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Field service engineers are the unsung heroes that keep our world moving writes Bill Pollock, Strategies for GrowthSM...

In most cases, the customer relies heavily on its business systems and equipment and, in turn, your customer contact will rely heavily on your field technicians – personally – to make sure that the equipment is always up-and-running as expected.

In fact, you can safely assume that the customer is not nearly as interested in the technical nature of the equipment as it is in the solution it provides for his or her tasks-at-hand – that is, namely, performing the tasks, functions and operations that it is relied upon to keep the business up-and-running – with as little downtime as possible, and with no disruption to ongoing business processes.

As such, it is important to recognise that, in the customer’s mind, if the equipment is not working optimally – regardless of the technology that may have been built into it – it is “worthless”.

There is just so much that the customer itself will either be inclined – or permitted – to do in order to get the equipment back in working order following a failure. In most cases, the field technician will be the sole entity that the customer will be able to count on to make that happen – and this should deservedly carry along with it a great deal of responsibility and accountability. Just to put things in perspective, think of the case where a customer uses an ATM machine to withdraw cash – virtually anywhere, or anytime of day.

When the machine is down, they generally do not care whether it is due to a hardware failure, a software glitch, a network problem, or simply that it’s out of cash or paper tape for the receipt. All they know is that they needed cash, and the machine couldn’t deliver. Regardless of the specific reason, there was a failure, and the failure was duly noted in their minds. The same situation also occurs in the office environment, where the customer is also a “consumer” of your company’s products and services.

 

Customers will typically not care whether the reason their copy machine went down was due to a hardware or software failure, a paper jam, or anything else – or whether the cause was the machine’s fault, their fault, or nobody’s fault in particular. Again, all they know is that they needed to make a copy, and the machine didn’t work. That’s where the services provider comes into the picture.

And, based on how your field technicians enter the frame, you can either be perceived as a “knight in shining armour” – or as a part of the problem – depending on how you have been able to position yourself in the minds of your customers throughout the course of your relationship – i.e., Customer Relationship Management, or  CRM.

For example, if you have continually shown your customers that they can depend on your technicians to support both them and their equipment – and that you always have their best interests in mind – then, you will have established a type of bond that suggests that you are working as their “partner” to keep their systems up and running.

However, if you have consistently given them the impression that you do not have their best interests in mind – because your technicians have been repeatedly arriving late at their site, at the last minute, or that they always have a “lame” excuse for why the equipment failed again – then you will have positioned yourself outside of any real partner relationship, and have staked out, instead, a position on the “them” side of the “us vs. them” equation.

 

Remember, in the customer’s mind, it is generally the totality of the value that the equipment provides that is most important – not just the technology, nor the reliability of the equipment, nor the service level agreement that provides ongoing support coverage.

Customers continually look at any and all aspects relating to the systems and equipment they use, and their respective applications and functionality.

And your organisation’s field technicians typically represent the only “real” physical manifestations of the service and support that keeps it up and running.

Customers may rely heavily on their systems and equipment to support their day-to-day business operations – but they rely on you even more to ensure that the equipment can continually do what it is supposed to do.

 

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Marina Stedman, ClickSoftware begins a two part feature in which she looks at the multi-faceted challenges field service managers and supervisors face and a key philosophy in how to best serve customers...

Field service managers and supervisors do not have easy jobs.

They’re trainers, mentors, time keepers, and job shufflers. They must have stellar communication, interpersonal and operational skills – all on top of being the first point of call for many escalations.

Basically – field service companies demand a lot from their field managers.

Of all the demands made on them, the trickiest obstacle they face in performing their jobs well is balancing the ever present tensions between their in-office tasks and field work.

How do they get both aspects of their complicated job done without consuming huge amounts of time and energy, while still giving their roles due attention?

Mobile technology seems to be answer. Yet we don’t see the introduction of mobile technology reducing the obstacles that field supervisors face in meeting traditional expectations of operational efficiency.

 

Instead, use of mobile devices has increased everyone’s expectations and standards of quality customer service and how much value a well-run field technician team adds to the bottom line.

The client SLAs are becoming more demanding and internal stakeholders require more aggressive cost management of field technician labour.

The fact is – arming field supervisors and their technicians with mobile devices that connect them to each other whilst in the field, as well as back to the home office, does offer the potential for field supervisors to manage their teams more efficiently and cost-effectively.

The key words here are “offer the potential.”

Without the right approach in implementing the mobile tools and work processes, providing mobile communication will only add another layer of complexity and frustration to field operations. Field supervisors work too hard to deserve that.

Using mobile to make field supervisors’ lives better – not more complicated Our philosophy centres on helping service organisations answer five questions – the Five Ws of Field Service, in order to best serve their customers.

This approach can help field supervisors to use mobile to excel at their jobs and give their field technicians the full support they need to serve your company’s customers.

Think of it as trickle-down customer service.

W#1: Who does What?

In the traditional customer service framework, this first question serves to clarify exactly which field technicians are qualified to do which tasks.

Scheduling a service appointment for a customer that can and sending a field technician who doesn’t have the technical qualifications to complete the work needed makes everyone unhappy.

The field technician can’t do the job and the customer doesn’t have their problem resolved.

Everything’s come to a standstill.

For field supervisors, the volume of office and field tasks they need to master and execute can create a similar bottleneck to getting things done.

 

In addition to the tension between back-office and field tasks, the field supervisor also has to allocate attention between big picture tasks and minutiae.

Correctly prioritising tasks determines the “What” they should be doing in any given moment. Their scheduling system needs to easily and accurately serve up the information they need – no matter where they are – to make the right decisions in prioritising attention.

This is where the real-time, mobile updates are so critical.

For example: Mobile helps the field supervisor conduct back-end tasks while in the field. They get a holiday request from a field technician while sitting in the car, just as they have finished updating another field technician’s performance record (while parked, of course!).

They can look through that technician’s holiday usage and upcoming volume of demand to decide if they should approve the request.

But before they begin that review, the mobile alert system pushes out a notification that a customer service appointment scheduled for later that day is in jeopardy because the field technician currently assigned to has spent more time than scheduled at his current appointment.

With mobile technology, none of these new actions need to be postponed until the field supervisor is back in the office.

Supervisors can easily prioritise resolving the risk to today’s service appointment from a ‘phone by finding another field technician who’s qualified and available to take care of the upcoming appointment on schedule.

They can then follow up with the delayed field technician to find out what’s going on. Once all is resolved, they can turn their attention back to the holiday request all while out in the field.

 

In short, an effective mobile system gives field supervisors the freedom and flexibility to complete all of their responsibilities.

In the concluding part of this feature I’ll explain what the remaining 4 W’s are and their importance in field service.

 

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What do you think is the biggest challenge facing today's  field service organisations?  Submit your view to ClickSoftware's Service is Hard contest and receive a free Amazon voucher. 

Delivering service is hard, acknowledges ClickSoftware.  It is compiling a new book on the challenges facing the industry and would like input from Field Service News readers to help it identify and address the industry's biggest challenges and help make delivering service easier in future.

The company wants to combine its 20-years experience in field service with input from customers to create a book which will outline the most critical challenges in the sector market and present recommendations from experts, thought leaders and analysts on how to address these challenges.

All you have to do is to submit your challenges using the short form here by Tuesday 15^th March 2016. (The form is in English but you can enter the details of your challenge in your own language.)

No challenge is too small, too simple or too complex.

Everyone who submits a challenge will receive: 

• A free copy of the completed book (available in April 2016)
•  An Amazon Gift Card worth £15.

If your challenge is selected to appear in the book, we will also:

• Acknowledge your contribution by mentioning you by name as a contributor.
•  Send you a signed copy of the book (signed by Alec Berry, VP Consulting and Technical Services, ClickSoftware) thanking you for your support.
•  Send you an additional £35 Amazon Gift Card.

Some examples of the challenges already identified include:

• Business Challenge:  Service is hard….because we can’t meet our customers’ expectations while keeping operational costs down.
•  Functional Challenge: Service is hard….because we lack accurate planning and reliable appointment booking.
• Technical Challenge: Service is hard…because it is difficult and complex to integrate the most advanced field service solutions with our legacy systems.

 

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To submit your challenge, use this form. All challenges will be reviewed but may not all be included in the book.

 

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Incredible fuel savings and impressive reduction in CO2 emissions for Scottish local authority after implementing telematics solution from TomTom Telematics...

The Organisation:

Connecting the shores of Loch Lomond with Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire provides access to some of Scotland’s most beautiful scenery and a network of towns and villages.

There are three town centres; Clydebank, Dumbarton and Alexandria. The council has a fleet of 380 vehicles that are used in delivering services for the residents of West Dunbartonshire. This fleet is made up of cars, vans and minibuses as well as specialist vehicles such as refuse collection trucks and road sweepers. The fleet has a capital value of approximately £8 million and annual running and operating costs of over £2M.

The Challenge:

Running vehicle fleets does not only incur costs – as a signatory to Scotland’s Climate Change Declaration, the council has a carbon reduction commitment to reduce CO2 emissions by one third by 2015. The cost of fuel to the council has increased significantly over recent years and it is clear that the council needs controlling mechanisms to regulate and influence the sustainable use of fuel.

Added to this, there was concern over the usage of council vehicles and the need to know where and how council property was being used. With a highly recognisable fully branded fleet, West Dunbartonshire are aware that they are continuously visible and that tax payers note any inappropriate use. Coupled with this comes the incidence of public challenges and spurious insurance claims against the council.

 

Tracking of the vehicles was becoming necessary to cut rising costs, raise efficiency and save time on administration.

The Solution:

In March 2010 the council installed TomTom LINK 300 GPS tracking boxes into 260 of their fleet of vehicles. This was a significant investment for the council, particularly at a time when budgets were being trimmed in every area. Nevertheless the Fleet and Waste Services Division led by Rodney Thornton, was confident that its introduction would reduce fuel costs.

Following research and a competitive tendering exercise, the council selected TomTom Business Solutions to provide the solution.

Driving more economically, efficiently, and safely, will reduce the council’s carbon footprint and longer term costs for the council. It was clear that many drivers, however unwittingly, were wasting valuable resources because of the way they drive.

Reducing average speed and instances of harsh braking and cornering delivers direct, measurable reductions in fuel consumption, servicing and maintenance costs and is proven to reduce accidents.

As a result of improved control of the vehicle fleet, the council is projecting that fuel usage will be down by around 70,000 litres in the period April 2010 – March 2011 when compared to the previous year.

 

Ultimately, the council has not only saved huge costs, they have succeeded in reducing their annual climate impact.

“Improvements to the way council vehicle operators carry out their duties has reduced our annual fuel costs by over £100,000 per annum, reduced servicing and maintenance costs in the longer term, will extend the working life of a number of vehicles and decrease the production of CO2,” said Rodney Thornton.

West Dunbartonshire council are so impressed with the results of the TomTom solution, they are incorporating the TomTom ecoPLUS into a selection of the vehicles across the fleet.

The ecoPLUS provides businesses with live data such as fuel consumption and live carbon footprint so vehicles can be accurately benchmarked and best practice developed to help achieve wider objectives such as fuel saving and carbon footprint reduction. TomTom ecoPLUS will enable the council to further reduce fuel consumption, by gaining a real time view of the fuel efficiency of each vehicle, showing when and where fuel is wasted.

Idling time in particular has been highlighted as a major contributor to fuel wastage in this sector.

 

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Wider access to custom-fit mobility tools is driving new efficiencies for field service workers, says  Alison Clark,  Product Manager  for RhoMobile Suite, the app development platform from Zebra Technologies.

The proliferation of more affordable and richly-featured mobile technologies is finally at the point of transforming field service practices for companies of all sizes. The degree of tool customisation essential for maximising the efficiency with which field service tasks are carried out has finally democratised, moving away from being something isolated to big businesses with the budget to match.

Enterprise-calibre field mobility applications customised to meet the highly specific needs of an individual business can now utilise specialised tools that include barcode scanners, GPS, sensor data capture, and more. This wider access to custom fit mobility tools is producing exciting new trends in field operations, which any business looking to improve their own practices in the field would do well to study for possible adoption. Here are three of the most significant ways that custom mobility app technologies are driving new efficiencies for workers in the field.

1.  Optimisation of field workers’ driving routes is slashing transit times.
   App-based GPS, traffic mapping, and routing technology in every service vehicle and carried in the pocket of every worker in the field is giving company dispatchers a more sophisticated, holistic overview of the field resources at their disposal. Field workers now have their routes for the day continuously optimised by intelligent software. The days of the repair truck coming within a “window” of 9am to 9pm are ending. Rather, precise computer-assisted planning allows field workers to tell customers how many minutes they are away.

   More streamlined and customised interfaces are benefitting today’s field workers by removing pain points and making data capture fast and error-proof.

   More specifically, we’ve seen a move toward apps where dispatchers can simply assign work orders to field technicians using a drag-and-drop calendar interface – where appointments and geographic routes are then easily recalculated and optimised for the fastest possible travel. Field workers are now experiencing the ease of simply following GPS directions from site to site. Dispatchers work from a dashboard that includes not just field workers’ locations but analytical insights as their work progresses. This allows dispatchers to modify assignments on the fly to further optimise work efficiency. The result of this efficiency is more site visits and jobs completed in a day, happier and better-served customers, and sizable savings in fuel costs.
2. Digitised and streamlined interfaces are revolutionising data capture.
   
   The pens and clipboards still used by some field workers are now (or soon to be) antiquated relics. And while technology solutions that are not custom fit to a company’s needs may assist somewhat by digitising information, workers using one-size-fits-all systems will still need to capture data in different apps and send multiple files to dispatchers. Thankfully, more streamlined and customised interfaces are benefitting today’s field workers by removing pain points and making data capture fast and error-proof. To complete a work order, field service workers may need to capture arrival and departure times, labor hours, work notes, part and material numbers, digital images, customer consultation time, customer signatures, etc. In the worst-case scenario of using less efficient and downright unwieldy solutions, field workers might even have to return to sites to recapture improperly recorded data.

   more streamlined and customised interfaces are benefitting today’s field workers by removing pain points and making data capture fast and error-proof.

   We’re seeing a decisive trend toward app solutions with thoughtfully designed user interfaces and smart use of data capture equipment. These apps also tend to include business rules and task segmentation customised for precise company needs. They can use Bluetooth scanners for errorless capture of complex parts numbers and integrate data within work orders themselves at the time of capture for seamless processing. Dispatchers can then receive and make use of those filled out work orders in real time, as their software is custom made for this purpose.
3. Field mobility apps work just as seamlessly offline.
   
   Even when work order data cannot be transmitted to dispatchers in real time, the trend in these apps is to make sure that locally capturing and later syncing recorded data is automatic and painless. Many field workers frequently travel to locations where their mobility devices will read “No Service.” Apps capable of offline data syncing enable workers to capture information without Internet connectivity and have that data sync up with the software used by dispatchers at the home office once they return to an area with a better wireless signal. This means that data is safe and available for use as soon as possible. Businesses using field mobility technologies have found that the more customised the application they use is to their needs, the more efficiently it will serve them. As highly tailored app customisation is now within the reach of businesses of all sizes, companies deploying employees in the field should look for those trends that support their productivity and help the business’ bottom line.

 

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The field service industry is changing rapidly, Nick Frank, Managing Partner, Frank Partners looks at how we can benefit most from the rapidly developing tools and strategies becoming available...

If 2015 was the year that IoT & Analytics became mainstream business terminology, then perhaps in 2016 leaders will focus more on how to use these capabilities to gain competitive advantage and growth.

Although some serious use cases are now emerging from industrial companies, most CEO’s and directors I meet are still asking the question:

‘How do we develop the opportunity?’

Perhaps one reason that most companies are struggling with this question is that despite what business leaders say about being ‘customer focused’, the sad fact is that often they only concentrate on ‘customer needs’.

This is generally what the customer tells them about their requirements at the interface between the product and the customer; in other words quite superficial.

 

Customer insight goes much deeper and explores how customers and potentially their customer make money.

By applying Service Thinking, companies can understand where the profit pools and opportunities lie within the ecosystem of stakeholders that make up the Industry Supply Chain.

With this insight, they can develop product, services and technologies that can drive growth.

So as you ponder how to move forward in what are unsettling times, you might consider these six strategies to maximise the value of your businesses knowhow:

1. Understand the Value Iceberg

If you look at the total cost of offering an industrial solution, you will find that the product element only directly makes up between 5% and 30%.

It is a bit like an iceberg.

Above the waterline it is possible to clearly identify the costs that are directly associated with the product itself. Below the waterline there will be hidden costs associated with the solution. Some can be allocated to the production process such as maintenance, people raw material, energy, assembly, down time, warranty etc.

Moving deeper into the iceberg there are costs that can be allocated as ‘production overhead’ such as purchasing, logistics, engineering, quality, implementation support, legal compliance and management overhead. Here are also found costs that are associated with the lifecycle of the solution such as field & technical service, parts, account management and financing. Then in the depths there are far more intangible costs of risk & uncertainty that significantly influence the decision making process of managers.

This Value Iceberg concept applies to nearly all product and technology based businesses, but its composition is very specific to the industry and customer context. Understanding it can help answer the question; ‘Where do my customers capture value and how can we use our know-how to help them grow revenue and profit?’ The most profitable companies in the world know what is below the waterline and target these areas of value for their products and services.

2. Where and what influence does a business have on the industry value chain

Understanding where value is created in the industry supply chain can help companies capture profitable growth. This can be illustrated through two examples:

Selling further up the value chain:

There are many companies who appear to be a supplier of a commodity product, but realise that if they sell further up the industry value chain to the OEM or even the end customer, that they can design themselves into the product such that even though they are on the end of the supply chain, they are specified as the supplier and avoid price erosion.

Frequently component suppliers will offer Application Engineering Services that engage with the OEM design engineers in order to be specified on the production drawing.

Consolidating elements of the supply chain into a service:

Frequently one sees suppliers of commodity products changing their position in the industry chain by offering services that consolidate and replace some key elements. A good example would be providing logistics services.

Some companies will provide their products on a just-in-time basis to line-side, taking cost off the balance sheet and simplifying their customers internal logistics processes. Others will not only support their own products, but supply spare parts or even maintenance services for their competitors. Both services affect the profit pools within the industry chain.

3. Access value through the product

Having understood the ‘Value Iceberg’ and the industry chain, companies can design their product to target specific elements of hidden value under the waterline. For example, niche fastener manufacturers who can generate an EBITDA over 30% by focusing on saving assembly costs with their ‘simple’ fastening solutions.

Or the tyre manufacturer who understands that 50% of the haulage industry costs is fuel, and that they can design products that can significantly impact their customers' profitability.

4. Access value through services and solutions

There is a growing awareness that adding services to products can help access even more of the value that lies below the water line. This has led to companies offering asset management type solutions that include remote, preventive and predictive maintenance as well as guaranteeing equipment availability in order to maximise raw material throughput. But this is just the tip of the iceberg so to speak.

Some industry leaders see so much hidden value under the waterline, they are creating new service based business models to tap into this growth opportunity. For example, in the fleet transportation market, Michelin no longer just focus on the tyre technology. They have developed a service business where tyres are charged by the kilometre, which given the importance of fuel economy and the tight margins have had a significant impact on reducing costs and making them more predictable.

 

These new ‘Servitization’ or outcome based business models require a much deeper understanding of the available profit pools that can be accessed by companies, if they are to be successful. Many of these services rely on data and analytics. By understanding where a company can make a real difference to their customer’s profitability, prioritisation of new technologies such as the IoT, big data analytics and mobility, becomes far more targeted than it is today.

5. Product Design / Service value Trade off

As outcome based services become more popular, it forces alignment between the customers' and suppliers' objectives. If a tyre is sold by the kilometre, then the design and service must deliver the lowest overall cost of performance over the life of the product. Even in more traditional business models, there is a realisation that the installed base represents a significant revenue opportunity versus new build.

There are many businesses who for every new machine sold, might have anywhere between 10 and 100 pieces of equipment already in the field. The installed base represents a large revenue opportunity!

In both these cases the trade-off in the product design between product cost and service value could have significant financial consequences. For example, with the manufacture selling tyres by the kilometre, a saving in the tyre cost which creates higher service costs will impact the profitability.

Designing services into the product such as remote connectivity, could enable a growth in service revenues that is far larger than the increase in the product cost.

This more holistic approach to value over the products life is a change in mind-set for most product-orientated companies.

This has significant implication on culture, KPIs and organisational design if a company is to maximise it profit over the assets life.

6. Managing Risk & Uncertainty

As companies take on more responsibility in their customers’ business processes, so their perspective on business risk must adjust.

While they have the opportunity to earn more margin, they also have to become better at managing risk and safeguard the value they have won.

Indeed, many companies will often unnecessarily shy away from profitable opportunities because of this lack of understanding.

It is a complex trade-off, but it is important to first be clear about the difference between uncertainty and risk.

Uncertainty is when there is variability in the outcome of an event caused by the environment, human error or lack of knowledge.

Uncertainty is a fact of life and so we must develop solutions/ processes to dynamically manage these unknowns.

For large contracts this is a highly complex challenge, but there are three good pointers that can help all businesses:

[ordered_list style="decimal"]

1. Identify areas of uncertainty
2. Develop processes that actively manage uncertainty in the product service delivery
3. Ensure transparency of data through the life cycle requirements to aid fast decision making

[/ordered_list]

Risk is a special uncertainty where negative consequences affect the overall performance.

This means ensuring your business can cover a worst case scenario, however unpleasant.

Managing uncertainty well, decreases but does not eliminate risk.

These six strategies can help all businesses create and safeguard value.

If incorporated into a company's thinking, they can help companies manage the value they already deliver more effectively.

More importantly it can help them to clearly identify the opportunities where they can grow their business through products service solutions.

 

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Welcome to the final part of this series on the key trends to have an impact on field service organisations in 2016

 In previous features in this series we’ve touched on servitization in part one, IoT and AR in part two Smart Glasses and Rugged Computing in part three…, and optimised scheduling and connected vehicles in part four

Now as we bring this series to a close we look at to key tools field service managers should be implementing this year. Knowledge sharing platforms and easy reporting solutions…

Knowledge sharing projects will become high priority...

Another year gone and another year closer to an impending ageing workforce crisis for an awful lot of field service companies.

With the number of field service engineers in their mid forties and fifties there is a distinct danger that companies are facing a huge problem not just in the sheer numbers of field service engineers that will need replacing but also in the very real possibility that when these engineers leave, not only will their experience leave with them but also so will their knowledge.

And the incoming Generation Y or Millennials and the outgoing Baby Boomers have many distinct , contrasting characteristics that add further challenges to this.

 

The Baby Boomers for example are hoarders of knowledge, having worked long and hard to gain their experience they were it like a badge of honour and may not necessarily feel comfortable giving that experience away for free.

Millennials on the other hand are ‘Google Natives’, born into a world of social sharing and online collaboration, for them the first thing to do when faced with a challenge to which they don’t know the answer is not to research the topic in a book but to ask their social circle.

The challenge that many field service companies is getting their existing workforce to participate in knowledge sharing platforms, and ensuring that the platform they are building has a familiarity and strong UI that will engage the next generation of field service engineers as they come through.

Fortunately tools like AR can help overcome both challenges by recording remote engineers calls and strong them digitally.

However, regardless of how companies approach the implementation of developing a knowledge bank, it will be a high priority for the majority of field service organisations and those that don’t do so soon could be in a lot of hot water the longer they wait.

Easy reporting will become a key priority for field service companies

Finally we can’t have a top ten about business trends, without mentioning Big Data somewhere can we?

I often say that problem with Big Data for so many people is that it is very often a completely intangible concept.

However, the emergence of dashboards as a business tool in field service is essentially what Big Data is all about.

We can talk about the four V’s (veracity, volume, velocity and variety) or about things like Hadoop or MapR for ever but only a handful of folks really get it and in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t really matter.

 

All most of us want to know about Big Data is can it help me see ‘insert relevant business challenge of the day here’. And that’s exactly what many FSM software providers are now promising.

And in today’s world where service is a key differentiator, and where service excellence sits alongside productivity as the two leading KPIs for many field service companies, then the old adage of ‘you can’t manage what you can measure’ holds as much weight as ever.

So as with scheduling, those companies looking at a new FSM solution in 2016 should ensure that the tool they opt for has all the reporting capabilities they could possibly need as instant reporting and easy access to data becomes standard.

 

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Optimised scheduling remains an absolutely crucial tool for many field service companies and one that could improve many other companies’ efficiency and productivity levels if they were to adopt such a system. On a recent Field Service News webinar based on this topic, Kris Oldland interviewed scheduling expert Daryl Dudey from IFS to find out more…

KO: What is a typical timeframe from modelling a scheduling solution through to actual implementation?

DD: There are several things that affect that.

Firstly how driven a company is but also how large the organisation is. If we are dealing with smaller teams we can roll out a bit quicker, so we could even be talking weeks moving from pilot to live, if we are talking about a larger organisation with a couple of thousand people out in the field generally speaking we’d like to take a little longer with that to make sure we are considering all the factors.

Really we try to go for a timescale of six months from start of project through to live, that’s the goal if possible. Also the nature of the business the more the senior management is driving the project the more likely it is we are going to get to live quicker, that’d very important.

A lot of the time these implementations can be viewed as IT projects but they’re not they’re business projects and businesses need to understand there is a lot of change involved in this, employees are involved, customers are involved and everybody really needs to be concentrating on it and focussing on it to get the result everybody wants.

KO: In your experience is it a case that those companies that have the full management buy in get more from these types of implementation?

DD: Absolutely. The ones that have that buy-in, that have that drive, they’re the ones that see the significant improvements to their business. They’re the ones that see the big numbers in improvement in terms of cost of travel and increasing jobs per day. They’re the ones that see the most success.

[quote float="left"]A lot of the time these implementations can be viewed as IT projects but they’re not they’re business projects and businesses need to understand there is a lot of change involved

Also in a company that decides they’re not over ride the system manually they’re not diluting the benefits. By the management setting those sorts of rules down the project works just that much better. From experience I’ve also seen that those companies that drive an implementation better, those people out in the field and in the dispatch office end up liking the system more anyway. Because they get the benefits out of it that they were expecting.

 

KO: So as well as there being a need to be driven by the top level, is there also a strong case for involving the end users, the field engineers and dispatchers throughout the implementation process?

DD: Involving the technicians, their team leaders and the dispatchers is absolutely key. At the end of the day this could be seen as a bit of an invasive system, coming in and changing working practices and taking responsibilities away from people. So we need to manage it in the right way to keep those people on-board.

[quote float="right"]Involving the technicians, their team leaders and the dispatchers is absolutely key. At the end of the day this could be seen as a bit of an invasive system, coming in and changing working practices and taking responsibilities away from people.

However, in the end people end up doing what they are better at. So with dispatchers for example, instead of having to decide which job to do in which order, they have more time to do what they are better at which is contact customers and dealing with the technicians and making sure everything is running smoothly.

 

It’s the same with the technicians. They are able to do what they are best at, which is being on-site, fixing equipment, interacting with customers etc. Basically not deciding which route is the optimum etc. So in my opinion, everyone benefits.

KO: What is the typical R.o.I following an implementation?

DD: It can vary but scheduling as a project is very much a return on investment project.

Most companies can expect to see five to fifteen per cent increase in productivity in SLA hit rates so that will hit the bottom line. Every organisation of course has different priorities so they tend to tune things in a different way.

Fuel savings are a particularly direct way of measuring cost savings. PHS in the UK for example made fuel savings of around 7 or 8% a year, which for them equates to around £2 million. So they made some significant savings – quite a lot more than they paid for the solution I might add, so the solution paid for itself pretty quickly.

We are currently running a free field service health check, which is a great way of getting a picture of this, and a great way of putting the business case together. We can take customer data if they are unsure and we can run that through and we can give you some predictive numbers which is a great way of seeing what that R.o.I specifically in line with your business.

KO: All too often we hear that service doesn’t perhaps get the voice it should in the boardroom, what do you recommend a service director should do when building the case for investment in a scheduling solution?

DD: To be honest the numbers make a pretty good case for themselves. Increasing jobs per day, reducing fuel costs etc there are all pretty big numbers and there aren’t many projects you can implement that are going to get you big savings like that.

But there are some more intangible benefits as well such as customer satisfaction. A lot of organisation using manual systems can end up sending the wrong technician out, or maybe a technician is missing parts and that just causes frustration at the customer end really.

[quote float="left"]There are some more intangible benefits as well such as customer satisfaction. A lot of organisation using manual systems can end up sending the wrong technician out, or maybe a technician is missing parts and that just causes frustration at the customer end really.

So sending the right engineer, with the right skills and the right parts, in the agreed allotted time window is pretty important when it comes to customer satisfaction.

 

Also a possibility given the increased efficiency is maybe offering shorter time windows, which can be a big competitive benefit. If you customers are all offering AM or PM slots and you can offer one hour or two hour slots that’s another pretty compelling case for scheduling optimisation I think.

The reality is from my experience is that companies may have these SLAs in place but they may not necessarily be meeting them and it’s interesting that when we do the initial phase and we take some historical data we discover some often huge discrepancies between what a company thinks they are delivering and what they are actually doing.

The reason being is that when you are using a manual system or a semi-manual system then it’s pretty hard to consider all these variables.

You’ve got to consider where the technicians are, what jobs are nearby, what parts and skills are required on those jobs, when you need to get there etc. It’s just to much for a person to deal with in reality. So sometimes things slip.

Whereas in an organisation not only are they to hit the SLAs they’ve already guaranteed to their customers, they also have the opportunity to offer shorter SLAs. If your peers and competitors are using manual systems and offering a four hour delay you could offer a two SLA and they simply wouldn’t be able to achieve that.

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Enabling our field engineers with the right tools for the job is critical to success for any field service organisation. To help you find the right device for your mobile workers, Field Service News is road-testing a number of the leading devices on the market. This time around we turn our attention to the XM5, a rugged handheld computer from Janam...

What the manufacturers say...  

The XM5 mobile computer redefines productivity and is built to withstand the rigours of heavy duty use in the field.

It combines the latest technological advancements in mobile devices with a sleek and rugged design to provide the power and flexibility that enterprise and government customers demand.

Equipped with 4G-ready WWAN and 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi communications, the XM5 ensures mobile workers will be able to access voice and data anytime, anywhere.  Additional features include the choice between a 1D/2D imager or 1D laser scanner, as well as integrated RFID and NFC reading capabilities, front and rear facing cameras, Bluetooth and smart battery power management.

The XM5 mobile computer survives repeated 5ft drops to concrete across a wide operating temperature range, is sealed to IP65 standards and is UL-certified to provide ultimate reliability in extreme and hazardous locations.

First impressions...  

In a world where consumer smartphones and tablets are being used more and more frequently by field service companies, the form factor of a traditional handheld computer such as the Janam XM5 can’t help but look ever so slightly dated.

This is not so much a slight on the XM5 but more so on the Handheld form factor itself.  However, it’s important to remember that being industrial devices, rugged handhelds are built for functionality not fashion.  For example, whilst most smart phones offer barcode scanning ability, the functionality is cumbersome compared to a fit-for-purpose device such as the XM5.

Indeed, the XM5 itself is a sleek and lightweight example of the form factor, whilst remaining undeniably a rugged device capable of withstanding its fair share of bumps and knocks.  The XM5 comes with a rear strap that makes holding the device comfortable and it’s 3.5 inch brilliant VGA TFT display was bright and easily read in daylight.

[quote float="left”]“You get the feeling that the XM5 is all about reliability and even when first getting to grips with the device, you get a sense that this is a device that won’t let you down...”

In the hand the device feels a lot lighter than it looks and, weighing in at 305g, it is about a third heavier than a high end consumer phablet such as Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4.

 

However, thanks to the aforementioned rear strap such a difference is negligible.  The device itself has a profile on par for the form factor with its 2.5cm depth being similar to that of Zebra’s MC45 and Handheld’s Nautiz X4 but the challenge again for any handheld computer is comparison with smartphones such as the Caterpillar CAT S30 which with a depth of 1.3cm has a profile almost half that of the XM5.

The build quality on first impressions seems high and the hard rubber casing features grooves that provide a comfortable grip on the device.  Button placement is also sensible with access to the scanning function available in three separate places again conveniently placed to make the device easy to handle.  The XM5 comes in two options for the keyboard, either numerical or full Qwerty. The unit we had for review featured the Qwerty layout and, whilst by definition the keyboard is of course incredibly small and a challenge for those of us blessed with stubby fingers, again the build quality is good and the keyboard has just the right amount of responsiveness delivering a satisfying click when buttons are pressed.

Whilst it’s never going to deliver the ‘wow’ factor for an field service engineer that a consumer device or even some rugged smart phones or tablets might do, you get the feeling that the XM5 is all about reliability and even when first getting to grips with the device, you get a sense that this is a device that won’t let you down when you need it the most.

The one area where it does fall down though is the telescopic stylus that just feels that bit more fragile and flimsy compared to the XM5 itself.

Processing power

In terms of processing power, the XM5 has a 512mb RAM with a 1GB of ROM and uses an ARM Cortex-A8 1GHz processor which again puts it on a par with similar devices such as the Nautiz X4 and more powerful than Zebra’s MC45 which has just a 256mb RAM with a 600Hz processor.

Such processing power should be sufficient to run most basic field service productivity apps that handle activities such as job completion and parts and inventory management whilst some of the more vertical specific CPU intensive applications would potentially struggle.  However, in fairness, utilising such apps is not what devices such as the XM5 are designed for and in terms of its form factor it delivers as much of a punch under the bonnet as many other similar devices.

Operating system  

One of the big factors in the XM5’s favour is that it comes both in a Windows and Android flavour with both operating systems being able to run on the same hardware. In terms of Windows, the XM5 runs Microsoft Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5.  This is starting to feel a tad cumbersome and dated compared to some more of the modern handheld OS, although Windows 8.1 is seen in many quarters as a not being a viable option for Handheld devices and Windows 10 development in this market is still in its infancy.

[quote float="right”]One of the big factors in the XM5’s favour is that it comes both in a Windows and Android flavour with both operating systems being able to run on the same hardware.

Also remember Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 as an operating system is proven and robust as well being built with enterprise security in mind. So, whilst not the slickest of interfaces, it again remains true to its cause.

 

On the Android version the device runs Jelly Bean 4.2. Again, this does feel that little bit dated compared to the more recent Android OS, with many devices (both rugged and consumer) running the latest OS of Lollipop 5.1

That said the leap from 4.2 to 5.1 in terms of user interface isn’t that dramatic and Android users should generally feel at home quite quickly. Given which given that Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the consumer market, this could potentially speed up user adoption rates.

With most field service management vendors now including apps for Android (as well as IoS) these days the Android Play Store application makes getting the right applications on a device an easy task.

The Ins & Outs

When we look at the device ports, while somewhat limited by the available space the XM5 again comes with the usual suspects in terms of I/O for a handheld computer.

With a 3.5mm headphone jack with a unique locking mechanism (which can be essential for making voice calls in an outdoor environment), a mini USB slot for syncing and charging, and user accessible microSD card slot with SD and SDHC support, the fundamental basics are all there.

The XM5 also comes with a choice of 1D/2D imager or 1D laser scanner, which are accessed by one of three buttons which should allow for the quick and efficient scanning of parts in and out of a field service engineer's van.

Connectivity:

In what is one of the key considerations for selecting a device suitable for a mobile workforce, namely delivering good connectivity options, then the XM5 certainly doesn’t let us down.

The device comes with strong mobile internet connectivity being both 3G and 4G capable as well as good Wi-Fi connections with 802.11a/b/g/n availability.

Alongside this the XM5 also comes with Bluetooth 2.1, Ublox GPS and assisted GPS and features embedded RFID and NFC - again both useful for parts monitoring within the field service space.

Security is also well covered with the XM5 meeting enterprise level EAP standards alongside WPA,WPA2 and WEP encryption.

Ruggedity:

This is where the XM5 really shines. It certainly a tough little cookie for sure.

[quote float="left”]Officially the device is protected from low pressure water jets from any direction, meaning it will survive outdoors in the rain as well as being washed down and for clean room environments it can withstand 85% concentration alcohol rub.

With an IP rating of IP65 the XM5 is deemed to be completely protected from total dust ingress making it perfect for a number of environments such as building sites, warehouses and Middle Eastern locations.

 

The IP65 rating also means it can take a decent bit of drenching. Officially the device is protected from low pressure water jets from any direction, meaning it will survive outdoors in the rain as well as being washed down and for clean room environments it can withstand 85% concentration alcohol rub.

The XM5 is also tested to survive 5ft drops onto concrete. Indeed, having put this to the test ourselves, the XM5 survived numerous drops without even picking up scratch and given the stability in hand offered by the rear strap, it would certainly survive the rigours of all but the most demanding field service environments.

Finally, with an operating temperature ranging from -20°C through to 60°C again the XM5 should be suited to almost all field service operating environments.

With this combination of ruggedised features, the XM5 sits comfortably within its sector as one of the most robust devices available.

Battery Life:

In terms of daily usage, the XM5 should be capable of lasting a full shift for most field service engineers as it ships with a 4000mAh rechargeable Li-ion battery, which the manufacturers claim will provide ‘extended battery life as a standard feature, not an optional one.’

In addition to this the XM5 boasts smart battery power management to eke out the very most from the battery.

Conclusion:

As mentioned in the introduction, in an age where smart phones have gained massive traction within certain corners of the field service industry, any handheld is going to struggle to win the hearts of field service engineers when it just comes down to sleek modern looks.

Handhelds now do just look a bit dated in general when sat directly alongside the large touchscreens of the modern smart phone.

 

However, fortunately for Janam and other handheld computer manufacturers, there is far more to selecting a device than just the ‘wow’ factor and shiny good looks.

But in fact, this is perhaps being a little unfair on the XM5 - it is a decent looking example of the form factor, with a relatively small footprint, decent sized screen and is comfortable and light in hand.

From a processing point of view, again the XM5 can sit proudly amongst its peers and whilst it will fall flat for those engineers who are dependent on CPU hungry applications, equally it should be capable of meeting the demands of most field service applications.

One thing is certain though and that is that the XM5 can certainly handle itself in the great outdoors and when we look at its impressive rugged specs, its strong array of connectivity tools and its more-than-decent battery life, then you can see that the device is going to be unlikely to fail in the field.

A few minor gripes would be the flimsy feel of the telescopic stylus which could potentially be easily lost or broken and the touch-screen wasn’t the most responsive, resulting in a few applications being opened multiple times.

Also the fact that the device can run both Android and Windows on the same hardware could be a major selling point for those companies looking to switch from one platform to the other (generally Windows to Android).

Very much a device clearly designed for industry, the XM5 lives up to the Janam claim that they make business tools not toys.

Overall the XM5 is a good, solid option for companies looking to select a handheld computer over a rugged tablet or smart phone and the ease of scanning functionality, alongside the embedded RFID and NFC, would make this a great device for any field service engineer whose role involves swapping and replacing a lot of parts.

 

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