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Copperberg hosted 100+ field service leaders from across Europe and cross-sectors within the manufacturing industry at its 2nd Annual Field Service Forum, which took place in June at the Sheraton Amsterdam Airport.  Thomas Igou, Editorial Director for event producer Copperberg gives us his personal overview of how the two day event took place... 

Pre-Event Workshops

The conference was preceded by two pre-event workshops that focused on core aspects of a successful Field Service business. The mobility workshop, hosted by Marc Tonen, Pre-Sales Consultancy Manager EMEA at Astea, delved into how to best integrate mobility solutions to create a mobile workforce that will enhance the value of your service offerings to your customers. As many manufacturers are planning to or are currently rolling out mobility solutions, this was an essential topic to be discussed, and one that would be further covered during the rest of the conference.

The second workshop was hosted by Jim Baston, President of BBA Consulting Group, and covered an ever growing topic in field service today: the technician’s role in pro-active business growth in order to go beyond great service. In other words, how to develop the soft skills of field technicians they can lay the groundwork for up-sells or customer retention. Considering the amazing reaction to Jim’s workshop, it is clear that for many field service businesses, technicians are more than maintenance experts. They are the first pawns in the battle of creating long lasting relationships with customers.

Service Mastery Day

The conference officially kicked off with a new and highly appreciated feature: the Service Mastery Day. The three hour seminar from Chris Daffy, a renowned customer service specialist from the UK, covered the key aspects to building exceptional customer loyalty through field engineers. Chris is a very charismatic speaker who is not afraid to use humor to put forth his message, built from years of experience working in customer service, as well as research from professionals and academics into the topic. The result was a refreshing presentation on the art and science of customer loyalty building, why a balanced brain approach is essential for building sustainable customer loyalty, and the engineering excellence principles and tools that are equally effective in engineering customer loyalty.

Networking Evening

Following the Service Mastery Day, participants joined for a long evening of structured networking, always one of the highlights of Copperberg events. Delegates, speakers and partners were able, prior to the event, to schedule one-to-one meetings to ensure making the most out of the event and creating long lasting professional contacts. The evening featured different activities such as a mingling drink reception, elevator pitches from some of the partners, and an inspirational session from Motivational Coach Malcolm Larri. Participants were then invited to a very relaxed dinner banquet where they were also treated to a magic show.

The main conference day offered participants a wide array of formats, from morning masterclasses, keynotes, industry-driven and technology-driven executive circles, and parallel tracks of focus sessions meant to challenge them to not only learn, but also share. There were three key themes that floated around during the event: global workforce, smart services, and operational efficiency.

Global Workforce

Further to Jim Baston’s introductory workshop on the development of a technician’s soft sales ability, many sessions focused on talent and the workforce needed for a successful field service. ServiceMax’s morning masterclass, held by Patrice Eberline, best resumed the reason behind why this topic is of great importance: 40% of service technicians are over the age of 40, and 60% of companies are understaffed in their technical and highly skilled positions, meaning that the service industry has a looming talent problem.

There were also many discussions during networking breaks and executive circles on the underestimated importance of good leadership, as field service is by definition a people business, and people crave for good and inspiring leadership. Another session that stood out was from Brian Dahl Thomsen, Head of Operations and Regional Support for Siemens Wind Power, who shared his views on the needed competencies to be a service technician. Brian developed on Siemens Wind Service’s method of analyzing what competencies are need to cope with the environment of their products, the technology as well as the logistics aspect. Finally, they ensure to have the right approach on a management level to cope with talent management by setting clear target and objectives and investing in the right training methods.

Smart Services

Another hot topic at the event was how to develop smart services, such as predictive maintenance. A lot of manufacturers are currently looking into IoT, and how M2M/Big Data can help them improve their service business. One session from Magnus Sävenäs, VP Customer Service, Head of Global Field Service & Training at ABB Robotics gave an insight on how to use the latest technology trends to improve your business. The session focused on how to run a data driven organisation with the motto, “easy to buy, easy to service”. Magnus explained the five pillars for this: installed base data, organisation, remote service, customer access to information, and knowledge management.

Operational Efficiency

The highlight of the third track was a great case study from Andre Skerlavaj, Director Global Service Strategy for Pentair Valves and Control. His session focused on their PRONTO project, a holistic approach to increased service levels. PRONTO is a cross-functional approach that was developed to ensure streamlined processes and smooth execution from service scoping through to international service delivery. The rest of the track also featured interesting sessions from Brick, on how to make heroes of your service sales team, and Elektrobit Wireless, on how to conduct a successful mobility project.

Technology

The event was also a great showcase of the latest technological developments that support field service activities. Mobility was of course a big part of the event as more and more organizations understand the necessity to connect their front line (field service technicians dispersed all over the globe) to the back office. Through focus sessions, case studies, and roundtable discussions, delegates were able to get a full spectrum of implementing mobility solutions, from the key challenges faced when mobilising business processes, how to achieve ROI, or even the possibilities with a mobile service sales tool. Another, more disruptive, technology that was discussed was Internet of Things (IoT). Mark Brewer from PTC gave an exciting keynote on the impact IoT will have on service operations by looking at breakthroughs in operational effectiveness and strategic differentiation. Staying on the theme of connectivity, there was a lot of buzz about wearables technology. XMReality were able to give a demo of wearable tech on the exhibition floor, while Måns Granholm, General Manager Process Development & Commissioning at Wärtsilä, gave a keynote on their use of Virtual Engineers in an augmented reality environment.

The closing keynote from Edmilson Toledo, Head of Global FSO Program at Ericsson, was one of the highlights of the event. Edmilson’s session focused on the networked society, and how digital technologies can transform field service businesses in a game changing way. The keynote covered mobility, and how Ericsson is using mobile phones as a tool available for all field technicians, as well as wearables smart glasses, which Edmilson feels is a market moving to maturity. Lastly, the session highlighted UAV’s (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), also known as drones, as a tool to support technicians.

Conclusion

All in all, the event was an impressive gathering of industry leaders and solution providers. A lot of innovative ideas were thrown around by the participants either during the presentations, roundtable conversations, Q&A’s, or networking sessions, on how to grow the field service business.

 

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ABOUT AFTERMARKET

The 9th Aftermarket Business Platform will take place October 21st-23rd at the Grand Hotel Huis Ter Duin in the Netherlands, gathering 200+ service leaders from global manufacturers. The theme of the event will be, Service Transformation: delivering value and differentiation to customers and will feature case studies from KONE, Zimmer, Scania, Emerson Process Management, ABB Power Generation, AGCO Parts, Hyundai Motor UK, Medtronic and many more. The event will be chaired by Rob Van Hove, CEO of Kuiken Group. For more information, visit: www.aftermarketeurope.com

 

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What is the value of a customer relationship? Is it worth it to over-deliver on SLAs just to keep a paying client? What role does field service have in keeping customers happy? Aly Pinder, senior research analyst analyst, Service Management, Aberdeen Group,  shares his views.

These are all questions which have put a microscope on service technicians and field engineers. Historically, the field service team was solely looked to in order to show up on time based on a 4-8 hour service window and fix a failure. But in this age of empowered customers, the field service team is expected to deliver real value to each customer interaction (while also, of course, fixing the failure).

But with this demand for increased value comes the opportunity to find new products and services that customers need and want to buy. As seen in Aberdeen’s Service Revenue: Unearth an Untapped Stream of Dollars research, eight out of ten top performers (81%) were able to attain their service revenue goals in 2014 and they also cultivate an environment of innovation for their service offerings to meet the needs of their customers. But how did these service organizations and manufacturers achieve these results? Did the money just fall from the trees? Of course not, these companies helped the field team excel at service and wow their customers into new opportunities.

The path to this level of engagement is outlined below and should be the centerpiece of any strategy to drive profitability from the field:

• The carrot is often more successful than the stick in business. Incentives, if targeted the right way, have the ability to drive the behaviors which can transform an organization.[quote float="left"]The carrot is often more successful than the stick in business. 

   

  This is true for the field team. If your organization only monitors or incents doing more jobs as quickly as possible, your technicians will neglect aspects of the service experience which could prove valuable to customers. Savvy service leaders implement incentives and performance goals which tackle both short-term operational objectives and long-term relationship goals like profitability, revenue, and customer satisfaction.
• Give the sales team a view into the field. The sales team has a difficult job (and no, I am not pandering to the sales executives out there). They “always must be closing” new business. And one of their top challenges is having enough leads to close. This is where the field service team can help out. Service technicians are in front of customers every day, they’re in front of the equipment on site, and they even have access to the competition’s assets. But in order to connect customer insight with the sales team, the field needs the mobile tools AND the training to pass along the right information. Technicians need to ask the right questions while on site with customers and have their eyes / ears open to gaps in the current products and services being used. Passing these leads on to sales can drive the top line for the entire organization.
• Don’t give service away for free.

   

  Don’t give service away for free. Too often organizations send technicians out to customers to service equipment and assets which are no longer under warranty or within a service contract. This is a missed opportunity. Top performing organizations ensure their service team delivers service which is being paid for. And when contracts expire or are close to, technicians don’t have to refuse service but they will have the knowledge to give the customer a small nudge reminding them their bill is due.

The field service team has a special place in the hearts and minds of customers. Technicians show up when there is a problem (or before), fix it, and leave with a smile. But this relationship has the opportunity to garner insights that can turn into new revenue opportunities. I don’t think technicians should be salespeople, but they understand customers, equipment, and assets. And this insight makes them invaluable in finding the next dollar while ensuring customers remain happy.

 

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What should businesses consider when deciding whether an On-Premise or a Cloud solution is the best fit for their business? In Part One, we explored the attractions of the Cloud. In Part Two we take at look at why some field service companies still prefer an on-premise solution.

Judging by the amount of publicity recently about the Cloud and its benefits for business, you might think that every company is planning to migrate IT systems to it, including ERP and field service software, or at least thinking about it.

Filter out the noise, though, and it becomes apparent that there is resistance out there and for reasons other than mere reluctance to adopt a new way of managing the company's IT infrastructure. So why might on-premise still be best for your company?

Connectivity

A hosted cloud-based field service may not suit your business, advises Simon Spriggs, account manager Exel Computer Systems. "One reason many companies retain an on-premise ERP solution is the unreliability of their broadband connection. Broadband speed has a major impact on the efficient running of the business. It's not just field-service data going to and fro down that pipe, but everything the company does electronically. If the connection to the Internet fails, you won't be able to communicate with your engineers, manage workflows or give customers real-time information."

[quote float="left"]One reason many companies retain an on-premise ERP solution is the unreliability of their broadband connection.

 

Legacy systems

"Organisations which have made a big investment in data flows are naturally reluctant to migrate all their activities to the Cloud," points out Steve Mason, Vice President International Sales for Streetsmart, Click Software's service management app for SMEs and SMBs. While Click has been one of the pioneers of Cloud solutions, it also has a long heritage of providing on-premise solutions to customers who prefer to keep their activities behind the company walls. Mason likens the current debate to similar discussions that took place when companies migrated from investing in their own mainframes to having virtual servers. "It took time to build trust in those virtual systems. Moving all your processes to the Cloud is a major step: it takes time and people to plan it without disrupting normal business activities. Companies may well have more urgent priorities."

Larger companies will have made a significant investment in Enterprise-class software ERP and won't want that diluted by going to the cloud, accepts Mason. "Companies will have customised legacy software they are reluctant to adapt or processes they are not yet ready to change. They may also have a long-term contractual commitment to their systems integrator or software supplier."

When ERP systems were developed the need to incorporate mobile workforces was minimal" points out Neil Lewis, Consulting Director, EMEA Sales, ServiceMax. "Mobility projects were silos within a company. Today, not only are there much larger numbers of mobile workers, they need greater integration with those on-premise ERP systems from customer databases to accounts."

 

ERP solution providers have bought mobile solution providers to bridge the gap between ERP and mobile, he points out, but integrating old and new technologies is never straightforward. "How do you ensure the same employee can access the ERP from the office and from their mobile device. It might require modifications to the ERP or to the mobile system to get it to work and that is trickier with some ERP system than others. ServiceMax operate a single platform that automatically takes care of any device the field engineer is using. Configuration is done in one place and automatically deployed to the various devices."

Half-way house

Some companies have adopted a half-way house strategy in which they retain on-premise ERP, but migrate some activities to the Cloud, particularly those with a large customer-facing elements such as CRM and field service. "CRM was in the first way of Cloud migration because the need to deliver excellent customer service required greater integration with internal data silos than is often possible with legacy ERP systems," points out Mason. "Start with those apps which will leverage the most immediate gains to the business, make data streams more agile and easily-accessible from mobile devices, " advises Mason.

The complexities of integrating mobile workflow processes into legacy data streams is one reason field service solutions are often in the Cloud while ERP systems. "If your field service solution is browser-based, a lot of the integration issues are taken care of," remarks Spriggs. "It also future-proofs your investment."

Most of the field service software companies can integrate a Cloud-based field service app or platform with on-premise ERP systems. "Solarvista LIVE will connect to virtually any on-premise system via our NET technology which is designed to connect on-premise systems (private) to systems in the cloud (public)," points out Paul Adams, Marketing and Development Director, Solarvista. "Our connection tools support the major communication protocols, so you can be sure your data is secure."

"We have found that the service management industry is a diverse bunch with different requirements so we offer the ability to Pick ‘n’ Mix," says Colin Brown, Managing Director, Tesseract. "Some customers take the rental and support option but would rather install the software on their own server; other customers require remote hosting and support but they prefer to buy the software and others want the whole SaaS package of hosting, rental and support. With all three options, the internet and/or an intranet are the delivery routes."

 

Whether on-premise or Cloud solution, productivity will be affected if engineers are unable to work unless they are connected, so any mobile app should facilitate that, says Adams. "Our Mobile apps are designed for field-based users and operate on an occasionally-connected basis."

It's a mistake to assume that all field service platform solutions include off-line capability and automatic synchronisation, warns Lewis. "Engineers need to be able to download their jobs for the day, update schedules and customer history, for example, without being connected, and to have all that data automatically synchronised without manual intervention when communications are restored."

Security

While concerns over security have abated somewhat, some organisations remain sensitive about their data being in the hands of a third-party. With on-premise-solutions, all software resides behind that wall. Your own IT people can check authorization attempts and manage system access. There's always some risk involved in moving systems and data outside the physical walls of the business, which is there is so much emphasis on choosing the right Cloud platform provider and on service level agreements if you do go that route.

Some service organisations operate in industries where there are strict compliance and regulatory rules. Some sectors require high levels of access security, making on-premise solutions the pragmatic solution. However, bear in mind that asking mobile workers to go through myriad layers of protection to gain access to the system will have a detrimental effect on productivity.

 

IT resources

Don't under-estimate the IT skills and cost of investing in an on-premise solution, advise our experts. "Do you have the resources to manage IT requirements internally, including server management? What is the budget and the available IT resource to manage things on-premise going forward?" These are key questions, says Simon Spriggs. "If there are any concerns about the level of IT commitment required, the Cloud may be the way to go. However, it is worth remembering that the service model is always a more expensive option long-term than the outright purchase mode." This is especially true if you already have server agreements in place, he adds.

In conclusion

As with many aspects of field service, the starting point when deciding whether to adopt an on-premise or Cloud strategy for your IT needs should be to ensure you have a full understanding of your business processes and requirements and those of your customers.  Do listen to the pros and cons but ultimately only you can decide which is best for your organisation.

 

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M2M managed services provider Wireless Logic has achieved impressive annual growth of over 30% in the past eight years and in 2015 reached the landmark figure of over 2 million SIM subscriptions. Following a root-and-branch review of its customer service capabilities, expectations and experience, the company is now embarking on a major customer service enhancement programme to sure its delivers quality service right, first time.

With a customer base now exceeding 1,000 solution providers across Europe, the need for quality customer services has never been greater yet the sheer mass of business being processed meant the company has always been in catch-up mode in the drive for service excellence, acknowledges Director of Operations, Matthew Tate, who joined the company from Research in Motion 14 months ago.

“We have been surprisingly good in our service delivery given the dynamics of the market and our make-up, but to ensure sustainability in excellence I wanted to look at ourselves in greater depth,” he explains. A group-wide audit was undertaken with Wireless Logic investing in a broad customer insight campaign that included customer interviews, mystery shopping and a review of operational platforms.

 

Wireless Logic is horizontally positioned and works with hundreds of vertical applications - these include asset and vehicle tracking, telematics, metering, security, electronic payment, m-healthcare and a range of enterprise solutions. All services operate across a single unified technology platform and are designed to meet the specific needs of connected assets within the global markets of M2M and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Continuous investment in technology has enabled Wireless Logic to provide an increasing range of value-added services which include specialist mapping solutions from Google and HERE, device management platforms and end-to-end security encryption services.

Implementing improvements

The service implementation programme is already underway with a number of initiatives already in place, including certification to ISO 9001 Quality Management - vitally important to customers whose own quality programmes expect such standards, says Tate.  “Achieving ISO 9001 has been a journey that has really explored every corner of our operational service and delivery. With this standard in place, there is a real spirit of confidence knowing that our processes have been scrutinised and passed fit for purpose.”

 

A new customer engagement and information platform from Zendesk has been introduced which is creating a new approach to how the organisation manages and interacts with customers. A root and branch change to staff training will see team members receive ongoing development and support across all facets of the business as it evolves to meet the needs of current and future users of its M2M services.

Zendesk has enabled Wireless Logic to integrate customer intelligence, dialogue and communication channels seamlessly – a major step towards delivering service excellence, says Tate.

Further investment is being made across SIMPro, the company’s SIM management platform now used by over 95% of its solution provider customers. It now has a SIMPro easy-to-use cloud interface. Over the coming months, Wireless Logic plans to roll-out more self-service modules to empower customers to order, provision and manage entire SIM bases across multiple mobile networks, all in real-time.

 

“With ambitious sales targets across the next three years, ensuring our own store is in order has been a major driver as we progress through our first year with our new private equity partners CVC Capital Partners on board,” concludes Tate. “We have service front of mind in the operation which will mean more contented customers, an entirely better user journey, and an ability to continue our growth curve with assurance.”

Oliver Tucker, CEO and Co-founder, Wireless Logic said: “With the M2M and IoT market in its ascendancy, the sector has to tailor its services to be more responsive and flexible. Our own experiences across the UK and in Europe suggest that customers expect a ‘right first time, every time’ mind-set; there is little room for error. We are pleased with progress made so far as we reshape the way we work with customers, and will continue to analyse feedback as we aim for excellence across the group.”

As someone who has been involved in the growing trend towards Servitization and Advanced Services since their inception, Dr Michael Provost is perfectly placed to help make sense of what can be a complex topic in his new book “Everything Works Wonderfully: an Overview of Servitization and Physical Asset Management” (www.everythingworkswonderfully.com).
Mike’s book begins with an excellent short story that helps define Servitization in a clear and concise way. Click here to read the first part. Now Field Service News is pleased to publish the conclusion…

A Short Story (continued)

Peter Carpenter* managed to book some time with Anna Edwards* and they met two weeks later. Over coffee and sandwiches in Anna’s office, Peter went through the thinking he had been doing and showed Anna the ‘elevator speech’ that he had quickly put together during the train journey to HQ.

Anna stared at this for a minute or two before turning to Peter with a broad smile on her face. “I think you’ve cracked it, Peter!” she exclaimed. “I can see it now: our customers want what our power units do, not what they are. If we sell reliable power, not units, our customers will come to us rather than the competition to get what they really want and will pay us a fair price instead of ringing me up at all hours of the day and night demanding yet more concessions.”

“You realise, Anna, that this will mean the company will have to change its thinking, from top to bottom.” said Peter. “For example, we won’t be able to rely on profits from spares sales to offset any losses made on unit sales because spares usage will appear on our books, not the customers’. Our units will have to consume fewer spares than they do now. Engineering and Manufacturing will have to listen to inputs from Spares and Repairs and we will need to put comprehensive and robust systems in place to gather, store, process and output information about how our units are working in the field. It’s a whole different mindset and some of the current managers won’t get it.” “Don’t worry, Peter!” retorted Anna. “Those that don’t buy into this will either have to change their thinking or leave. I’ll need a plan, a budget and a list of the people you think you’ll need to help you for the next Board meeting, to which you are invited.”

“Would you like to be the director in charge of this?” Anna added. “Of course, Anna!” exclaimed Peter. “This looks like a real challenge and, with your backing, we can build this into something that will completely transform the organisation. It will also get me away from all the jobs that need doing at home.” They both laughed. “What do you think of Helen’s design for a logo?” enquired Peter, as he turned to leave. “I thought it showed real flair and imagination.” “That could be your first decision.” replied Anna. “Let’s discuss it with Marketing before the meeting.”

 

The Board poured cold water on Peter’s presentation, but Anna insisted that Peter’s initiative had to be pursued, made Peter the Board member responsible and gave him her full support. The next few years were hard, but genuine progress was made by Peter and his team and even the most sceptical Board members couldn’t brush aside the company’s much improved financial state. Peter set up a subsidiary to ensure that the initiative grew without being stifled by the old guard, who saw their power and status threatened and pushed back hard.  As predicted, those who didn’t fit into the new culture either left voluntarily or were asked to go.

MW4 grew rapidly: many managers and employees saw it as an opportunity to escape from the limitations imposed by existing corporate structures, the company was able to recruit many good people with the skills it required and those involved relished the chance to contribute fresh ideas. Eventually, as the market responded positively to the new way the organisation conducted its business and built more constructive relationships with its customers, sales and profits rose, the City started to take notice and the share price began to rise rapidly. Anna knew that she had turned the corner when she overheard a long-serving manager talk about product sales as the entry ticket to the true market, which was satisfying real customer needs rather than merely selling clever bits of metal.

Customers began to ring Anna up with fulsome praise rather than complaints and the press and investment analysts began writing long, glowing articles about the ‘new’ Precision Powerplants*, which began to be seen as a model company that pointed the way to the future rather than a relic of past glories. Peter and Anna were in great demand to speak at industry and government events as other companies sought to emulate Precision Powerplant’s success. Marketing even produced a very concise summary of MW4, inspired by Japanese Haiku poetry: “We will both prosper if you buy what our products do, not what they are”.

 

Anna was just finishing off her last cup of ‘canteen cappuccino’ when Peter breezed in. “The Oracle has spoken!” he exclaimed. “I am the new boss! It wouldn’t have happened without your unwavering support over the last ten years, Anna. Thanks for everything!” Anna stood up to shake Peter’s hand, knowing that the company would grow and prosper under Peter’s wise guidance. As she left for the last time, a thought struck her as she turned on the windscreen wipers: perhaps she should use the proceeds from selling some of her share options to buy that villa near Saint-Tropez that Chris had seen advertised in the FT. It would make a good surprise birthday present for him and provide a much-needed bolthole from the atrocious UK weather.

* Note: the company and characters are fictitious, but the scenarios are based on experience.

Please note that this short story has been previously published in the following:-
Provost, M. (2014). Everything Works Wonderfully: an Overview of Servitization and Physical Asset Management - a Short Story. Asset Management and Maintenance Journal, Volume 27, Issue 5, September 2014, pp. 43-45. Mornington, Victoria, Australia: Engineering Information Transfer Pty Ltd.

 

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This excellent infographic created by field service software provider  The Service Manager  exploring the benefits of field service software which they have kindly allowed us to share with you...

Often overlooked the Service CRM is an integral tool when it comes to ensuring that your field service operation is making the most of every revenue opportunity available. Simon Spriggs of Exel Computer Systems explains more...

Once little more than a contact management system, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for many businesses is now an essential powerhouse of the Sales department. Within the context of manufacturing businesses, this has long been recognised by Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) providers and has become an increasingly integrated element of modern business management software. With the widespread adoption of mobile connectivity, CRM functionality has been extended to the world of the handheld device with vital sales information and customer visibility now being available as and when the mobile sales person needs it.

Up until recently, one area that has not benefited as much as it could from CRM is the Service department. Service CRM has traditionally focussed on the recording of service transactions and/or interactions, and in many cases, has been treated as a poor relation to Sales CRM. This can be clearly seen by the IT approach used by many companies when it comes to running their Service CRM. It is not uncommon to find companies with a modern integrated ERP system complete with Sales CRM, that also run a standalone third party CRM system for the Service department. Others may have an integrated ERP and Service Management system and still have a separate, standalone Service CRM package.

 

There are however a growing number of companies realising the considerable sales potential and business opportunities available by looking at their Service CRM differently. At the heart of this is the recognition that in many cases, a company’s Service Engineers are often a hugely under-utilised sales force. Not only are they invariably in the best place to see where additional value-add or upgrade sales possibilities exist, they are often in a considerable place of trust with the customer, more so than the sales teams at times. To truly capitalise on this however, what is required is an integrated business management system where all customer interaction information, whether ‘Sales’ or ‘Service’ is treated equally, stored centrally, and is quickly and clearly visible across the entire enterprise, as and when required – including the mobile Service Engineers/sales teams.

To see how this would work in practice, consider the following scenarios. In the first, a mobile Service Engineer is on a customer site for a routine visit and they discover a problem with one of your machines. With a fully integrated Service CRM system, this information can then be immediately relayed to the back office where a quote can be quickly generated and sent to the customer. Because both Sales and Service share the same CRM data, the back office can then follow up the quote and carry on the sales cycle.

Alternatively, take the scenario where a mobile Service Engineer is on a customer site and notices a machine which isn’t one of yours that is coming to the end of its service warranty period. Once again, this information can be immediately relayed to the back office where it can be appropriately followed up as a potential sales lead at the correct time. Service Engineers are also best placed to be generally aware of the state and condition of much of the machinery and equipment at a customer site. They are also best placed to see potential ‘new business’ opportunities. Say for example your customer uses consumables with your equipment – is this something that you could potentially supply both here and at similar sites? Instead of this information, at best, being recorded in a disconnected standalone Service CRM package, it can now be seen for what it truly is – genuinely insightful information that can add to the sales and customer interactions recorded by the Sales department.

 

By making Service CRM a truly integrated component of a wider ERP system, Sales and Service departments working effectively as a team can benefit from other functionality within the system. One very obvious example is in the area of Document Management where all relevant Sales and Service documentation can be stored alongside each transaction, making it immediately accessible to whichever point of customer contact needs it, when they need it. Another would be building in appropriate workflows to ensure sales opportunity follow up processes, including quote generation, credit check, etc. are adhered to in order to maximise effectiveness.

By ensuring each customer interaction is as positive and informed as possible, you have the best chance, not just of keeping you existing customers happy, but growing your business with them.

 

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Service organisations who have integrated field service and reverse/service logistics processes report a higher level of service performance than those who have not, reports Michael R. Blumberg, President and CEO, Blumberg Advisory Group, which has conducted a survey of 250 field service companies companies in the high-tech sector.

Much attention has been given in recent years to the need to automate field service and service parts logistics processes through the implementation of Enterprise Service Management (ESM) systems, . Although the benefits from improved automation are well documented, there is a segment of the market that faces challenges to achieving measurable gains in productivity and efficiency as it relates to key performance indicators (KPIs). This is especially true for KPIs associated with service parts logistics activities. We believe these shortcomings are due in part to lack of integration between field service and reverse/service Llogistics functions.

In order to validate this hypothesis, we conducted a survey among a cross representative sample of companies in the high technology service and support industry. Over 250 respondents participated in the survey, which was sponsored by IFS.  The survey results reveal a number of very interesting trends:

1. Greater reliance on remote support: The survey results support the growing trend toward resolving service requests remotely without the need to dispatch a field service engineer. 40% of companies can resolve more that 25% of service requests remotely by sending out a replacement spare part. Over one quarter of respondents expect this trend to continue to increase over the next 18-24 months.
2. Best of breed solutions outperform integrated solutions: Despite the breadth of functionality found within integrated enterprise systems, our results indicated a higher level of satisfaction with Best of Breed solutions than with Integrated ESM platforms. Over one-third of respondents were extremely satisfied with their Best of Breed ESM solution compare to 14% with integrated ESM platforms. We believe this is because best of breed solutions are more focused on the detailed processes and transactions involved in managing a field service and/or reverse logistics operation.
3.  Perceived gaps in reverse logistics functionality: Many companies perceive their ESM solutions have gaps in the ability to deal with reverse/service logistics issues particularly when it comes to depot repair activities. For example, 27% of respondents claim that their ESM is not very effective in tracking the results of depot repair test and screening activities. Another one quarter indicated their systems are not very effective in automating the work flow or business rules associated with processing returned materials.
4. Integrated automation is critical to success: The level of integrated automation between field service and reverse/service [ogistics functionality has a direct impact on ESM effectiveness. More importantly companies with a high level of integrated automation perform better on key service performance metrics than those who do not. Companies with some level of integrated automation experience a higher SLA compliance rate than those have no integrated automation (93.4% v 87.9%) as well as a lower no-fault-found rate (26.1% v 38.3%).[/ordered_list]

In summary, our research findings reveal that companies who have been able to successfully integrate field service and reverse/service logistics processes report a higher level of service performance than those who have not. The most effective integrated solutions are those that incorporate integrated, best of breed functionality for both field service and reverse/service logistics processes. More importantly, the data reveals that these integrated, best of breed solutions are not only highly effective in managing ongoing service requirements but essential to overcoming critical business challenges such as improving remote resolution rates and improving field service engineer productivity rates.
We’d like to thank IFS, a leading provider of ESM systems, for sponsoring our research study. IFS has made available the results of our study in a 14-page whitepaper that can be downloaded at Whitepaper Download. To better understand the implications of these findings to your organization or to define requirements for a best of breed, integrated solution, schedule a free strategy session with us today by clicking here.

 

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What should businesses consider when deciding whether an On-Premise or a Cloud solution is the best fit for their business?  In this two-part series, Sharon Clancy gets some advice from the experts.  First up, we explore the attractions of the Cloud... 

There's been a lot of publicity recently about cloud platforms: for enterprises it's been about whether you migrate legacy business functions to it; for SMEs and SMBs it's about using the Cloud to become more competitive. There's also been a lot of talk about browser-based field service management apps - software-as-a-service, or SaaS.

Is it all just noise, or something your company needs to get to grips with?

Let's start with defining what we are talking about: Cloud and SaaS can be used as  interchangeable terms, but there is a difference. A Cloud solution is when some or all of your IT requirements are hosted by a platform provider who takes care of all the necessary infrastructure, including security, server stability and maintenance, data storage and so on. SaaS is another layer on a Cloud platform.  A permutation that has been adopted by some field service organisations is to have on-premise legacy IT and ERP systems integrated with a Cloud-based service management SaaS solution. SMEs and SMBs, on the other hand, might use a Cloud  platform for all their business functions, including accounting, HR and service management software.

Be agile

One business trend is that companies of all sizes need to be more agile in responding to their customers' changing needs, and agility is one thing the Cloud delivers in spades.

"For SMEs, Cloud-based solutions give them access to great technology, making them more agile. For many, it also allows them to ramp up their operations, and grow the business quickly, even to International level," says Steve Mason, Vice President International Sales for StreetSmart, Click Software's web-based management app for SMEs and SMBs. "For larger organisations, a Cloud solution can liberating, allowing much faster reactions to changing business requirements."

 

On-premise can mean less agility, points out Neil Lewis, Consulting Director, EMEA Sales, ServiceMax."Deployments of new services and processes are slower. When an old business process needs to change or a new one introduced, it takes much longer to do it internally, from getting the project on the internal IT roadmap to actually developing the app. There are typically many layers of the on-premise architecture that need to be changed in order to implement the processes. This in turn has an adverse effect on the companies' abilities to introduce new products and services quickly."

In many sectors, the business model is changing from being based around product life-cycles to a servitization model and predictive rather than reactive service, he continues. "That transforms field service into a agile, responsive customer-focused operation which can have a real impact on the bottom-line."

The Cloud means smaller companies can now access affordable solutions without the overhead of enterprise class software, points out Paul Adams, Marketing and Development Director, Solarvista.

Outsourcing IT

Enterprises are now looking at moving their entire structure to the cloud because it eliminates the need to manage a large IT infrastructure in-house," says Mason.

"On-premise solutions demand investment in infrastructure upkeep including databases, applications, coding and system upgrades. In the Cloud, all these issues go away," points out Lewis.

SaaS: a perfect fit for service management

SaaS is actually a good practical fit for service management, says Colin Brown, Managing Director, Tesseract. "Most independent service companies have recurring revenue streams which actually fit neatly with renting the software. Relatively small companies can now compete with larger rivals."

 

A browser-based field service solution is essential, regardless of whether you opt for an on-premise or a cloud-based platform, advises Simon Spriggs, account manager at Exel Computer Systems. "This will future-proof your investment should you decide to move business activities to the cloud in future. It will also help eliminate many integration problems."

Don't be lured into thinking that a Cloud solution is the answer to everything, warns Spriggs.  "Key questions to ask include: what is the budget, what is the available IT resource and what is the reliability and bandwidth of the Internet connection."

Reliable broadband: not an optional extra

The reliability and bandwidth or your Internet connection is crucial for any Cloud implementation, our experts agreed. "Some companies have an unreliable or slow broadband connection and that impacts on delivering cloud-based services," points out Spriggs. "If the basic connection to the Internet fails, it doesn't matter what back-up the hosted platform provider has - you won't be able to communicate with your engineers, manage workflows or give customers real-time information."

 

Security

Most companies will conduct financial due diligence before choosing a Cloud partner. However, all the field service experts we spoke with emphasised that it is equally essential to thoroughly check the IT capabilities of the company hosting those cloud services. "You are outsourcing the running of your business systems to the Cloud, not abdicating responsibility for them, so make sure your provider is fully compliant with the latest security standards " urges Steve Mason. "A public cloud platform will give you baseline protection - indeed, the level of security is much higher than most individual companies could afford because the companies invest a huge amount and employ security experts to keep up to speed with the latest threats."

A public Cloud platform as other advantages says Mason. her "Business continuity is crucial for mission-critical apps such as field service. On a public Cloud, the infrastructure is multi-layered so there is built-in resilience should one site go down which in turn means there will be no impact on your business.

 

There is a natural nervousness about hosting FS apps externally, the need to keep confidential data in the cloud and also about the complexities of integrating those cloud-based apps with internal ERP systems, admits Lewis. "However these concerns are not relevant any more with the evidence of many large organisations globally who have strategically moved to the cloud in the last 5 to 10 years. These range from governmental organisations to large global banks.

The Cloud is, in effect, a hosted server platform, points out Colin Brown. "Cloud data centres handle all the expensive, complex fire walls and demilitarized zones that keep information safe. If you are concerned about resilience, our advice is to invest in back-up servers.

It's important to think about what happens if servers goes down, agrees Neil Lewis. "Smaller vendors may be able to host your app but check if there is seamless back-up to ensure workflows continue as normal? Indeed, is there any back-up at all?"

Resilience is critical for mission-critical operations such as field service. For SMEs, cloud solutions provides a sophisticated level of IT infrastructure management including backup, disaster recovery, security and environmental concerns that they could never achieve otherwise, points out Paul Adams.

 

Asking what IT roadmap your provider has will whittle out some of the less capable vendors, advises Lewis. "Smaller platform hosts may not have the resources to invest in platform development, so ask what their roadmap is - for example, to develop the platform to integrate with multiple ERP environments to handle new technology."

Finally, businesses shouldn't undervalue the support offered by SaaS providers, says Colin Brown.  "Access to the software is controlled by the supplier, so all the software upgrades are installed and installed correctly and often, as is the case for Tesseract customers, free-of-charge of charge. Furthermore, as the data as it is hosted remotely, employees are no longer able to “play” with it, which reduces system errors

Look out for Part 2, where we'll  exploring the benefits of on-premise solutions and how they  integrate with field service management solutions.

 

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How do our experts match up with your own opinions? Don't forget to enter our survey on Cloud computing in Field Service now and have a chance of winning one of three £50 Amazon vouchers! 

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