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Whilst technology drives innovation within our industry, we must not forget the basic fundamentals of field service, namely putting the customer at the heart of everything we do writes Aberdeen Group’s Aly Pinder...

How should service define success?

Is it good enough to meet SLAs? Should service leaders primarily focus on cutting costs by reducing truck rolls? Do they need to prioritise field productivity; turn as many wrenches in a given day as possible?

These are all noble endeavours, but in 2016 the customer must come first. Internal efficiencies and meeting basic levels of service will keep the lights on, but it won’t grow the business. “Good enough” service is no longer good enough. This evolution demands that service leaders change the metrics they use to define success. As seen in Aberdeen Group’s State of Service research, the top metric which determines success is actually customer satisfaction.

 

The emergence of customer facing metrics such as customer satisfaction, customer retention, and first-time fix rates, has highlighted the fact that the customer is king

 

The emergence of customer facing metrics such as customer satisfaction, customer retention, and first-time fix rates, has highlighted the fact that the customer is king. Service, more so now than in the past, has to deal with empowered customers and competition. No longer can the field team solely be reactive or leave a customer site without resolving the issue. Customers are more knowledgeable and can amplify a bad service experience to a global network of peers.

Top performers understand that happy customers renew service contracts, buy more offerings, and refer new business. For this reason, service organisations have to juggle efficiency goals with customer focused metrics to hit at both at the same time. And with so much technology and analytics at the fingertips of the service executive, it is imperative that they don’t get paralysed looking at too much.

The Best-in-Class focus on the right metrics which drive differentiation and value to the end customer. The rest is great for a spreadsheet. But strategy and innovation needs to focus on the customer. Service leaders that want to excel in 2016 cannot afford to focus on KPI from a bygone era of service. Your customers want you to be successful because that means you can help them grow. But they don’t care if your bottom line is as trim as possible or that your technicians are taking the most optimised route. The customer wants the right technician with the right tools to solve their problem when they get on site to avoid extended (or any) downtime.

This changes the way service must view the metrics that matter both for them and for their customers. Happy customers result in a happy service business.

Don’t lose sight of what matters.

 

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Welcome to the fourth part of this series exploring some of the big trends to expect in 2016 within the field service sector, written by Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News.

 So far we’ve explored servitization in part one, IoT and AR in part two Smart Glasses and Rugged Computing in part three…

 This time around we look at a stalwart of field service technology in optimised scheduling and why it is more important than ever, the growing importance of user interfaces and one of the most hotly anticipated topics in fleet management – the connected car and how it will change telematics forever…

Improved scheduling will become a huge part of the equation for those selecting FSM software this year...

For all of the excitement around technologies such as AR and Smart Glasses in being able to reduce the need for field service companies to send their engineers to the far flung corners of the globe, the truth remains that for the majority of field service companies, for the time being at least, the holy grail of operations remains the age old mantra of ‘getting the right engineer, to the right job, with the right parts on-time, every time.’

As such scheduling tools remain a vital ingredient in the field service management cookbook and this fact hasn’t been overlooked by many of the key players in the FSM software space.

 

With ServicePower having invested heavily in both R&D and the acquisition of intellectual property in this space and the recent roll-out of their new solution NexusTM, they are anticipated to take an aggressive approach to the market, whilst scheduling remains a core functionality of a number of significant players within the space including IFS, ClickSoftware and Astea.

Such a competitive market place makes for an environment where innovation and product development is set to thrive.

For field service companies seeking to either update their solutions or take the plunge and invest for the first time in a solution then having a variety of options is of course a major bonus and given the potential savings that dynamic scheduling engines can deliver, the refinement of such tools, making them more effective and easier to implement, is great news.

Connected vehicles and Telematics-as a-Service will challenge the traditional fleet technology sector

With the advent of the connected vehicle, the telematics industry was in danger of cannibalising itself as specialist providers began working with OEMs to provide in built systems.

On the one hand this was perhaps no bad thing and just the natural evolution of the sector.

Indeed there have been some exciting collaborations spearheaded by companies such as Telogis, who through a number of shrewd partnerships with the likes of Volvo and Ford have seen their technology placed at the heart of many next-generation commercial vehicles.

On the face of it such agreements are win-win-win.

Great for the OEMs as they seek to outpace their competitors in terms of on-board technology, great for Telogis who have access to a much wider market and great for those field service companies who are seeking a complete turnkey solution.

 

But the flip side of course is that such partnerships also limit the choices available to those companies that either want to explore their options further or have existing systems that they don’t want to move away from.

Another approach to building a telematics solution was unveiled by Dutch Telematics giant TomTom at their developers' conference in Amsterdam last year when they unveiled the .connect platform.

With three separate APIs encouraging as much integration as possible the development of the .connect platform was a masterstroke by a company that had already reinvented themselves once in the face of a declining routing and tracking market as it placed them as a telematics platform firmly at the centre of a suite of 3^rd party apps that the field service company could select to define a telematics solution that was bespoke to their own specific needs.

Essentially by modelling their approach along the lines of Apple’s App Store, Google’s Play or Saleforce’s Appexchange, TomTom have paved the way for new thinking in the telematics space and have thrown down a gauntlet for the rest of the industry.

A seamless User Experience will become a prerequisite for field service companies and their clients alike

In September last year I spoke to Marne Martin, CEO of ServicePower shortly before the launch of their new FSM software Nexus FS.

They had clearly spent some significant time working on the User Interface (UI) in the face of the growing impact of consumerisation on business software. “The key is taking what we’ve done with some of the new technology, and then making sure we have integrated a great user experience throughout the other applications, modernising the UI, but not losing all the functionality that we have built over the last twenty years.” Martin commented and as we look ahead to what 2016 holds in store her words continue to ring true.

Indeed, whilst in terms of the physical devices our field engineers are using, we may well be seeing the gradual shift back away from consumer devices to more industrial grade, rugged devices, when it comes to the user experience, consumerisation remains a vital trend, and one which FSM software providers will overlook at their peril.

 

But it’s not just about aesthetics, there is a very simple reason why field service companies should expect the apps they deploy for their field engineers to look as good and feel as intuitive as the apps they use in their personal lives.

To cut to the chase, the more instant familiarity an end user will feel with an app, the faster they will take to using it, which means the faster a company will fee the promised benefits of that apps deployment.

Indeed ServicePower are not alone in having put a significant amount of importance on the look and feel of their latest software.

One of the big bits of feedback from the IFS World Conference was that the company had spent a significant amount of time in ensuring their UI had a modern, elegant feel to it and that those efforts didn’t go unnoticed amongst the attendees.

Similarly when Solarvista launched the latest iteration of their own product, not only was there an extensive overhaul of the product itself, but it launched with a distinctly new look and feel that added a further gloss to what was a major product update.

 

However, it is not just within the apps used by field service engineers where UI is of growing importance.

Many field service companies are beginning to offer apps to their own customers also and whether these apps are communications channels, knowledge banks or even tools for monitoring assets within the field, increasingly digital interaction far outweighs human interaction for many companies and delivering a positive user experience through these mediums is as important to a companies relationships with their customers as face to face contact.

 

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Look out for the final part of this series coming soon which will focus on why knowledge sharing and easy reporting are the two operations that all field service managers should be demanding in 2016.

 

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Nick Frank, Managing Partner, Frank Partners explores the importance of having a road map for harnessing the power that lies within a field service organisation...

As businesses begin to embrace the opportunities offered by the IoT, digitilisation and analytics, many are unsure what they are going to do with all that information.

Within Field Service most of the thinking is centred on driving out cost through remote diagnostics and services. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

The digitalisation of products provides an even bigger revenue opportunity, often in ways not initially foreseen.

Many companies are turning to Service Thinking to identify the profit pools that they can exploit within their customer and industry value chains.

[quote float="left"]Many companies are turning to Service Thinking to identify the profit pools that they can exploit within their customer and industry value chains.[/quote]For example in the haulage industry, the truck itself only represents perhaps 8% of the running costs. 50% is the fuel bill and 25% the driver. Truck manufacturers such as MAN have developed servitized business models based on Telematics technologies that improve fuel consumption and turn the Truck into an operating expense.

This data driven business model has enabled early adopters such as MAN UK to grow their business by a factor 10 over the past 20 years against a declining market.

Although ‘Service Thinking’ will help identify the areas of priority, how do companies go on to figure out how to develop data driven solutions.

For example take SAVortex, a UK SME who have developed a SMART connected hand dryer with remote diagnostics.

The idea was to use connectivity to dramatically reduce maintenance costs for hand dryers in large office complexes. This they achieved, but in addition found that the data they had on the usage of the toilets was even more valuable to their customers.

Nearly everyone who goes uses a toilet also washes and dries their hands. By monitoring the usage of the hand dryers, large facility managers could infer the footfall in different areas of the building, so optimising heating, light and cleaning costs. These savings could in certain cases far outweigh those achieved within the original business model.

The question is how can we help companies make this type of leap in imagination.

A framework originally developed by IBM and reported in the Harvard Business review, can help companies explore the value of their digitalised assets. 5 patterns of innovation were identified that could be used to monetize data;

1. Add new value to existing Products:

This comes from understanding the data being produced by products and whether it is possible to generate insights from it. In particular whether these insights could add new value to us, our customers, our suppliers our competitors or players in another industry. The SAVortex hand dryer is a good example of this.

2. Combining Data within and across industries:

Is it possible to combine the product data with another data set to create new value? In the truck example the driving habits of the driver could be analysed by MAN through the telematics.

When combined with the drivers names held by the haulage company, training could be recommended to improve the capability of drivers to optimise fuel efficiency enabling profitability to be doubled!

3. Digitalising Assets:

Which assets are digital in nature and how can this feature be used to increase their value? Is it possible to turn physical assets into digital assets? An example from the field service world is that some spare parts will not be held as physical stock, but as a digital drawing. When the part is required, the drawing is down loaded to a 3D printer at the point of need for the part to be produced. This has significant implications on the business model for spare parts and where value is created.

4. Trading Data:

Can data be structured and  analysed to yield higher value information?

Again the Savortex example is a good example where the usage information of the dryer is can be sold to the facilities company due to the inherent value.

5. Codifying a Capability:

Does a company have a significant capability that can be digitalised and which others value? Many industrial companies have a huge amount of intellectual property which if put on a digital platform can yield immense value to various stakeholders. For example the bearing manufacturer SKF has many industrial apps which their customers and channel partners can download to help make their equipment more effective.

Key to success is to embark on this process with a cross functional team, adequate resources and senior management support.

With these in place, the next step is to know what data you have from your products and operations.

What data can you access but are not capturing? Do others have data that would be helpful to you and how might you collaborate with them. Then, by examining each of the five patterns, ideas begin to emerge and develop.

The creative process is greatly facilitated by two further actions;

 

1. Having a strong technology presence within the team who can understand how data can be extracted, exchanged and mashed up.
2. Having input from external parties who can bring an Out-Side in perspective to the technology and business challenges What is clear is that opportunities are growing for product companies to find new value from the data they generate.

 

With an open mind-set, some determination and a structured approach, this provides industrial companies with a significant opportunity to grow through embracing the digital economy.

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The telematics industry is going through rapid change as the technology underpinning it continues to evolve at pace. Sharon Clancy looks at the key considerations for companies to have in mind when selecting a telematics solution in 2016.....

Telematics: key features

Telematics can deliver a host of efficiencies to any service operation but historically has been neglected by field service organisations who have focused on other aspects of operations such as ensuring the technician is in the right place at the right time and has the right skill sets for the job.

The part of the day that involves travelling between jobs – the driving - has often received scant, if any, attention. After all, you are employing technicians not drivers. However, increasingly field service companies are aware that economical and safe driving is an important part of the technicians’ skillset.

Business intelligence

A single piece of mobile data can deliver intelligence about several aspects of the operation.

[quote float="left"]The more intelligence you have about your operations, the better equipped you are to be both proactive and reactive in making any changes to the business and the happier your customers will be.

Take electronic signature capture, for example: it eliminates paperwork and automates invoicing, but it is also a compliance tool, feeding data back into scheduling engines; by confirming real-time location, it enables CRM staff to be proactive in alerting customers a technician may be delayed. Today’s challenge is all about cutting-and-slicing data to improve performance. After all, the more intelligence you have about your operations, the better equipped you are to be both proactive and reactive in making any changes to the business and the happier your customers will be.

 

It can help you identify trends and patterns across all elements of the operation and discover where the bottlenecks and inefficiencies are, delivering insights into productivity, business process efficiencies, costs and customer service levels. Data has to be translated into actionable information to help make informed business decisions, of course.

Internet-based mobility platforms link vehicles and drivers to back-office systems and cut-and-slice all the available data.

Also newer pay-per-user software-as-a-service models make the tools available to SMEs, enhancing their competitiveness.

Distilled properly, information through GPS, telematics, fleet management and other tools provide concrete, actionable details, giving managers and dispatchers real-time visibility into operational activities.

Managers can further refine schedules with real-time traffic information.

Route analysis

Route analysis is one of those areas where analysis of telematics data can drive future monitoring by highlighting what actually happens against what was planned showing a planned versus actual comparison.

[quote float="right"]Integration between schedule optimisation software and real-time location is essential: it will help drill down the cause of late arrivals, route variances, jobs taking longer than planned, incomplete schedules and so on.

To do this, integration between schedule optimisation software and real-time location is essential: it will help drill down the cause of late arrivals, route variances, jobs taking longer than planned, incomplete schedules and so on.

 

With first-time fix rates having a significant impact on operational efficiency, investigating as to why any part of the planned scheduled fail is worth it.

Telematics reports can highlight exceptions, mitigating actions, call notes or emails can be seamlessly linked back to any performance reporting.

Historical analysis of trips can identify congestion hotspots and avoidable delays at customer sites which rerouting or retiming an appointment might eliminate.

Analysis also confirms visits are being made most economically in terms of miles, fuel and timing.

It will also highlight any slack in the schedule that could be filled by slotting in a routine service visit

Driver monitoring

Driver performance monitoring is a key feature of many telematics systems, but until recently has not been a focus area for many field service companies.

However, that attitude is changing.

[quote float="left"]Field service organisations are looking to reduce their overall carbon footprint and the fuel used in company vehicles contributes a significant amount to the total.

Field service organisations are looking to reduce their overall carbon footprint and the fuel used in company vehicles contributes a significant amount to the total.

 

Another is awareness that technicians can have driving styles which are not just uneconomic but unsafe – there is a Duty of Care to ensure employee drive safely while on company business.

Telematics reports can identify harsh braking, excessive acceleration, even harsh cornering.

If you aren’t measuring how your drivers and vehicles are doing, you don’t know if they could be doing even better.

Even a small improvement can translate into thousands saved on your annual fuel bill.

Safer driver habits can translate into saving in those minor knocks and dents service vans in urban environments are particularly prone to.

Are your fleet vehicles in a safe condition? Telematics can confirm that. Give drivers an app to do a quick safety check before they set off for the day.

Data overload

Capturing data is no longer the technical challenge it once was.

A lot of telematics data relates to a specific part of the operation - on-time arrival information, signature capture, location, driving behaviour, to name but a few.

Try to do too much too soon, though, and the risk is you’ll get overwhelmed with the sheer volume of information telematics can deliver about your operation. Experts advise taking small, gradual, manageable steps.

[quote float="left"]While deeper integration may be desirable to improve the business, there are two technology challenges if it is to become a reality: the legacy systems already in place and data security levels on servers.

As businesses examine where further efficiencies might be gained and how they can satisfy their customers’ demand for up-to-the-minute information, it’s being recognised that greater integration between databases may be required and made available in real-time so staff have a complete overview of the operation.

 

While deeper integration may be desirable to improve the business, there are two technology challenges if it is to become a reality: the legacy systems already in place and data security levels on servers.

A legacy system might be an outdated programming language or application software which is not longer supported, or old processes. Problems can arise due to compatibility issues with newer applications.

Telematics for incident management

Consequential costs from accidents are rising: determining fault is time-consuming and costly, so often accidents are dealt with on a no-fault basis especially if there is lack of reliable evidence.

So forward-facing CCTV cameras have become a useful item in the telematics toolbox.

[quote float="right"]The latest development is that video footage can now be uploaded in real-time - either via a link with the existing telematics black box on the vehicle or via a dedicated SIM card in the camera

They record video of what is happening on the road ahead in a continuous loop, saving the clip when triggered by G-force or manually.

 

They are proving invaluable in helping police and insurers determine fault - suppliers say cameras can reduce motor fleet claims by between 30 to 70 per cent simply by helping establish your own drivers are not at fault.

The video data captured by the cameras can be integrated into driver training programmes.

They already capture data on risky driving behaviour such as harsh braking, acceleration and there is anecdotal evidence that drivers will adopt a more gentle driving style once they know that any risky behaviour is likely to be caught one camera.

The latest development is that video footage can now be uploaded in real-time - either via a link with the existing telematics black box on the vehicle or via a dedicated SIM card in the camera.

The clip is also highly compressed to minimise the size of the data file being transferred.

Some systems send an alert that an event has been registered while others will send either still images or the video clip.

Security

Data security is moving up the agenda for many companies, so ask about security certification.

Confirm that the server is running the latest version of Windows, encrypts data to a known standard and check what layers of encryption are used.

Buyer beware

Telematics has a somewhat chequered history when it comes to reputable suppliers.

The supplier market is a lot more stable now but caution should still be your byword.

Check what the contract includes and that any warranty is valid for the length of the contract.

Check the creditworthiness of potential providers and be especially wary of suppliers who bundle the communications airtime package with the lease for the telematics equipment.

Consider pay-as-you-go options which don’t tie you in to a longterm commitment.

[quote float="left"]The golden rule when considering any purchase for mission critical systems, whether they be telematics, field service management or a mobility solution is to do your homework.

Ask about ongoing customer service and support - some telematics providers will have designed their own telematics system, including the unit to be installed in the vehicle, and will also own the intellectual property rights; others are pure resellers of air time or of black boxes and will offer very little if any support beyond the sale which could be critical.

 

Some resellers, however, do understand that mission-critical operations require high levels of support services and offer those.

However the golden rule when considering any purchase for mission critical systems, whether they be telematics, field service management or a mobility solution is to do your homework.

Ask a potential supplier to demonstrate a significant and satisfied customer base, and most reputable companies will publish a list of some of their existing clients.

You’ll find that many of your peers in the companies on these lists are often more than happy to help out with a genuine request for information - so give them a call and ask them about the solution, warts and all.

When searching for a solution that can potentially deliver huge benefits, but on the flip side could potentially damage your ability to deliver high quality service if it doesn’t deliver, there can be no stone unturned.

Finally, remember this technology is going to be with you for some time, ask your provider what their roadmap is. The last thing you want is to invest in a solution only to find out it is obsolete or unsupported.

 

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Spare parts and inventory management is an ongoing challenge for field service companies, Sharon Clancy looks at some of the main solutions available to help ensure your engineers are never waiting for parts....

Right part, right place, right time is as important as having the right engineer in the right place at the right time.

With many supply chains now global, ensuring the right parts are in the right place is also a case of managing supply chains.

It’s a fact recognised by the top service management solution providers, Advanced Field Servicel, IFS and ServiceMax are among those who incorporate parts inventory control and management as part of their service management software.

The modules allow you to replenish, automate processes such as pick, pack and ship and monitor stock levels. However, keeping track of the spare parts is one challenge.

Actually getting them to your engineers when they need it is another problem entirely. So let’s take a look at solutions for both., looking first at getting the parts to our engineers.

There are a number of different solutions to help field service companies tackle this.

Supply chain companies in parts logistics 

Global supply chain management specialists have recognised that the requirements of service parts logistics sits neatly with their expertise.

They already have just-in-time delivery credentials for manufacturing, so are ideally placed to extend it into aftersales support.

DHL, for example has a division called Service Logistics that integrates spare parts delivery, on-site and return-to-base repairs, returns, exchanges and recycling. “The larger the field service team, the more complexity involved. Engineers can be spread geographically, fixing a wide range of equipment from a variety of suppliers”

It taps into DHL’s worldwide network that includes mission-critical same-day deliveries with lead times as short as one hour.

The larger the field service team, the more complexity involved. Engineers can be spread geographically, fixing a wide range of equipment from a variety of suppliers. Getting the right parts to the right engineer or right customer can be challenging. Inventory costs money, which is why no-one wants to hold it.

 

Parts suppliers might offer shared warehousing and remote stock locations. As noted earlier. field management software often includes parts inventory visibility and planning.

Another option is CEVA who provide call centers staffed with highly trained operators to take orders, organise deliveries and book maintenance calls, ensuring your customers receive the highest level of service.  Delivery of scheduled and mission-critical spares to your customers, field engineers or stock rooms according to your service level agreements is available.

They are also able to provide returns and reverse logistics by managing the reverse flows of surplus or damaged products back into the network, where we undertake screening before repair, reuse or disposal, minimising cost and maximizing your revenue wherever possible.

They can manage the logistics of your swap and repair service, improving visibility to reduce cost and improve reliability. Another option available from Exchange Logistics is their service parts logistics offering - through a network of strategic stocking locations they can manage the delivery of ‘mission critical’ and scheduled parts to your field engineers.

Overnight deliveries

Overnight deliveries have become a key component in parts logistics for service people.

Automotive dealers have got parts logistics down to a fine art – to keep their customer satisfied the vehicle needs to be back on the road as soon as possible, not waiting for a part to arrive.

At the same time, most of the automotive parts warehouses are centrally located in one or two locations across Europe.

 

This has required investment in order and in the infrastructure necessary to get those parts sometimes a thousand miles, overnight – by boat, road or plane.

In the UK, logistics provider Bespoke Distribution Aviation (BDA) specialises is overnight delivery of spare parts and vital components for the automotive, media and agricultural sectors using its own distribution network and fleet of planes and trucks.

The company has eight gateway hubs for both air and road routes across Europe, including Germany, France, and Ireland. The firm flies freight into Coventry overnight in order to meet next-day delivery times.

BDA has invested in Civil Aviation Authority approved screening technology to process air cargo quickly. its own outbound freight to its Ireland hub, as well as scanning inbound and outbound freight to its hubs in Frankfurt and Maastric.

BDA says its greatest strengths lie in the time critical spare parts supply chain with late mainland European collections for Through The Night Pre 07:00 and 08:00 delivery in the UK, Early Morning Pre 09:00 and 10:00, Next Day and Same Day delivery solutions and returns logistics.

Collection can be up to 8.30 pm depending on distance from the nearest hub.

Returns can be collected at the point of delivery so engineers are left with stock that could be used elsewhere. BDA can handle all of your shipment types from packet, parcel and pallet through to long length and oversized items.

ByBox of course pioneered in night deliveries to secure and conveniently located lockers, in order to bring parts closer to engineers ready for 8am.

Inventory management 

Creating a parts stocking strategy to respond to global service demand is challenging when you rely on inadequate tools or traditional manufacturing-centric supply chain methods.  PTC points out that it's tough to get an accurate service parts forecast when you have a mix of fast- and slow-moving parts with sporadic demand, a large array of parts due to extended product support, and the added complexity of managing new part introductions and last time buy.

PTC Service Parts Management is designed to make sure that you have the right parts available at the right time and the right place, which helps you meet your customers’ service parts needs by balancing the unique complexities of the global service supply chain.

Delivery Connect from Blackbay records a full audit trail of actions that have been performed on a package during the package lifecycle within the network.

This is visible to operational staff through the Delivery Connect web application but the data is also accessible by the companies own systems through integration via the Delivery Connect API.

 

Delivery Connect includes a rich dashboarding and reporting tool that provides visibility to operational staff of exceptions with their area of the business.

By comparing the current location of a package against the expected location which is either stored within the package data in Delivery Connect, or is derived from actions that have been carried out on the package (scan to route, delivery to depot etc), exceptions are clearly visible to the operational staff.

For example, a package that has been delivered to one depot, but which has a delivery postcode belonging to a route which is associated with a different depot, would be visible through an exception report or dashboard.

The application also gives visibility to operational staff of collections and deliveries that have not been made but which are past their time window or the time window is in jeopardy enabling them to take corrective action with the driver – communication is possible via the in-built messaging system.

Operational staff can make corrections to incorrect package data (eg contact details, address details and these updates will automatically be applied to the driver/courier handheld manifest.

Returns management 

Field engineers often need to return spare or broken parts – either to a warehouse, back for repair or, if under warranty, to the original manufacturer for inspection.

Blackstripe from ByBox is designed to make it easier for engineers to do this and for the part to be tracked through the network.

Engineers a simply attach a Blackstripe label to the package over the original delivery barcode.

 

The item is then routed it back to the originator, creating a faster return loop and ensuring it arrives at the correct final destination, with total traceability at all stages.

Engineers then just drop the return part off at their ByBox drop box, from where it will be collected and automatically sent on the correct route via Bybox’s Coventry hub.

All the information required is contained within the electronic label, so there is no need for engineers to take on the job of ensuring the label is correctly addressed.

The service engineer that goes to his customer and uses some of the spare parts in his van for example.:

If he uses the connection of a barcode scanner and their link.connect API, he can scan the spare parts and the warehouse can start preparing the box that he needs to have for the next day.

 

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We look at what Help Lightning are terming Mobile Merged Reality, An innovative mobile solution goes beyond augmented reality (AR) to redefine the future of help...

I need to be able to...

This commonly heard phrase fuels new ideas, creative thinking and innovation which often start many successful companies. A prominent Neurosurgeon, Dr. Bart Guthrie, used this phrase in frustration as he found his task list growing ever longer and more complex.

He needed superpowers to be able to consult on cases, prep support staff, collaborate with other physicians in surgery and meet with patients — in other buildings, in homes, in offices across town, across the state, even in other countries, all on the same day, often in the same hour.

Given the expense and reimbursement issues in health care, he needed an innovation that wouldn’t cost an arm or a leg or require brain surgery to operate. As a result, instant, virtual presence was born. In fact, it was the genesis for a new product category for superior service and knowledge exchange called mobile merged reality. With over 15,000 users in 50 countries, Help Lightning’s patented technologies and processes made it the global leader in merged reality. Augmented reality technology combines live video or a user’s environment with computer-generated digital information in real time.

Merged reality goes beyond AR.

 

It merges two users’ real-time mobile video and audio streams, along with visual inputs from a growing array of tools and modes included with the app. Mobile merged reality allows video interactions to have similar characteristics to in-person interactions, adding interlaced hand movement, gestures, visual clues, real remote objects, telestration, drawing, pointing and pictures. Adding gestures and nonverbal clues substantially improves speed of understanding, resulting in an enhanced recipient/customer perception of overall experience. Instant, accurate communication augmented by mobile merged reality and virtual presence can have a dramatic impact on service operations.

 

You can proactively, efficiently and effectively attack hard costs that plague the efficiency and effectiveness of operations and customer interactions. Customers can experience a 7 to 15 times hard cost savings for every dollar invested.

Expert personnel can see a 10 to 20% increases in efficiency. According to the Aberdeen Group 33% of service work orders require a second trip. Merged reality and virtual presence is able to help eliminate 18% of second trips that are required due to a lack of experience, alleviate 19% of second trips caused by limited access to information, and avoid 28% of second trips caused by wrong diagnoses.

Quickly solve problems for customers, assist newly on-boarded personnel, eliminate wasteful trips and differentiate the way your products are sold, implemented and serviced. Technical, healthcare, manufacturing, and service experts can show a resolution, not just describe it, even when thousands of miles away. Visually collaborate, assist with issues, and resolve problems as though you were working side-byside with a colleague or customer. Download the app for any iOS or Android mobile device and start helping and sharing ideas instantly. No additional special equipment is needed to start a merged reality session.

 

Once you’re in a merged reality call with a colleague, customer or friend, tap to change how you interact. Choose whether you’re giving or receiving help, and start collaborating in seconds. Merged reality adds missing visual cues, gestures, and non-verbal communication methods to any session. If you’ve selected Give Help, simply place your hand behind your device. You’ll see your hand appear on top of your colleague’s image. For best results, use a white background such as a wall or piece of paper. Telestrate, freeze images, use hand gestures, pictures and even add real objects into the merged reality scene.

 

If you selected Receive Help, position your iPhone, iPad or Android device over something you’re working on, like a circuit. When the person you need help from reaches behind his or her device, you’ll instantly see the other person’s hand (or anything that is necessary to help) appear merged with your normal image view. Dr. Guthrie uses Help Lightning’s merged reality solution on a regular basis.

However, applications of merged reality and virtual presence are not limited to healthcare settings. The uses are endless; from live knowledge exchange to never before imagined consumer experiences. Giving better, faster help and care for customers, friends and colleagues is universal. By using ordinary smart phones and tablets, users add non-verbal, visual cues and critical human gestures to video calls for superior communication, collaboration and cognition.

Welcome to the future. Instant help anywhere in the world.

We call it Help Lightning.

 

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This feature is sponsored by:

 

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Welcome to the third part of this series in which Field Service News Editor-in-Chief Kris Oldland takes a look at some of the key trends set to have an impact in 2016.

In part one he looked at way the business trend of servitization is set to become more commonplace this year and in part two he looked at the impact IoT and AR might have.

Now in part three Smart Glasses and Rugged Computing take centre stage…

Smart Glasses will be reinvented from novelty consumer gadget to essential industrial tools

Lets be honest, when we think of Smart Glasses, nine times out of ten we think of Google’s ultimately ill-fated Glass product, which after emerging in a blaze of PR activity eventually limped out of a public beta trial amidst growing negative publicity, and the unfortunate nickname of Glasshole being afforded to those who had paid £1,500 for the privilege of beta testing the devices.

However, whilst the consumer world clearly wasn’t quite ready for advent of smart glasses, the world of enterprise and in particular field service has been waiting in the wings, ready to adopt the technology.

Indeed the rumours being discretely leaked from Google HQ is that the next iteration of Glass will be firmly focused on the more lucrative (and sensible) market of industry and enterprise.

 

However, the Californian computing giant shouldn’t bide their time too much in releasing Glass 2.0 (although it is heavily rumoured for a 2016 launch) as they are far removed from having a monopoly on the smart glasses market.

Dedicated Smart Glass manufacturers such as Pivothead and Vuzix have already stolen a march on them within the enterprise whilst there are interesting products from the likes of Sony in the market also.

So why does field service make for such an obvious target market for Smart Glasses?

Well the argument is essentially two-fold, firstly there is the same argument that we have just explored for AR.

Namely that by delivering a ‘see-what-i-see’ communication channel, field service companies are able to utilise Smart Glasses to replace the need for sending their expert engineers half way around the world.

As with AR Smart Glasses provide an effective means of delivering expertise to a less experienced on-site engineer digitally potentially reducing costs quite significantly.

Secondly there is the fact that Smart Glasses can enable an engineer to receive updates and access information via a truly hands free platform. This is of course beneficial for any field engineer, but for those engineers working in hazardous environments such as scaffolding for example, a potentially crucial breakthrough in health and safety terms.

And whilst as mentioned a number of companies have taken advantage of Google’s closure of the initial Glass beta program in gaining both market share and brand awareness, the fact remains that when Glass2.0 finally arrives it will shift the spotlight firmly back onto the potential of Smart Glasses once more.

Rugged computing will once again become the ‘go-to’ option for field service companies...

The impact of consumerisation on enterprise technology was probably not felt more keenly than by those companies specialising in the manufacture of ruggedised computers.

In field service in particular the arrival of firstly the iPhone followed quickly by the wider adoption of the Android had huge ramifications for the sales of rugged PDAs and handhelds computers.

Seemingly overnight the devices our engineers had relied on became aesthetically at least, that much more antiquated.

 

The arrival of the iPad and other consumer grade tablets had a similar effect on the industrial laptop sector as well.

With intuitive interfaces, powerful processing power (relatively speaking) and perhaps most importantly of all a high gloss ‘sexiness’ factor consumer devices were permeating many corners of field service in recent years.

However, the tide it seems is turning back in favour of devices fit for the more demanding rigours of industry.

Firstly, there are the horror stories beginning to emerge of significant challenges evolving from the deployment of consumer devices within the workplace.

One such example being of a major UK high street retailer who had deployed Apple devices to 3,000 of their front of house staff in an attempt to mobilise the sales workforce.

Whilst an effective deployment initially, all of the good work was soon undone when Apple rolled out an update to IoS, which resulted in a core app the retailer relied upon becoming non-functional.

In the end a patch was introduced to rectify the issue, however each of the 3,000 devices needed to be flashed - not the simplest of projects to organise in a hurry logistically and an issue that would have been unlikely to occur on the more business centred Windows platform perhaps.

 

Then there is the fact that the rugged manufacturers themselves have cottoned onto the growing importance of consumerisation to their market (and indeed upon their clients buying decisions).

As a result of doing so have most major players in the space have firstly embraced the Android platform to enable those companies that wish to harness the familiarity of the OS to speed up adoption rates to do so and also secondly taken a more aesthetically pleasing approach to form factor for rugged devices.

Tablets such as the T800 by Getac or the R12 by Xplore for example are both elegant devices that could pass for a consumer unit despite maintaining high rugged specifications.

Add to this the fact that whilst Total-cost-of-ownership (TCO) remains one of the rugged manufacturers key arguments in favour of selecting a rugged device over it’s consumer counterpart, our own research revealed that of those companies that do opt for rugged devices do so for reliability reasons rather than cost, then there is a pretty compelling argument to be had with TCO becoming just a very nice bonus in the equation.

Very simply, across the whole life span of a unit deployed in the fiel, a rugged device will often cost a company less, and deliver far greater reliability in the field.

When we consider just how mission critical field service is both in terms of minimising the costs of adhering to SLAs as well as perhaps more importantly

retaining customers (studies show that it is six times more costly to win business than it is to retain it also) then for many field service companies, the option to invest in consumer technology over fit-for-purpose rugged equivalents just isn’t valid anymore.

 

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Look out for the fourth part of this feature when we turn our attention to why optimised scheduling is more important than ever, why UI is becoming increasingly important and how the connected vehicle is changing telematics…

 

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An executive summary of Noventum’s new publication, co-created with the participants of Noventum’s Service Innovation Programme and the Aston Centre for Servitization Research and Practice...

Looking at the industry trends, it appears that IoT, Industry 4.0 and product digitalisation will substantially affect competition, profitability, and the structure in many industries - as did the previous wave of Internet-enabled IT.

To be prepared and to define their strategy, companies must understand how smart, connected products impact industry and their service organisations, as well as the way companies do business. Service business is an essential part of most new business models that companies are implementing. Within the service business, it appears that Customer Business Related Services are driving the growth, while Product Related Services will shrink, if not managed very differently than today.

The major trends that appear to drive the development of advanced services are the;

1. Growing demand for Customer Business Related Services
2. Customers wanting to ‘’consume’’ technology, instead of ‘’owning’’ it
3. Increasing importance of Brands
4. Growing need for Customer Experience Design
5. Increasing globalisation
6. Implications of the Internet of Things (IoT)
7. Companies recognizing the need to capitalize on Industry 4.0; and
8. Companies requiring to develop Big Data Analytics capabilities

These industry trends are affecting the way manufacturers have to compete, it will impact their profitability, and it will change the structure in many industries.

In order to increase revenue from advanced services, companies face (amongst many) four top challenges:

1. How to manage the consistency of service delivery across regions and geographies in order to deliver a consistent customer experience, increase productivity and optimise the service delivery.
2. How to adapt sales skills, methodologies, systems, measurements and incentives to move from a product selling to a consultative sales approach and so support the sales of advanced services.
3. How to manage the development of a new services offering so that the value proposition to customers is improved and new services are brought to market faster than the competition can do it.
4. A model was developed that shows how most companies follow a similar path of evolutionary steps to reach a state in which the most valuable, fast growing and most profitable services are being sold and delivered. It is very difficult for companies to skip a step, as the capabilities of any of the previous steps are needed to be successful in the next. 

Noventum’s new book elaborates in detail on the required changes and the capabilities that a service business must develop in order to go from a reactive to a pro-active service business. As the maturity of your service organisation develops, the type of services you offer evolves.

And by differentiating yourself based on your brand, you can provide more value to your customers, while allowing for bigger margins.

The main areas to address for running a successful business are:

• Customer Journey
• Customer Value Perception
• Business model
• Company Value Management
• Service Propositions
• Marketing & Sales Model
• Delivery Model
• Knowledge Management
• Technology Management
• People Management
• Customer experience management

Generally, the participating companies felt they had a reasonable understanding about the mega-trend of manufacturing digitalisation and the service opportunities it represents, but had not yet transformed this into a sound strategy, roadmap and execution. If they had, they had actually just started.

At the end of one of Noventum’s Service Innovation Projects, titled “From a Reactive to a Proactive Service Business”, a workshop was facilitated, titled ‘Challenges and barriers of implementing advanced services’.

All participants were asked to indicate their main challenges in moving forward to a more service centric (or even customer centric) company value proposition.

Then challenges were categorised by themes. The three biggest themes were:

• Skills, in particular sales skills
• Company culture and
• Organisational buy in, in particular winning the support of the corporate executive board

Participants felt that the market and customers are (or seem to be) able to accept the service transformation. Most of the challenges to overcome are internal. Many companies have begun to make real progress, accelerating their pace of change, while slow-moving competitors fall further behind.

 

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Field service is going through a period of incredible change currently with service taking centre stage in industry, driven on by innovations in technology and strategy. However, at it’s heart field service remains and always will remain fundamentally a people industry. In keeping with this ethos Field Service News is pleased to present the second edition of the FSN20 celebrating those who are leading our industry forwards.

Put together by a committee of industry experts, the #FSN20 is based on those we believe will have a significant impact on the industry in the coming year. Some are analysts, some are vendors and some are service directors but all are pushing the industry forward.

So in no particular order, ladies and gentleman,  Field Service News proudly presents...

Bill Pollock, President and Principal, Consulting Analyst, Strategies for GrowthSM

Pollock not only has a long and distinguished career as an analyst specialising within field service, but continues to be one of the most prolific authors in the industry today.

With a resume that takes in Aberdeen, The Service Council and his current organisation Strategies for GrowthSM Pollock has provided consulting services to over 250 clients across a career spanning over 30 years which as taken him all across the globe.

These engagements have involved strategic services planning, market research/surveys, customer satisfaction measurement and tracking, competitive market analyses and business intelligence gathering, vertical market assessments, operations assessments, business process evaluation/re-engineering, and the development of strategic recommendations for improving service performance and customer satisfaction.

 

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Jonathan Massoud, Divisional Director & Market Analyst Field Service, WBR

As producers of Field Service USA, Field Service Medical and Field Service Europe and their sister events, WBR are a key provider of information within the field service industry on both sides of the Atlantic. In his role as Divisional Director Massoud is directly involved with each of the events and responsible for delivering industry leading content to keep field service professionals up to date with the key trends with in the industry.

Massoud is also responsible for overseeing WBR’s research and a respected analyst within the sector.

 

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Martin Summerhayes, Head of Delivery Strategy and Service Improvement, Fujitsu.

When it comes to field service, there are very few with a record and career to match Summerhayes. Having worked his way up from service engineer to overseeing service delivery for technology giant Fujitsu, Summerhayes’ background also includes developing the service offering for Hewlett Packard which would go on to be a billion dollar revenue stream.

Summerhayes is also a well respected industry speaker as well as an integral member of the Service Community, a UK group which acts a knowledge sharing hub for field service professionals within the UK.

 

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Sumair Dutta, Customer Satisfaction Officer, The Service Council™

Sumair Dutta is the Chief Customer Officer for  The Service Council™ (TSC). In his role at TSC, Sumair is responsible for new member acquisition, member engagement, community expansion, as well as the development and expansion of TSC’s Smarter Services oriented research agenda and portfolio.

These research tools provide service executives the ability to benchmark their operations and also provide guided insight to improve service organisation performance.

Dutta also plays a key role in building out TSC’s community platform focused on becoming the single source of information and networking for service executives globally and is a prolific author on the matter of field service.

 

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Tom Bowe, Director for Enterprise Service Management, IFS

With the launch of IFS Applications 9 last year, the Swedish ERP provider became a major alternative option for enterprise level organisations and with key partnerships with the likes of Accenture and Microsoft announced they are primed to increase their market share beyond their core strength of mid-sized organisations and challenge the dominance of the likes of Oracle and SAP at the top table.

With a suite of well respected service management tools further enhanced with the roll out of Apps 9, field service remains a prime sector for IFS and in his role of Director for Enterprise Service Management, Bowe has a crucial role within both IFS and the wider industry as a whole.

 

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Professor Tim Baines, Director at The Aston Centre for Servitization Research and Practice 

The trend of Servitization is gaining more and more momentum each passing year and its potential impact on how companies approach field service could be absolutely massive. The increase in awareness is in no small part down to Baines and his team at the Aston Centre for Servitization Research and Practice, part of Aston University.

A regular speaker in the global field service calender, as well as hosting the annual Aston Spring Servitization Conference which brings industry and academia together, Baines is widely regarded to being one of the most forthright authorities on the subject of Servitization.

 

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Laurent Othacéhé, CEO, CognitoiQ

Othacéhé has been dubbed the Godfather of scheduling for his work with pioneering scheduling company 360 Scheduling, who developed what was widely perceived to be the leading scheduling engine of its time.

After spending time with Swedish ERP and Service Management software provider IFS following their acquisition of 360 Othacéhé joined CognitoiQ as Sales and Marketing director, before being promoted to CEO.

Given his track record and standing in the industry Othacéhé is certainly more than just a figurehead and is a an incredibly hands on CEO with an in-depth knowledge of both products and strategies making CognitoiQ a company set to thrive under his highly focused leadership.

 

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Thomas Igou, Content Director, Copperburg

With a strong heritage in producing conferences within the manufacturing industry, Copperburg were able to build upon this base and have firmly established themselves and their events as key highlights within the European event calender for the field service industries.

Igou has played a key role in this success having headed up Copperberg’s portfolio of manufacturing events for the past 5 years, developing it from a Nordic Aftermarket event to a series of conferences across Europe within the world of Services. Events like the Aftermarket Business Platform or the Field Service Forum have become a true gathering of the most brilliant minds in the field service industry and continuously pushing the boundaries of the traditional events.

Thomas also has a keen interest in technologies and how they can positively disrupt and impact rigid business models in the industrial sector.

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Hilbrand Rustema, Managing Director, Noventum Service Management

 

From small beginnings in a two-man office in Holland to a service management consultancy spanning three continents. With over 200 successful projects and a proven track record of improving growth and profitability Noventum have become a leading consultancy within the field service industry and Rustema has been a driving force in that development.

He is also co-author of key service book “Service Economics” and the 2016 publication “The Service Revolution of the Manufacturing Industry – Moving from reactive to proactive service business enabled by IoT”. Often seen giving presentations at industry events around the world and having been at the heart of evolving service thinking across the continent for many years, Rustema remains at the forefront of the sector today.

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John Harris, General Manager, Engineering, Panasonic

Panasonic remain the dominant force within rugged computing with a sizeable market-share. However, the company refuses to rest on it’s laurels and with the launch of the Toughbook 20 the technology giant has created the worlds first fully rugged detachable laptop. Combining the benefits of both tablet and laptop yet designed to meet the needs of even the most testing field environment the Toughbook 20 is a perfect fit for many field service companies.

Not only is Harris heavily involved in the development of products such as the Toughbook 20 but he is also a key link between Panasonic’s R&D team and their customer base. Approachable, and prepared to both listen to and act upon feedback Harris, is a crucial figure in Panasonic’s ongoing success.

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Nick Frank, Managing Partner, Frank Partners

With a background as a service manager before moving into consultancy including working with service management specialists Noventum before launching Frank Partners, Frank has a track strong record of developing service businesses within high value technology companies through various General Manager and Director level roles for industry-leading multinationals, such as Xerox, Textron and Husky Injection Moulding Systems.

He is a well respected industry author and frequent speaker at field service conferences across Europe. His mission is to support companies who want to leverage services to win in industrial markets through his expertise in strategy, new business models, ecosystems, innovation, service operations, service sales and transformation management.

Nick’s continues his passion for innovation through his new venture Si2 partners, which aims to provide new ways for managers to transform their service business through On-Demand Advisory and Support.

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John Cooper, Head of IT and Workflow Solutions, Sony Professional Solutions

With a pan European team of around 110 field engineers working alongside other members of the wider Sony workforce and various third parties, Cooper’s responsibilities are essentially across the entirety of the non-consumer portfolio of the tech giant, which is becoming an important part of the company's wider business strategies and plans.

However, despite the challenge of managing a pan European team across four divisions each with their own differing needs, Cooper has shown himself to be a forward thinking service executive, implementing and harnessing the latest technologies, to enable Sony to move towards a servitized or outcome based solutions model, entrenching them within the core business of many of their key clients.

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Bart Guthrie, Neurosurgeon and Co-Founder, Help Lightning

If 2015 was the year that the Internet of Things (IoT) moved from exciting concept to becoming a technology that is beginning to genuinely reshape the field service industry, then 2016 is set to be the year we see Augmented Reality (AR) similarly emerge. And like IoT, AR is not just a technology that can improve efficiency and productivity in Field Service, but one that can change the entire way companies will address delivering service in the field. Already we are seeing a number of companies beginning to offer AR tools for field service companies and at the vanguard of these is US based Help Lightning, the brain child of neurosurgeon Bart Guthrie.

Guthrie himself is a charismatic and confident figurehead for the company and the technology itself is certainly one of the slickest AR tools to hit the market to date. More are sure to follow, however, Help Lightning have a significant head start over most of the competition, and Guthrie is sure to be a sought out figure in the conference calendar this year as AR continues to gain attention across the industry.

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Professor Howard Lightfoot, Senior Research Fellow - Service Operations, Cranfield University

As well as being a co-author (WIth Baines) of seminal servitization book ‘Made to Serve’, Lightfoot is also heavily involved in the study of and advancement of Augmented Reality within through-life-services via his current role with Cranfield University.

Lightfoot is also a highly respected speaker in the international field service calendar as well as being at the forefront of training the next generation of field workers and developing the tools to engage with millennials.

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Marne Martin, CEO, ServicePower

ServicePower had been quietly going about their business in terms of product development for some time prior to the launch of their brand new service management solution Nexus FS towards the end of last year.

With a strategy that involves strong investment in research and development alongside the acquisition of well selected companies ServicePower were in a strong position to launch their new solution, which has also had plenty of attention placed on its User Interface.

Having got their ducks neatly lined up in a row, ServicePower are set for an aggressive growth strategy for this year and Martin, who is both vibrant and easy going yet with clear focus and determination, has a strong vision of the path she wants the company to take.

An engaging speaker, Martin is often asked to give presentations at key field service events and we can expect to see even more of here this year as the sales and marketing plans begin to catch up with the impressive product development and ServicePower will be a name all service directors should be aware of by the end of 2016

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Andy Neely, Professor Andy Neely, Director, Cambridge Service Alliance

Another of the key figures within the growing movement of servitization which could have a massive impact on the operation of field service. Having held appointments at Cranfield University, London Business School, Cambridge University, Neely is widely recognised for his work on the servitization of manufacturing, as well as his work on performance measurement and management and his organisation The Cambridge Service Alliance continues to work with leading companies such as IBM and BAE on research into ways to provide, implement and employ complex new service systems.

He’s also recently been appointed as the new head of Cambridge University’s Institute for Manufacturing (IfM).

Neely is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading authorities on organisational performance measurement and management. He has authored over 100 books and articles, including “Measuring Business Performance”, published by the Economist and “The Performance Prism”, published by the Financial Times.

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Tony Chapman, Customer Services Director, Siemens

Siemens are another company who could potentially have had a number of inclusions on the list this year as they continue to lead the way in a number of aspects in terms of service delivery.

Their approach to engaging with the next generation of field service engineers was celebrated by our inclusion of Martin Hotass in last year's #FSN20, whilst their approach to developing an open Cloud infrastructure alongside an aim to have all their assets in the field connected by 2020 is an admirable example of a company moving towards a more proactive approach to service.

Given the wide range of forward thinking from Siemens though we felt that their representative should have a broad knowledge to reflect the wider organisation and in Chapman they have an excellent operations director, with a clear understanding of what good service looks like, whilst have a detailed knowledge of the challenges of IT within a field service environment.

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Phillip Sassower, CEO, Xplore Technologies.

Xplore Technologies acquisition of fellow Texan rugged tablet manufacturers last year was probably one of the biggest surprises in the rugged sector for quite some time. For a start Motion were very much the larger of the two companies, yet a supply problem from a specialist OEM saw Motion slip into financial difficulties and Xplore were there to step in and take advantage of the situation and by doing so establishing themselves as the second largest manufacturer of rugged tablets behind only Panasonic.

And whilst it was a move that took everyone by surprise it was also one that made absolute sense. With Xplore’s area of expertise being in the ultra rugged space and Motion’s being more focused on healthcare and general field operations, bringing the two product lines together has given Xplore Technologies an impressive array of tablets that can satisfy almost all field service requirements.

We are anticipating a big year for Xplore as they seek to capitalise on this acquisition, and credit should go to Sassower for acting quickly to secure the greater prize. With tablets becoming the leading form factor amongst field service companies, anticipate hearing more from Sassower and Xplore as the year progresses.

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Aly Pinder, Research Analyst, Aberdeen Group

Aberdeen Group’s Aly Pinder has to be one of the most respected and busiest people in the field service industry. A prolific author, Pinder’s work can be found across the industry (including regularly on fieldservicenews.com) and his analysis is always insightful, detailed yet also easily digested.

His work often draws on the detailed research that his organisation Aberdeen Group deliver which adds further weight to his well constructed points and observations on how field service is evolving.

In last year’s list we also stated Pinder was one of the nicest guys in the industry. However, a year on we have learnt that,that mild mannered demeanour is just a bluff for what is a cold, calculating and very good poker player!

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Dave Yarnold, CEO, ServiceMax 

The ServiceMax story is one of the biggest success stories within field service. Having gone from start-up to leading field service management software provider within less than a decade picking up blue chip clients such as Sony, Schneider Electric and Phillips along the way.

Having aligned themselves closely to the Salesforce platform, ServiceMax blazed a trail delivering a SaaS platform that was as accessible for family run SMEs  as it was corporate giants and with the recent release of Connected Field Service, a result of their close partnership with IoT specialists PTC, they are set once more to lead the way by delivering the industry's first IoT-enabled field service platform.

Aside from the technology the other factor key to their success has been in their talent acquisition, with a depth of knowledge and experience combined with an inherent desire to understand their customer base (every member of the ServiceMax team including Yarnold has to spend three days ‘ride-along’ with customers each year) throughout the team.

Indeed there were a number of members of the ServiceMax family that were considered for this years #FSN20 including VPs of Global Transformation Dave Hart and Patrice Eberline. However, with a rule of one entrant per company we decided it had to be the man at the top.

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So who do you think we've left out and why? Tell us in the comments section below! 

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