In the first part of this exclusive research project run in partnership with Advanced Field Service, we looked at the types of mobile devices being used in the field and why it seems that the days of pen and paper are becoming increasingly numbered....
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May 05, 2015 • Features • Hardware • Advanced Field Service • research • Research • wearables • BYOD • rugged
In the first part of this exclusive research project run in partnership with Advanced Field Service, we looked at the types of mobile devices being used in the field and why it seems that the days of pen and paper are becoming increasingly numbered. Now in the second of this four part series we look at whether there is a future for wearables in field service, are devices being used rugged or consumer and has BYOD worked?
There is also a white paper accompanying this series, with even further insights, which you can download here
The next wave of technology –wearables
Of course whilst one end of the spectrum is the laggards still using paper based systems at the other end we have the bleeding edge early adopters. With 2014 being predicted to be the year of the wearables have these very personal computers started to become part of the fabric of the field engineers tool-kit? Or have wearables faltered in industry much as they have done in the consumer world?
Our research would seem to indicate that the latter is true with two thirds of our respondents stating that they didn’t think Wearables would be a device they would be implementing within the next 12 months. Many of the arguments against such devices becoming part of the field engineers tool-kit were focussed around there simply not being a need for them in the eyes of many.
Comments from those who didn’t see Wearables coming to the fore anytime soon included there being “no obvious benefit of wearable technology”,“Too small, not enough visible info, techs have enough gadgets they need tools that work efficiently – not toys to keep up with technology” and the rather damning “They are a gimmick. No-one takes them seriously”
As for those who did see the march of the Wearable happening within the next 12 months almost three quarters (71%) felt this was because Wearables could help “improve the engineers work-flow”
As for those who did see the march of the Wearable happening within the next 12 months almost three quarters (71%) felt this was because Wearables could help “improve the engineers work-flow” over half (56%) saw the advantage of “hands free working” as key to the potential of the devices while just under a third (32%) identified “health and safety” as a reason why Wearables could be important.
Rugged vs. Consumer
Having established the form factors that were prominent in the industry, the next focus of our research moved on to another ongoing debate in field service – is the higher cost of rugged devices worth it in the long term?
Or are consumer grade devices fit for the task?
Our research highlighted that amongst our sample group of field service companies at least, the vast majority of almost three quarters of companies (74%) were using consumer grade devices compared to the 21% of companies using more rugged devices.
Often one of the most frequent arguments put forward by rugged device manufacturers is the Total-Cost-of-Ownership – i.e. that whilst a consumer grade device may be available at a lower cost, across the space of the devices lifetime the more expensive rugged device will prove to be a better investment as repairs and replacements for the consumer grade device mount up.
It would appear however, that either the numbers don’t stack up or that the argument is falling on deaf ears as almost half (48%) of those companies that selected a consumer device based their decision around cost, while 44% cited the fact that they felt the “improved speed of user adoption” was what drew them to a consumer device.
BYOD
The other reason cited for the preference of consumer devices was BYOD. However, despite a large amount of hyperbole surrounding the movement towards implementing a Bring Your Own Device policy this remains a largely unpopular option, with less than a tenth (8%) of those companies opting for consumer devices citing BYOD as the reason for doing so.
Amongst this small group the leading reasons for taking this approach were “quicker user adoption” and “employee satisfaction” which were both identified by over half of the respondents. Meanwhile the lower costs associated with the BYOD was acknowledged as a driving factor by a 29% of respondents in this section.
hose who had implemented a BYOD policy had universally found it to be a successful approach with 86% reporting that it had been a successful strategy
The reasons for the success of BYOD were stated as “increased productivity” (44%), “engineer satisfaction” (43%) and again interestingly the cost factor scored lowest with just 14% stating that the “reduced cost of mobilising their workforce” was a significant factor in why they perceived their adoption of a BYOD policy as a success.
From the engineer’s point of view the adoption of a BYOD policy was also mainly positive with 86% of respondents stating their engineers were “generally supportive of the policy”. However, such a policy was not universally accepted by engineers with 14% of respondents admitting they had faced “strong resistance to BYOD” from their engineers.
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May 05, 2015 • Features • Management • Recruitment • servicemax
As we draw closer to our next webinar we begin a new series looking at one of the key topics - the growing danger that field service is facing a real talent shortage within the next decade...
As we draw closer to our next webinar we begin a new series looking at one of the key topics - the growing danger that field service is facing a real talent shortage within the next decade...
To register for the webinar that will accompany this series click here...
It’s a major challenge being faced in many industries but the statistics for field service companies, across all corners of the globe, are particularly bleak.
One such statistic is that 40% of Field Workers are over 40 years of age. That’s nearly half of our workforce that will need replacing within a twenty-year period.
Let’s consider another.
60% of companies are currently report that they are understaffed in their technical and highly skilled positions. This is also in an area where demand is predicted to grow twice as swiftly as other professions by the year 2025.
Whichever way we look at it we are under increasing pressure to meet a growing demand to acquire and retain new additions to our mobile workforces and this theme is at the heart of our forthcoming webinar with ServiceMax.
Indeed it is a topic that has come to the attention of the team at ServiceMax a number of times particularly in their customer focussed workshops and seminars.
Explaining further Randy Reynolds, VP Product Marketing, ServiceMax commented “We didn’t realise just what a critical area this was in the field service space” He began before explaining that it was in fact at a round table at last years MaxLive event in Paris that the dawning reality of the problem really struck home.
“What was interesting is that this is a conversation I was hearing a lot of” Reynolds continued before expanding further.
“Perhaps the first thing that I noticed a lot of our customers saying was that there are significant changes in the requirements to fill field service positions.”
“Historically they would be looking to hire people with very strong technical knowledge, very product related knowledge but now because the role of the field service technician is evolving, companies are looking for what we could consider softer skills.”
“Field Service companies are now looking for people that can interact with customers and deal with different situations that are out in the field.” Reynolds added “So rather than going out and looking for people with great vocational skills, many companies now feel that they can teach those skills on the job. What they truly need is people who can relate to and really understand the customer, people who fundamentally understand the service equation side of the role.”
So if we return to our opening thoughts around the challenges we face in terms of replacing an ageing workforce, not only is their mounting pressure for us to seek out talent, there is also a need for us to reinvent the profile of our workers simultaneously.
Challenging times indeed.
Another of Reynolds colleagues at ServiceMax who has been doing a lot of work in this area is Patrice Eberline, Vice President, Global Customer Transformation, ServiceMax.
However Eberline, who has a wide background in professional management working across implementation, training, change management and deployment and adoption across a career spanning nearly twenty years, sees the current situation not only as a challenge but also an opportunity to truly ignite transformation for ‘future year staffing.’
Eberline, who is giving the lead presentation in our next webinar being hosted on the 20th May at 4pm BST, admits that traditionally as an industry field service has been in a fortunate position when it comes to staffing.
“We’ve been lucky in field service in that traditionally we have had low turnover and high company loyalty.”
The problem, Eberline asserts runs far deeper than the challenge of replacing lost man hours. The underlying issue, which is even more worrying, is the loss of knowledge that goes with each and every individual that retires or moves on.
Knowledge that all too often isn’t documented either Eberline points out.
“I recently had a technician come into my home” she explains anecdotally “but being a little bit of a geek I’d spent ages looking all over the web for a solution to my problem. Honestly I didn’t feel like there was much to be done but getting an engineer out was the next step before buying a replacement.”
“However, literally within 5 to 10 minutes of arriving the engineer had developed a work around that wasn’t listed anywhere in any documentation. That fixed my problem and gave me some additional life on my device and promptly left me feeling wonderful about this – so this stuff is really important.” She concludes.
Indeed it is this threat of potential knowledge leakage that is perhaps the greatest danger of the ageing workforce crisis that field service companies face.
This knowledge, sometimes referred to as tribal knowledge, in that it is knowledge that is accrued through the years spent on the job, is starting to leave our businesses as the workforce reaches retirement age. So we need to capture this knowledge and find a way of releasing it quickly.
This is where we really need to embrace the technologies available, and systems such as ServiceMax are key to enabling product sharing platforms such as that implemented by Elekta in recent times.
As we see industry wide moves towards platform based approaches, driven largely by the success of Cloud based offerings such as Salesforce then the ability to not only document product knowledge but to have that knowledge as widely accessible as possible, integrating with numerous business areas such as field service software, CRM even accounting software can be hugely advantageous.
as we look to the next generation of potential workers, the so-called millennial generation, this trait of open knowledge sharing is actually inherent to their makeup.
So perhaps the future is not as bleak as first it seems?
We need to make the transition away from tribal knowledge to social collaboration and we need to start doing it swiftly. But the technology is available and the next generation of field workers should have all the skills required to be able to adopt such an approach swiftly.
The challenge is going to be in making the transition from a to b as smooth as possible.
This most certainly will be easier said than done, however the work being done by Eberline and her peers will undoubtedly help us in defining our own specific road map and this is something we shall be exploring in further features in this series as we lead up to the webinar on 20th May.
To join us for this webinar click here and register now.
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May 04, 2015 • Features • Events • Service Management Expo • SME
Running across the 16th, 17th and 18th of June the Service Management Expo remains one of Europe’s key field service events…
Running across the 16th, 17th and 18th of June the Service Management Expo remains one of Europe’s key field service events…
The Service Management Expo has for thirty years been a central pillar within the field service calendar. Whilst there are a growing number of excellent conferences that showcase some of the leading trends within the field service industry both in the US and Europe, when it comes to an exhibition format, with the sheer number of vendors demonstrating their field service solutions within the vast exhibition hall held in London’s impressive Excel complex (Service Management Expo is just one of a number of exhibitions brought together by organiser UBM under the Protection and Management umbrella) the Service Management Expo for the time being at least remains unmatched.
Whether you’ve been given a brief to go and find the best solution for your field service operations or if your just there to see what is available so you can start putting together some plans, with over thirty different providers there will be plenty of opportunities for you to get a close up look at the various specialist software and hardware available that can make your field service operations that much more efficient.
Yet whilst Service Management Expo is very much about the exhibition stands with this many industry experts floating around in the same space it would be criminal not to get some of them together to share their insight into what is making the industry tick in 2015. This is where we come in!
We will be hosting a series of interviews, presentations and panel debates throughout the three days of Service Management Expo plus this year we will be closing each day off with a chance to network with fellow professionals over a beer or glass of wine.
Across the coming weeks we will be looking in a bit more detail at what these sessions will entail with each of the days being brought together under a broad theme for the day. Here we look at the sessions for the first day of the sessions Tuesday the 17th of June.
After an opening presentation by the theatres co-sponsors IFS and Field Service Management the next session of the day comes from George de Boer, International Alliance Manager at TomTom Telematics which begins at 11.45am
DeBoer’s presentation entitled “Open innovation: The key to seamlessly connecting your back office with your mobile workforce” sets out to outline how your Field Service Application can be connected to your service vehicles and engineers? With a focus on those field service managers who are looking for more control, lower vehicle cost and a paperless process. De Boer’s presentation will set out to show attendees how TomTom Telematics’ open fleet management platform WEBFLEET connects your back office with your mobile workforce.
After two presentations from software vendors we move towards a more strategic topic as Nick Frank gives us his presentation “Service Thinking & Imagination: The secret ingredient in monetizing the iotS and all that connectivity stuff” at 12.30pm
Looking at The Internet of Things (IoT), M2M, Big Data and the premise of Frank’s presentation is that whilst they are an inherent part of the future of field service connected products have no value by themselves. It is the data they deliver that can enable us to start blurring the distinction between Products and Services and it is here that we will start to see significant value.
For Field Service to really leverage these exciting technology concepts, companies must re-orientate their focus from purely the product related experience argues Frank and his session focuses on how increasingly Field Service companies must gain insights into the value they create deep within their customer's business, and figure out how they use their technology and know how to make a difference.
Following directly on from Frank’s presentation is the first of the day’s on stage interviews with host Kris Oldland, Editor of Field Service News talking to Professor Tim Baines of Aston University in a session that begins at 1.15pm.
Following on neatly from Frank’s preceding presentation this session titled “Advanced Services 101 - Just what the hell does servitization mean anyway?” Takes advantage of the eminent Professor Baines position as one of the leading proponents of the growing servitization trend to try and identify exactly what is meant by Advanced Services and Servitization. With the Aston Spring Servitization Conference running just a few weeks earlier Baines will also be able to give us all of the latest thinking on this increasingly important topic to the field service industries.
One of the key questions we will be exploring is this concept suited to companies of a specific size or vertical as well as what are the benefits and how will it impact Field Service operations?
The interview sessions continue as we turn our attention to another of the emerging challenges of modern field service – i.e. data security at 2.00pm
This time Oldland welcomes Steve Foxley, Director Customer Services for manufacturing giant Siemens to the stage with the conversation being focussed around the challenges that field service organisations will face when it comes data security as through trends like big data and the IoT the issue becomes ever more pressing.
With the Field Service operations having gone through (and continuing to go through) a period of rapid evolution and as the day’s sessions will have discussed IoT, Servitization and Big Data amongst others are opening the doors to ever more efficient and profitable service operations, but are also introducing new challenges.
With the Field Service operations having gone through (and continuing to go through) a period of rapid evolution and as the day’s sessions will have discussed IoT, Servitization and Big Data amongst others are opening the doors to ever more efficient and profitable service operations, but are also introducing new challenges. So this session will look at not only how can we mitigate them but also how important it is to understand these challenges when before we take the first steps down such a path.
After what promises to be day full of plenty of interesting concepts that should provide plenty of food for debate we will provide an hour of networking to continue the conversations in a more relaxed environment with complimentary drinks.
Register for field service news now for free by clicking this link
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May 04, 2015 • Features • Future of FIeld Service • future of field service • pristine io • Smart Glasses
The future of field service is going to be very different when the Smart Glasses revolution finally arrives says Pristine IO CEO Kyle Samani...
The future of field service is going to be very different when the Smart Glasses revolution finally arrives says Pristine IO CEO Kyle Samani...
When Google announced the retirement of their Glass Explorer program some corners of the worldwide media denounced this as an admission of failure.
Despite huge early attention surrounding the smart glasses, the product had never quite lived up to the hyperbole and a growing number of less than sympathetic reports featuring Glass (not least to mention the widespread adoption of the newly coined term Glasshole) had meant that a shadow was being cast across Google’s latest centre piece.
For the naysayers the closing of the public beta Explorer program was a final nail in the coffin for Glass. In fact the truth remains very different.
For the naysayers the closing of the public beta Explorer program was a final nail in the coffin for Glass. In fact the truth remains very different.
What Google have done however, is take a step back from the world of the consumer and the increasingly blurred lines of fashion and technology and turned far more of it’s attention to the world of business.
An obvious, yet intelligent move given that a) the potential application of Smart Glasse is massive within industry – especially in field service and b) no one product has truly been able to meet the needs of and exploit the massive potential of wearables in field service.
Of course having the hardware is great, but to unleash the real power of such a device we need dedicated apps. For that we need developers that truly understand the audience they are working for.
So Google established the Glass at Work program.
A program where they selected the brightest and the best development companies working on Glass and gave them the support needed to help them flourish.
It’s a select group with only ten certified Glass at Work partners listed by Google currently. One of those companies is Austin based Pristine.io and to find out more about what the next chapter holds for Glass (and other similar products) in field service, we caught up with their CEO Kyle Samani.
“Pretty much the moment Google announced Glass that’s when I had my Eureka moment – I thought that’s what I’m going to go and do.” - Kyle Semanie, CEO, Pristine IO
Indeed Samani has the credentials to do well. As mentioned in the introduction, an understanding of the end-users that Pristine’s product is designed for is a large factor in their potential success and Samani whose background prior to launching Pristine was in the design and development of EMR systems for healthcare organisations was certainly well placed to step up to the plate
“I studied finance at NYU and I’ve been programming ever since I was a kid. I’ve always been at the cross section of business and technology” Samani explains.
So what led him to launching Pristine? Is it a case of being the right guy at the right time in the right place?
“Pretty much the moment Google announced Glass that’s when I had my Eureka moment – I thought that’s what I’m going to go and do.”
He admits “Someone was going to go out there and make the software to make this thing useful for the enterprise and I was dead set from the moment I saw it that it was going to be me.”
And it certainly seems that Samani has getting things right so far as his fledgling company has rapidly grown in the two years since inception.
Pristine now has over 20 employees and perhaps more importantly over 30 customers. Also whilst a background in medical systems provided a natural opening for Pristine, their customers are not confined to this space.
Whilst they exploited a niche within the healthcare sector, it was soon apparent that within the horizontal sector of field service there lay a far greater prize
As Samani explains “Our customer base is pretty broad, it does include healthcare but it also includes a lot of other companies outside of healthcare as well.”
“For example right now we are working with a large manufacturing company that produces conveyor belts, so big heavy industrial machinery, and those guys are seeing a huge amount of potential in the platform. We’re also working with companies now in the auditing space within food production for example.”
He continues outlining the variety of companies that could benefit from adopting Smart Glasses into their work-flow.
“Basically we’re seeing adoption of our technology in any environment where you have heavy equipment that if it’s not functioning, it’s going to effect the profit of the business operation. From lab diagnostics in a hospital to packaging equipment in a factory.”
“We even have one company we are working with in construction and for them a big bottleneck in terms of getting their work done is just getting an architect out on site.”
“So they are using our technology to replace the six hour flight and five hour drive. That’s essentially wasted time and expense for them but now they can have a guy on-site with a pair of smart glasses and an architect dialling in remotely avoiding the wastage”
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May 04, 2015 • Features • Hardware • NetMotion • Panasonic • Events • hardware
Panasonic Toughbook's Enterprise Mobile Technology was the first big UK event of the field service calendar and it set the bar high for the rest of the year writes Kris Oldland...
Panasonic Toughbook's Enterprise Mobile Technology was the first big UK event of the field service calendar and it set the bar high for the rest of the year writes Kris Oldland...
Deep in the heart of the English country side lies the St Georges complex, home to aspiring dreams of the English football association, and given the fervour that surrounds the English national team every time a major footballing tournament comes around, such dreams of aspiration and success are reflective of an entire nation’s subconscious.
Such auspicious surroundings then were an ideal location for an event that had aspirational themes of it’s own. Namely the continuing evolution and improvement of how we operate our field service divisions, how we streamline our efficiency and establish ever greater levels excellence in our service delivery.
And as with modern sport, including the beautiful game, the alignment of technology with forward-looking strategy is a core part of how we take these steps forward. And technology was of course at the heart of the Enterprise Mobile Technology conference (admittedly the clue was in the name!)
With a number of new advances being revealed both by host Panasonic and a number of their key partners including the likes of Brother, NetMotion and Microsoft, the day certainly met it’s objectives.
Such auspicious surroundings then were an ideal location for an event that had aspirational themes of it’s own. Namely the continuing evolution and improvement of how we operate our field service divisions
The day began with a brief introduction from Kevin Tristram, General Manager, UK & Ireland Panasonic Computer Product Solutions before we moved to an excellent look at ‘smarter technologies for a connected mobile workforce” presented by Russel Young-Husband, Sales Director Panasonic Computer Product Solutions, which nicely set the tone of the day, giving us insight into the technology our hosts were developing and how it can improve our workflows, without ever feeling like a hard sales pitch.
Given the backdrop, and the many reminders of great moments in English Footballing history that adorned the walls throughout the impressive complex, there was perhaps a definite hint of fate’s irony in the fact that the closing session of the morning was presented by Welshman Jon Tucker, European Product Marketing Manager, Panasonic Computer Product Solutions.
However, obligatory rugby jokes aside, today was about collaboration not rivalries and this very much came to the fore in what proved to be a highly interactive opening session, cleverly enabled by some of the mobile technology being showcased later on throughout the day.
Tucker posed a series of questions to the audience based around some strong industry research from a number of sources and with each table having a FZ-G1 on the table quick polls were taken from the audience to see if the consensus in the room match the wider research findings.
What was particularly interesting was that throughout the session we kept seeing the audience responses matching quite closely with the wider research adding validity to the trends being highlighted in a very tangible way.
It was a good start to what would prove to be an excellent day.
In the first break of the day there was the requisite buzz amongst the delegates that can so often signify how an event will pan out.
Yet this was not down to chance.
For a start this is that was not Panasonic’s first rodeo when it comes to putting such an event together, but this isn’t only evident in the slick presentations and great execution, it is at events like this that real relationships can be formed and much of the conversation was of people reconnecting.
There were clearly many such relationships both between Panasonic and their customers, but also between the delegates themselves, who despite coming from wide and disparate disciplines, face similar challenges in managing their relative mobile workforces.
With opportunities for such peer-to-peer networking somewhat more restricted in field service compared to other business sectors (largely due to the horizontal nature of the sector itself) the chance to resume conversations and compare notes at such events is often taken up with gusto when presented.
Indeed the conversations continued right through the break and back into the next session, which featured David Rodger, Commercial Lead, Windows Business Group, Microsoft UK Unfortunately, we are unable to tell you much about this session as there was a no media policy in place so we an say is that it possibly interesting and probably was about holograms and that Microsoft 10 is hopefully going to be more of an XP than a Vista.
It is an ironic fact of how business works, that often the people we would most like to here from as leaders in there field are often simply too busy doing what it is they do (and what it is that we want to here about) to find the time to write a presentation about it for our benefit. The panel debate format allows us to benefit from hearing from such folks and the panel here certainly didn’t disappoint.
The conversation was open, honest and insightful with a number of key learning’s being presented from the panel and as with any session of this format we left with not only a number of answers, but also with a number of new questions
Indeed again the conversations across lunch were vibrant fuelled by the morning sessions, with ideas generated from the panel were being bounced around and exchanged.
A short hour later, the delegates were separated into four groups as we moved into the smaller breakout sessions. I mentioned earlier the dreaded death by PowerPoint scenario and often it is at such a point in a day that the risk of this raises its head. I always find that an early start, some intensive early sessions and a full stomach are natural enemies of attention when it comes to sitting through presentation after presentation.
Thankfully, the event organisers were of the same mind-set and so put together a great mix of approaches to the afternoon sessions.
The first of which was a look at some of the latest technology to come from Panasonic.
Whilst this session could of potentially have strayed worryingly into sales pitch territory, thankfully the hands on approach delivered Tom Szwed, Customer Relationship Manager, Panasonic Computer Product Solutions didn’t ever have the feel of a straight marketing push, instead the underlying vibe of the session was more akin to earnest excitement, and genuine pride in the technology on show.
With the announcement of Panasonic’s latest rugged laptop the CF-54 having been made just a few weeks earlier this took pride of place within the session although much of the thinking of the new launch seems to apply to Panasonic’s approach to product development moving forward.
The CF-54 boasts a wide range of customisable options which makes it an interesting proposition for a number of industry verticals, but it’s thinner, sleeker profile has much of the look of a consumer device despite the device being certified as ‘semi-rugged’.
Powered by a fifth generation Intel Core i5 vPro processor and running Windows 8.1 Pro or Windows 7, with the option of an upgrade to Windows 10 upon availability, the CF-54 delivers an impressive computing power compared to similar products yet.has also been put through vigorous test, which Swzed guided us through to achieve it’s semi-rugged certification.
As well as being able to survive a fair share of drops and bumps, the CF-54 is also capable of operating between temperatures as low as -10C to 50C, is dust and water plus boasts additional spill protection, which now covers both the screen and the keyboard.
However, if the CF-54 was the central product in this session, it was the yet to be released and as yet unnamed prototype device that generated the most buzz.
This device was what could potentially be the world’s first rugged detachable, and straightaway it’s potential application within the field was being discussed. As those attending the session got their hands on this initial prototype, which at first glance looked like a standard rugged notebook but whose screen could be detached to be a fully operational tablet in it’s own right the application of such a device was clear.
“They [the engineer] would just take the tablet into the customers, but then could slot it into the keyboard as soon as they are writing up their reports” commented one fellow attendee.
Indeed, the idea of a rugged detachable makes a huge amount of sense. Detachables are not anything particularly new and surely we will see a number of similar devices appear on the market in the not too distant future.
However, there is a definite advantage in being the first to deliver such a device, and on the evidence available here it would seem Panasonic, with a working prototype that is close to a final iteration, may well be able to gain that advantage and further grow what is an impressive market share within the rugged space.
There is a definite advantage in being the first to deliver such a device, and on the evidence available here it would seem Panasonic, with a working prototype that is close to a final iteration, may well be able to gain that advantage
We were led into a room that was dominated by a huge snakes and ladders-esque board.
Split into teams our challenge was to navigate our way from start to finish with challenges such as dropped devices, drained batteries or working in the rain barring the way. With half of the teams being allocated a Toughpad and the other half being allocated a ‘consumer device’ Perhaps unsurprisingly (and despite strenuous denial of any underhand rigging) the game was comfortably won by a team brandishing a Toughpad.
However, whilst there may have been a less than subtle message around the benefit of rugged vs. consumer when it comes to total cost of ownership it was delivered in what was a genuinely enjoyable format.
The next session we returned towards convention with a presentation from event partner NetMotion Again the session had the potential to stray into dangerous territory. There is only one thing worse than death by PowerPoint, that is death by PowerPoint whilst being sold at.
I’ll admit to having some trepidation as energetic American Erik Helms, VP Strategic Partners & International Sales, NetMotion Wireless, began his presentation. Being a reserved Brit, with an upper lip so stiff it may have passed away without me noticing, my natural defences tend to get raised when confronted by American presenters.
They are just so excitable, so enthusiastic and so damn friendly that I can’t help but think ‘what’s the catch’.
So admittedly Helms already had a significant hurdle to overcome. Yet he not only managed to win me over, he did it with style and panache.
The NetMotion product whilst having a number of functionalities and layers is relatively straightforward. It just makes online stuff better, much better in fact.
All of this was outlined by Helms, with the assistance of his two colleagues Lee Johnson, Global Field and Channel Marketing Director, NetMotion Wireless and Chris McKie VP Regional Salesw EMEA, NetMotion Wireless, through one of the best 30-minute presentations I’ve sat through in a long time.
Helms based his presentation around one user comment that the system ‘just worked like magic’ and played on this with a magician theme that quoted some of the great classic magicians, bringing an excellent sense of theatre to the session – with a great use of props including some beautifully lo-fi home made faraday cages made of aluminium foil.
It was also the first time I’ve ever seen someone use a machete as part of their presentation, well in field service at least.
However, Helms didn’t just rely on gimmicks to promote his product. What was truly impressive was the technology he was showcasing which sat at the heart of each section of his presentation.
Similarly, Helms himself was by no means just there for his admittedly very good presentation skills. As the session came to an end a number of questions were fielded and name was able to give knowledgeable answers throughout. For the second time in an hour I found myself leaving a presentation I had expected to be a straight sales pitch, genuinely interested in what I had seen, and with the way it had been delivered.
It was in the final break-out session however, run by John Harris, General Manager- Engineering, Panasonic Computer Product Solutions, which had not only peaked my interest but was also perhaps the most effective in communicating why field service companies should seriously consider spending their money with Panasonic – yet there was no sales pitch here.
In fact it was a forward look at products in development with Harris providing some insight into some hands on testing he himself had undertaken.
We were given a detailed overview of smart watches Harris had trialled including the Intel and Samsung offerings and a fascinating glimpse of a wearable vest that Harris was actually wearing during the presentation which monitored heart rate. One simple application of which Harris outlined could be linking the sensors to the engine of commercial vehicles – the implication of this of course having added resonance in the wake of a recent tragedy in Scotland where a bus driver suffered a heart attack at the wheel causing an accident with multiple fatalities.
As well as also showcasing some impressive technology around digital signature capture and processing the potential benefits of such applications there was the show stopping demonstration of a 3D camera, which was able to measure, the full dimensions of a real-life box accurate to within a few millimetres.
The technology on display was certainly impressive and Harris was an assured and clearly knowledgeable speaker, however what was perhaps the most impressive aspect of this session was the two-way dialogue.
There were a number of requests and suggestions made throughout the session, which largely due to Harris’ relaxed style felt more like an open forum than presentation, including one attendee pointing out that the Panasonic camera’s his organisation (a broadcast company) required standard SD cards for storage, yet the Toughbook’s they used had no option for incorporating this format.
It was an obvious issue which whilst certainly not insurmountable would impede and slowdown the workflow for their remote operators. However, as the explanation was outlined to Harris, he not only quickly grasped the issue but also promised to look into the issue and see how this could be fixed in future product iterations.
Admittedly, many presenters in most organisations would say something similar, at least paying lip service to the request.
However, there seemed an earnestness about Harris which when aligned with his role and seniority made me genuinely believe that he will actually look into each of the requests made.
Observant readers may have noticed that is the second time I have used the word earnest and this was perhaps the biggest surprise and also the most powerful argument for why a company should opt to work with IT giant.
Very simply I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised by just how accessible the senior management at Panasonic were. There was a true willingness to engage with and listen to their customers throughout the day, and this was exemplified by Harris’ session.
After one final coffee break it was time for my own keynote presentation. Which was of course excellent but modesty prevents me from saying much more other than we covered a lot of the topics regular field service news readers will be familiar with as we looked at what tools the field engineer of 2020 may be using, including NFC, 3D Printing, IoT and Wearables.
However, whilst it was a privilege and a pleasure to share my thoughts with the audience, and I really enjoyed the opportunity to have a number of really great conversations around my presentation over a beer or two in the drinks reception that followed, today was Panasonic’s day, and they had delivered an excellent event, with an excellent mix of thought-provoking content, delivered in a clever and engaging mix of sessions.
As the first main event of the year in field service, the bar has been set nice and high. Lets hope the rest of the calendar meets the same standards.
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May 01, 2015 • Features • aston university • Events • Servitization
Hosted by Aston Business School and the Aston Centre for Servitization Research and Practice this conference which is being held across the 18th and 19th May 2015 at Aston Business School promises to be a showcase for current, relevant and...
Hosted by Aston Business School and the Aston Centre for Servitization Research and Practice this conference which is being held across the 18th and 19th May 2015 at Aston Business School promises to be a showcase for current, relevant and innovative research in the study of Servitization...
Servitization can protect and enhance business performance, leading to long term growth and sustainability. Over the next 3 years, 65% of manufacturing businesses worldwide will turn towards offering services*. Set against this backdrop the annual Spring Servitization Conference as Aston Business School will showcase current. relevant and innovative research in the study of servitization.
Presentation themes for the conference include:
- Business model innovation for servitization
- Customer interaction and co creation through real time data and social media
- Techniques for the identification of service opportunities and design of services
- Organisational capabilities and environmental conditions required for successful servitization
- Digital technologies as service providers; connected products and the IoT
- Business ecosystems and co opetition for delivery of advanced services
- Implementation of servitization; the challenges, barriers and enablers
- The circular economy and environmental
About the conference:
The Spring Servitization Conference 2015 returns for a third year, attracting a strong international gathering of academics working in the field of servitization research. The organising committee is pleased to announce a record number of research papers have been submitted this year, covering themes such as: business model innovation, the circular economy and environmental sustainability and digital technologies as service enablers.
Who should attend:
This event is targeted at researchers working in the field of servitization, managers and directors from manufacturing companies both large and small, software producers and other technology innovators of all sizes.
Keynote speakers
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Professor Tim Baines, Director, Aston Centre for Servitization Research and Practice. Tim is an international authority on servitization and works extensively with manufacturers to transform their operations to compete through advanced services. He has published over 200 papers on management and engineering, and is amongst the most frequently-cited authors on servitization. His career started with a technician apprenticeship, and has progressed through a variety of industrial and academic positions. Read Tim Baines latest exclusive feature for Field Service News here
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John Cullen, VP Services Marketing, Metso Corporation. John Cullen is VP Services Marketing at Metso Corporation. In this role John is responsible for productizing the service portfolio, transforming the business to value based solution selling as well as communications for this 1 Billion Euro plus mining services business. Previous to working for Metso, John had a long history in business development and sales working for global brands, such as Nokia and O2, as well as having his own successful business development and sales company. John has an Engineering Science degree from St Catherine's College, Oxford University.
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Harman Lanser, Product Development & Logistics Group Component Products for AIRFRANCEKLM Engineering & Maintenance Within his scope is development of new products within the Component Availability area, OEM strategy and Supply Chain Development. Before that Harmen was Director Component Management at KLM Engineering & Maintenance for five years after a period of 6 years in Purchasing at KLM E&M as Director and Vice President Strategic Purchasing. Harmen has an experience of 28 years within Engineering & Maintenance. Since the Air France/KLM merger in 2004 he is one of the key players in the alignment of the procurement and supply chain activities of Air France Industries and KLM E&M. Harmen has his BSc. in Aeronautics and an MBA in E-commerce
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Christian Kowalkowski Associate Professor of Industrial Marketing at Linköping University, Sweden & Assistant Professor of Marketing at Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki. Christian Kowalkowski is His current research interests include servitization, solutions marketing, service innovation, relationship dynamics, and value-creation strategies. Christian has published extensively and serves as an Associate Editor of Journal of Services Marketing and is on the Editorial Board of Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business Research, and Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing. Over the years, he has collaborated with companies such as ABB, Electrolux, Linde, Saab Group, Tetra Pak, Toyota Industries, Volvo Group, and Xylem and been invited speaker at research seminars, associations and practitioner-oriented conferences across Europe.
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Michael J. Provost MA (Cantab) PhD CEng FIMechE FIET MIAM Engineering Fellow, Asset Management and Business Intelligence Services at Intelligent Energy Ltd. Before t joining Loughborough, Michael spent twenty-seven years at Rolls-Royce, two years at a Rolls-Royce spin-off company, Data Systems & Solutions (working on applications of aerospace asset management techniques in other industries) and five years at Bombardier Transportation. He is currently advising on the development and roll-out of a range of asset management techniques across Intelligent Energy Ltd.'s automotive, consumer electronics and distributed power product lines.
The Venue:
Conference Aston, Aston Business School, Birmingham, UK, B4 7ET
Contacts:
Further details can be found at www.aston.ac.uk/ssc2015
Telephone: Jill Forrest +44 (0) 121 204 3249
Twitter @_servitization
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May 01, 2015 • Features • aston university • Future of FIeld Service • Servitization • tim baines
The world of manufacturing is getting ready for one of the most significant changes since the industrial revolution. Servitization is coming and amongst those leading the charge is Professor Tim Baines of Aston University. We're pleased to welcome...
The world of manufacturing is getting ready for one of the most significant changes since the industrial revolution. Servitization is coming and amongst those leading the charge is Professor Tim Baines of Aston University. We're pleased to welcome him to the list of field service news columnists and here in this first article he gives us an introduction to this complex yet fascinating and important topic...
The world once seemed simple; manufacturers made things and services companies did things for us. Today, increasing numbers of manufacturers compete through a portfolio of integrated products and services.
This is a services-led competitive strategy, and the process through which it is achieved is commonly referred to as servitization. Celebrated exponents of such strategies include Rolls-Royce, Xerox and Alstom; all offer extended maintenance, repair and overhaul contracts where revenue generation is linked directly to asset availability, reliability and performance.
Servitization is much more than simply adding services to existing products within a few large multi-national companies. It’s about viewing the manufacturer as a service provider that sets out to improve the processes of its customers through a business model, rather than product-based, innovation. The manufacturer exploits its design and production competencies to deliver improvements in efficiency and effectiveness to the customer.
Manufacturers have traditionally focused their efforts on product innovation and cost reduction. Companies such as Porsche and Ferrari are celebrated for bringing new and exciting designs into the market, while companies such as Toyota are held in awe for their work with Lean production systems. These successes foster a perception that the only way for manufacturing to underpin competitiveness is through new materials and technologies, faster and more reliable automation, machining with more precision, waste reduction programmes, smoother flow of parts etc.
Competition through services
Services offer a third way to compete. This is not an ‘instead of’ or ‘easy option’ for companies that are struggling to succeed. Indeed, delivering advanced services can require technologies and practices that are every bit as demanding as those in production. Neither do they require the manufacturer to abandon its technology strengths; instead it can build on these to help to ensure long term and sustained benefits. Consequently, there is a growing realisation that such services hold high value potential.
Conventional manufacturers can struggle to appreciate the value of services, seeking such simple explanations of servitization that they fail to appreciate potential benefits.
Servitization is a similar paradigm shift. The word ‘service’ can be used in different ways. It can refer to how well an action is performed – “that was good service” – or to an activity, like maintenance, spare parts provision and so on. Servitization relates to this second interpretation; activities that a manufacturer can perform to complement its products.
All manufacturers offer services to some extent, but some establish market differentiation through these, following services-led competitive strategies. Servitization is a term given to a transformation. It is about manufacturers increasingly offering services integrated with their products. Of these, some manufacturers choose to servitize by offering an extensive portfolio of relatively conventional services, while some move almost entirely into services, largely independent of their products, by providing offerings like general consulting. Others move to deliver advanced services.
Advanced services are core to servitization. Xerox’s ‘Managed Print Services’ is one example; rather than simply selling equipment, the company offers ‘document solutions’ to customers. For a typical customer, such as BA, Xerox provides project management, implementation of new technology, and management of third parties.
There are various types of advanced services, and a variety of terms is used across industry to describe these (e.g. availability contracting, performance contracting, managed services, solutions). However the outcome of these contracts is, invariably, a capability for a customer to perform a business function or process.
This is distinct from conventional services where the outcome is product ownership and maintenance of an asset’s condition. Particular contracting features are often coupled to advanced services.
There are four key features; the first three of which are relatively widespread: Pay-for-use revenue payment: pay-per click, pay-as-you-go, power-by-the-hour etc. are all terms used to refer to advanced services. For instance, in its contract with Xerox, Islington Borough Council receives a ‘click charge’ each time a document goes through a machine.
MAN Truck and Bus UK has 10,000 vehicles under contract, and expects this to grow by 50% over the next three to five years, to represent £200million of business.
When these features are coupled with the principle of delivering a capability, contracts become sophisticated and demanding. Many existing contracts are relatively large, which is perhaps part of their appeal to OEMs. MAN Truck and Bus UK has 10,000 vehicles under contract, and expects this to grow by 50% over the next three to five years, to represent £200million of business. The Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust’s five-year contract in its pathology laboratory is valued at £20M per year.
Advanced services are however not only for large organisations. They can hold high-value for manufacturers big and small. They can help strengthen relationships, lock-out competitors, and grow revenues and profits and this is why servitization can be a sustainable business model for manufacturers of all sizes.
Want to know more - why not attend the Servitization Spring Conference in May 18th - 19th Click here for more information
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Apr 28, 2015 • Features • Advanced Field Service • Future of FIeld Service • research • Research
Our exclusive research project sponsored by Advanced Field Service looks at the types of solutions being used by Field Service companies in 2015 and how those companies select the right solutions to meet their needs. Across the next four weeks we...
Our exclusive research project sponsored by Advanced Field Service looks at the types of solutions being used by Field Service companies in 2015 and how those companies select the right solutions to meet their needs. Across the next four weeks we will present you the findings of this research...
There is also a white paper accompanying this series, with even further insights, which you can download here
Field Service News has recently completed a research project, sponsored by Advanced Field Service, into what types of mobility tools are being used by field service companies. What types of hardware are most commonly being selected for our field engineers? What software is being used out in the field? How are companies selecting the right solution for their engineers?
What feedback are those engineers giving? And what actual benefits are being delivered through digital mobility solutions?
In total 122 field service professionals responded to our survey which ran across February and March with respondents from companies with mobile workforces ranging from less than ten field engineers through to over 801 engineers and with an even number of representatives across the spectrum with no obvious spikes, the research offers insight into trends across field service as a whole.
Types of devices being used in the field
It is perhaps no surprise by now that most companies are using some form of digital device.
We have been going through a digital revolution across the last decade and no industry has felt the impact of this change as keenly as field service.
Indeed out in the wider world of industry the emergence of Enterprise Mobility as a definable, and eminently sizeable industry that will ultimately dwarf the size of the field technology sector considerably, has now firmly taken root. However, the field service industry, which has more complex needs than it’s younger cousin of Enterprise Mobility, is also a far more mature market in general.
In fact our research indicates that the majority of companies are using a mix of differing digital devices, with 46% stating this is the case. This would make sense as many field service organisations are now in their second, third or even fourth generation of digital device being rolled out to their field engineers.
However, when it comes to those companies that have rolled out just one device to their mobile workforce the results revealed some further insight into the trends now appearing amongst field service companies.
“It appears the rumours of the death of the laptop have been greatly exaggerated”
Of course every action has a reaction, and the rapid growth of smart phones as a tool for field service engineers has resulted in an equally rapid decline in the use of PDAs. In fact now just 5% of companies are using these devices - the smallest percentage of any device being used within the field.
One myth however that the research helps debunk is that Tablet computing his having a similar impact on the laptop sector as smartphones are having on PDAs.
Whilst it seemed at one point that the trend for tablet computing would see the laptop being edged out of both the consumer and rugged markets it appears the rumours of the death of the laptop have been greatly exaggerated.
In fact our research outlines that in terms of the devices being used on there own, both tablets and laptops have an equal share of the market at 14%.
However, we should also consider the fact that of those companies who provide more than one device to their engineers, a large proportion of companies are likely to offer a laptop as one of those devices, largely due to the fact that having a built in keyboard makes any significant manual input much easier.
So whilst it is likely that ultimately the traditional laptop will become replaced by the convertible or even the detachable laptop, the keyboard remains an important part of the field engineers mobile technology kit.
The last few days of pen and paper
What the research presents clearly is that the masses in field service have moved towards the new digital dawn.
There are of course in any industry sector, laggards that remain behind the trend.However, when it comes to the application of mobile technology amongst field engineers this group (i.e. those using no digital medium) now stands at just a nominal 3%.
Not only the is the group now just a very small minority, but our research also indicates that this group is potentially set to disappear completely within the next twelve months.
Of those companies still using pen and paper 100% stated they are considering moving to a digital mobile platform within the next twelve months.
The reasons for this are of course clear, as are the benefits of moving to any digital medium, including increasing productivity and streamlining a field engineers work-flow.
The fact is that those companies still relying on pen and paper are in danger of falling significantly behind their competition.
In fact of those companies still using pen and paper 100% of the respondents admitted that they felt they were at a disadvantage, with 50% stating that they felt that disadvantage was significantly impacting their ability to remain competitive.
Want to know more? Download the exclusive research report for free now!
Click here to read the second part of this research report coming next week which will look at Wearables, Rugged vs. Consumer and BYOD...
Find out more about Advanced Field Service in the Field Service News Directory
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Apr 28, 2015 • Features • Future of FIeld Service • Service Community • Servitization
Held at Fujitsu Stevenage, this event brought together 35 service professionals from around the country who listened to and discussed four excellent presentations covering various aspects of Outcome Based Services.
Held at Fujitsu Stevenage, this event brought together 35 service professionals from around the country who listened to and discussed four excellent presentations covering various aspects of Outcome Based Services.
The excellent speaker this time around were:
- Veronica Martinez a globally eminent researcher in the area of Servitisation, presented an overview of the research she has been doing with the Cambridge Service Alliance. She told us how some of the worlds leading brands have approached developing Outcome Based Services, giving an exceedingly deep insight into the change process. Brilliant for any manager working on service transformation!
- Alex Bill gave his perspective of developing Outcome Based Service at the coal face. As a service professional in a major Power Generation OEM, he gave us insights into how the business model to make money is not as simple as just selling a service.
- Des Evans, the Ex CEO of MAN UK gave us the business perspective on servitisation, with insights from his 23 year journey to grow the business from £55M to £550M. It was a must ‘hear’ for anyone selling service concepts to their board.
- Chris Farnath Director International at Allocate Software, shared his own personal journey in leading business change toward outcome based services in the IT/Software world. Again incredibly useful to understand how he is approaching the ‘messy’ challenge of service transformation.
Thanks to all the participants for a great networking and discussion event
For a personal perspective on the event, read Martin Summerhayes’ account below which is also published in his personal blog.
Service Community Conference - Outcome Based Services
[quote]“The purpose of a business is to get and keep a customer. Without customers, no amount of engineering wizardry, clever financing, or operations expertise can keep a company going.” ― Theodore Levitt
The first Service Community event for 2015 was held this week. There are two Service Community conferences that are held every year. They were first started by a wonderful consultant and friend, Steve Downton, many years ago and have continued to be popular and thought provoking events. Unfortunately, Steve lost his battle with cancer last year and a number of the core members of the community [including myself] decided to keep the event going - as much in Steve’s memory - as well as it gives a fantastic, open forum to share ideas, the latest thinking and case studies from the world of Services.
One of the key differentiators to other events, is that it brings together service practitioners to discuss and share ideas, changes in markets, share best practices and case studies. It is not an event where people come to try to sell products, services or companies - this is not what the Service Community is about.
Here were delegates from the widest spectrums of industries, including: Power Generation, Academia, Construction, Cancer Technology Treatment, Sports Goods Technology, Logistics, Digital Photography, Soft Drinks Manufacturing and then the traditional IT and IT Services businesses.
What brought us together for this conference? The theme was “Outcome Based Services (OBS)”.
A number of points struck me during the series of four presentations and follow up discussions during the event. Obviously, the first point to mention, is what on earth are Outcome Based Services? The following points highlight the key elements of Outcome Based Services:
1. Predetermined results and predictable costs defined in agreement with the customer and are a reflection of the customers business:
One example quoted related to the transport industry. The traditional approach is to pay separately for the truck, servicing, tyres, risk certification and then the fuel and driver. The customer then has to try to find the best deals for each of these elements. In addition, something I did not know is that a truck is only productive 25% of the time i.e. actually on the road delivering products and goods and hence making money. The OBS approach is to provide the vehicle and charge the customer on “price per kilometre”.
2. Protection of the client’s investments:
One of the concepts discussed was leasing the product and having all of the associated services wrapped around it in a single charge. For example, the Rolls Royce model used to lease aero-engines which was shared at a previous event.
3. Short, medium and long-term savings adapted to changing client needs:
One example was based on the savings from the production of electricity for the national grid using gas turbines. The customer could pay for either short term availability [how quickly you can turn on/off a turbine], medium term savings from the use of fuel, or even longer term savings from the ability to have upgrades build into the outcome based charging model which means the product stays in useful 2-5 years longer.
4. Use of methodologies, tools and processes to deliver outcome commitments and continual productivity improvements:
The presentation from the University of Cambridge Service Alliance included a Service Strategy model - with examples where different customers had started the journey to “OBS”, In addition, the presenter talked about you might have to segment your customers as only some would be interested in OBS; that Risk Management and how you would deliver exactly what was required [the example given was the tonnage of rock removed by an explosives company] was critical and even giving away low margin services for “free” to be able to maintain a “sticky” relationship with your customers.
5. Operational excellence through the use of best practices, regularly reviewed to ensure their long-term applicability:
The final example was a software company that realised that the current, traditional approach of implementing software solutions was not meeting the needs of their customers and has started on a journey to change the complete services landscape across their organisation to focus on “Adoption”. They had attended and worked with the leading industry experts, learnt the best practices and were implementing them in their organisation. The key to their success, though, was that the entire Operations Board of the company was behind the move.
My overall definition of Outcome Based Services based on the presentations and examples given would be:
Outcome Based Services are where you as the Service Provider, COMMIT to providing high-quality; customer defined and reflective of THEIR business; services; aligned with predetermined service levels and fixed prices, where there is a Shared Risk and Reward strategy in place for both supplier and customer.
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