The differences betweeen Yesterday, Today and Tommorrow as they relate to the services industry are just as disparate now as they were back in 1965, however they’ve been amplified due to the literal ‘life and death’ nature of the COVID19 pandemic, as explored in this article written by Bill Pollock...

Even Paul McCartney wrote about the differences between “Yesterday”, “Today” and “Tomorrow”:

• Yesterday (1965) – “All my troubles seemed so far away!”
• Another Day (1971) – “At the office where the papers grow”
• Tomorrow (1971) – “When we both abandon sorrow.”

Of course, John Lennon also echoed these sentiments in “Tomorrow Never Knows”. But, what did the Beatles know about the COVID-19 pandemic that we still don’t know?

The differences between “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” as they relate to the services industry are just as disparate now as they were back in 1965 - 1971; however, they’ve been significantly amplified due to the literal “life and death” nature of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

HOW DO WE DO IT THIS TIME?

One thing to be sure of, however, is the fact that the services industry has already been hit many times before, resulting in a succession of “yesterdays, todays and tomorrows”, but has always risen to the task, performed over and above the call of duty, and aspired to the next levels of “hero-style” performance. World War ll, the Korean Conflict, Viet Nam, 911 and – oh, yeah – a number of recessions, terror attacks, natural disasters and economic downturns – have all tested our strength and leadership; and yet, here we are, once again, called to the frontlines because that’s what we do – and what we do best!  

The question on the table now, however, is “How do we do it this time?

The answer may not yet be readily apparent, so we may have to “wing it” for a while until things start to settle down. What this means, though, is that we all will quickly need to have a plan in place (that is, if we don’t already) to guide us through the foreseeable uncharted territory, until we can once again gather our bearings on the other side in a new and different world. 

The plan will need to be flexible (i.e., as all plans need to be); however, it will also need to be more fluid, agile and able to turn-on-a-dime in order to successfully address everything that is thrown our way in the interim. From this perspective, planning has never been more important – nor more complicated!

Are we all up to the task? The proper answer is “You bet!” So …, where do we get started? The following highlights from Strategies For Growth℠’s (SFG℠’s) 2020 FSM Benchmark Survey Tracking Update will hopefully provide some guidance in terms of where we should be focusing as we deal with these current existential disruptions.

Nonetheless, field services managers are increasingly being faced with multiple future challenges, with the top challenge essentially reflected in satisfaction with respect to the anticipated ROI of the selected FSM solution (i.e., cited by a plurality of survey respondents at 43%).

However, the second most cited challenge is not cost-related, focusing more on identifying the required functionality of the software solution (33%). Integrating new technologies into the existing FSM solution platform (33%), the cost of the technology acquisition (29%); and identifying the most appropriate devices to support field techs (25%) also appear among the top five factors. Selecting the most effective FSM solution falls just a bit lower at (24%).

Accordingly, some field service managers may also find themselves deluged with additional challenges, many of which relate directly to selecting the right solution/vendor, and the rest to functionality- and implementation-related issues, among others.

However, the benefits of successfully addressing each of these challenges are also multi-fold. For example, when thinking about the overall customer service experience, the single-most commonly cited reason for moving forward on the Journey is centered around the ability to meet (or exceed) customers’ services expectations, ultimately leading to improved customer satisfaction (i.e., cited by 41% of respondents as the top benefit)

 

"It will be the adoption and implementation of new technologies that will allow yesterday’s leading services organisations to maintain their respective positions among tomorrow’s leaders...."

 

Several of the other top-cited benefits are clustered in the 25% to 33% range, including ability to run a more efficient field service operation (33%), establish a competitive advantage (31%), improve field technician utilisation and productivity (27%) and provide an end-to-end customer experience relationship (25%).

Marc Tatarsky, SVP Marketing at FieldAware, a cutting-edge, cloud-based, mobile field service management platform that empowers companies to transform their field service organisation through automated processes and streamlined operations, agrees that, “It will be the adoption and implementation of new technologies that will allow yesterday’s leading services organisations to maintain their respective positions among tomorrow’s leaders.

Further, it will be the same process for those services organisations just beginning their aspirations toward Best Practices performance by enabling them to utilise the same technologies and tools used by the market leaders. All services organisations now have the same opportunity to compete head-to-head against all others”. Tim Andrew, CEO and Co-Founder of Localz, a global provider of real-time customer communications and service tracking solutions for field, collection and delivery teams, concurs that, “Rapid changes in customer expectations should be seen as an opportunity for service providers.

By taking advantage of readily available technology, companies can increase satisfaction while also driving down costs. We have designed our offering to help organisations deliver a competitive experience – all without the need to rip-and-replace existing systems.”

New technologies are also playing a big role in helping services organisations to move more quickly from a “yesterday” scenario to one that is more focused on “tomorrow”. To bear this out, the 2020 survey results cite that currently, just over one-quarter (27%) of services organisations are using Augmented Reality/Merged Reality (AR/MR) in support of their field service operations, and that within five years, the percent of FSOs incorporating AR/ MR into their services operations is expected to increase to more than 50%, or more than twice the existing reported level.

 

"As Servitisation continues to transform the field services industry, so, too, will the way in which services will likely be offered to the global services community..."

 

Similarly, just over one-quarter (28%) of services organisations are currently using Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Machine Learning (ML) in support of their field service operations, and this percent is also expected to grow significantly over the next five years to more than 50% or, again, more than twice the existing reported level.

Finally, a majority of services organisations (51%) are currently incorporating Predictive Diagnostics / Predictive Maintenance into their field service operations and the percent usage is expected to increase to an estimated ±85% range, if not higher.

But, the adoption of new technologies is not the only factor that is moving the services segment along the time continuum. As Servitisation continues to transform the field services industry, so, too, will the way in which services will likely be offered to the global services community. For example, today, 91% of service contracts are built on the basis of traditional Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that focus on such parameters as on-site response time, number of scheduled preventive maintenance service calls, guaranteed uptime (i.e., with vendor sanctions for non-compliance), and the like.

However, within the next three to five years, this percent is expected to drop by nearly 20% to less than three-quarters (72%) of all service contracts. Conversely, the percent of FSOs offering SLAs/contracts based on Uptime, is projected to more than double, from 16% today, to 40% by 2022 - 2024. Further, the use of Outcomes-based SLAs is projected to rise from a virtually non-existent 0% today, to at least 16%, or one-in-six, by 2022 - 2024. As such, this represents a rapidly-moving reversal of the way SLAs/contracts will be offered in the not-too-distant future.

The bottom line for FSOs in the current era of the COVID-19 pandemic is that the data derived from the SFG℠’s 2020 FSM survey make it clear that if your services organisation already finds itself behind the curve with respect to

1. Its ability to meet (if not exceed) its customers’ demands or requirements;
2. The automation of its existing field service management processes (or lack thereof);
3. Its ability to support its field technicians and customers with real-time data and information;
4. Its ability to deal with escalating costs associated with running its services operations; or
5. Its ability to gain management “buy-in” for new technology acquisition, this gap will likely only get larger over time – unless it considers implementing a new, more state-of-the-art, Field Service Management (FSM) solution (that is, one that incorporates “new” technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR)/Merged Reality (MR), Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML), predictive diagnostics/maintenance and/or Remote Expertise).

For some FSOs, the pandemic has dampened their ability (or inclination) to acquire these new technologies; however, for others, it has had the opposite effect, fostering a belief that now is the best time to upgrade its technology base to one that is both state-of-the-art, and can be used to manage the wellbeing of the services organisation as it transitions from “survival” through “sustainability. It will be among the latter organisations that are likely to be the most successful as they re-emerge in a post-COVID-19 scenario.

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For more information, or to download a complimentary copy of the companion SFGSM Analysts Take paper that contains an Executive summary of the firm’s 2020 Field Service Management (FSM) Benchmark Tracking Survey, please visit either the FieldAware or localz websites.

 

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Further Reading:

• Read BIll Pollock's thoughts on Building a Strategic Services Plan for Meeting Customer Expectations  @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/building-a-strategic-services-plan-for-meeting-customer-expectations
• Read more about Leadership and Strategy @ www.fieldservicenews.com/leadership-and-strategy
• Read more from Bill Pollock on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/bill-pollock

 

Each step of the supply chain is important in its own right. But they all contribute to the one thing that every business needs to control: cost. BT Final-Mile’s Mark West explains more...

The most effective place to make savings is the last mile. It accounts for 41 per cent of supply chain costs. For companies that rely on their deliveries arriving on time, this could save thousands of pounds – if not millions. But how can technology actually help businesses make these changes? And how much of an impact does it really have on cost?

SMALL CHANGES, BIG RESULTS

Across the supply chain, optimisation plays a key role in reducing costs. Managing time is the biggest and best way to make an impact. But if you’re trying to hit a two-hour delivery slot or deliver something the day after a customer or engineer orders it, it’s harder to optimise.

When a business knows upfront where and when they need to deliver something, they can plan driver journeys, they can group deliveries together, and even pack delivery lorries and vans more efficiently. These steps bring two major benefits. Engineers can spend less time being van drivers and more time being engineers and fewer miles on the clock means savings on fuel.

SIMPLIFYING RETURNS

Optimisation can also help with managing the returns supply chain, which is particularly important for business-to-consumer companies. “For some organisations, 50 per cent of what they send out is then returned,” explains Richard Wilding, Professor of Supply Chain Strategy at Cranfield University. “So, your biggest supplier becomes your returns supply chain.” Working out how to handle returns is an important part of simplifying your operations.

AR, MR and VR have proven to bring value to the business of those companies adopting them, both in terms of reduced time for work execution, thanks to faster maintenance procedures, improved staff productivity and efficiency, as well as of increased workforce safety, thanks to hands-free activity, remote training and collaboration.

Products based on such technologies are key factors for all companies, regardless of the sector they are operating in, their size and business turnover. Utility and Industrial Manufacturing sectors are currently leading the way in this digitalization process, due to the intrinsic nature of the activities their operators are always exposed to. AR, MR and VR are able to “extend” the resources’ capabilities. supporting them through guided procedures while carrying out maintenance activities on production lines, arming them with pertinent information on plant assets and, last but not least, connecting them with other colleagues to receive or give real-time assistance. The continuous transfer of corporate knowledge is therefore now a reality.

 

THE POWER OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

 

It all comes down to the algorithms. And they’re powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning. “What you’re trying to do is optimise the variables within the algorithm,” says Professor Wilding. “The algorithm is always looking to meet a particular goal, and they’re always looking for the best overall ‘score’. ”There may be many parts of the process to think about – from travel time to inventory. The algorithm will use these to find the best way of achieving a particular goal. “But these are learning algorithms,” continues Professor Wilding. “So, it’ll look at how it’s performed over a time and adjust the variables accordingly.”

See more, save more.

"Supply chains are carefully balanced and run effectively when they can predict behaviour. But when that behaviour changes, they can't adapt easily..."

“Aside from optimisation algorithms, the critical thing about technology in the final mile is transparency,” says Professor Wilding. “For business customers, you’ve got to make sure you know where things are. That means you need to have GPS on that final mile, and real clarity on when it’s going to arrive. That helps in terms of serving the customers’ expectations. And by having that data, you can be more adaptive in terms of where you want to take things, and how to ensure that a delivery is taking place. It gives businesses an opportunity to plan the best route in that final mile.”

But to improve, it’s really important to understand the link between time, transparency and trust. Supply chains are carefully balanced and run effectively when they can predict behaviour. But when that behaviour changes, they can’t adapt easily – and that drives up costs

Supply chains experience similar surges on a much smaller scale every day. An engineer might need a part by Friday, but they’ll order it for Monday in case it doesn’t arrive. Or they need 100 items, but they order 120 because they don’t trust they’ll get them all. With better supply chain visibility, those fears wouldn’t be there. It would build trust. These three elements – time, transparency and trust – are all closely linked. The more we understand about time, the better the transparency. That helps to build more trust. Bring all these together and it’s easier to keep costs down.

 

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Today, one easy way to help users understand timing and improve transparency is with location and positioning services. It could be as simple as giving drivers smartphones with GPS switched on. Or guaranteeing a delivery time and sending messages to engineers when their parts arrive at their pick-up locations, with directions to help them get there faster. Once a business has this information, it’s easier for engineers to work more efficiently – by bringing the parts they need closer.

That’s why smart lockers, like those run by BT Final Mile, can help. The team has lockers at more than 1,800 locations across the UK. Engineers are only ever 15 minutes away from the nearest one. That means journeys can be shorter, and because the drivers get messages when their parts are ready, they don’t make pointless trips before what they need has arrived. Plus, the team can deliver parts before 8am, so engineers know that they’ll have what they need for their day.

Optimisations like this have already helped companies cut costs. EDF Energy is using Final Mile lockers to roll out millions of smart meters to customers across the country.

We have had customers who needed to move away from the old way of engineers picking up equipment – by going to a depot or going to a wholesaler. The solution they have received from BT-Final Mile was the ability to take all of the stock in and be able to get that delivered to the right location. So, it was easy for their engineers to pick it up, then get on and do their job.

 

THE FUTURE OF THE LAST MILE

Technology has huge potential to cut supply chain costs. “I really think there’s going to be a drive now to address the issue of how we can make our operations less dependent on people” says Professor Wilding. “If you’ve got a highly automated facility that doesn’t have many people, it’s far more resilient than our current facilities.”

This drive for automation could also help drive efficiency during normal working. Automation has the potential to change every part of your supply chain strategy. “When we talk about smart lockers, you might have small additional manufacturing facilities positioned near the lockers to make certain components,” says Professor Wilding. “If an engineer needs a specific part, it can be 3D-printed in a short lead time for them, and then picked up.” This kind of technology could help speed up delivery, reduce carbon emissions and reduce the number of delivery vans on the roads. Whatever the future holds, it’s clear that taking control of your supply chains today is key.

 

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Further Reading:

• Learn more about Parts, Pricing and Logistics @ htwww.fieldservicenews.com/parts-pricing-and-logistics
• Read more about BT Final Mile on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/BTfinalmile
• Learn more about BT Final Mile @ www.finalmile.bt.com
• Follow BT Final Mile on Twitter @ twitter.com/BTBusiness
• Connect with Mark West @ linkedin.com/mark-west 

 

Dr Shaun West of Luzern University of Applied Sciences and Arts takes a moment to share his latest work into where digital twins can bring data-rich insight that can drive active improvements in operational efficiency...

The digital twin has stopped being a technology and is now becoming an enabler for new service-based value propositions, allowing us to understand the different options that exist and the consequences of them.

The twin does this by helping us to make sense of what is going on in a system, and supporting our decision making by translating the data into actionable information. Figure 1 shows a complex system based around mobility where we have many people active in the system, along with many machines and almost everyone wanting answers to different questions.

The digital twin allows us to combine data with both tacit and explicit knowledge to create new understandings from which new value propositions could be derived.

As part of an ongoing development project, we have been developing digital twins to support new solutions or value propositions that were not previously achievable. The cases were all complex and involved a combination of people and machines, also they were based on real-world cases rather than assuming new ‘ideal’ installations. This was challenging as it meant that the data quality was ‘messy’ and in some cases there was no live data – this is in-fact reality!

 

Figure 1 The digital twin can help many people with many different points of view

 

We first mapped out the problem space for each of the cases so that we understood the different people, the different situations that could exist, and the machines and possible data streams.

Do so, and you start to realize how little you actually know about people and their problems. One of the most powerful approaches we found, was to create a list of questions that people might need to address for different situations.

This helped greatly to describe the cases in detail before coding and supported the matrix describing different situations to be completed, typical

questions we found were:

•  “How do I effectively match demand with capacity?”
• “Why do we lose production – we follow the OEM recommendations?”
• “What are the “real” costs of production?”
• “How long will this job take?”.

 

The Ten Use Cases in Detail

Based on the problem space descriptions, we then started to code the digital twins (mostly based on agent-based modelling) and at the same time detailed out the value proposition.

 

For each case the purpose and the value propositions provided will be described, along with the main source of customer value. Interestingly, all of the twins developed contained aspects of value co-creation. All were developed off-line using real or manufactured data to support the simulations – even with just the simulation data the digital twins provided additional insights that support decision making.

• Breakdown support twin for ships – the twin mimics the current status, allowing drill-down to individual ships and the subsystems within each ship. The twin then supports decision making for planning and scheduling routes based on actual status and unplanned corrections. The value is derived from the reduction in disruption when changes occur and understanding the loss of operational availability associated with unplanned events.
• Footfall around public transport interchanges – the purpose is to better manage the flows of individuals around a station based on the current and future station layout and train schedules. The value comes from improved traveler safety through the re-platforming of trains and/or investments in new walkways or simply better placed signage to improve flows.
• Operations scheduler digital twin for a joinery factory – the purpose was planning optimization around a production process with bottlenecks in individual competences and machine capabilities. The main source of value is efficient production planning, with known delivery dates and costs.
• Operations smart factory planning and materials flow digital twin – a system capability twin matched demand to support the development of a dynamic operations planning twin. The main value is from the provision of planning support for the ‘optimal’ production schedule, and for creating an agile planning tool presenting the cost of changes along with a different planning solution.
• Operations support in facility management – the digital twin provides operations support for Facility Management (including routine maintenance, planned maintenance and unplanned maintenance). Value would be created from reduced spares holding and faster task scheduling and cost estimation.
• Server room temperature management and control digital twin – the purpose of this twin is to improve overall equipment up-time and provide further business stability through equipment risk mitigation. Value accrues from operational support, temperature stability, and routine reporting.
• Smart factory asset management digital twin – the purpose was planning, to support the different models of maintenance and operation to find the required compromises between different demands. It also allows new equipment to be integrated into the system to simulate outcomes based on different configurations. The value is created from an agile O&M schedule, allowing run-ons to be examined for additional maintenance costs. Additional value comes from improvement plans for modifications to improve factory performance.
• Tunnel drainage system advisor – the purpose of the digital twin is to monitor the water levels and give predictions based on the weather conditions and other factors that influence the water level in the tunnel. The value comes from keeping the tunnel safe and operational, measured by performance.
• Tunnel maintenance, repair and overhaul digital twin – the twin supported maintenance service delivery by improving planning of maintenance and increasing the efficiency of field service engineers.

The main source of value from the digital twin was identified as keeping the tunnel operational, with an availability metric to measure performance of the MRO team.

Two of the value propositions built are now in the process of being sold to customers. The detailed understanding of the problem and the value creation (and destruction) has helped establish the sales process and the pricing structures. The input from the launch customers has been useful in helping to validate the value proposition, and in some cases resulting in an improved value proposition based upon their real-world feedback.

The value propositions would not have been possible without the underlying digital twins, the simulations and the detailed problem space descriptions.

 

What should you do if you want to create new value propositions enabled by digital twins?

To help you, we recommend three things that you could do to help your organisation, based on our insights from the study:

1. Spend time to describe the problem space from many different points of view and in different situations.
2. Use real questions driven by customer issues to help you clearly define the situation and the outcome that the people are expecting.
3. Develop the value proposition together with a launch customer.

What are we doing to help with the design of digitally enabled value propositions? We are collating the lessons from the project and creating a playbook to help organisations understand the problem space in depth. This will help guide them how they could model the system and then provide hints and tips on possible value propositions.

 

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Oliver Stoll (oliver.stoll@hslu.ch) and Petra Müller-Csernetzky (petra.mueller-csernetzky@hslu.ch) and for providing valuable input into the study. The study was co-financed by Innosuisse (Project 35258.1 IP-SBM) and delivered in partnership with ten partners and led by Jürg Meierhofer (juerg.meierhofer@zhaw.ch).

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Further Reading:

• Read more about digital transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital_transformation
• Read more articles from Dr West @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/author/shaun-west
• Read more articles from academia @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/tag/academic
• Connect With Dr West on LinkedIn @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaunwest

So far in this series of excerpts from an exclusive Field Service News white paper sponsored by Salesforce we have looked at why requite service is becoming a necessity for field service organisations as well as the tools needed to offer remote services effectively. Now in the third instalment in this series we look at the pros and cons of remote service delivery for the customer... 

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Understanding Good and Bad of Remote Service Delivery for Field Service Customers

Having established the fundamental pieces of technology required for effective remote service delivery, in previous articles in this series, let us take a moment to look at a couple of positives and negatives of such an approach for the customer.

 

Pro#1: The Importance of Biosecurity in a Post-Pandemic World

In the short term, this is almost certainly the most significant point for consideration all round.

Quite simply, we are all working together to try to get the world back on track as quickly as possible. Every organisation around the globe is currently evaluating how they can get their business back operating in some capacity while still protecting their staff and also in some cases, their customers as well.

While equally field service organisations may also be doing everything they can to ensure that when their staff go on-site and they aren’t breaking their customers’ bio-security, questions will inevitably be raised when a customer is the third, fourth or even fifth site visit of the day.

Will customers have the right to reject an engineer if they have been on multiple different sites earlier in the day?

Can the service provider vouch for the bio-security of each of those sites which are beyond their control? In the short-term at the very least, pragmatically, a remote-first approach to service delivery would be an advantage for companies getting back on their feet.

 

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Pro#2: The Importance of Uptime vs SLA Response

The second pro of remote service delivery is not a new discussion at all. It is at the very heart of much of the advanced services or servitization discussion. Ultimately, what holds more value to your customer – the costly approach of sending an expert to their site to get things fixed, or getting things up and running, minimising downtime as quickly and as efficiently as possible? In regular times there was a much more balanced debate around this conversation.

If the asset that was down wasn’t mission-critical, then bringing an expert on-site could be an advantage. It could equally be a matter of trust – if one engineer has a relationship with the customer, then that customer may be prepared to wait for the engineer to be available.

The uptime here is less important than the customer’s preference. However, as with the first pro we mentioned, in the short term at least, companies will be looking to get as much of their business operational as possible with as little interruption to their operations. Therefore, the speed in which a remote service approach could offer resolution will be a huge advantage for customers for the duration of the recovery period.

 

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Con#1: The Loss of a Trusted Advisor:

This is, of course, the other side of the coin to the second pro we referenced above. For many service customers, the arrival of a trusted and experienced professional on-site is not just an opportunity to get a problem resolved – it is also an opportunity to further tap into that expertise and ensure you are running your operation as effectively as possible.
It has often been a discussion amongst field service organisations as to how we can leverage the trusted adviser status of our field service engineers.

However, we must also consider this to be a two-way street. Often our customers take far more value away from the service call than the surface level resolution.

For many organisations, the loss of having the ear of a subject matter expert on-site is significant.

 

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Con#2: Delays in Resolution for More Complex Problems:

This second con may at first glance seem counter-intuitive , especially when we consider that the second of our pro’s was a quicker resolution.

However, consider for a moment, that no matter how sophisticated the tools being used by the service provider are, if a problem is particularly complex or unusual, then the fault may never be identified at all. Every service management professional will understand the frustration of the dreaded no-fault-found (NFF) diagnosis – something that can be even harder to identify on an intermittent fault.

However, in a world of remote-first service delivery, it could be a reasonable prediction that NFF percentages may begin to rise. From the customer’s perspective, this means a lengthy remote service call, taking up his resources with no resolution. Potentially, followed by a repeat remote call, this time with a more experienced engineer but still no resolution and then finally an on-site call to diagnose the issue. All the while, the customer is becoming increasingly frustrated as their asset remains down.

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Look out for the next feature in this series coming next week where we explore the Pros and Cons of remote service delivery for the Field Service Provider...

Don't want to wait?  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 you can access the white paper instantly upon completing the registration form!

 

 

 

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Further Reading:

• Read the initial news report about the announcement of the latest iteration of Salesforce Field Service @ www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/salesforce-announce-the-next-generation-of-field-service-ai-powered-tools-for-trusted-mission-critical-field-service
• Read more about digital transformation in field service @ www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/tag/servitization-and-advanced-services
• Read more about the impact of COVID-19 on the field service sector @ www.fieldservicenews.com/en-gb/covid-19
• Read previous articles by Paul Whitelam @ www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/author/paul-whitelam
• Find out more about Salesforce Field Service @ www.salesforce.com/uk/products/service-cloud/field-service-lightning/
• Connect with Paul on LinkedIn @ www.linkedin.com/in/paulwhitelam/
• Follow Salesforce on Twitter @ twitter.com/salesforce

As the sad news of the passing of field service industry legend Bill Pollock still hits home, Field Service News is proud to continue to shine a light on his insights that so many in the industry have learnt from. Here we hear Bill's thoughts on how we must embrace a strategic approach to service delivery to ensure we meet our customers' expectations... 

Every day, more services organisations are relying on customer service to differentiate their otherwise commodity-like offerings in order to bring customers in, keep them happy, and make them loyal. However, while it is not "rocket science", any services manager can look like an "Einstein" if he or she embraces the rudimentary aspects of customer service throughout all phases of services marketing and promotion, sales prospecting, writing the contract, and managing the customer relationship over time.

While there are many ways to go with respect to defining and establishing a strong customer service mentality within the organisation, the most direct path to determining whether your organisation is on the right track is to test yourself on a number of questions that will indicate how well positioned you are from a customer service perspective.

The basic questions that any sales, marketing or customer service professional should be asking, and a corresponding set of guidelines for addressing each of them, may include:

 

1. Does your organisation have a formal customer service or customer care department? Does it have a well-defined customer service mission or charter? Is it adequately staffed and empowered?

Surprising as it may seem, some services organisations have no formal customer service or customer care infrastructure. Even in cases where other departments may be managing portions of the company's customer service activities (e.g., handling complaints, responding to inquiries, etc.), there may still be no formal companywide procedures or processes for managing customer service. As a result, any customer service activities provided are probably not being performed in a consistent and cohesive manner. Further, in cases where customer service is performed essentially as a "secondary" activity to the department's otherwise self-defined "primary" activities, lack of adequate staffing, empowerment and accountability may become major inhibiting factors.

 

2. Is there a formal process for handling customer service activities? Are specific responsibilities defined and assigned? Is there accountable ownership?

All functions within the organisation require formal processes to ensure effectiveness. Documented processes are even more important when they involve customers and other external parties (e.g., vendors, dealers, alliance partners, etc.). But processes, in and of themselves, do not get the job done. They must be managed by designated personnel, with specifically defined roles and responsibilities, in order to be effective. The capability to track who actually has ownership of each customer service activity as it is being performed will be critical in measuring overall company performance, as well as providing an ongoing record of success (or failure) in meeting the company's customer service goals and objectives.

 

3. Does your company management promote and encourage customer service? Are there incentives for doing it right, or sanctions for doing it wrong?

Regardless of where your customer service personnel get their primary inspiration, they must still be fully supported by management at all levels. However, this is clearly a case where actions speak louder than words. Management must do everything possible to articulate and communicate its philosophy of customer service throughout the organisation in order to empower its customer service personnel to get the job done – and reward them for being successful at it.

 

4. How interactive is your organisation with the customer base? Does it communicate with them enough? Does it offer them with a means for providing their customer service input and feedback?

A one-way street for customer service is never adequate. A services organisation's customers must also be able to articulate and communicate their concerns to the organisation, and they will need to know how to do so. Accordingly, the organisation should have a formal process in place for soliciting and receiving customer service input and feedback directly from customers. The process should be well-documented and promoted, easy to access, user friendly, and sincere. Most importantly, all communications coming from the customer base must be quickly and satisfactorily answered. It is generally also a good idea to summarise some of the customer feedback and related company responses in a communicated format such as a company newsletter or Blog, or on the company Website (e.g., FAQs, Customer Service Update, etc.).

 

5. Are your customer service personnel properly trained? Do they have all of the necessary tools and resources to get the job done?

Just because certain individuals are "good with people" does not necessarily mean that they are fully equipped to handle all types of customer service situations. It may mean that they have the "right stuff" – but they will still need to receive the "right training." Even with the proper training, a customer service representative is often only as good as his/her ability to get the job done. This requires access to all of the necessary customer service and support tools, such as guidebooks and procedure manuals; software systems that allow them to log-in calls and track how and when corrective actions are required; and state-of-the-art mobile communications capabilities.

 

As you can imagine, there are dozens of additional questions that will still need to be answered before you can be certain that your organisation is addressing all of its key customer service issues. However, these five questions should be at the top of your list in order to make an initial assessment of exactly where your company stands with respect to its customer service philosophy.

Steve Mason, COO at FieldAware, a cutting-edge, cloud-based, mobile field service management platform that empowers companies to transform their field service organisation through automated processes and streamlined operations, agrees that, “It is the planning process that helps services organisations to establish the goals, objectives, targets and vectors that they must follow in order to, first, survive, and then, thrive especially in the current pandemic reality. Once they have a sound plan in place, they will require the tools to empower them to take the necessary steps forward. This is where we come in to assist our customers with both their planning process, and their ability to implement, monitor and measure their success over time”.

The planning process is critical for services organisations of all types, sizes, and industry segments, as offered by Emma Lampert, Global Head of Customer Success at localz, a global provider of real-time customer communications and service tracking solutions for field, collection and delivery teams on the day of service, who explains that, “Before you can progress your customer service plan, you will need to listen to customers’ needs. Feedback can be used to tackle their concerns head-on, as well as shaping your long-term strategy. With this in mind, we provide a range of tools to communicate with customers before and after a service is delivered. You can easily configure the communication journey to meet the needs of your specific segment.”

First and foremost, management commitment is what is required for getting started, and the plan for services management is what is needed for getting organised. Direction and focus assists in setting the appropriate targets, and teamwork and structure help to provide the proper environment for plan execution. Finally, it is with leadership and training where all of the services management components are "pulled together" so that the organisation can be successfully led through plan implementation and roll-out.

In assessing the quality of your organisation's strategic services planning effort, it is important to remember that the strategic puzzle is only complete if all of the pieces are fit together in the proper placement. When any one piece of the puzzle is missing, the process is incomplete. Your organisation may already have most of the puzzle pieces in place, but only through the adoption and utilisation of a formal planning process will the services management puzzle ultimately be put together in an efficient and effective manner.

The more of the planning elements your organisation already has in place, the more ready it is to move forward toward plan implementation:

 

• Leadership is critical to the empowerment that is required to "get the ball rolling"
• Information and Analysis provides you with the tools required to measure and assess your services management effectiveness
• The Strategic Services Plan is the framework from which your organisation will operate
• Human Resource Development and Management assures that you have the right personnel to "get the job done" and reviews legislation to ensure requirements are fully complied with in the service delivery model
• Management of the Process assures the appropriate levels of quality are built into the design of the organisation’s products and services as well as the processes that bring them to your customers
• Performance and Operational Results provide you with a benchmark for evaluating your performance
• Customer Focus and Satisfaction assures that your organization will always strive to provide its customers with the levels of products, services and support they require

 

If carried out successfully, the key outcomes of the ongoing strategic services planning process would be:

 

• The ability to predict/anticipate changes that the business will have to face in the immediate-, short-, intermediate- and long-range
• The ability to manage/control the way in which the business evolves and grows
• The ability to keep your employees, customers and society safe during COVID-19 and other pandemic-related situations
• The ability to act/react to both evolving and sudden market events and occurrences
• The ability to positively impact the environment whilst reducing operating expenditure
• The ability to dampen/soften the impact of negative economic downturns, market trends and/or competitive threats
• The ability to plan/support the most effective actions for positioning the organisation for growth mode

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For more information, or to download a complimentary copy of the companion SFG℠ Analysts Take paper, please visit either the FieldAware or Localz Websites.

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Further Reading:

• Read more exclusive Field Service News from Bill Pollock @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/tag/bill-pollock
• Read more about Managing the Mobile Workforce @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/tag/managing-the-mobile-workforce
• Read Bill's personal blog @ https://pollockonservice.com/
• Read Bill's Obituary and comment to leave your respects @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/farewell-to-one-of-the-very-best
• Read more about the offerings Localz offer to Field Service Companies @ https://www.localz.com/
• Read more about the offerings FieldAware offer to Field Service Companies @ https://www.fieldaware.com/

As the old adage goes, when the world gives you lemons make lemonade. However, knowing when is the right time to open up your lemonade stand is the key. Marc Tatarsky, FieldAware explains more...

 

The Impending Skills Shortage – What Can You Do Today?

Arguably, the strain on the technical service workforce, driven by the pace of tenured baby boomer retirements and a skills shortage pushed by an inability to attract younger, tech-savvy workers, is still one of the greatest threats facing service organizations. Field service teams of all sizes have recognized the skills gap as a threat to their stability. They know it’s both real and problematic. But most organizations haven’t had a preemptive plan in place to be actively or effectively tackling the issue.

The skills shortage debate has existed for some years now. We’ve found that many organizations are merely running in place. Throughout economic history, talented humans have been a source of innovation and advancement, with their skills being the impetus for economic growth. This reliance on talent is even more prevalent in the service industry, where the skilled technician is the most valuable asset. Ironically, although most field service leaders recognize the significant threat the talent shortage poses, many don’t have a game plan to attack the problem.

Historically, as organizations scramble to meet their talent needs, many have resorted to adjusting their education and experience requirements to fill roles. Also, they have adapted their execution model to leverage and retain seasoned resources. Is this a sustainable approach? Have we been presented with a new window of opportunity to address the challenge systemically?

 

Making Lemonade Out Of Lemons…

There is no doubt that 2020 has given us more than our fair share of lemons. However, is the operating and economic environment created by the global Covid-19 pandemic accelerating the opportunity to address one of the biggest lingering threats to service organizations?

How have the unexpected dynamics of the global pandemic altered the forces impacting the global FSM skills shortage? Is there an opportunity to embracing the changing dynamics and take the bushels of lemons provided by 2020 and make some lemonade by finally addressing the skills shortage in a manner that has a lasting effect?

Let’s take a look at some of the unexpected ramifications that have shaped the current field service industry due to reacting to and adapting to the global pandemic. Field service has adapted to the throes of 2020 by adjusting operating and organizational changes including:

 

• Faster uptake of video conferencing
• Broader acceptance of remote workers and diagnostics
• Increased focus on field service automation
• Rapid adoption of new collaboration tools
• Increased unemployment

 

Each of these factors impacts an organization's ability to address different challenges associated with the skills shortage.

 

Faster uptake of video conferencing

In today’s forced socially distant operating environment, organizations and workers of all ages have been required to adapt to video conferencing to get even the most basic of activities completed. Whether it is daily check-in/status meetings, a group brainstorming session, or even an office happy hour, video conferencing has quickly become the norm leading the way for new work processes.

 

Broader acceptance of remote workers and diagnostics

In addition to organizations changing their operating models, customers have become more flexible and accommodating too. The level of customer acceptance of remote workers and diagnostics has increased dramatically, and service organizations have an opportunity to expand the scope of these types of activities as part of their response to skills shortages, among other things.

 

Increased focus on automation

Intelligent automation is an economic game-changer for field service organizations of all sizes, especially during these strained operating times. Executives recognize such advances will bring multiple benefits. Still one, unexpected benefit may be building a field service hub infrastructure that is nimble and able to address the skills shortage through the adoption of new technology while simultaneously creating an attractive work environment for tech-savvy workers.

 

Rapid adoption of collaboration tools

As is the case with video conferencing - organizations, employees, and customers are becoming more and more exposed to and reliant on collaboration technologies. The rapid (sometimes forced) adoption of screen sharing and remote learning tools, including AR and VR technologies, provides service organizations a new toolset to deliver services and creatively address skill shortages.

 

Increased unemployment

While this may be one of the most unpleasant realities of the global pandemic, the current unemployment environment provides many service organizations with a reprieve on workforce hiring pressure. With increased access to available talent, organizations can reposition their roles to attract tech-savvy talent and adapt their execution model to leverage and retain seasoned resources.

 

Is It Time to Open Your Lemonade Stand?

While the aging workforce has been an issue of growing concern due to the pace of baby boomer retirement, the current economic environment offers a window of unexpected opportunity to accelerate and shore up plans to address the skills deficit. While the idea of capitalizing on the global pandemic might seem counterintuitive, it may just be the catalyst needed to move the needle for many service organizations.

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Further Reading:

• Read more News and Features from FieldAware @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/fieldaware
• Visit FieldAware's website @ www.fieldaware.com
• Read more by Marc Tatarsky @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/marctatartsky
• Read more about digital transformation in service @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/digitaltransformation
• Read more about field service strategies @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/strategy
• Read more about technology adoption in service @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/technologyadoption

We are at a tipping point in field service as we move from the traditional break-fix thinking towards field service to a more proactive approach. However, there is a balance to be held which Bill Pollock, President, Strategies for Growth discusses at length here...

The transition from the historical Service Level Agreement (SLA) model to a more broadly defined Servitisation, or outcomes-based, model is upending the global field services community. In fact, the movement away from a decades-old SLA service delivery model that typically guaranteed 4- or 8-hour on-site response, quarterly PMs (i.e., Preventive Maintenance) and online customer technical support is quickly being replaced by a “new” model that is built on a foundation of outcomes-based performance targets and metrics.

For example, in a typical food or beverage processing facility, the “old” way of executing an SLA may have been based on an assortment of contractual line items, such as guaranteed 4-hour, 8-hour or next day on-site arrival; 4 or more preventive maintenance visits per year; or access to a customer portal to initiate a service call, track the status of open call activity or order parts, etc. However, the “new” way of constructing a service agreement may now consist simply of delivering guaranteed system uptime, guaranteed minimum level of productivity throughput (e.g., gallons of milk processed per day, etc.), and an accompanying array of predictive and remote monitoring, diagnostics and system fixes.

As a result of this looming seismic shake-up of the way in which service performance is measured, some of the traditional Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), used by virtually all services organisations, will likely soon be replaced by a swath of “new” metrics, where we will likely see:

 

• Mean-Time-Between-Failures (MTBF) being replaced by Mean-Time-Between-Prevented-Failures (MTBPF)
• Mean-Time-to-Repair (MTTR) measured in seconds or minutes, rather than in hours or days
• First-Time-Fix-Rate (FTFR), similarly being measured in seconds or minutes
• Preventive Maintenance (PM) being replaced by Pre-emptive Maintenance Support (PMS)

 

The immediate impact of these “new” KPIs will also, undoubtedly, cause year-over-year comparisons to have to wait at least a year or more in order to, once again, be relevant.

Along with this service delivery model transition also comes a major transition in the way services are being priced. As an example, over the past several years, the shift from perpetual license pricing to subscription pricing had taken some time to be fully embraced by the global services community; but the change has since become much more widely accepted and is now fairly universal. However, each of these major “disruptions” to the services marketplace have seemingly led to additional changes that may actually be even more disruptive – at least in the Post-COVID-19 short term.

Each of these major “disruptions” to the services marketplace are already leading to additional changes that may actually be even more disruptive – at least in the immediate- and short-term. For example, the “old” mission for services organisations was essentially “to keep up with the Jones’s – the Jones’s typically being represented by the competition, ever-evolving customer needs and requirements, availability of improved technology tools and resources, and the like. However, the “new” mission is now much more reflective of keeping up with “existential developments” (i.e., the COVID-19 pandemic, and/or whatever comes up next!).

 

"The impact of COVID-19 has basically expedited the process of re-looking at and re-engineering the ways in which our customers are delivering service..."

- Steve Mason, FieldAware

 

As a result, there will be a whole “new” way of delivering service, as well as measuring the success of the organisation through an entirely “new” set of KPIs, or metrics. [By the way – I have already written many times about the need for “new” KPIs/metrics and, respectfully claim the rights to MTBPF!]

Steve Mason, COO at FieldAware, a cutting-edge, cloud-based, mobile field service management platform that empowers companies to transform their field service organisation through automated processes and streamlined operations, concurs that, “The impact of COVID-19 has basically expedited the process of re-looking at and re-engineering the ways in which our customers are delivering service, as well as the means by which they can measure their performance success. The traditional ways of managing field services are now transforming, and the only way for today’s FSOs to ensure that they will still be around tomorrow, is to lead the change – rather than follow the leaders”.

This transformation is impacting all sectors of the global services market, as explained by Tim Andrew, CEO and Co-founder of localz, a global provider of real-time customer communications and service tracking solutions for field, collection and delivery teams. “The bar for field service is increasingly being set by forces outside the service industry – from the global pandemic, to the B2C customer experience. We aim to make it easy for service companies to keep up with changing behaviours, while delivering on key metrics such as first-time-fix-rate. That is why we believe this transformation will soon be felt throughout the field service segment, regardless of the size, coverage or depth of the service organisation”.

However, for many service managers, it is one thing to set goals and measurement standards, but another to actually implement them. They will still need to empower their teams to develop the “new” goals and associated KPIs that will be needed by following these guidelines:

1. Set targets – decide on the baseline, and define standards or targets; then create a plan to reach them.

2. Define a scoring methodology – determine how you will be measuring success and assign individual scores that roll-up to a total score for each category; for example, in measuring and tracking Customer Satisfaction performance:

- 95% to 100% = Exceeds expectations

- 85% to <95% = Meets expectations

- 0 to <85% = Does not meet expectations

3. Link KPIs – to critical factors that drive the performance of the organisation. If the metric is not directly linked to a critical organisation success factor, it will probably not be worth the resources to measure.

4. Assign someone to take ownership – of the data being collected, processed and shared. If you do not have accurate data to report on, there is no chance you will be able to recognise achieving your goals.

5. Communicate KPIs clearly – to every party involved.

6. Invest in resources necessary to achieve goals – you cannot expect someone to improve performance metrics in an area without first listening to their needs, and then giving them the resources necessary to make improvements.  

7. Foster collaboration between sales and service – give sales-reps an incentive to sell more service contracts to turn the service department into an improved profit center.

 

Without a formal set of objective, realistic, quantifiable, and actionable KPIs, your organisation may never be able to accurately assess its performance over time – especially post-COVID-19! However, by using the proper mix of both “traditional” and “new” KPIs, both the organisation, and each of its key departments and divisions, will be able to measure their success – or lack thereof – on an ongoing basis, with the ability to identify problems, cultivate opportunities, and make improvements, as necessary, all along the way.

 

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For more information, or to download a complimentary copy of the companion SFG℠ Analysts Take paper, please visit either the FieldAware or localz Websites.

 

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Further Reading:

• Read more exclusive Field Service News from Bill Pollock @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/tag/bill-pollock
• Read more about Managing the Mobile Workforce @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/tag/managing-the-mobile-workforce
• Follow Bill Pollock on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/sfgonservice
• Read Bill's personal blog @ https://pollockonservice.com/
• Connect with Bill Pollock on LinkedIn @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-pollock-b74874/
• Read more about the offerings Localz offer to Field Service Companies @ https://www.localz.com/
• Read more about the offerings FieldAware offer to Field Service Companies @ https://www.fieldaware.com/

It is with great sadness that we must announce the passing of a very, very dear friend and industry giant in Bill Pollock, who sadly passed away at home over the weekend. Before his death Bill had left the editorial team at Field Service News a folder that was not to be opened until he passed away. Within that folder, within his own inimitable style was an obituary that recapped his wonderful life. Who better to write the tale of such a great man, than the best writer to have ever contributed to FSN - Bill himself. So the below is unedited, from his own words.

 

Bill Pollock, president & principal consulting analyst for the Westtown, Pennsylvania-based services research and consulting firm, Strategies For Growth℠ (SFG℠), died peaceably this past week after undergoing years and years of working for bad employers, until he started working for himself (and his clients). However, electing to be his own bad employer, his last 30 years in the business were with the company he founded in 1992.

Pollock leaves behind his Wife and best friend of 42 years, Constance – and a few rescue cats acquired by the couple in recent years.

During the course of Pollock’s career as a Field Services research analyst and consultant, he has conducted more than 350 client engagements; published more than 450 articles in trade publications, including Field Service News; and participated in numerous trade show presentations, panels, workshops and seminars.

Pollock was born in 1948 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as his Father, Morton, was teaching repair service classes at the Connecticut School of Radio & Television, based in West Haven, Connecticut – a company that he co-founded earlier that year. Mort had earlier been a Field Service Tech for RCA Service Company in Camden, New Jersey prior to establishing the school. He had also partnered with Milt Schapp (ne: Shapiro) who was the founder of Jerrold Electronics, and the two had built a closed circuit television system that they sold post-WWll to numerous U.S. Army and Navy bases throughout the U.S. Schapp later went on to become the Governor of Pennsylvania. Mort went on to work as a contractor for the NASA Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) used as part of the U.S. Apollo Space Program.

 

"Pollock always claimed that inheriting his Father’s intellect and ability to think things out and express himself via his writing, was a more-than-equal trade-off for the disease part of the equation..."

 

Pollock believed that he had inherited the DNA required to serve in the services sector from his Father. Unfortunately, he may have also inherited Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) from his Father, as well. In any event, Pollock always claimed that inheriting his Father’s intellect and ability to think things out and express himself via his writing, was a more-than-equal trade-off for the disease part of the equation.

Pollock went through infusion chemotherapy for seven months in 2009/10, and had been on a daily chemo pill regimen for the rest of his life. The average cost for his monthly medication over the previous decade+ was $24,000.month; however, his co-pay was less than $100/month. Thanks, Obama! During his initial chemo regimen, he conducted business as usual from his infusion cubicle, including writing reports and articles, drafting questionnaires, conducting sales calls and client updates, etc. During those seven months, however, he received more than 70 infusions of hemoglobin and/or platelets, each session lasting between two and 10 hours of titration, elapsed time.

Over his nearly 30 years in business as SFG℠, Pollock enjoyed conducting the company’s annual surveys, analyzing the data, and presenting the findings at client boardrooms, trade shows and seminars, Webcasts, and through his Analysts Take white papers. Apparently, his clients also enjoyed his work, as they continued to put food on his family’s table for more than 30 years.

 

"Finally, he acknowledged that “I could easily mismanage my own company better than they’ve been mismanaging their company” – so he went off to found SFG℠..."

 

Pollock’s academic career was pretty straightforward – although it did not go exactly as planned. He received his BA in Economics from Temple University, and went on to receive his

MBA in Marketing from Temple’s Fox School of Business. He also took a Market Research course at the University of Pennsylvania early on in his career. What he should have done, as he would say, is “Go to Temple’s Radio, Television and Film (RTF) school to become a screen- or script writer for something like Saturday Night Live”, etc.

He later returned the favor by teaching a Marketing For Bankers class at Philadelphia’s Peirce College for three years while working for The Fidelity Bank.

Pollock’s first job came as a result of his first job interview following graduation from college. He was a Marketing Officer and Senior Marketing Officer at The Fidelity Bank for seven years, before moving on as a Vice President at a bank consulting firm. He then spent one year as a TQM/ISO 9000 consultant (or what he typically referred to as “the worst year of my career!” “Why would any organization want to receive the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award, named after the former U.S. Cabinet member who was killed when he fell off, and was kicked to death by, his polo pony!”, he would proclaim.

He then went to his first services consulting company in 1981. Over the next 11 years, the company changed its name five times, and fluctuated from as many as 110 employees, to as little as two (i.e., Pollock and his boss, working in the boss’s basement). Finally, he acknowledged that “I could easily mismanage my own company better than they’ve been mismanaging their company” – so he went off to found SFG℠.

 

"Pollock was also a prolific donator to the Girls Scouts over the years, who reciprocated by giving him boxes of cookies for every donation he and his Wife made..."

 

SFG℠ lasted roughly 30 years, until Pollock “left the building”. However, during that time, he had a few dalliances, including seven years as Managing Analyst, Services Industry at Gartner; two years as Vice President – Service Management Practice at The Aberdeen Group; and Co-founder, President and Chief Research Officer at The Service Council. Of these three dalliances, the first was great! The second, not so much! And, the third – well, let’s just say, “We came; we sued; we conquered!” On Earth, there had been a gag order on the court case; however, Pollock would repeatedly say, “When you get to the other side, look me up, and I’ll tell you the whole story. BYOB!”.

Pollock also served, along with his Wife, Constance, on the Board of the West Chester, Pennsylvania-based Friends Association for Care and Protection of Children, and was the Board Chairman of the Delaware Center for Creative Arts (CCARTS). Pollock was also a prolific donator to the Girls Scouts over the years, who reciprocated by giving him boxes of cookies for every donation he and his Wife made.

On a personal note, Pollock loved music and concerts, having seen everyone from the Beatles (twice); to Paul McCartney (8 times), the Rolling Stones (5 times), Billy Joel (12 times), the Who (14 times), David Bowie (3 times) – and Ella Fitzgerald (twice). He was an avid autograph collector for many years, and had exchanged letters with John Lennon multiple times. His prized autographs were, of course, The Beatles, too many rock and pop stars to mention, astronauts, heads of state, science/medicine pioneers, movie and TV stars and baseball players (Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were his favorite baseball players – and he has their signed balls to prove it!).

 

“My glass is always half-filled – with champagne! And the reason it’s only half-filled, is because I had half-a-glass of champagne earlier this morning!”

 

Pollock played guitar almost every day for more than five decades, and had 15 guitars in his collection by the time he completed his final encore. His prized possessions were his

Rickenbacker 12-string guitar and accompanying Jangle box; his Gibson guitar that he got signed by Les Paul at his 88th birthday party at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York, with the inscription “To Bill, Keep Rockin’, Les Paul”; and his vintage Hagstrom 3-pick-up electric Corvette guitar (acquired at the tender age of 17).

Throughout his life, Pollock’s attitude was always positive. He would say, “My glass is always half-filled – with champagne! And the reason it’s only half-filled, is because I had half-a-glass of champagne earlier this morning!”

He would also describe himself as being, “50% Dr. Spock, and 50% Mr. Spock”, which he claimed was necessary to provide his clients with the analytical analysis they need, but with the practical guidance as to what to do ”first, next and later”.

Many of Pollock’s friends, family, clients and services community network will, most likely, miss him. You know who you are! Some others – well, maybe not so much! Your call! Still, the highlight of his life was meeting, marrying and sharing his life with Connie all these years, augmented by the reputation and respect he believed he received from the clients, publications and the trade shows he served.

All told, he’d rather still be down here. However, at least, he believed, “There will be no more freakin’ deadlines!”

His final thoughts before exiting the building were, “To all my friends, family and network, have a beer as a tribute and sendoff to me! To everyone else, may you all enjoy a case of Corona!

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A brief personal note from Kris Oldland:

Bill was much more than a mere colleague to me, he was a mentor, someone who has been with me on every step of the incredible journey of the last 8 years as I've built Field Service News, but most importantly he was a true, true friend.

The September issue of Field Service News was literally in the midsts of going to press today as I heard the tragic news but we have 'stopped the press' (something I think Bill would have got a kick out of) to rework that issue to include a number of great insightful articles from Bill from his extensive bank of articles he has contributed to us across the years.

Much like our shared hero David Bowie, Bill was working ahead of himself to build up a series of articles to be published posthumously, which we will be publishing across the coming week in memory of a great man that had touched the hearts and minds of most of us in the field service sector at one point or another.  

Finally, I would also encourage any and all of you who have known Bill to take a moment to leave a comment below, to celebrate his extensive career and life. 

In the last article in this series which is taken from a series of excerpts from an exclusive Field Service News White Paper sponsored by Salesforce we looked at how the world is moving towards remote service delivery as a default. We also began a look at the tools needed for delivering service remotely including Augmented Reality. Now we continue exploring those tools with a closer look at three more crucial pieces of tech... 

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Want to know more? Field Service News Subscribers can access a White Paper on this topic on the link below.

If you have yet to subscribe click the button below to join 30K of your field service management professional peers and subscribe now to access this content and our entire premium content library now!

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Field Service Management Solution:

This is perhaps a very obvious layer in the field service management technology stack!

However, there are still some important considerations that should be discussed when looking at your FSM solution. While there are a wealth of options available to field service organisations when it comes to this fundamental piece of the puzzle, frankly not all FSM is created equal, and as systems become more advanced, there will be increasing demands and expectations of how your FSM tool plugs into other critical parts of the stack. Does the solution have a built-in AI, for example, such as Salesforce’s Einstein? Is it capable of reading IoT based asset data and utilising that to help with triage and on-site fault identification?

Does the solution have a modular approach where you can bring in other aspects of additional functionality where needed such as via the Salesforce AppExchange? Does the FSM tool act as a conduit for the smooth flow of data from one area of the business to another? Or does it act as a barrier? This last point is perhaps increasingly critical as we move forwards into a world of digitalisation. As the global economy continues to slowly recover from the impact of the global lockdowns of 2020, we look forward to the next couple of years where we are predicted to see a far greater focus on service and maintenance of existing assets. Many organisations are going to be seeking to increase asset performance, and service providers who can utilise their warranty and contract data to improve asset uptime, reduce costs, and drive revenue, are going to be the ones who flourish.

When it comes to remote service delivery, the FSM platform is what everything is built upon. It must be robust and ready to meet these new challenges.

 

Parts Management and Optimisation:

For all the effort that is put into optimising the field service engineer, there is decidedly less time spent on managing and optimising parts inventory. However, with many companies getting caught out during the lockdowns as borders temporarily closed and supply chains became restricted, this gap in the field service sector’s efficiency became considerably more noticeable. While, we all hope to see a future, where 2020 remains a once in a lifetime event, we cannot be certain we will never see such circumstances again. Our world is a connected world, a globalised world, and therefore, it is essential that we make our processes and systems more resolute and a robust parts management solution is a crucial area of focus. Visibility of stock can also help companies reveal considerable gaps in ‘lost cash’ tied up in assets that become lost somewhere in between the P&L of the service operation and the P&L of the manufacturing side of a business. Garage stock and van stock can amount to a huge amount across the entirety of a field service workforce.

Visibility into ‘what is where’ is vital for a field service organisation. This is perhaps even more relevant at a time where cash is sparse. Additionally, spare parts sales is a reliable revenue generator, even more so at a time when customers are ‘sweating’ their assets while we slowly edge towards a recovery. Against a backdrop of remote-first service delivery, the one factor that is going to slow the whole process down is an inadequate supply chain that delays getting the part to the customer on time. It is crucial when we talk about remote service delivery that we have built a strong layer of trust with our customers, and that means every aspect of the service delivery must be optimised – especially parts management.

 

Artificial Intelligence:

Let’s not make any bones about this; Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going to be at the heart of almost all field service operation in the not too distant future. Indeed, as digital transformation projects have been accelerated since the pandemic, that future is even closer today than it ever has been before.

This is why major organisations such as Salesforce and IBM have invested heavily in their own respective AI solutions and are set to be at the heart of innovation in the future. Particularly in field service, AI is essentially set to be the glue that binds all of the various elements of remote service delivery together.

Quite simply, it will touch each and every aspect of the service call from start to finish. If an asset begins to operate outside of acceptable operating parameters, AI will schedule a call. Suppose a contact centre agent is discussing an issue with a customer. In that case, AI will be able to prompt the agent through the right questions to identify the fault quickly and effectively and also suggest a resolution. Suppose an engineer in the field doesn’t have the skill-set to resolve a particular issue.

In that case, AI will be able to guide them to a knowledge bank that can guide them through the solution, or even connect them to a colleague who is not only available to offer remote assistance but has resolved this issue many times before. If a part needs replacing, AI will have identified where the closest part is and have it ready for the engineer when they get on site. AI is set to be the secret sauce in the mix of service excellence – and it is going to be the differentiator between clumsy and effective remote service delivery.

 

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Look out for the next feature in this series coming next week where we explore three more key technologies required for remote service delivery.

However, 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 you can access the white paper instantly upon completing the registration form!

 

 

 

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Further Reading:

• Read the initial news report about the announcement of the latest iteration of Salesforce Field Service @ www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/salesforce-announce-the-next-generation-of-field-service-ai-powered-tools-for-trusted-mission-critical-field-service
• Read more about digital transformation in field service @ www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/tag/servitization-and-advanced-services
• Read more about the impact of COVID-19 on the field service sector @ www.fieldservicenews.com/en-gb/covid-19
• Read previous articles by Paul Whitelam @ www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/author/paul-whitelam
• Find out more about Salesforce Field Service @ www.salesforce.com/uk/products/service-cloud/field-service-lightning/
• Connect with Paul on LinkedIn @ www.linkedin.com/in/paulwhitelam/
• Follow Salesforce on Twitter @ twitter.com/salesforce