Field Service News' Editor-in-Chief, Kris Oldland says change is coming, and we should embrace it...

It seems that the current Zeitgeist amongst our collective of excellent columnists here at Field Service News, which is usually a pretty good indicator  of the general mood of the industry at large is one of seismic change.

It seems that in one way or another the vast majority of our commentators have zoned in on change in one form or another.

The technology is perhaps the easier bit to get our heads around. We all have a vague understanding of how AI, IoT and AR can work together to improve our service delivery.

We do need to understand how we handle the data that new technology reveals though as Aly Pinder states in his article around convergence of man and machine  “To turn emerging technologies such as the IoT into the promise being trumpeted, organizations must transform the way they manage this data.” And in terms of the strategy, how many of us can say we have such a firm grasp around the nuanced challenges of embracing servitization?

Yet, the future of field service will inevitably be one of servitized business models and outcome based service offerings - so we had better get our ducks in a row sooner rather than later in this regard. Although it is easier said than done, as Bill Pollock comments in his article, we are essentially going to have to write a whole new book when it comes to understanding what the next iteration of field service efficiency looks like, with a whole new set of metrics and while we are at it, whole new ways of monitoring them.

Bill is of course, an old friend of mine as I have often referred to in this column, and he is without doubt the go-to guy when it comes to analysis into benchmarking KPIs in use by field service organisations - so I hope to catch up with him on an episode of the Field Service Podcast to discuss our own research into this topic and get his ‘Analysts Take’ on our findings.

Speaking of which if you haven’t yet taken a look at our new dedicated online home for Field Service News Research, then you can find it here where you’ll be able to check out all of our latest research reports and also join our list of respondents - each of whom get rewarded handsomely (well they get a Starbucks voucher) for taking part in our ongoing research programs.

Talking of change, I’d also like to just take a moment to wish Zack Bergreen a very, very well deserved, long and happy retirement as he steps down from his role as CEO of Astea after 40 years.

Zack has been a pioneer within the service management industry and is as well respected as he is well liked, so I am sure I am not alone in wishing him all the very best as he steps down.

One thing is for sure, Zack will have seen some incredible change in the 40 years he has been at the helm of Astea. There wasn’t even an internet back then, just things. And remote work really was remote.

But I’d put a hefty wager that the change we are embracing now is more radical and game changing than ever before. As Pollock says, “What we have gotten used to is all about to change.”

Check out the latest issue of Field Service News with all of the features referenced above by clicking the link below now! 

In today’s digital economy, every company is now a service company. The winners are companies that meet customer’s ever-growing expectations; the losers leave openings for competitors to exploit. In this fight, field services have become a crucial battleground. But how can you turn something that has traditionally been a pain-point for many companies into an area of strategic source of value and differentiation? Jon Magson, Commercial Director at ByBox, joined us to help answer this question.
What’s changing about the field service landscape?

JM: ByBox has been in this industry for over

20 years now and we’ve always focused fundamentally on solving the customer’s pain points when it comes to field services. What we’re seeing is an ever-growing demand to not only offer a functional field service solution, but to turn field services into a real source of differentiation from competitors.

What’s brought this change about?

JM: Customer expectations have grown. Think about the kind of experiences you have with the final mile in other industries. It was only around ten years ago when it was the norm that shopping ordered online would arrive within three to five working days. Now anything less than next-day delivery is too slow.

Customers have the same level of expectations when they call for an engineer, but it isn’t just about being quick to react. Every service moment is an opportunity to solve problems, implement new solutions and ultimately delight the customer. In a world where people are getting used to amazing customer experiences, field services can’t afford to fall behind.

What’s harming companies’ ability to give customers a great experience?

JM: Companies are investing significantly in field services to modernise and optimise the people involved through technologies like engineer scheduling software or job logging systems. In 2019 the global investment in this area was£2.18bn and that’s expected to rise to £4.58bn in 2025. Where companies are falling short is, they are still using legacy inventory management systems and processes. So only part of the problem is fixed. It’s no good having the engineer on-site at the right time if the right part isn’t there also.

In our research, we found that 51% of first-time fix failures were due to the required parts being unavailable. Companies need to get this right. Far from delighting a customer, failing to fix something first time leaves the customer frustrated. The key question is would you run a finance department without visibility of all the figures? Or a procurement department without any certainty the products you buy will turn up. The answer should be no, so why do we accept this in field inventory? Field inventory needs to be modernised in order to offer customers the great experiences they deserve.

What’s the next step in modernising field services?

JM: We believe it starts with the Field Service Edge. How close can we get the parts that engineers need to the engineers or the job that needs them? This is a critical question, the less time an engineer is travelling or searching sites to pick up parts the more time they have to offer customers the kind of experience they have come to expect. This needs to be achieved without the use of expensive same-day deliveries, and it also need to be done just-in-time. If we want to see a strategic shift from field services being functional to becoming a source of value and differentiation within a company, it’s hard to make that argument while costs are inflated by moving parts using an expensive same day journey.

Finally, we must eliminate blind spots in field inventory management. Too often parts aren’t available, or inventory costs are bloated because plans were changed without having the right information. We want to encourage companies to always operate in a known space when it comes to inventory.

How does ByBox approach this problem?

JM: ByBox enables companies to turn any space into a secure site for staging critical parts at the field service edge, optimising inventory placement and delivery speed while eliminating premium delivery costs. ByBox intelligently orchestrates all inventory movements, with dynamic allocation and reallocation to minimise trapped capital, working in harmony with the customers engineer scheduling system.

We call this Field Service Inventory Modernisation. With ByBox, companies can operate with confidence because critical parts inventory is always in a known state and fully traceable across the whole field service lifecycle, ensuring pinpoint accuracy, predictability, and control.

To find out more, please contact Marketing@ ByBox.com to arrange a demo

Steve Mason from FieldAware outlines the importance of technology evolution in your service offering.

As a company’s overall field service maturity evolves, one way to move operational maturity to the next level is to invest in technology. Organizations setting out to implement a field service management solution either for the first time or upgrading an existing solution do so to achieve strategic, operational gains. 

While many operational benefits are achieved from different aspects of a field service management project, arguably automated scheduling and optimization deliver group productivity that significantly moves the operational performance needle.  

The gains that drive companies to implement these solutions include:

• Dramatically improving service quality to the end customer by ensuring the right resource(s) arrive at the right location(s) at the right time with the right parts and equipment.
• Increased operational productivity resulting in completing more jobs per day by the same number of field resources.
• Increased first-time fix rates and reduced repeat visits.
• Lowering greenhouse gases emissions and travel costs by reducing the average miles driven per job.
• Improved staff morale by providing a modern and productive working environment. 

While delivering these results is transformative to the way an organization supports its customers and competes in the market, many companies fail to achieve full potential.  We’ll outline an Evolutionary deployment approach that, when combined with an innovative technology solution, addresses common change management barriers and breaks a decades-old mould.

Field Service is Always Evolving

There are two main approaches to implementing scheduling and optimization - Big Bang or Evolutionary. 

Big Bang focuses on designing and building an entirely new service offline and then introducing it in a short-focused transformation program.  It historically worked well in enterprise-wide programs where all the gains are achieved once the project is live and the new operating model is not prone to change.

Evolutionary is an “agile” methodology enabling the introduction of smaller incremental improvements that form a series of steps towards achieving defined business goals. The company achieves incremental ROI with each step and progressively aligns the organization to the evolving new business model.

Traditional scheduling and optimization systems operate by immediately publishing their results live into the field service management solution.   It takes time to configure and model the solution in a safe environment before introducing it and works best in a Big Bang project.  New innovative capabilities provide a fully functional “what-if” environment where planners can work safely, make tweaks, and then publish schedules when they are satisfied with the results.  This new capability allows the Evolutionary approach to be successfully introduced.

Both models require leaders to design how the business will operate at the end of the program.  FieldAware finds the Evolutionary model provides for faster implementation and better adoption by following this approach:

Phase 1 

Implement a baseline solution with just the core system parameters configured The objective is to establish a minimum viable production solution to go live as quickly as possible.   Planners, dispatchers, and field resources use the system to manually schedule and deliver service using defined data plus tacit local knowledge.  While the business may be working very similarly to how it did before the project, the operational transparency achieved through the visibility of resources, jobs, and customers on a scheduling Gantt chart, real-time visual maps, and system reports brings a lift to productivity and quality of service.

Phase 2 

Document and capture tacit or tribal knowledge from the planning team and transform the information into system parameters.  This knowledge transfer enables the implementation of semi-automated scheduling, where planners make decisions with system guidance to take into account the rules and constraints that were defined.  Productivity and service quality improves through more compliant decision making.  The data is further refined based on feedback from the teams. 

Phase 3

Semi-automated scheduling and optimization, introduce business scheduling objectives such as minimizing travel time or balancing work across the team into the system configurations.  Planners and dispatchers can use a safe “what-if” planning environment to interact with the optimizer’s calculated results and refine the schedule iteratively.  They dispatch jobs only when the best results are achieved.  During this period, planners refine the optimization engine for various regions and business requirements, improving optimization performance, and improving result quality.

Phase 4

Achieving fully automated scheduling and optimization.  The planning team has transferred all tacit and tribal knowledge into the optimization settings and parameters.  There is complete adoption because they have engaged throughout the change program. The repetitive tasks of planning and scheduling are automated, freeing up resources to address the higher value work that differentiates the business and drives it forward.

The evolutionary journey approach, when combined with advanced systems that contain “what-if” planning capabilities, break down the change management barriers.  Planners and the field resources are part of the change program and contribute to its success.  Each phase, has wins for every stakeholder, and centrally the company benefits include:

1. Increased customer satisfaction
2. Increased bottom line through group productivity improvements
3. Improved working environment for service delivery teams
4. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Further Reading:

• Read further articles and news from Steve and his colleagues at FieldAware here
• Find out more about the solutions offered by FieldAware here
• Follow Steve Mason on Twitter @stevegmason

Kris Oldland returns to the host's seat for this episode of the Field Service podcast where the talk is focused on the headaches of last mile service delivery...

In a much awaited return to the Field Service Podcast hot seat Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News sits down with Rich Agostinelli, CEO of ByBox. 

The conversation picked up from a recent interview between the two as they continue to take a deep look at the headaches of last mile service delivery, how it is impacting field service organisations and how these can be overcome. The two then also take a lens to the increasing amount of conversation around the growing importance of sustainability and why when it comes to the field service sector in particular this is a very positive thing

Health and safety is becoming more prominent in service. Engineers who work remotely are more susceptible to risk and firms are now recognizing the hazards they face daily. Following a Field Service News Think Tank held in London November 2019, attendees discussed global implementation of safety standards and dealing with sub-contractors.

Service is a global business. Companies employ engineers who work around the world. The challenge comes in ensuring this work is carried out safely regardless of their location.  

 Statistically, it seems standards do differ globally. According to Global Estimates of Occupational Accidents and Work-Related Illnesses, a 2017 study which included input from the International Labour Organisation, the World Health Organisation and the European Union, workplace deaths are highest in Asia, accounting for two thirds of the annual 2.78 million total, with Africa and Europe contributing less than 12 per cent. According to the report China and India have the highest workplace fatalities which can be partly attributed, researchers say, to the size of the respective countries  

One way to ensure safety consistency is through technology, for example, an electronic ‘safety passport’, a form of digital accreditation for engineers that would show if the correct training and correct equipment was being held. If not, then the worker would not be given clearance to carry out the task. Brent Holmes, Field Service Portfolio Director, Ericsson explained: “We’ve targeted driving as probably the biggest risk area, but equally obviously climbing, confined spaces, AC power and the list is endless.  But we need to be making sure that we have a tool to be able to manage our staff and our subcontractors. So one project that we’ve started to look at and where we’ve started to pick up some very good best practice around is in beginning to award passports to individuals so they can work for us,” Holmes continued.  

"If a contractor was doing something, you’d give them a yellow card or a red card.  Red card, or a cumulative of yellow cards, we’d off site them.  You’re not here again, and that’s it.” 

This was a concept that echoed with a number of the Think Tank members around the room. As Holmes further clarified Ericsson’s approach in this area adding that introduction of Safety Passports allowed for correct accreditation and that it identified a clear set of best practices to ensure that all the relevant safety training, as well as all of the right equipment is in place at all times.   

“You might think these are trivial,” Holmes added “but believe me it’s critical” .However, more manual deterrents such as a consequence management system to stop third-part contractors veering away from on-site standards is equally effective. Here a yellow/red card system can be deployed, where being shown the latter, or an accumulation of the former, can result in that firm’s contract being terminated.  

As Mark Wilding, Director of Global Aftermarket Operations, Hexagon Marketing Intelligence explained: “Imagine one of our main contract suppliers doesn’t go through the right checks and balances with those individuals that he or she authorises to carry out an activity on their behalf.  If we find this out, we will issue a yellow card, if they get two yellow cards then we will stop doing business with them. That’s what we had in the power sector. 

It was more if a contractor was doing something, you’d give them a yellow card or a red card.  Red card, or a cumulative of yellow cards, we’d off site them.  You’re not here again, and that’s it.” 

Both these solutions work yet implementing them in countries where safety is not engrained can be difficult. Here a safety management programme underpinned by strong and robust safety culture can be just as effective.   

Katie Gray, Marketing Executive outlines what visitors can expect at this year's MTM event.

Meet major rugged hardware manufacturers at a private trade show exhibition exclusively for Resellers in the UK. Meet the Manufacturer™ is held by UK based Distributor Varlink every year and this year it will be celebrating its 15th Anniversary at Coombe Abbey.  

This long established exhibition is known for bringing together a range of Rugged Mobile Manufacturers with Field Service System Integrators.  

Here’s what you can expect at Meet the Manufacturer™ 2020: 

Rugged Laptop and Tablet Manufacturer Durabook will be exhibiting at MTM for the first time. Durabook is a global brand specialising in the production of rugged and ultra-rugged tablets and laptops to survive in any environment.  

Varlink and Durabook announced their new partnership in January this year and the full range of rugged products will be available to see at the show. Their pricing is highly competitive when compared with other industry leading rugged tablet and laptop manufacturers.  

MTM provides a unique opportunity for Field Service Resellers to find out what exactly they can offer to build the right solution for their customers. 

Not only will Durabook exhibiting for the first time, but MTM will also welcome back Janam, Gen2wave, Zebra, Honeywell and CarComm. These major manufacturers all have something to offer to Field Service Solution Providers and comprise a range of Rugged Mobile Computers, Accessories, Tablets and Vehicle mounts that durable enough for use in the field.  

Janam will be exhibiting their new 8-inch rugged tablet, the HT1, which is built for demanding work environments. The HT1 is IP67-rated and MIL-STD-810G military grade certified to ensure protection against dust, water, vibrations, drops, extreme temperatures and varying altitudes.  

A major benefit of Meet the Manufacturer™ is the ability to see the products in person. 

In today’s environment purchases for hardware are often made over the phone or via the internet. With new rugged mobile computers and tablets being released and upgraded every year it can be hard to keep up.  

Resellers can often find themselves recommending products and solutions without having ever seen the product properly themselves.  

The CEO of Varlink, Mike Pullon, described the issue facing Resellers today: “On paper, many products appear to tick all the boxes, but when buying on spec alone you don’t get a chance to feel the weight or the quality or a product. Until you hold one of those devices in your hand, you can’t fully appreciate its suitability to your customer’s application; where are the buttons positioned? Is the screen large enough? What are the charging options?” 

Meet the Manufacturer™ has always endeavoured to provide a space to bridge the gap between manufacturers and resellers.  

Having so many manufacturers under one roof gives you the opportunity to compare and contrast different devices to find the right solution for your customers.  

This is great for service directors who don’t often have the time to road-test devices and may not be aware of the whole range devices available. 

MTM is a free event and refreshments will be served throughout the day so you can drop in at any time to suit you between 9:30am and 3pm on March 12th. 

To reserve your free ticket, visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mtm-2020-exhibition-tickets-77995624011 

Cheryl-Anne Sanderson, says reframing your approach to networking could reap more benefits than you realise.

We often hear how important it is to network, yet barriers always seem to be put in our way, these include: 

• Not enough time 

• Do I want to network? 
• It's too formal and I'll feel out of place 
• Operation deadlines 
• Management/leadership that sees networking as a threat. 

All the above in my view is just a myth or a perception. More often than  not, there is time to do it you and you just need to make it happen. Networking shouldn’t be a have to do you should actually want to do it. If you're passionate about your industry and you want to do the right thing, not just for yourself but for the next generation of service leaders, then why wouldn’t you do it?  

Surroundings 

 If you feel you need to change or adapt to the environment then change the scenery then surround yourself with a network who appreciate the version of you; who want to share your passion and drive; and wants to work with you in a collaborative manner. Networking doesn’t need to be formal and doesn’t need to cost money, for example, you could set up a local network instead of joining something corporate which can be costly in terms of travel etc. So while these networks are instrumental and essential to our industries, don't be put off by creating your own personal network; local to the businesses that you serve. You could even cross network across sectors - networking doesn't need to be the same people from the same industry - the magic happens when you bring creative minds from a diverse range of businesses together.  

Wellbeing 

Don’t let the day-to-day of business as usual take over your life. We all deserve time away from the job and while networking could be seen as personal the majority of the time, the firms we represent also get the benefit of our appearance, so just be aware of this. 

However, networking is great for our own wellbeing: sharing experiences and hearing people stories, knowing that the challenges you face are faced by others too can be really affirming. You can also collect great idea and tips that motivate you to do more; that makes you do your best; and you can share with your own team spreading the positivity amongst your colleagues. 

Sharing is caring 

So to sum up, I'd like to say sharing is caring. Networking within your industry is just another way of sharing, and most importantly: caring. 

The service conference circuit is a crowded one. For professionals who operate in a time-precious environment choosing the right event to attend, where you can garner the most amount of value for your time is an important business decision. Sharing challenges with other delegates, gaining insight on new tech and sharing a coffee with colleagues should be part of your event requirements.

In this special edition of the Field Service Podcast Becky Johnson from WBR who is overseeing the content at this year's Field Service Connect talks us through the speaker acquisition process: from the initial research involved and the overall honing of the talks and debates. Being close to the trends in the industry Becky also shares some of the insight she has gained during this research process. It's a fascinating listen.

You can reach out to Becky on LinkedIn here. 

Workplace health and safety has come a long way in recent years. Companies are now more aware of the affect that workplace incidents can have on their employees as well as the financial implications it brings. It’s a shift prompted by stringent regulation and legislation – particularly in the UK and Europe - and a desire to build health and safety into the business structure. As part of our coverage of the latest FSN Think Tank Mark Glover reflects on how the group discussed workplace safety and why culture is crucial…  

When it comes to a implementing a workplace safety culture, companies must lead from the top with a board and management buy-in that filters down through the organization to the shop floor.  

Its integration however is a huge business challenge, a process that firms should viewed as a strategic change management process. Of course, any large shift in thinking and mentality is difficult, especially if an attitude has become embedded.  

Two things that can alter attitudes to safety is understanding the brand and financial cost to a company if an incident occurs. In the UK stringent legislation and heavy fines serve to encourage firms to take their safety processes seriously, it means some companies now build the potential consequences of an incident into a business case that forms their health and safety strategy. 
One example of this is the utility firm EDF who operate a number of power stations in the UK. These assets are high-risk and high-profile, and the firm in an effort to embed safety into the culture of the organization now associate health and safety with its bottom line; if you have a nuclear power station that is not inherently safe then it will affect its share price quite significantly.    


A financial influence is one strand of safety adoption, yet to become embedded in a company’s outlook, health and safety should be approached psychologically. Today, when health and safety consultants come into a company tasked with improving its culture, they do so with the mind of a psychologist rather than a tick-box instigator.    

Firms with a large employee count, which is often the case in manufacturing, can find it difficult to home in on individuals who have always done safety a certain way which can often be outdated and potentially dangerous.   

"More generally, health and safety suffers from bad PR, perceived as something that enforces red tape and stifles creativity and productivity..."

Psychologically then, humans will eventually apply an unconscious bias to tasks they carry out on a day-to-day basis. Once something becomes routine then it becomes an unconscious process. Carrying out risk assessments is a common yet important task in the workplace however Its repetitive nature makes it vulnerable to such a bias, and it remains one of the key challenges in the sector to ensure employees are engaged when carrying out such activities.   

Jan Van Veen, founder, More Momentum commented, “What you need to do to change that is make sure that everybody understands the pitfalls and then establish key habits and put a system in place where you can communicate effectively with your workforce to say ‘I think we are falling in this pitfall’.” 

Building on this point Mark Wilding, Director of Global Aftermarket Operations, Hexagon Marketing Intelligence added: “One of the thing that we looked at that I think we overlook quite a lot is the human factors associated with this, because there are, and you talked about stress, there are human factors in people’s day that cause them to overlook or make mistakes, which ultimately could end up in a hazard or a risk.   

And if you don’t get underneath the human factors aspect then we can put all the safety bulletins out but we’ve not addressed the underlying distractions, things that go on.” 
More generally, health and safety suffers from bad PR, perceived as something that enforces red tape and stifles creativity and productivity. Although this attitude has improved in recent years it is still seen as something of a burden to employees; something to catch them out. Having a pragmatic approach to health and safety that is backed up with strong statistical evidence, can be a sensible approach rather than introducing a critical author with a clipboard.   

Looping back to the beginning of this section, it’s paramount to embed health and safety in a company’s overall strategy and a firm’s performance culture more generally. Most service firms strive to achieve general quality and integrity in everything they do and would never dream of cutting corners in a service task. The same thinking must be applied to safety.