of technicians who find themselves with excessive amounts of downtime and wasted hours between service calls.

Connecting business resources

Poor resource management is one of the biggest leaks in profits. By connecting service requests to work orders and right-parts-monitoring, inventory management improves. The business then has accurate data on all inventory and the specific parts required for each service call. This ties back to the overall goal of reducing second service calls as it ensures that parts are in-stock before a technician is sent.

Business reporting

How does a business forecast with no visibility?

Accurate reporting is essential to understanding both profits and expenses. With an integrated Field Service solution, detailed reports can be generated and used to make key business decisions, including required expansions. These reports include service call time reporting,  analytics on hours used for provisioning and other tasks not allocated to a service call, and parts used for service calls.

Employee engagement

Employee job satisfaction is a key component in a business’s profitability. It can be directly linked to a customer’s experience, increasing efficiency, and reducing errors.

When employees are provided the proper tools and resources to complete their jobs by way of an integrated solution, user adoption is high and coincides with an increase in revenue generated per employee. The right Field Service solution provides technicians with vital information about each service call, real-time guidance, and cross-team collaboration.

 

Using Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Field Service can have a significant positive effect on your overall business, from providing customers with better service, increasing job satisfaction for employees, providing analytics that can be linked to business decisions, to reducing wasted resources. To learn more on how to optimise your  Field Service business, visit https://ebecs.wistia.com/projects/f0me5yp2eq

 

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Contact information for eBECS:

Phone: +44 (0) 8455 441 441
email:  swilson@ebecs.com
web: https://www.ebecs.com/

 

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Services provided:

 

• Contract & Asset Management
• Service call scheduling and optimisation
• Stock & Logistics
• Quotations
• Internal Repair Centre & CRM
• Customer Web portal
• Mobile Data

 

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All about eBECS:

The eBECS philosophy is simple: Technology is about successfully connecting people, process and progress. In Field Service, profitability requires that projects are correctly estimated and completed on time while meeting or exceeding customer expectations.

To succeed today, companies need to adopt strategic and financial, project, and resource management practices. eBECS helps accomplish this with Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Field Service, an integrated solution that allows organizations to share data, work together, and make informed decisions.

Just as importantly, eBECS templated implementation and unique rapid-return methodologies deliver significant time and cost benefits to their customers.

Tailored to specific industry and business needs, eBECS’ award-winning solutions using Microsoft Dynamics 365 focus on delivering improved business performance and productivity. With Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Field Service, their Field Service customers can streamline and integrate processes, improve customer relations and service, maximise sales, minimise waste, optimise the extended supply chain and manage customer demands efficiently.

It’s a big list of desired business outcomes that the customer can happily check off, all within one integrated solution.

Most recent awards:

 

• Microsoft UK Partner of the Year 2016
• Microsoft Dynamics MEA Partner of the Year 2016
• Global IOT Partner of the Year Finalist 2016

 

 

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Latest video from eBECS:

 

See more videos from eBECS at:

 

• 5 Reasons for Site Assessment Technical Surveys
• Project Service and Field Service in Action
• Stop Stressing and Start Profiting

 

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Resources from eBECS:

On Demand Webinars:

eBECS publish a series of on demand webinars. Click the links below to find out more and download direct from the eBECS site.

 

• Strategic Field Service for the Construction Industry
• Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Field Service – Understand customers’ changing expectations
• Microsoft Dynamics 365 for PSA – Deliver projects on time, on budget, while maximising your highly skilled resources

 

 

Latest News and Features from eBECS:

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