In this new article by Aquant, we look at a step-by-step approach that all service leaders should consider to ensure a smooth tech deployment.
ARCHIVE FOR THE ‘features’ CATEGORY
May 07, 2021 • Features • Augmented Reality • Digital Transformation • Service Leadership • technology • Aquant
In this new article by Aquant, we look at a step-by-step approach that all service leaders should consider to ensure a smooth tech deployment.
Artificial intelligence is a growing force in the service space, but without proper pre-project planning, problems are bound to arise. To ensure a smooth deployment, team leaders should rely on a step-by-step approach to bring the final product over the finish line.
Enter the mighty checklist, whose power to manage expectations, help stakeholders remain consistent, and guide a project to completion knows no bounds. In our recent Service Leaders Spring Break sessions, we identified four essential steps that all service leaders should consider when implementing AI tools within their organizations.
let's put together the plan
- Define the problem. Hone in on the larger business problem, then tie your service challenges to those broader business initiatives. Begin by diagnosing what the problem actually is — that means trying to solve for the root cause instead of putting bandaids on symptoms. Next, show the C-suite that your proposed service deployment will address those big issues. For example, if increasing customer satisfaction is a top initiative, be clear how technology that increases first time fix, or helps spread technician knowledge will result in boosting those customer service goals. Lastly, break those big goals down into tangible wins that will resonate across departments. For example, IT wins with cleaner data, and managers can rejoice at trackable KPIs.
- Create a stakeholder map: Stakeholders, assemble! From executives to end users, it’s important to determine who has an interest in the outcome, as well as influence over the overall project. A successful team contains a healthy mix of partners with the power to set and modify requirements, as well as others who will be directly impacted by the project's outcome. Once you assemble your dream team, you can determine what they need to succeed and start guiding the project to be as successful as possible. Throughout the duration of the implementation, your stakeholders will give you quick feedback and deeper insights — both necessary for a successful end result. Don’t forget to get back to basics by assigning tasks, due dates, and keeping everyone (equally) informed with regular check-ins. In short, don’t let any one group feel left out.
- Perform a data reality check: There’s no such thing as good or bad data — only existing data and what you make of it. In most companies, IT and business departments will need to work in tandem: the first gathers the data, and the latter interprets it. For a successful implementation, both parties need to have an understanding of what data exists, and how they’d like to use it to achieve results. The AI vendor can further analyze and interpret. One last note here, don’t worry that your data is too messy or that your company doesn’t have enough data. The starting point should be simply assessing what’s available.
- Agree on realistic project expectations: We’ve heard the horror stories when it comes to AI implementations — complexities, escalating timescales, and spiraling costs can run rampant. For these reasons and more, companies tend to label large-scale implementations as confusing and risky. However, keep in mind that artificial intelligence is a “living” tool — one whose capabilities expand and contract as it absorbs more data. You should not expect your AI to work at 100% efficacy right out the gate, but rather, remember that its accuracy will increase as it learns how to utilize your organization’s data. That means that project expectations should start small and grow in relation to the project. Don’t forget, implementation is the first step, then comes full user adoption, and that’s when results will really take off.
Once you hit these pre-project milestones, it will be easier to move forward gaining approvals and rolling out the projects.
need some inspiration?
We built the checklist so you don’t have to.
To accelerate your project, Aquant created The Ultimate Guide to Tech Deployments, a comprehensive list designed to help you fully define the benefits of AI and leverage its power within your organization. We know it can be overwhelming to consider the many puzzle pieces, so you can use our checklist to take your deployment to the next level, or simply use it as a guide.
Further Reading:
- Read more about Aquant on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/aquant
- Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
- Watch the Aquant Service Leaders Spring Break sessions @ view.aquant.io/servicespringbreak/
- Download Aquant's Ultimate Guide to Tech Deployments @ www2.aquant.io/ai-deployment-checklist
- Learn more about Aquant @ www.aquant.io
- Follow Aquant on Twitter @ twitter.com/Aquant_io
May 07, 2021 • Features • HVAC • Blended Workforce • Managing the Mobile Workforce • Chris Jessop • Ideal Boilers
As part of a series of interviews for an exclusive Field Service News Documentary on the Blended Workforce in the Field Service sector, developed in partnership with ServicePower, Kris Oldland, Editor in Chief spoke with Chris Jessop, Customer...
As part of a series of interviews for an exclusive Field Service News Documentary on the Blended Workforce in the Field Service sector, developed in partnership with ServicePower, Kris Oldland, Editor in Chief spoke with Chris Jessop, Customer Service Director, Ideal Boilers
In this excerpt Jessop outlines the systems that Ideal Boilers have in place in order to handle the complexity of working with a blended workforce model across their mission-critical field service operations.
Want to know more?
Field Service News subscribers can access the documentary "The Blended Workforce and the New Normal" by clicking the button below:
If you are yet to subscribe you can join 30,0000 of your field service management peers by subscribing to FSN Standard for free and get instant access to the documentary and other selected resources available on our free forever, FSN Standard subscription tier.
If you hold either a FSN Premium or FSN Elite subscription you can find the full interview with Jessop in our Digital Symposium section of the website which is available at www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-symposium
Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content, ServicePower who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this report.
May 06, 2021 • Features • Digital Transformation
Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News welcomes Gary York, CEO and Evans Manolis, Senior Consultant Help Lightning as the group discuss the practical considerations of implementing Augmented Reality in Field Service.
Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News welcomes Gary York, CEO and Evans Manolis, Senior Consultant Help Lightning as the group discuss the practical considerations of implementing Augmented Reality in Field Service.
The discussion looks at whether Augmented Reality (AR) is set to become a key part of the field service toolkit, how the shift to remote services will change the role of the field service engineer, the importance of effortless when it comes to new technology, how AR can improve multiple facets of field service operations and how it can be implemented effectively within just a matter of months.
Here the group discuss how remote assistance has evolved in terms of approach and the technologies involved and look at the role it is now set to play in the future of field service.
Want to know more?
FSN Premium subscribers and FSN Elite members can access the full length interview plus many, many more in the Field Service New Digital Symposium. If you have an FSN Premium account you can access the video on the button below. If you are currently on our FSN Standard subscription tier you can upgrade your subscription by clicking the link below.
If you are yet to subscribe you can join 30,0000 of your field service management peers by subscribing to FSN Standard for free to gain access to a monthly selection of premium content or select either FSN Premium or FSN Elite for even more resources. Click the button above to visit our subscription page to find out more.
For further information on this topic read the latest exclusive Field Service News white paper that features additional insights on Augmented Reality
Subscribers across all our subscription tiers can currently access this paper instantly by hitting the button below.
If you are yet to subscribe you can join our free-forever subscription tier FSN Standard by hitting the button to access a dedicated registration page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soon as you are registered.
Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content Help Lightning who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this white paper, as per the terms and conditions of our privacy policy available here which is in line with GDPR regulations and is an ongoing condition of subscription.
May 06, 2021 • Features • Digital Transformation • Workforce Managemnet • Aquant • Covid-19 • Leadership and Strategy
In the third and final excerpt from a recent white paper published by Aquant, we look at four solutions for effectively building the new service workforce...
In the third and final excerpt from a recent white paper published by Aquant, we look at four solutions for effectively building the new service workforce...
This feature is just one short excerpt from a white paper published by Aquant.
www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full white paper now by hitting the button below.
If you are yet to subscribe you can do so for free by hitting the button and registering for our complimentary subscription tier FSN Standard on a dedicated page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soo as you are registered.
Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content Aquant who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this white paper, as per the terms and conditions of your subscription agreement which you opted into in line with GDPR regulations and is an ongoing condition of subscription.
A little understanding of generational differences goes a long way in building the tech-savvy, customer-centric, and skilled (multigenerational) workforce you need.
The most talented young service workers won’t magically appear at your door simply because post a job online — you need to attract them with the right mix of tools and approaches, empower them with the technology they expect, and enable their learning and professional developmen
Leverage the Latest Technologies Across the Entire Organization
From the initial hiring processes to the provision of everyday work tools, outdated technology is a big turnoff for digital natives like Gen Z and Millennials. If they sense that your technology is stuck in 1999, they’ll take a different job. A 2019 Yello survey found that Gen Z has a baseline expectation that employers use up-to-date technology for the application process and that their platforms be mobile-friendly. A quarter (26%) of Gen Z candidates say that a lack of technology during the hiring process alone would prevent them from accepting a job with the company, so tech matters from the very start of the relationship. Set the right expectations early (and always).
When it comes to using technology for work, Millennials and Gen Z want to use (and master) the latest and greatest digital tools to help them do their jobs more effectively. In a recent webinar with Rodger Smelcer of United Service Technologies, he explained how he’s got one of the youngest service teams in the industry, and how UST’s up-to-date technology is key to keeping younger employees engaged and productive.
Smelcer details how younger service engineers utilize everything from mobile apps and social media to AI tools to capture findings and share new fixes or hacks with the entire UST team. He also notes that junior staff are energized to use the latest technology that empowers them to crush daily service metrics and foster long-term career advancement.
Enable Collaboration
Tech-savvy Gen Z workers and Millennials have grown up accustomed to collaborating in real-time in every aspect of their daily life and they bring those same preferences to the workplace. While it’s generally assumed that the youngest members of the workforce rely exclusively on digital tools, Gen Z, and to a lesser extent, Millennials, actually prefer to have a full menu of collaboration options, showing a desire for face-to-face interactions as one option (among many) to stay connected at work. And younger workers also want continuous, face-to-face feedback about their contributions at work.
It isn’t either technology or face-to-face, but preferably all-of-the-above.
What does that mean at a time of social distancing for an industry where field engineers have traditionally worked solo on job sites? Remote collaboration tools have never been more relevant than today to ensure the safety of service employees and their customers. These remote tools enable the workforce to feel (and literally be) connected and access the most accurate information and advice from across the entire organization. The benefit? The ability to resolve service issues with little or no in-person contact with customers.
Especially at a time of remote work and remote service, building collaboration into daily workflows and adopting technology to foster a collective knowledge base is essential for ensuring (contactless) service quality and extending a sense of camaraderie in service teams.
Professional development is among the top priorities for Millennials and Gen Z. When asked why they were dissatisfied with a job or planned to quit a position after less than two years, lack of training and professional development ranked third for both younger generations, just behind pay and a lack of advancement, according to research by Deloitte.
Both groups express eagerness for on-the-job mentoring along with digital tools that let them learn-as-they-go and share their findings with colleagues. Meeting the expectations of this young, motivated workforce is key to adapting to ongoing demographic shifts and a business climate of rapid digital transformation. When your younger workers learn via digital tools, not only do they stay engaged with your organization, but they also drive better service outcomes for your customers (who also expect tech-savvy solutions, by the way.
Set Your Business Up for Post-Covid Success
COVID-19 has served to accelerate digital transformation, for both business organizations and the customers they serve. Customers, in general, turned to more digital solutions, from online grocery shopping to Zoom meetings to streaming entertainment. Businesses were forced to keep pace and “up” their digital game
Those service organizations that had invested in digital transformation prior to the pandemic or have accelerated digital investments during the pandemic have generally outperformed organizations that have been slower to deploy digital-first approaches. In the service industry, for example, remote service provision has become a key success factor at a time of public health concerns and social distancing. Moreover, maintenance of equipment is increasingly becoming predictive and proactive, as sensors transmit continuous streams of real-time performance data that enables service and maintenance teams to intervene even before equipment breaks down
Digital tools that support faster, predictive, or remote service are now even more critical drivers of customer experience. The technology also helps reduce time on site, which is helpful in terms of public health. Whatever the future brings, digital tools can help ensure the continuity of your service operation and enable you to scale service provision.
WHAT'S NEXT
Now’s the time to act before small problems become insurmountable.
Digital tools, like intuitive AI solutions, can help your service team leverage and share service knowledge, which is the key to improving service outcomes — including improving KPIs and enhancing the customer experience. Those same tools will help attract and engage younger service talent by helping them feel both comfortable and more empowered.
Equally important, leveraging digital technology can help you future-proof your service organization in times of crisis, such as during COVID-19.
The service organizations that coped best with social distancing had already invested in digital transformation, which helped them adapt faster to “the new normal.”
Whether it’s a public health crisis or a demographic/workforce shift, you’ll need to remain agile: digital tools offer the best way forward regardless of the challenge.
Your new recruits (and customers) will thank you!
This feature is just one short excerpt from a white paper published by Aquant.
www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full white paper now by hitting the button below.
If you are yet to subscribe you can do so for free by hitting the button and registering for our complimentary subscription tier FSN Standard on a dedicated page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soo as you are registered.
Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content Aquant who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this white paper, as per the terms and conditions of your subscription agreement which you opted into in line with GDPR regulations and is an ongoing condition of subscription.
Further Reading:
- Read more about Aquant on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/aquant
- Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
- Read more about Leadership & Strategy @ www.fieldservicenews.com//leadership-and-strategy
- Learn more about Aquant @ www.aquant.io
- Follow Aquant on Twitter @ twitter.com/Aquant_io
May 05, 2021 • Features • servicepower • Blended Workforce • Managing the Mobile Workforce • Documentaries
Field Service News in Partnership with ServicePower. have produced an exclusive documentary that explores the role of the blended workforce model in field service operations, the challenges in making it work, the significant benefits it can produce...
Field Service News in Partnership with ServicePower. have produced an exclusive documentary that explores the role of the blended workforce model in field service operations, the challenges in making it work, the significant benefits it can produce and whether the pandemic and the capacity crisis we face as we turn towards recovery will be a further driver for its wider adoption.
In this excerpt from that documentary, we look at how the field service companies can overcome the complexity of managing a blended workforce to deliver excellent customer satisfaction.
Want to know more?
Field Service News subscribers can access the documentary "The Blended Workforce and the New Normal" by clicking the button below:
If you are yet to subscribe you can join 30,0000 of your field service management peers by subscribing to FSN Standard for free and get instant access to the documentary and other selected resources available on our free forever, FSN Standard subscription tier.
If you hold either a FSN Premium or FSN Elite subscription you can find the full interviews recorded for the documentary in our Digital Symposium section of the website which is available at www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-symposium
Data usage note: By accessing the documentary you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content, ServicePower who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this report.
May 04, 2021 • Features • Artificial intelligence • White Paper • Digital Transformation • IFS • Covid-19
In the second article of a series of excerpts from a recent e-book published by IFS, we discuss how IoT and machine learning make predictive maintenance a reality.
In the second article of a series of excerpts from a recent e-book published by IFS, we discuss how IoT and machine learning make predictive maintenance a reality.
This feature is just one short excerpt from an e-book published by IFS.
www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full e-book now by hitting the button below.
If you are yet to subscribe you can do so for free by hitting the button and registering for our complimentary subscription tier FSN Standard on a dedicated page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soo as you are registered.
Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content IFS who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this white paper, as per the terms and conditions of your subscription agreement which you opted into in line with GDPR regulations and is an ongoing condition of subscription.
Break / Fix is Dead.
The Challenge
As innovators vie to stand out and become leaders in today's highly competitve landscape, the traditional model of break-then-fix is no longer holding weight with the consumer.
To embrace the service delivery models of the future, businesses need to evolve over time from reactive to proactive to democratized and ultimately, to predictive and prescriptive maintenance.
The Solution
IFS' advanced asset monitoring technologies enable you to establish a higher level of service above and beyond fixing individual pieces of equipment when requested. It guarantees your customer continued operation and focuses on building a long-term partnership to increase their asset lifecyles and enhance their operational performance.
IoT measurements and readings draw your attention to possible faults and anomalies before they occur, allowing service teams to deliver quick and appropriate response to avoid downtime.
IFS predictive maintenance adds machine learning power from sensor data and historical asset service information to identify under - or over - maintained assets. You can revise and optimize maintenance plans, moving from time-based preventive action to condition-based predictive action for increased uptime and asset output.
IFS customer Eickhoff, like many manufacturers, has been redefining the role service will play in the company's ability to differentiate. Eickhoff's 1300 employees worldwide support two business units: mining equipment and gearboxes for industrial and wind turbine applications. Its mining customers are focused heavily on uptime and output since any downtime of the equipment is incredibly costly.
"IoT and data analysis are critical to Eickhoff's evolution. Porting notable events from our IoT environment into IFS's platform is helpful in terms of history and documentation, in detecting event that are worth alerting customers to take action on, and to schedule out and event predict service needs. But moreover, the insights we can glean are a new line of customer value. Their ultimate goal is uptime, so not only can we provide the machinery but also insights to help them achieve that goal."
Dietmar Schmitz, Head of Product Development Service, Eickhoff.
We're helping our customer Icelandair to analyze data from multiple sources while utilizing predictive modelling that's powered by machine learning. Plus, we're using explainable AI to not only predict when an aircraft may experience an issue that requires ground-time within a certain time frame, but also predict which area of the aircraft is most likely to experience a failure.
Instead, businesses need to deliver a customer's desired outcome for their product, equipment or asset, and often before the customer has even thought to ask for it. Whether it's B2B or B2C, all customers want greater value from their investment, and that means providing a service that works for them, exactly how they want it to. The additional challenge, however, is for service organizations to deliver this in a way that's sustainable and cost-effective.
"We're saving costs and increasing our on-time performance."
Lilja Scheel Birgisdottir, Reliability Engineer, icelandair.
Subscribe to access the full e-book where you can watch two videos from Icelandair, where Reliability Engineer, Lilja Scheel Birgisdottir explains how, with the help of IFS, they are able to reduce costs by collecting technical data that enables them to constantly evaluate the health of their fleet.
This feature is just one short excerpt from an e-book published by IFS.
www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full e-book now by hitting the button below.
If you are yet to subscribe you can do so for free by hitting the button and registering for our complimentary subscription tier FSN Standard on a dedicated page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soo as you are registered.
Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content IFS who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this white paper, as per the terms and conditions of your subscription agreement which you opted into in line with GDPR regulations and is an ongoing condition of subscription.
Further Reading:
- Read more about IFS on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/ifs
- Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
- Learn more about IFS @ www.ifs.com
- Download the IFS Service Managers Buyer's Guide @ www.ifs.com/assets/service-management-buyers-guide/
- Learn more about IFS Cloud @ www.ifs.com/ifs-cloud-overview/
- Follow IFS on Twitter @ twitter.com/ifs
May 03, 2021 • Features • Blended Workforce • electrolux • Steve Zannos • Managing the Mobile Workforce
As part of a series of interviews for an exclusive Field Service News Documentary on the Blended Workforce in the Field Service sector run in partnership with ServicePower, Kris Oldland, Editor in Chief spoke with Steve Zannos Sr. Director, Service...
As part of a series of interviews for an exclusive Field Service News Documentary on the Blended Workforce in the Field Service sector run in partnership with ServicePower, Kris Oldland, Editor in Chief spoke with Steve Zannos Sr. Director, Service Delivery, Electrolux.
In this final excerpt from the interview, Zannos draws on his extensive experience having worked with the blended workforce model for many years to share his insight into best practices in making the blended workforce work in a field service operation.
Want to know more?
Field Service News subscribers can access the documentary "The Blended Workforce and the New Normal" by clicking the button below:
If you are yet to subscribe you can join 30,0000 of your field service management peers by subscribing to FSN Standard for free and get instant access to the documentary and other selected resources available on our free forever, FSN Standard subscription tier.
If you hold either a FSN Premium or FSN Elite subscription you can find the full interview with Zannos in our Digital Symposium section of the website which is available at www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-symposium
Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content, ServicePower who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this report.
Apr 30, 2021 • Features • servicepower • Blended Workforce • Managing the Mobile Workforce
In the penultimate feature in our series of our excerpts from a new and exclusive Field Service News Essential Guide published in partnership with ServicePower we discuss how field service companies are able to overcome the many complexities fo the...
In the penultimate feature in our series of our excerpts from a new and exclusive Field Service News Essential Guide published in partnership with ServicePower we discuss how field service companies are able to overcome the many complexities fo the blended workforce model
As any field service management professional will attest, Field Service is a complex process with many, many moving parts. Adding in additional workforces into this mix will undoubtedly add further complexity. However, these challenges can be met by harnessing technology, technology that is built with such difficulties in mind.
Any service director reading this guide will know that making field service operations run smoothly can be a challenge at the best of times.
Field service involves a lot of moving parts to manage and from a systems perspective introducing the added complexity of multiple external workforces could seem almost unmanageable for many organisations. Yet, for those who do manage to implement the blended workforce model successfully, as we have seen there are significant benefits.
So how do these companies bring everything together in a way that makes the model not only manageable but also that affords the clear and transparent communications across the blended network that we saw was so critical in the previous chapter?
A large factor in the success of these organisations is having the right systems in place to ensure visibility across the whole work-cycle.
“It is imperative to make the investment in software to have that what I refer to as a communication hub that sits in the middle. For us, we utilize ServicePower to achieve that,” explains Steve Zannos, Senior Director Service Delivery, Electrolux.
“That is our communication hub between Electrolux and our independent service network It’s our way to communicate the need for work when a consumer calls us; it’s their way to share their calendar and availability with us.
It’s our way to say, ‘we’ve selected you, here’s your dispatch, and it’s their way to communicate back to us in terms of statuses throughout the job to give us the visibility we need.
“The complexities are centred around this hub that sits in the middle of all other systems. We have the CRM as a manufacturer where we’re taking calls and documenting them so there has to not only be the connection between Electrolux and our service network, but also between our CRM and ServicePower as well.
“Additionally, most of our independent service providers have some type of business management software (BMS) that they’re using. So they’re not, going directly into ServicePower, they’re using their system, and their system is then speaking with ServicePower.
“There are a lot of moving pieces in that communication, which have to be connected so the puzzle pieces fit perfectly.
“Another area we’ve begun to look at is what I call the ‘pizza tracker’. I call it this because it’s unbelievable that I know when Domino’s will come to my house.
Yet, still, I don’t know when a technician is going to come to my house. As we’ve started to get better at communicating to our customers, we’ve realized we need to do a better job integrating with our third-party service network as well so we know exactly what’s going on at all times.
“We had an extensive effort to make sure that mapping between ServicePower and the individual BMS systems that our service network use. We tackled the top service partners and we’ve remapped everything to make sure that all those connections are right. Now for the majority of the service that we run through the independent network, our statusing is just as timely as we get from our factory service team.
“We are now so comfortable and confident communicating this that we started to create a service portal for our consumers. Initially, we only provided that for our factory service team. Now we’ve got it open to all of our independent service providers because we’ve gotten that much better at knowing statuses and being able to communicate and work through the process.
“That is a critical piece of the blended workforce model. It is crucial to ensure you have that communication and that visibility, because when a consumer calls, they don’t want to know that you have to talk to someone else and it could take twenty-four or forty-eight hours to find out what’s going on with your job. Using ServicePower, we’re able to look at an individual job case and see that an independent service provider, has had an open call longer than expected.
“That type of visibility and communication is mission-critical when working with a third party network to make sure that you’re in sync, and we all know what’s going on. Then we can speak in one voice to the consumer.”
"We’ve provided a very simple way for the third-party service provider to status the job, so they can communicate whether they’re on route or if parts are on order, so the job is delayed. We’ve then integrated that job status application directly with our consumer portal application. Therefore, as soon as the third-party service provider updates that status, the consumer gets notified immediately."
- Samir Gulati, ServicePower
This ability to speak in one, consistent voice to the customer is not only best-practice, in today’s increasingly customer-centric world; it is becoming essential. Delivering consistently great service can be the difference between engendering customer loyalty or seeing your customer base walk away to your competition.
“In today’s environment, consumers are very demanding,” explains Samir Gulati, Chief Marketing and Product Officer, ServicePower.
“If you don’t give them job visibility, they’re just going to drop you. However, this is where technology can help.
“In our platform, we’ve provided a very simple way for the third-party service provider to status the job, so they can communicate whether they’re on route or if parts are on order, so the job is delayed. We’ve then integrated that job status application directly with our consumer portal application. Therefore, as soon as the third-party service provider updates that status, the consumer gets notified immediately.
“Also, many third-party service providers may not be able to provide their technicians’ GPS coordinates, because they don’t have that level of sophistication so instead they will update the ETA status of their job.
As an example, let’s say that they’re expected in a time window from two to four in the afternoon. However, they know that they’re going to be there roughly at 3:30 pm based on their travel schedule.
“They can update that ETA on our portal and a notification will be sent to the customer.
“Technology has gone a long way to providing that visibility and status updates to the consumer. What we’ve also done as a solution provider to the field service sector is we’ve integrated to other third-party systems that service providers use, so our platform can pull that status information and provide it to the consumer.
“Finally, we are building our own application at ServicePower to actually give to the third party service provider to manage their own business. As that application, called ServicePower Hub, gets rolled out in 2021, we will be able to house everybody on the same platform, and job visibility and statuses would become truly seamless.”
For Ideal Boilers, the use of technology is a massively vital cog in the wheel to run a blended workforce seamlessly and in a manner that allows them to meet the service standards they, and their customers demand.
“We heavily use our scheduling system to assist with managing the peaks and troughs, which it does very, very well,”Chris Jessop, Customer Service Director, Ideal Boilers, explains. “We use skill-based algorithms within that process to actually manage the split of the work.
“The key is, it’s got to be agile, there is no point having your own engineers idle and giving work to another organization within the model and by the same token, when you are using other elements of the hybrid workforce, you need to ensure that you’ve got the best and most appropriate skills going to the right party and they’re undertaking the right tasks so that as an organization, you get the best value possible out of the model.”
“The underlying system that we use for the scheduling is ServicePower which has the algorithms built within it.
“When it comes to systems interacting, we don’t insist that the other organizations use the same system as us. However, we are provided with updates, and we have a standard means for those updates to be delivered to us. One potential planned improvement we are currently exploring is whether to use a proprietary tool for providing access for the third parties to give us access to their diary systems so that we can do it via the reverse.
“This would allow us to see when they are available rather than them have to provide us with their availability, which at the moment is done through a mix of email and other interactions with the different organizations to understand that their capacity.
“Ultimately though, you have to have a consistent and robust way of getting the information out of everybody and onto the same system.”
"The key is, it’s got to be agile, there is no point having your own engineers idle and giving work to another organization within the model and by the same token, when you are using other elements of the hybrid workforce, you need to ensure that you’ve got the best and most appropriate skills going to the right party and they’re undertaking the right tasks so that as an organization, you get the best value possible out of the model."
- Chris Jessop, Customer Services Director, Ideal Boilers
Indeed, there are many moving parts, and there can be many disparate systems to connect. However, when it comes to identifying the critical components of any system that a field service company would require to implement a blended workforce model effectively, Gulati believes a series of essential points should be considered.
“For our customers, we give them one platform or one application to manage both their workforces,” explains Gulati.
“Five or ten years ago, most systems were ‘Oh, I’ll deal with your employed workforce, while there is this other system for the third parties. That’s not going to work anymore. It’s got to be one platform, one environment to handle both workforces, that’s important.
“If you are dealing with multiple systems, you will lose job visibility across them and you then you need to build some essential intelligence to be able to route work to one or the other workforce. This layer of intelligence is crucial because bad decisions can get made in the call centre if you do not build that intelligence into the platform.
“You’ve got to have a straightforward way to status your jobs during this process, whether It’s your employed workforce or your third-party technicians.
Remember, field workers, don’t like to be on their mobile devices or their laptops trying to status jobs all the time. You’ve got to make it easy for them if you want them to use the system.
“The fourth thing is that the customer engagement piece is critical. As a service provider, you have to notify the customer and keep them informed all the time.
Hence, you need an engagement platform where the consumer can see the status check with the service provider, and quickly get notified.
“The final element that is absolutely essential is to have the ability to report across your entire business. Our customers are constantly looking to how to optimize their workforces and to do that for the employed, and third-party reporting is critical. Our customers can see their costs and they can see their customer satisfaction rates across both those workforces and make informed decisions for the future.”
Ultimately, the technology is now there to empower field service companies to harness the blended workforce. However, having a system which is specifically designed with all of the added complexities this model entails really is a must if the process is to be truly seamless.
Want to know more?
Field Service News subscribers can access the Essential Guide to the Blended Workforce instantly by clicking the button below:
If you are yet to subscribe you can join 30,0000 of your field service management peers by subscribing to FSN Standard for free and get instant access to the documentary and other selected resources available on our free forever, FSN Standard subscription tier.
If you hold either a FSN Premium or FSN Elite subscription you can find the full interviews of those service leaders featured in this guide in our Digital Symposium section of the website which is available @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-symposium
Data usage note: By accessing this Essential Guide you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content, ServicePower who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this report.
Further Reading:
- Read more about managing the mobile workforce @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/tag/managing-the-mobile-workforce
- Read more about the blended workforce @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/hs-search-results?term=blended+workforce
- Read more about the impact of the pandemic on the field service sector @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/en-gb/covid-19
- Discover this months selection of available resources on our FSN Standard subscription tier @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/fsn-standard-resources
- Find out more about the solutions ServicePower offer @ www.servicepower.com/
Apr 29, 2021 • Features • Digital Transformation • Workforce Managemnet • Aquant • Leadership and Strategy
In this second article of a series of excerpts from a recent white paper published by Aquant, we look at two major service challenges to overcome when it comes to the service workforce...
In this second article of a series of excerpts from a recent white paper published by Aquant, we look at two major service challenges to overcome when it comes to the service workforce...
This feature is just one short excerpt from a white paper published by Aquant.
www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full white paper now by hitting the button below.
If you are yet to subscribe you can do so for free by hitting the button and registering for our complimentary subscription tier FSN Standard on a dedicated page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soo as you are registered.
Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content Aquant who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this white paper, as per the terms and conditions of your subscription agreement which you opted into in line with GDPR regulations and is an ongoing condition of subscription.
All service organizations face external challenges around evolving customer demands and internal challenges around developing their capacities to address those evolving customer demands. When it comes to the service workforce, two challenges stand out above the rest.
CHALLENGE #1: The Need to Build a New Workforce for Today and Tomorrow
The shifts described above and the disruptive impacts on service delivery, have been hitting the service industry for a decade now, and are projected to continue for at least the next few years. While many organizations have transition plans in place, you should ask yourself:
“Does my transformation consider ALL aspects of the service cycle?”
That includes:
- People
- Processes
- Technology
- Customer demand and shifting preferences
- Long-term scalability
Here’s why the time to act is now.
- There is a massive demand for highly skilled talent in the service industry, but it’s in short supply.
- A workforce with a wide range of soft and technical skills is required to service today’s mix of equipment and machines. They also need to play the role of front-line brand ambassadors.
- More businesses are competing on service as the differentiator vs price. And the quality of service increasingly represents a major competitive advantage.
- Top younger and tech-savvy talent have more choices, and they’re more likely to leave a workplace that doesn’t meet their expectations for onboarding, training, professional development, and more.
CHALLENGE #2: Today's Growing & Costly Skill Gap
Historically (and today too), the service smarts exemplified by industry veterans came primarily from on-the-job experience and were developed over time. A major challenge for service leaders right now is figuring out how to quickly transfer that knowledge from veterans to the new workforce.
Another factor: these experts are being asked to play two major roles at once — leaders want them to be trainers and mentors, but their deep skillset is needed in the field. Your top service experts simply can’t be in two places at once.
We know you’d love to clone your SMEs and have them on your team forever, but that’s not reality. Here’s what’s happening now as a result of the brain drain.
-
Increased service costs
-
Decrease in service KPIs, including first time fix rates
-
More customer churn
-
Lower employee morale
Let’s dive deeper into costs, and for this part, we hope you’re sitting down.
The skills gap is expensive. The bottom performing quarter of the service workforce (challengers) costs organizations 80% more than the top quarter of the workforce (service heroes), according to our Service Intelligence Benchmark report.
When you have a failed first service visit, the costs continue to grow. A failed first service visit leads to, on average:
-
2.6 total visits to resolve the service issue
-
15 additional days in Mean Time to Resolution
-
Customer dissatisfaction and loss of service brand reputation. A failed first visit is especially problematic in light of the pandemic-driven urgency to limit time spent on job sites.
What should service organizations be doing to overcome these issues and build up a dream service team with the know-how to resolve issues efficiently? The first step is attracting, retaining, and empowering members of the two most recent workforce generations, Gen Z and Millennials.
Look out for the next and final excerpt from the white paper "The Service Leader's Guide to Recruiting and Retaining Gen Z & Millennials Employees" next week where we look at 4 solutions for effectively building the new service workforce.
This feature is just one short excerpt from a white paper published by Aquant.
www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full white paper now by hitting the button below.
If you are yet to subscribe you can do so for free by hitting the button and registering for our complimentary subscription tier FSN Standard on a dedicated page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soo as you are registered.
Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content Aquant who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this white paper, as per the terms and conditions of your subscription agreement which you opted into in line with GDPR regulations and is an ongoing condition of subscription.
Further Reading:
- Read more about Aquant on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/aquant
- Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
- Read more about Leadership & Strategy @ www.fieldservicenews.com//leadership-and-strategy
- Learn more about Aquant @ www.aquant.io
- Follow Aquant on Twitter @ twitter.com/Aquant_io
Field Service News is published by 1927 Media Ltd, an independent publisher whose sole focus is on the field service sector. As such our entire resources are focused on helping drive the field service sector forwards and aiming to best serve our industry through honest, incisive and innovative media coverage of the global field service sector.
Leave a Reply