Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News talks to Kevin Starr of ABB's Oil and Gas Division, to get his take on just how pivotal it is we all get on board with the digitalisation agenda…
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Sep 03, 2018 • Features • ABB • Future of FIeld Service • health and safety • Oil and Gas • field service • field service management • Field Service Manager • field service technicians • Field Service USA • Internet of Things • IoT • Service Management • Asset Performance • Field Service Director • Kevin Starr • Remote Monitoring • Service Automation • Managing the Mobile Workforce
Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News talks to Kevin Starr of ABB's Oil and Gas Division, to get his take on just how pivotal it is we all get on board with the digitalisation agenda…
Kevin Starr, Program Director, Advanced Digital Services, for ABB jokingly refers to himself as someone who is just getting started, having spent 31 years in the industry.
Given Starr’s wide-ranging background which encompasses installing industrial automation, working with pneumatics, then electrics, DCS and now digital and across roles that include R&D managers, software developer, data scientist and cloud specialist - he is perhaps the very personification and embodiment of how the field service sector is in constant flux on a journey of continuous evolution.
Yet, underneath all that evolution, there also remain fundamental goals in place that we mustn’t lose sight of either.
As Starr himself explains - across his varied career the core objective for ABB, regardless of the technology surrounding the discussion is always to allow their clients to “hit their value, production and quality requirements by providing them with solutions.”
"Regardless of the technology surrounding the discussion is always to allow their clients to “hit their value, production and quality requirements by providing them with solutions...”
However, Starr also absolutely sees a convergence in the various skill-sets he has honed across his career in the area and era of digitalisation we are all working within today.
Indeed, certainly within field service circles, when it comes to digitalisation Starr is to be regarded a leading subject matter expert – a fact that is attested to the fact he is a highly sought-after speaker at industry conferences as well being the host of a successful YouTube series and author on the topic.
“We definitely are in the industrial revolution 4.0,” Starr asserts with conviction when I spoke to him recently during whilst recording a forthcoming episode of The Field Service Podcast.
All well and good, but what exactly does this shift to the Industrial Revolution 4.0 actually mean in real terms for most companies, who perhaps are lacking the innovative streak ABB certainly have embedded at their core.
Whilst there are undoubted opportunities to be had, for many it means stepping into a brave new world of the unknown and for many, this can be a daunting proposition.
“We are definitely moving into an area where our customers may have some new concerns and fears. There are some misunderstandings that need clarification and there are a number of different issues relating to digital that they have to consider," Starr explains continuing, “so what we’ve tried to do is make this discussion feel more real for them, we’ve tried to make it concrete and actionable.”
"When clients hear things like Data Science, Cloud Computing, Big Data, and all the other tech jargon that is being thrown around, they can get nervous...“
When clients hear things like Data Science, Cloud Computing, Big Data, and all the other tech jargon that is being thrown around, they can get nervous.”
Additionally, the wave of technological innovation we are witnessing today is only part of the sea change of disruption that currently surrounds us.
“It is something of a perfect storm,” Starr agrees expanding on the topic.
“There is an ageing workforce, there is knowledge retiring, there are new people coming into the workforce who just aren’t ready to spend thirty years with the technology,” he adds.
Yet, it is exactly within these challenges that Starr sees big potential for innovation.
“We have here some opportunities to really change the game for our industrial clients and along with this is what is really an industrial explosion of automation.,” he explains.
“When I started off the controllers were on a wall, so the size of the service was aligned with the physical proximity of a wall. Now, you have dots on a screen. Where once you might have had thirty or forty devices, now you have three or four thousand.”
"What we’ve always done in the service space, doesn’t work today..."
This anecdote serves as a stark example of just how much service delivery has moved within just a matter of decades. In terms of actual service delivery, automation, particularly in industrial sectors, has made the way work today almost unrecognisable from how things were done in the past.
This is something which needs to be fully understood and acknowledged for companies to be able to bring their business and operational processes in line with modern means of tackling service delivery.
“What we’ve always done in the service space, doesn’t work today,” Starr states bluntly.
“What this means is that there are a lot more failures, a lot more downtime and a lot more product instability. This leads to a lot more fear, uncertainty and doubt - because if that phone rings and your client calls you and says my system is down - what do you do? That is a terrifying call to get and it always has been, but with digital, we can solve all that.”
“In the Oil and Gas sector, for example, we have clients who are trying to remain competitive in an industry in which price changes sent a complete shockwave through the sector. Companies who used to have large corporate staff are shrinking, with reduced manned or unmanned solutions becoming more prevalent.”
“Yet, most solutions involve people working on a system, so we truly have a gap. We’ve got to keep the site running but we also have to make our production and our quality efficient - and of course first and foremost we have to make sure our people are safe.”
“To me, the digital arena is what will allow us to use devices to reduce this problem space.”
Of course, many of the challenges that Starr outlines are also prevalent in sectors well beyond the Oil and Gas industry and searching for solutions for those challenges within the digital realm is now well established as the correct path to follow.
Yet, one of the reasons perhaps Starr has proven to be such a popular speaker on this topic is his ability to blend the technical and the practical and to help those listening to visualise how the often vague concepts sitting under the umbrella of digitalization will manifest in real, pragmatic terms – something he demonstrated again when we spoke with a particularly neat and effective summary of how the implementation of such tools can really have a significant impact on service delivery.
“It’s kind of like a heads-up display in a car. When I have a problem, it advises me so I then know when to dispatch somebody and make sure they have the right tools at the right time,” he explains.
"When that happens, great things happen and you can actually push through and hit production, quality and cost to produce levels that have literally been unheard of..."
“When that happens, great things happen and you can actually push through and hit production, quality and cost to produce levels that have literally been unheard of.”
“That’s what keeps me just giddy with excitement,” he says before adding wryly “but if it was easy it would already be done.”
Here, of course, Starr has hit the nail firmly on the head with regards to the current dichotomy most service companies find themselves in.
Whilst it seems that digitalisation of service delivery offers us great opportunities they equally bring additional challenges. As with many things in life, it appears there is an ever-evolving arms race between these two. As one challenge is solved thus creating new opportunities, so a new challenge is born.
With this in mind, I was keen to see if Starr sees field service today as something that has been simplified by technology, or in particular as we consider the vast amount of data we are now generating, has it actually become further complicated?
“I was always one of ABB’s smart guys with a bag of tricks. If there was a problem I’d get a ticket and I’d go fix the site. But I was always able to do that because the problem space wasn’t as huge as it is today,” he replies.
“Today our guys have to worry about cyber attacks, IT Security, Back Ups, Disk Space, Uptime, Communication, Visualisation and much, much more – so it’s very difficult to have someone who is an expert in all of those areas - and we’ve got to quit trying,” Starr explains.
“What’s different now is that the components being produced, and ABB makes an awful lot of these, each has their own digital signatures. Basically, they have a built-in data stream associated with the asset.”
"If I go outside and see a vapour trail in the sky I know a jet went by – even if I don’t see the jet. That’s the same principle on every single connected asset – it will leave a digital signature behind it..."
“For example, if I go outside and see a vapour trail in the sky I know a jet went by – even if I don’t see the jet. That’s the same principle on every single connected asset – it will leave a digital signature behind it.
“I was fortunate to have been the fireman and put the fire out on the site, but I would think ‘If I had just been here yesterday and I could have seen this data trail I could have prevented the failure.’ So that’s where we started packaging that and we called those diagnostic solutions, benchmarks and fingerprints - where we would provide scope and insight.”
“We would go and harvest the data and fifteen or twenty years ago that was very difficult. We would go and hook up resistors and current line – but we learned the technique.”
But it was time well spent and a highly precipitous move that has placed ABB perfectly at home in today’s world where there is more data and storage than they’re ever has been. And a reflection of their expertise in this area is that they are now getting more requests from customers for us to go and look at there data than ever before.
As the conversation begins to conclude Starr offered up one ore excellent anecdote that really helps visualise the importance of digital in service delivery today.
“I was driving along the road in Vietnam the other day when we came to a bridge across a river,” he begins.
"That’s what modern service is – you can either fish with a hook or fish with a net..."
“On the side of the bridge there were two men fishing with a line, but in the shallows, there was a man fishing with a net – and he was bringing in a far greater haul than those two guys with their lines. I thought to myself, that’s what modern service is – you can either fish with a hook or fish with a net.”
“In our world of automation, you don’t need to physically go and touch every single asset, that is hurting people, putting them in harm's way. When there are digital components you can actually send out agents, pull that digital signature back, run data analytics and compare it to known failure rates, known performance and you can tell exactly where your systems are.”
“So you can actually know if your safe reliable and optimised and you can demonstrate it.”
If your organisation hasn’t done so already perhaps it’s time to start thinking about what your digital net should look like as well?
Subscribe to The Field Service Podcast to be sure to hear the full interview with Starr by clicking here
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Jul 26, 2018 • Features • Future of FIeld Service • field service • field service management • Field Service USA • Gary Brooks • Service Management • Servitization • Syncron
Gary Brooks, CMO, Syncron talks to Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News about how the discussion around uptime has shifted from how to why...
Gary Brooks, CMO, Syncron talks to Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News about how the discussion around uptime has shifted from how to why...
“Time is something that is incredibly perishable, it’s finite, we never seem to have enough of it and we always wish for more of it in dire times.”
This eternal maxim, that translates across all cultures in all corners of the world, was at the heart of an excellent keynote presentation given by Gary Brooks, CMO at Syncron at the Field Service USA Conference in Palm Springs earlier this year.
Time is something that is incredibly perishable, it’s finite, we never seem to have enough of it and we always wish for more of it in dire times“It is interesting to apply that thinking to our business of field service,” Brooks explained when I sat down with him to catch up over a coffee a little later in the day.
“Let's look at it through the lens of time being a cruel mistress and then imagine you're a farmer. Not just any farmer but a very excited farmer because it is the first day of the harvest season. You’re deploying your new half a million dollar combine to go out and harvest at a fantastic new rate - but then it fails.” “It is a Sunday morning and your 200 miles from the dealer and can’t get someone out to fix it - then shift your thinking from that scenario to a question around uptime.”
It is an important shift in thinking and one in which the manufacturer bears more of the burden of failure in return for greater profit and a stickier relationship with the customer.
“At Syncron we’re obsessed with coming up with solutions that help manufacturers improve their uptime levels,” Brooks continues.
“We recently worked with WBR to launch a research project that is looking into uptime. How important is it for the OEM? Do they consider it a strategic advantage? How important is it for the customer of the OEM?
Do they consider it something that can make their business more competitive? How much are the end users willing to pay for maximised uptime? Are they even willing to pay at all for maximised up time?”
An overwhelming majority of OEMs believe that maximising uptime is a strategic advantage for them“The preliminary research findings have identified that an overwhelming majority of OEMs believe that maximising uptime is a strategic advantage for them. An overwhelming majority of the customers of the OEMs believe it would be a competitive advantage for them. Executives are demanding it from the OEM side. End customers are even willing to pay more for it but the OEM is not ready to maximise uptime.”
It seems clear that the conversation has moved somewhat beyond whether the shift towards uptime was the right path to follow - the question many organisations are now facing is how they make that shift. Although case studies are beginning to surface as Brooks alludes to himself.
“I came to my first field service event three years ago, there was very little mention of the product becoming service, of servitization. Last year there was a tiny bit, but this year we are seeing companies that have now gone out and done it. We’re seeing companies who have now fully evolved to that model.”
Just how important a factor within the move towards servitization is the industry that an organisation operates withinHowever, one consideration I have recently been discussing with the likes of Prof. Baines at Aston University and Ross Townsend of Ishida Europe is just how important a factor within the move towards servitization is the industry that an organisation operates within?
“I think you're absolutely right that it is industry specific,” replies Brooks when I put this to him.
“For example, there are lots of articles on how the automotive industry is transitioning to a new norm where rather than buy a vehicle customers now want to buy access to a vehicle - the end result of which is that the customers no longer become the end-user but a fleet owner whether that be an internal or external operator.”
“And of course a fleet manager will be far more demanding in terms of uptime, than a single end user, so the market disruption really is felt on numerous levels,” Brookes concludes.
Whilst this is a specific example of a vertical being disrupted there could be wider learnings for other industries in how a shift to servitization could impact there own sectors as some business models evolve and other new models that have yet to be considered emerging.
What is holding some sectors back, whilst others drive forwards to embrace advanced services?But what is holding some sectors back, whilst others drive forwards to embrace advanced services?
“Part of the reason for the lack of full adoption could be a mindset, the preliminary response that we are getting from the research suggest that an overwhelming majority of the OEMs view their ability to deliver maximum product uptime or a type of service that guarantees maximum uptime - it was almost 80% that said they would view that as a competitive advantage,” Brookes muses.
“So when things have words like competitive advantage and revenue maximisation tied with it you would think that it would be accelerated implementation - so there is some barrier. The desire exists both on the OEM and the customer side, the opportunity to differentiate your product exists, the technology exists so what are the other variables?”
It is an important question that many companies in many sectors are trying to grapple with and when whoever discovers the answer will hold the keys to the future of field service.
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Jul 10, 2018 • Features • Artificial intelligence • Connected Field Service • Future of FIeld Service • Machine Learning • Preventative Maintenance • cloud • Field Service USA • GE Digital • IoT • Scott berg • servicemax • ThingWorx
Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News talks to Scott Berg, CEO at ServiceMax about why IoT has so far failed to hit the heights it really is capable of and what we more should be expecting from connected assets in the near future...
Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News talks to Scott Berg, CEO at ServiceMax about why IoT has so far failed to hit the heights it really is capable of and what we more should be expecting from connected assets in the near future...
When I sit down with Berg, he has just given a highly well-received presentation at Field Service USA, perhaps the biggest event in the global field service calendar. He managed to hit the two big topics that dominated conversation over the four days of the conference, namely preventative maintenance and IoT.
However, whilst many of his peers have spent the time still talking about why these are essential topics for field service companies today, Berg is already looking towards tomorrow.
“There is a big move towards predictive service, which a lot of us have talked about wanting to do. I think IoT has arrived on the scene and that might be what finally enables it. One of the things I’ve seen as we’ve come deeper into GE and seen what some of the other assets are around us from a technology standpoint is that the asset performance management concept is really unique,” he opens.
“As a field service guy I didn’t even know that this stuff was out there- I didn’t know that it was possible. That, of course, makes sense as it was used in process manufacturing, chemicals, oil and gas so it just wouldn’t occur to bring that over to field service, but this linking of the predictive analytics fed by IoT allows us to create a closed-loop process.”
“Frankly, now that I know these APM guys better within the GE company, it was one of the first epiphanies we had last year where we said you send that work to me, I’ll send you this back, arm the technician with the predictives that say ‘here’s why your here today.’”
“Another theme is also that this whole IoT thing is making me scratch my head a little bit and I’ve been talking to more and more people lately about this.,” Berg admits.
For me as a technology salesperson by trade it really gets good when someone can see real obvious value articulated, experience it and it becomes a bit of a no-brainer, I don’t think IoT has reached tha“$2.9Trillion dollars is going to get spent on IoT by 2020. Now this is not to say that many companies including a number of our customers haven’t experienced value, but it it’s still not quite fulfilling the full potential that it had - so what is the problem? For me as a technology salesperson by trade it really gets good when someone can see real obvious value articulated, experience it and it becomes a bit of a no-brainer, I don’t think IoT has reached that.”
It is a question I have raised myself in these pages. So what does Berg think is holding everyone back from seeing the true potential of IoT?
“I think it’s a combination of things,” he replies, considering the question. “Firstly, people are still drowning in data - and I do think that is still a problem. We see it even in GE businesses, there is so much more data by our own creation that it just gets harder and harder, and so now you’ve got things like Edge computing as opposed to sensors feeding data to Clouds, which is way to slow and far away, so that’s one thing that is changing rapidly.”
“And yes, there are people who have got the benefit but so far I see it as just a one and done benefit. We’ve had good examples of our customers, where they’ve identified a failure pattern, in one case a company were able to identify that they were fixing something too early, they could’ve gotten two more weeks out of it, so that leads to a modification of a service protocol or procedure, but it is still a one-off benefit.”
“It’s big don’t get me wrong. But it doesn’t do anything for you next year and it didn’t uncover the next problem. In fact, it may be even pushing a problem further downstream and so then another one surfaces.”
“That’s what is so exciting about the whole conversation around AI and Machine Learning - in that it offers continuous learning. The ability to model risk and put that into a plan - maybe that is the final way to bring IoT to its full potential in terms of service management and to create a pretty cool closed-loop process really.”
“I don’t mean to push IoT to a back seat, don’t get me wrong, there are so many side benefits that are game changing but it is a bit like you’ve planted something and then your like when is it going to come out of the ground, when am I going to see a flower and then to continue that analogy when that fruit first comes out, you don’t want to pick it and then that’s if you want it to be a constant crop."
It is interesting to hear Berg’s view that there is so much more to come how we implement IoT in a field service context. Particularly given ServiceMax’s role as an earlier pioneer within the space. When he speaks on the topic he invokes a clear belief in the scientific method - i.e. that each hypothesis is subject to continuous testing and re-evaluation.
“We were early partners and integrators with things like PTC and the ThingWorx products, launched connected field service and we’ve had some customers who have seen some real benefit - but why didn’t it sustain, why didn’t it evolve, why didn’t it grow - why wasn’t it everywhere?” He asks.
“I think it is because people were just a bit stalled looking for that extra piece of the puzzle,’ he continues answering his own questions.
One of the reasons we didn’t call Connected Field Service our IoT API is because the notion of connecting field service was not only getting the device to give up its data but also in the mobile device then arming the technician with why are you here“In fact, one of the reasons we didn’t call Connected Field Service our IoT API is because the notion of connecting field service was not only getting the device to give up its data but also in the mobile device then arming the technician with why are you here.”
“What was the reading that led to this? But let’s take that further, let’s get an understanding of what the is device doing right now so they know what it was doing yesterday when they were summoned, but also me what it's doing now, how has that changed.”
“I think that’s that notion of equipment centricity. The cool thing about GE is that it is the world’s largest field service company and it is also at it’s core a completely asset-centric group of engineers, the machine is everything they worship the machines - there are pictures of machines all over our office.”
When I last spoke to Berg, ServiceMax had only recently become part of the GE family, but even then he spoke of an early affinity between the companies and of a kindred spirit at each companies core. Fast forward some 18 months and it is clear that the relationship is proving to be even more symbiotic with benefits flowing both ways.
“I was in a meeting recently where one of the innovations another team was pushing in APM was maximising the performance and predicting the health of a set of assets. By that I mean not just one isolated machine but for example think of a wind-farm, maybe there are a thousand of assets within that fleet. We were trying to establish how we can comprehend the collective health of those assets and how they work together.”
This is just another example of how Berg, ServiceMax and now the wider team within GE are not satisfied with pushing the envelope today but are dedicated to understanding how they can continue to stay at the vanguard of innovation for many, many years to come.
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Apr 25, 2018 • Features • Artificial intelligence • Augmented Reality • Future of FIeld Service • WBR • big data • Field Service USA • Sara Mueller
Sara Mueller, Field Service Portfolio Director, WBR looks at how the rapid evolution of service excellence is a double-edged sword of opportunity and challenges...
Sara Mueller, Field Service Portfolio Director, WBR looks at how the rapid evolution of service excellence is a double-edged sword of opportunity and challenges...
I’ve been a conference producer for Worldwide Business Research (WBR) for over ten years, but most of my friends still don’t understand what that means or how I spend my days.
My mom finally gets it though.
I told her that I conduct market research by talking to service executives to learn what their biggest challenges and initiatives are. I also talk to their vendors and solution providers to understand what innovative technologies and services they provide to solve these challenges. Then I write a conference program and recruit thought leaders to speak about these subjects to bring the industry together and help advance service organizations.
Throw in fun parties, innovative formats that get people talking, and beautiful venues where people enjoy building business relationships, and you’ve got the essence of a WBR Field Service event!
Whether or not you grasp the function of my job, I’m sure you can relate to the four major trends I see impacting field service over the next few years.
They are:
- Driving service innovation using technological advancements like augmented reality (AR), artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analysis.
- Doing more with less by determining the quickest, most efficient way to automate field service operations.
- Transitioning to a customer success organization that sells customer business outcomes.
- Aligning talent recruitment and training with the needs of an evolved service/support business model.
Driving Service Innovation Using Technological Advancements Like Augmented Reality (AR), Artificial Intelligence (AI) And Big Data Analysis.
Augmented reality pilot programs are well underway and starting to reveal the best ways to use this technology for remote-assisted repair and troubleshooting.
Whether hands-free wearables or tablet devices are the hardware of choice, there are numerous software options to choose from to execute an AR strategy.Whether hands-free wearables or tablet devices are the hardware of choice, there are numerous software options to choose from to execute an AR strategy.
It’s clear that AR is not just a buzz word, but a concrete field service tool that’s here to stay and will be implemented by the majority of service organizations within the next three years.
Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotization are continually being explored in order to understand where technology can replace unnecessary human work, increase automation, and drive productivity. Bots are being used to get information to field service teams quickly and for memory nudging.
Virtual assistants or virtual customer agents are starting to be the norm. Innovative service organizations are looking to the further future to use machine learning to building autonomous services or self-healing, self-repairing products.
And, finally, data: Since devices became connected and IoT found its way into more and more products, we’ve never had more data on hand. Companies are spending their resources to ensure the data that is being gathered is clean, relevant, and easy to interpret.
It’s being used to measure product quality and gain performance insights from the field. Data visualization and analytics tools are helping to validate and adapt maintenance schedules, customer experience, and revenue generation.
Whether you classify this information as “big data” or not, it’s clear the data you now have available from connected products is essential for making “big” important business decisions and learning how you can better serve your customers.
Doing More With Less By Determining The Quickest, Most Efficient Way To Automate Field Service Operations.
Service executives are exploring the best tools for service automation in order to get more work done without increasing headcount. The speed of change and ease of implementation are key factors going into technology investment and process decisions.
Change management has never been more important. And lean, six sigma, and kaizen are being used to look beyond manufacturing to service operations to reduce complexity and streamline processes.
Artificial intelligence, as mentioned above, comes into play as a leading tool to increase automation.
Transitioning To A Customer Success Organization That Sells Business Outcomes
Service organizations are continuing their business model evolution away from selling products towards selling results, up-time or customer business outcomes.
Part of this entire company cultural shift has led to the development of “customer success” organizations.
Rather than calling the customer-facing side of the organization customer service, or support, or technical support, companies are using the name “success” to describe how they go above and beyond for the customers, owning responsibility for the success of their customer’s business.
Customer success takes into account being a trusted advisor to customers to ensure they are leveraging all the capabilities of your product offeringCustomer success takes into account being a trusted advisor to customers to ensure they are leveraging all the capabilities of your product offering. It, of course, brings together service and call centre support, as well as sales.
Customer success is sometimes its own department, or it can be a combination of sales and service. Of key importance is to understand how all parts of the organization that contribute to customer success can have aligned goals and incentives.
Service organizations are exploring customer engagement software and the best ways to measure the customer experience throughout all points of contact.
Aligning Talent Recruitment And Training With The Needs Of An Evolved Service And Support Business Model.
With a shift to more cloud and software-based services, the required skill set of technicians is changing.
Companies need to recruit for a new skill set while still trying to fill gaps in their team caused by baby boomer retirement, a lack of apprentices after apprenticeship programs were discontinued during the economic downturn, and with the positive challenge of business and customer growth.
Some companies are choosing to bring in computer science software folks, then train them on the hardware piece.
Some are using veteran career-placement programs to find qualified, screened, and trained talent.
Given field service and support is highly influenced by technology, its clear the industry, its solutions, and your customer needs will continue changing rapidly. On top of this, the current workforce needs to be trained to service products that are supported by more automation and digitization.
Even recruiting for women is taking a higher priority at many organizations, since women make up half of the workforce, but generally a much smaller percentage of the field service industry. Diversity and inclusion efforts are being carried out with the knowing that aligning goals, incentives, and measurement against these efforts is imperative to their success.
Given field service and support is highly influenced by technology, its clear the industry, its solutions, and your customer needs will continue changing rapidly.
This is a good thing as you’ve never had more ways to be able to move the needle of the service you provide your customers.
Plus it keeps things interesting for someone like me (a conference producer for your industry)!
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Aug 29, 2017 • Features • Management • Augmented Reality • Michael Blumberg • Field Service USA • IoT • Customer Satisfaction and Expectations
Whilst some were heading out to the desert to watch the likes of Radiohead and Lady Gaga at Coachella 2017 early this year, others were in Palm Springs for perhaps the lesser known but equally fantastic Field Service USA.
Whilst some were heading out to the desert to watch the likes of Radiohead and Lady Gaga at Coachella 2017 early this year, others were in Palm Springs for perhaps the lesser known but equally fantastic Field Service USA.
Field Service News sent Michael Blumberg along to talk to the USAs largest collection of Field Service professionals in one place, find to out what were the biggest challenges being faced by the industry at large and how we can overcome them...
In April this year I attended WBR’s Field Service 2017 in Palm Springs, California. While I was at the conference, I spoke to several Field Service leaders about their biggest challenges and the strategies they will pursing to overcome them.
Business executives often think their problems and challenges are unique to their specific situation. However, I was surprised to learn of the common thread that ran through my conversations with field service leaders.
Basically, four different themes emerged from my conversations. Rather than keep you in further suspense, let me share what I learned from my discussions:
Key challenge #1 - Keeping up with advances in technology:
Field Service leaders understand that their customers expect the same experience they do with using consumer electronic products. In other words, they expect an always on, always connected, always available service experience.
Strategy to overcome challenge - Develop & Implement an IoT Strategy:
Field Service leaders recognise that that IoT improves the customer experience in very much the same way it does with consumer electronics.
While field service leaders I spoke to agree that conceptually IoT is the right technology to achieve this outcome, they also admit that the real challenges lie in competing for capital resources to implement service led, IoT solutions and prioritizing where these investments should be made.
Key Challenge #2 - Determining which technologies enable an improved service experience:
Field Service leaders are faced with a myriad of choices when it comes to selecting and implementing technology to improve the customer experience.
For example, there’s various categories (e.g., AR, IoT, mobility, etc.) of technology to choose from as well several different vendors in each category segment.
It can be an overwhelming and taunting task to learn about every technology on the market.
Strategy to overcome challenge - Due Diligence and Planning:
Field Service leaders understand that they must adopt an objective approach to identifying, evaluating, and prioritising investments in technologies as well as vetting and selecting vendors. This means they must find the intellectual bandwidth and manpower to complete this strategic work of their organisation.
Key Challenge #3 - Keeping up with the skills gaps
Let’s face it, millennials are not lining up in droves to accept field service positions. In addition, the baby boomer generation in retiring from the workforce as a rapid rate.
As a result, Field Service leaders are under pressure to implement creative strategies to overcome the current and growing shortage of skilled technicians.
Strategy to overcome challenge - Implement Augment Reality (AR)
Many Field Service leaders perceive that AR solutions provide an effective solution for dealing with the shortage of skilled labor. By utilising this technology, field service organisations can do more with less. Basically, they can leverage the expertise of a limited number of skilled Field Engineers and distribute this knowledge remotely to a broad number of people.
Key Challenge #4 - Becoming a customer centric organisation:
Field Service leaders understand that if service business is going to thrive and grow then their organisations must become more customer centric. Unfortunately, some companies still have a product focused orientation.
Field Service leaders understand that if service business is going to thrive and grow then their organisations must become more customer centric
As a result, they are not making the necessary investments or resource allocations for the field service organisation to remain profitable and competitive.
Strategy to overcome challenge - Influence senior management on the value of service
Basically, Field Service leaders realise they must exert greater effort in influencing senior management on the benefits of becoming a customer centric organisation.
This means they need to build a strong business case as to why their companies should invest in technologies that make their companies more customer centric such as IoT, AR, FSM software, mobility, etc.
The business case must consider the impact of technology investments and process improvements on customer satisfaction, product sales, and the overall financial performance of the company.
Interestingly, the comments that I received were very consistent with the overall themes of the conference. Obviously, WBR has a good pulse on the industry.
Nevertheless, it is always great to speak to people one on one at industry conferences. I find these conversations provide so much more insight and context then sitting through a “canned” presentation.
The common thread between all these issues is that they involve the use of technology to optimise and improve field service delivery. This makes perfect sense as field service is a technology intensive business.
However, it is important that field service leaders do not fall into the trap of viewing technology as panacea for all aliments facing their organisation. The best technology is of little value without solid management, effective planning, and strong leadership behind it.
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Aug 17, 2017 • video • Augmented Reality • Future of FIeld Service • Video • XM reality • Field Service USA
Kris Oldland talks to the team at XMReality whilst at Field Service USA and they give him a demonstration of how their Augmented Reality solution can help field service companies
Kris Oldland talks to the team at XMReality whilst at Field Service USA and they give him a demonstration of how their Augmented Reality solution can help field service companies
Want to know more about Augmented Reality and Field Service - check out our Big Discussion on the AR and Field Service here
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Jul 28, 2017 • video • Augmented Reality • Future of FIeld Service • Field Service USA • Scope AR • Scott Montgomerie
Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News reports from Field Service USA and talks to Scott Montgomerie of Scope AR about the role of Augmented Reality in Field Service
Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News reports from Field Service USA and talks to Scott Montgomerie of Scope AR about the role of Augmented Reality in Field Service
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Jul 19, 2017 • Features • Management • AGeing Workforce • Connected Field Service • Michael Blumberg • Field Service USA • IoT • Uberisation • Parts Pricing and Logistics • Customer Satisfaction and Expectations
Worldwide Business Research (WBR) held its Field Service 2017 conference at the end of April with over 450 service leaders from top manufacturing and service companies in attendance.
Worldwide Business Research (WBR) held its Field Service 2017 conference at the end of April with over 450 service leaders from top manufacturing and service companies in attendance.
With so many service leaders in one place what better opportunity to find out what five key areas field service companies are focussing on? Michael Blumberg, was on hand to find out...
1. Leveraging IoT to drive service efficiency:
There has been a lot of buzz lately in the media and among industry analysts about the value of IoT in improving the efficiency of field service operations. No wonder it was one of the key themes of Field Service 2017!
IoT offers several benefits to field service organisations (FSOs) including the ability to remotely monitor machine performance, make proactive adjustments to improve machine life, predict when a machine is about to fail and provide proactive service, and remotely diagnose problems when the do occur.
As a result, FSOs can gain better control over costs and resources. While IoT holds great promise, many conference participants have not fully implemented end to end IoT solutions. Field Service 2017 provided them with an opportunity to gain new perspectives from Field Service leaders who have already achieved these outcome.
2. Embracing digital transformation to create a “Uber” like service model:
Today, many Field Service leaders are asking themselves if their service businesses are ready for uberization?
This question stems from the growing trend of companies to offer services through an always on, always connected, always visible, and always available business model. Technologies such GPS, mobility, optimisation software and innovative approaches to sourcing labour (think - gig economy jobs, crowdsourcing, contingent labour) have helped to facilitate these models.
Given that these technologies and labour models are also available to FSOs combined with the fact that consumers have grown to expect an “uber”-like experiences in general, Field Service leaders believe it is only a matter of time before they need to implement similar business models.
3. Creating and finding a new workforce:
A common challenge facing the field service industry, regardless of the technology supported, is the shortage of skilled field service engineers (FSEs). Let’s face it, the younger generation does not view field service as a “sexy” profession. Given other career paths, why would anyone want to fix broken products when they can be building the next “big-thing”.
On the other hand, there are a ton of good people out there who can perform field service jobs.
The problem is they either prefer to work freelance and/or lack the appropriate level of training or experience.
Field Service 2017 provided attendees with the opportunity to learn how Crowd-sourcing applications and Freelance Management Systems can provide access to a broader labour pool, and how Augment Reality tools can help less experience FSEs overcome any knowledge gaps they possess.
4. Optimising service parts management:
Managing service parts is the costliest aspect of field service management after managing labour.
Not only do customers expect their FSEs to arrive in a timely manner, they also expect them to resolve their issues right the first time. Having the right spare parts available at the right time is critical.
However, FSOs can’t afford to have too many parts sitting in many locations for too long as it causes a drain on profits. Optimization of spare parts, in other words, making sure you have just the right amount of parts at just the right number of locations is critical. Although this seems like an age-old problem facing FSOs, it is nice to see the topic on the agenda at Field Service 2017 since Field Service leaders need to continually refresh their knowledge of this subject.
5. Nurturing an environment of customer first:
This topic is also a long-standing issue facing Field Service leaders. It has gained renewed attention as companies place greater and greater focus on improving the customer experience.
However, there are still a great deal of high-tech companies who remain focused on putting their products first, customers second, and service third.
Competitive trends, technological developments, and market requirements are continually forcing companies to rethink this paradigm.
If Field Service leaders are serious about creating at customer first environment and want their service organisations to play a more key role in this shift, they must be able to influence their management teams to invest in the strategies, tactics, and tools that make this transition possible.
Learning about best practices and similar experiences from peers at Field Service 2017 helps facilitate this outcome.
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Apr 20, 2017 • News • Brian Uhlenhake • Caterpillar • Field Service USA • Greg Parker • Trane
As the conversations continue to flow here at Field Service USA this year we move into the third day of the event and once again Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News highlights his three key picks of the day's must-see sessions...
As the conversations continue to flow here at Field Service USA this year we move into the third day of the event and once again Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News highlights his three key picks of the day's must-see sessions...
Using mobile and social for Knowledge Transfer
- When: 9.15 - 9.35
- Where: Desert Salon 8
- What's it all about: Greg Parker, Portfolio Director, Building Services for Trane discusses why knowledge transfer is moving from a nice-to-have tool to something that it is critical that field service organisations embrace and outlines how his organisation have undertaken the development of their own knowledge transfer systems, looking at the challenges and benefits.
Global Service Excellence: Delivering high-value consistent service through independent dealers
- When: 14.25 to 14.45
- Where: Desert Salon 8
- What's it all about: Brian Uhlenhake, Department Manager, Global Service Excellence, Caterpillar will be exploring how to bring a more consistent level of service to your customers by looking at the attributes that result in customer loyalty to establish key metrics. The session will also focus on creating a formula to measure independent dealers on key metrics and raising the level of service delivery to a very high standard across your entire network.
Driving aftermarket growth with customer connectivity
- When: 14.45 - 15.15
- Where: Desert Salon 8
- What's it all about: Are you comfortable with your level of visibility into your installed base? Do you have a firm grasp on the state of your deployed equipment? How about it's current state of repair - do you know the last time the equipment in question was serviced (by you or a competitor). Just as importantly, how can you correlate this to driving repeatable, predictable revenue from your installed base? This session aims to set out how companies driving service revenue are utilising aftermarket entitlement revenue to deliver meaningful results to both their top and bottom lines.
Field Service News is published by 1927 Media Ltd, an independent publisher whose sole focus is on the field service sector. As such our entire resources are focused on helping drive the field service sector forwards and aiming to best serve our industry through honest, incisive and innovative media coverage of the global field service sector.
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