ARCHIVE FOR THE ‘field-service’ CATEGORY

New research released recently shows that mobile device reliability is having an enormous impact on the health and well-being of mobile workers, with over 40% experiencing stress or anxiety due to device issues that prevent them from completing their job effectively.

The strain of dealing with device issues in the field, such as battery failure or crashing apps, led to 16% of mobile workers taking at least one day off work in the last year due to the resulting stress or anxiety, including 7% who took six or more days sick leave as a result. As well as being unable to complete tasks, respondents also said mobile device failure sparked customer anger and rudeness, further increasing stress and anxiety levels.

When the findings are applied to the entire UK mobile workforce, estimated at 12,596,000 people, the cost of sick leave taken as a result of stress or anxiety caused by device reliability issues to the UK economy would be at least £1.18bn per year. Added to the US research results, the economic impact on both economies would be at least £7.9bn.

[quote float="left"]29% said they suffered stress or anxiety as a result of mobile issues but hadn’t taken time off as they could not afford to[/quote]A further 29% said they suffered stress or anxiety as a result of mobile issues but hadn’t taken time off as they could not afford to. Additionally, 24% said they haven’t raised their device issues to management as they felt their employer will not do anything about it.

The figures are the result of a survey of mobile workers in the UK and US by B2M Solutions, a global software company that dramatically improves how enterprise mobility is operated and managed.

The ‘Mobile Impact Survey’ took the opinions of 200 mobile workers across the UK and US who stated that the mobile device they used at work was a critical tool for them to complete their tasks, and that device reliability was paramount.

The impact to businesses for the time that staff take away from work increases the Total Cost of Ownership of mobile devices, the typical metric for measuring return on investment, by up to 14% per year. B2M states this is a key component in deriving the True Cost of Ownership™.

Gary Lee, B2M Chief Revenue Officer, commented: “Businesses are placing more responsibility onto their mobile workers but aren’t investing in tools to ensure the critical mobile devices they need to perform these new tasks are operating correctly and can be depended on.

“And it’s in their own interest. Our estimates on the cost of device failure are conservative, as even our True Cost of Ownership figures do not include further potential impacts such as having to pay overtime to remaining workers to pick up their sick colleagues’ excess work, financial penalties for missing customer SLAs, brand reputation damage, insurance claims or in extreme cases the cost of out of court settlements for workers who are unable to return to work.”

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In the final feature from our exclusive serialisation of Jim Baston’s excellent industry focused book Beyond Great Service we see the benefits that have resulted in Charlie’s efforts to establish a new sales-focused mentality amongst his service engineers that doesn’t compromise their trusted advisor status and even more importantly that they as service professionals are comfortable with...

Research released last week by Verizon Connect has revealed that the average small to medium-sized fleet operated business in the UK faces a £6,000 repair bill each year due to traffic accidents. Compounding this expense, they also lose an average of five working days each year as a result of vehicle downtime caused by traffic accidents.

Recent figures from the Department of Transport found that lorry traffic increased by 1.1% annually, with drivers travelling over 17.1 billion vehicle miles. The impact of this has hit small fleets as more than half (54 per cent), experienced an accident in the last year.

The strain on UK fleet managers is telling, with a third (31 per cent) of those surveyed by Verizon Connect reporting that maintenance and other associated costs are the top issues keeping them awake at night. The research also shows that fleet managers’ top concern regarding driver safety is using their phones while out on the roads (22 per cent), with speeding coming in at a close second (19 per cent).

Mobile Resource Management (MRM) software, like Verizon Connect, can help fleet managers improve driver safety standards across the fleet by sending real-time alerts to monitor speeding, breaking and other key driver behaviours. When it comes to the main cause of accidents, 29 per cent of fleet managers report that other road users are to blame, rather than their own drivers.

Previous research by Verizon Connect found that a quarter of UK drivers were found to be breaching driver guidelines around rest and fatigue. To combat this, and to uphold driver safety and compliance, just under half of fleet managers (46 per cent) use a tachograph to automatically record vehicle speed and distance and to keep track of their drivers’ rest periods.

“For small businesses, the cost of accidents, and driver downtime is a major concern – particularly as margins are tighter and competition is increasing.  But it’s not just the repair bill that matters, a vehicle out of service for five days could mean losing a valued customer to a rival,” comments Derek Bryan, Vice President, EMEA, Verizon Connect.

“With increasing numbers of vehicles out on the road, upholding driver safety is of utmost concern to fleet managers and drivers. While drivers can’t always avoid an accident, particularly if another driver is at fault, there are clear processes and technology that fleet managers can put in place to better protect their drivers. Making sure drivers take adequate rest breaks while tracking driver behaviour and encouraging safe driving practices can save lives, reduce accidents and uphold the lifetime and efficiency of the vehicles within the fleet.”

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The #FSN20 is our annual list of those shaping and developing our industry. However, before we make the final announcement of those who are on the 2018 list, Kris Oldland, Field Service News, Editor-in-Chief talks us through how the approach to building this year's list has evolved...

Once again we have put together a list of the brightest and best within our industry and once again I have been amazed at just how long it took us to refine the list down to twenty individuals,

Yes, it is that time again, time for us to celebrate the innovation and ingenuity that surrounds us within our industry by publishing the #FSN20 - our list of those we think are truly driving field service forward.

Although, this year you may notice that we have taken a slightly different tack to previous years.

In the past editions of the #FSN20 we had included solution providers, academics, analysts, consultants and industry practitioners and the list was a reflection of those who were the key influencers within the sector.

However, this time around you will see that we have only included the practitioners.

Why?

Well I’m glad you asked!

There are two key reasons behind this shift in approach. Firstly, we found that there were simply so many examples of excellent work being done within our sector by the industry practitioners that even whittling the list down to 20 would have been (and most certainly was in fact) a major challenge.

As it is, some really great service leaders, unfortunately, didn’t quite make the final cut and that would have been an even higher number if we had remained with the broader church we have used in previous iterations of the list.

Secondly, we figured that if we were to single out and focus our attention on one specific group, then it had to absolutely be the industry practitioners - who are often unsung heroes outside of there organisations - and sometimes even within them.

"Find them on social media, read articles they may have written and if you see their names on the speaking list at a conference get yourself there to listen to them..."

Yes, there are some truly excellent minds amongst the solution providers, academics and consultants but the fact of the matter is that the majority of names of those at the vanguard of driving our sector forward will already be familiar to our regular Field Service News readers as we make it our business to talk to and offer a platform to those who we believe are bringing something of value to the discussion.

However, there now may be some names in this year’s list that are less familiar to you and if that is the case I strongly urge you to look these folks up!

Find them on social media, read articles they may have written and if you see their names on the speaking list at a conference get yourself there to listen to them - because each member of the 2018 edition of the #FSN20 has shown excellent leadership, an intimate knowledge of how to deliver service excellence and a willingness to think outside of the box in terms of how to drive revenue whilst creating ever greater levels of customer satisfaction.

The #FSN20 will be published online next week but fieldservicenews.com subscribers on our mailing list have already had an advanced preview in the July/August issue. If you want to make sure you're always ahead of the pack as well then apply for a complimentary industry professional subscription by clicking the link below...

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Marc Tatarsky, SVP Marketing, FieldAware offers us an excellent case study of how Meadows Service Group are overcoming the challenges their field service operation were facing...

Those working in facilities and property management today must tackle some seemingly overwhelming challenges that are facing the industry. From managing multiple sites and varied programmes while maintaining service levels and meeting customer expectations. There is compliance with strict regulatory standards to manage while juggling responsibilities around maintaining often ageing assets and infrastructure and facing pressure to cut costs and complete more work with fewer resources.

FieldAware has recently released a new customer case study for Facilities and Property Management, which looks at some of these challenges, how they are being effectively managed and the benefits that are being achieved.

The case study highlights how FieldAware helped Meadows Service Group – a subsidiary of Meadows Office Interiors – to drive revenue growth and deliver their service promise.

About the Meadows Service Group...

Founded five decades ago, Meadows Office Interiors – a market-leading contract furniture dealer – creates innovative workspaces that are strategically designed to help customers improve business performance, increase collaboration, realise cost efficiencies and build brand recognition. Recognising a customer need that extends beyond furniture delivery and installation, Meadows Office Interiors created Meadows Service Group to offer ongoing support to their customer base, ultimately maximising the lifetime and integrity of customers’ valuable furniture assets through furniture maintenance programmes, inventory control, asset management and more.

Keeping pace with business growth

Meadows Office Interiors has always had a strong focus on their customer-centric service and delivering exceptional value to their clients. Over the years, Meadows had operated well using manual processes to manage its operations, but the business was expanding rapidly and it soon becomes clear that more streamlined ways of working had to be introduced to keep pace with their growth.

“When we launched Meadows Service Group we started out with what now looks like fairly basic processes in the office,” explains Ethan Bajrak, Director of Enterprise Solutions with Meadows Service Group.

“But with the speed of growth we experienced, we quickly realised we had to be more strategic in the way we worked to effectively manage the operational side of the business, which was becoming more and more challenging. We needed to gain the maximum benefit for our clients and our teams, but the processes we used were not visible to everyone and were manually updated outside of our CRM and ERP systems. There was lots of room for error. With the business expanding, we were in real danger of our service levels slipping and missing opportunities. We knew we couldn’t carry on operating that way.”

Driving efficiency

The company needed better efficiency and control of the workflow, the crews, and their tools. But their existing CRM /ERP system, NetSuite, was very important to them so they wanted to leverage its use and not change their processes too drastically.

“Our first step was to see what could be done within NetSuite,” explains Ethan. “The next was to look for products that were tightly integrated with the platform. We also worked with our NetSuite integration partner to get their recommendations for products their other customers had proven success with. FieldAware checked all those boxes.”

Reaping the benefits

Meadows has been delighted with the improved day-to-day operational management they have seen and through driving the revenue growth of the Meadows Service Group. The company has increased visibility and control as they have been able to standardise their processes and capture all jobs accurately.

They have been able to minimise downtime, while also improving productivity. Everyone has a FieldAware portlet in NetSuite so they can see everything in real-time. Everyone can now see what’s on tap for all the resources, including employees, vehicles and special tools.

On-time arrivals at job sites have increased and a big part of this is that technicians can plan their day in advance and save time by not calling back and forth to the dispatcher to determine where they should report next. The company has much better tracking of technician’s time spent on each job which, in turn, allows them to bill faster and more accurately to clients.

“Meadows Service Group is a newer revenue stream for the company,” commented Ethan “and FieldAware is helping us manage the growth of this division while effectively delivering our service promise to Meadows’ clients.”

Translating into true ROI

So as the business continues to expand, the challenges can continue to be addressed and managed.

“Teams have an increased level of confidence in our service team and customers are pleased with the level of communication and timely response. Because of the real-time sign-offs in the field, and the additional documentation provided for each job, the customer invoice payment cycle is faster, which helps our accounting team.”

“Our technicians are more productive because they are equipped with all the information they need. We can handle more jobs and are seeing less errors and repeat trips, which translates into true ROI,” concludes Ethan.

For more information on FieldAware visit www.fieldaware.com

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Swedish enterprise mobility and ERP provider IFS recently announced the hiring of former ServicePower CEO, Marne Martin, as President of their Service Management Business Unit, part of a dual role she has taken on alongside being CEO of IFS subsidiary, WorkWave. Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News reflects on this appointment and why it is a good thing not just for IFS, but for the wider industry as a whole...

I have known Marne Martin for some time now, speaking to her once or twice a year either for interviews, or just catching up at various industry events we've both been speaking at.

When she was included in a previous edition of the #FSN20, our annual list of key industry leaders, it was me that put her forward to the committee. That was in part because I had always found her to be engaging and intelligent when speaking to her, as well as being passionate for the industry we operate within - but then again, these things for me at least should be a given for any CEO within the sector.

Marne, of course, had all of these traits in abundance, but what always made her stand apart from the many other excellent leaders we have in our sector, what made her seem just that little bit more dynamic and exciting to speak with and why I put her forward for the #FSN20 (something we take very seriously here at fieldservicenews.com) was her ability to see the trends that were just beyond most people's range of vision, those that were over the horizon.

"What Marne has demonstrated time and again is that she is able to go that one step further and identify what will be the challenges and opportunities around how any given technology will ultimately be utilised..."

Sure, we can all get a feel for what technologies are set to emerge - a quick look at Gartner's current year hype cycle will allow us to see what we can expect to come along in the next few years. It might not always work out as we anticipate (think about the early clamour around wearables and in particular Glass as an example of this), but most of us who pay attention to these things are fairly able to put together a reasonably accurate picture of the future.

What Marne has demonstrated time and again is that she is able to go that one step further and identify what will be the challenges and opportunities around how any given technology will ultimately be utilised - and such foresight, is a much rarer attribute.

For example, I remember Marne outlining to me the importance that Quantum Annealing would play within field service management systems - in particularly within dynamic scheduling, long before the topic was even close to being something that was discussed outside of high-tech computing circles.

Indeed, the last time we spoke at any great length we had a long and detailed conversation about how and why field service management systems would need to ultimately evolve from being an additional feature sold alongside an ERP or CRM system and become acknowledged as something of equal status and importance within the world of enterprise computing.

Essentially we agreed, FSM needed to be, and eventually would be recognised as a category within its own right. This is something that we are now absolutely beginning to see happen in certain pockets of the industry, including IFS - who have across the last couple of year's publically stated that FSM is a core priority within their wider portfolio - something that was reiterated at their World Conference in Atlanta earlier this year by new CEO Darren Roos.

"As far as benefitting our industry as a wider whole, there are few places I feel Marne could have such a big impact, as at IFS..."

So as you can imagine, when we heard Marne was stepping down from her role as CEO of ServicePower, I had an inkling that it would be more au revoir than goodbye, I just had a feeling in my gut that we would see her again soon enough somewhere familiar.

However, as far as benefitting our industry as a wider whole, there are few places I feel Marne could have such a big impact, as at IFS. They have shown that they have the ambition, vision and capability to push the industry forwards (indeed the newly launched FSM6 is an excellent solution utilising best of breed technology), but perhaps also they have shown that they have a strong commitment to FSM that will surely raise the bar further for the quality of solutions available to field service organisations.

After all, as John F Kennedy famously quoted a rising tide lifts all boats.

Also, we must consider that Marne is bringing in exceptional leadership experience, industry knowledge and vision into a team that is already full of excellent leaders and thinkers.

For example, the always impressive Mark Brewer, Global Industry Director Service Management who has established an excellent reputation both within the company and the industry since having joined from PTC almost two years ago. Another would be Stephen Jeff-Watts, who is responsible for IFS' product strategy for Enterprise Service Management and is another with a canny knack for understanding where the future lies within the sector. Then, of course, there is Paul White, former CEO of mplsystems who IFS acquired last year who brings a huge level of detail around the latest developments around omni-channel communications to the table, or Tom DeVroy, personally, someone I hold as one of the best author's contributing to publications including ourselves around.

Indeed, the list is long and Marne's appointment at the head of this group, is set to make IFS an even more formidable force within our industry on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond.

Finally, it is also interesting to note her dual role.

"Once such a precedent has been set by such a significant industry player as IFS, it is likely that we will see other companies follow suit..."

When IFS acquired WorkWave late last year, I wrote about how the acquisition essentially gave IFS full market penetration.

Traditionally, they have always served the mid-enterprise tier well, in recent year's we have seen them begin to open some more doors in the larger enterprise sector as well. However, the SME market has always been an area that has been somewhat underserved, yet could be potentially lucrative, as WorkWave has proven.

With Marne taking on dual responsibilities for Enterprise Service Management and WorkWave it seems that IFS may potentially be seeking to firmly organise a significant section of their business around their FSM  capabilities - exactly the type of shift in thinking that Marne and I had discussed a year ago and also something Darren Roos alluded to when I spoke to him recently as well.

Once such a precedent has been set by such a significant industry player as IFS, it is likely that we will see other companies follow suit - which will ultimately lead to further emphasis on the importance of field service within industry.

So from where I'm sitting, Marne's arrival at IFS is therefore potentially great news long-term for all in our industry - it certainly promises to be an exciting move and I for one wish her every success.

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ByBox, specialists in smart locker technology and field service solutions, today announced a strategic investment from Francisco Partners, the firm who acquired ClickSoftware in 2015 and who currently values ByBox at £221 million.

The private equity firm backs ambitious technology-enabled businesses and will support ByBox’s expansion of its UK infrastructure and global deployment of its ‘Konnect’ app-locker solution.

“ByBox is a great company with a clear and increasingly critical proposition. Its success comes down to great leadership, outstanding customer service and relentless development of its solutions. Listening closely to customers and really understanding market trends have made ByBox an extremely investible business,” remarked Deep Shah, co-president, Francisco Partners.

Working with Francisco Partners will enable ByBox to accelerate the deployment of its ground-breaking app-locker technology both in the UK and across key global markets. ByBox’s app-lockers systematically address the core challenges of the field service supply chain. This should be welcome news to ByBox’s customers, who grapple constantly with how to permanently extinguish unnecessary costs.

[quote float="left"]We’re excited to help ByBox support its existing UK customer base with new offerings, accelerate its international expansion and penetrate new industries.[/quote]Petri Oksanen, partner, Francisco Partners commented, “We’re excited to help ByBox support its existing UK customer base with new offerings, accelerate its international expansion and penetrate new industries. Our growth experience will complement ByBox’s inventive nature and intelligent solution set in continuing to drive real customer value into the global field service market.”

The transaction marks an exit for LDC, a mid-market private equity investor. LDC originally provided £37.5 million of development capital in 2016. In the last two years, the business has grown significantly and doubled in value.

“LDC are insightful and supportive investors who have worked closely with the ByBox team to formulate and execute a successful strategy. The next phase of this strategy is characterised by ongoing investment in our UK business as well as driving our international expansion. FP has a tremendous track record and will be ideal partners to help us deliver this growth,” commented Stuart Miller, co-founder and CEO of ByBox.

“ByBox is a great example of a company with a winning combination of innovative problem-solving technology and fantastic customer service. Under the impeccable leadership of Stuart and his team, ByBox has grown to become a real market leader in its field, two years ahead of plan,” said Alastair Weinel, investment director at LDC in the South. “Together, we’ve generated significant value and have opened the door for even further expansion. We know this ambitious management team isn’t finished yet and wish the team every success in the next phase of their journey.”

“The world is increasingly dependent on technology. When the tech fails, the world stops working. So field service has never been more critical – which is why everybody at ByBox is so excited to be an increasingly critical part of the future solution set. The backing from FP allows us to go faster and to deliver the next phase of our ambition for our customers,” concluded Miller.

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We recently gave Janam’s XT100 handheld computer a full Hands-On review and now we turn our attention to its sibling the XM75 which shares mostly the same specifications but comes in a different form factor...

In March earlier this year, Janam announced two new handheld computers to their range - the XT100 and the XM75. Inside the guts of both devices are almost identical but there are some slight differences and of course, the XM75 occupies a different form factor, more geared towards data input with a 24 key numeric keypad and also a purpose-built trigger handle available as well.

Having given the XT100 a rigorous hands-on review when it launched we thought we should also get it’s sibling into our offices to compare the two and to see which workflows each device would be more suited to.

What the manufacturers say:

Pocketable, Powerful Tough.

Janam’s XM75 rugged mobile computer makes it easy to capture business-critical information accurately and efficiently. As one of the only devices specially designed for input-intensive applications, the XM75’s compact form factor combined with larger keypad design delivers the ideal solution for organizations that want an easy-to-use keypad and large touchscreen in the same device.

The XM75 is sealed to IP67 standard against dust and immersion in up to 3 feet of water. It can withstand multiple 5’/1.5m drops to concrete per MIL-STD 810G across a wide temperature range...

Pocketable and powerful, the XM75 supports the enterprise-ready Android operating system with Google Mobile Services and meets all the requirements of the most demanding environments, including transportation, logistics, route accounting, direct store delivery and field service.

Weighing only 10.5 ounces, the XM75 is one of the lightest yet most rugged devices in its class and is packed with advanced features to boost productivity, streamline operations and improve the customer experience. Offering 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth, the XM75 provides lightning fast and reliable access to voice and data applications inside the enterprise and out in the field.

The XM75 is sealed to IP67 standard against dust and immersion in up to 3 feet of water. It can withstand multiple 5’/1.5m drops to concrete per MIL-STD 810G across a wide temperature range. A standard 2-year warranty provides customers with both peace of mind and the level of service they require, at no additional cost, with optional Comprehensive Service plans available to those that want to further extend their mobile computing investment.

First impressions:

The XM75 does pretty much what you would expect of it - for those that read our previous review of the XT100 for all intents and purposes, it is an XT100 with a keyboard instead of just the capacitive screen.

This does, of course, make the device’s footprint slightly larger (76.83mm x 166.01mm x 29.27mm for the XM75 vs 70mm x 136mm x 17.4mm) which subsequently, of course, adds additional weight to the device as well and it comes in at a full 3oz heavier than the XT100 making it about 30% heavier.

"The device is far from in heavy even when strapped into the trigger handle (which is itself surprisingly light) and both in and out of the trigger we found the device to be ergonomic and comfortable..."

That said the device is far from in heavy even when strapped into the trigger handle (which is itself surprisingly light) and both in and out of the trigger we found the device to be ergonomic and comfortable.

All in all the XM75 feels very much as it is intended to, a robust yet relatively lightweight handheld designed with the factory, warehouse or field worker in mind.

But ist there more to the differences between the XM75 and XT100 other than form factor?

Processing power:

In terms of processing power, the two devices are identical with bot the XM75 and the XT100 having a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 410 quad-core. In terms of the market for similar devices as to the Janam offerings, these offer a fairly standard amount of processing power.

They both also come with 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM as standard. Again this sits pretty much in the middle of the pack in terms of similar devices and is definitely suitable for a number of field service applications.

Also, the memory in both devices is expandable via a user accessible Micro SD slot with SD and SDHC support – which can become a very useful option for engineers who need to record a lot of data, or even for those who work in offline environments regularly where locally storing asset maintenance information to aid a first time fix could be of benefit.

Operating system:

The XM75 is currently running Android 6 (Marshmallow) - which is a perfect option for industry, focused devices and as such is also on the XT100.

"The XM75 is currently running Android 6 (Marshmallow) - which is a perfect option for industry, focused devices and as such is also on the XT100..."

Whilst the latest consumer devices are now running Android 8 (Oreo) and some even beginning to see Android 9 (Pie) - in a world of enterprise the need for a robustly road-tested OS is hugely important. Marshmallow is currently the most advanced iteration of the OS that also has the stability required for enterprise-grade computing so a sensible option for both devices.

The Ins & Outs:

As with another of Janam’s handheld computers former flagship device the XT2, Neither the XM75 nor XT100 have a huge array of physical input options – but this can’t really be avoided in a device of such a size.

However, both devices benefit from good ergonomic design of in terms of the placement of hard keys are configurable but whose primary role would be most certainly be engaging the dedicated barcode scan engine (Honeywell N6603 2D Imager) which incidentally was both fast and effective in our tests of the XM75.

Of course, one of the major differences between the two is that the XM75 also has the optional trigger handle which offers yet another hard key and makes the device super easy for any role that requires a high volume of scanning.

The other significant difference between the devices then is also the 24 key numeric keypad which certainly appears to be well made, with the keypad having both a reassuring feel of durability to it as well as offering that important tactile feel that simply cannot be overlooked when a workflow involves inputting short text and numbers frequently within a workflow.

Another nice touch with regards to the keypad is that it is backlit. It is these little details that can make a huge difference if, for example, your field staff are working in a dark location - and it is the mark of a good manufacturer that doesn’t skip these small but important details.

Ruggedity:

When we reviewed the XT100 we pointed out that whilst the XT100 holds its head high with good rugged credentials albeit slightly less so than its sibling the XT2. The XM75 however, has the higher rugged credentials of its elder cousin.

"The XM75 also boasts of a higher IP rating than the XT100 with a rating of IP67 meaning that it is even less susceptible to water ingress than the IP65 rated XT100..."

Whilst the  XT100 is capable of withstanding multiple drops at a respectable 1.2m the XM75 has been tested at the higher drop height of 1.5m and in our testing, it survived such drops without a scratch. In fact, we even tested it in and out of the trigger handle and throughout our entire series of tests it only ever came out of the handle once - a good sign is given that the XM75 will almost invariably be used primarily within the handle.

The XM75 also boasts of a higher IP rating than the XT100 with a rating of IP67 meaning that it is even less susceptible to water ingress than the IP65 rated XT100.

When it comes to operating temperature ranges both the XM75 and the XT100 operate within a range of -20 to 60 degrees centigrade – which means that even in the most inhospitable environments the device should function effectively, and in terms of humidity they are both is non-condensing up to 95%. Finally, the capacitive touchscreen boasts toughened Corning Gorilla Glass 3 to further add to the devices robust credentials.

Battery Life:

In terms of battery life the SM75 again just edges out the XT100 with its 4100mAh rechargeable Li-ion battery compared to the XT100’s 3000mAh 3.8v rechargeable Li-ion battery.

"Both devices should be capable of seeing out most field service engineers working days, especially if the device is placed in an in-vehicle charging cradle in between jobs..."

This is of course, likely to be the result of Janam taking advantage of the slightly larger form factor, but it certainly does make a difference. We found that the XM75 held battery life across an 8 hour day of reasonable to heavy usage considerably better than the XT100. When we reviewed the XT100 and ran it through our tests the battery was finished the day on 14%. The same tests for the XM75 saw the battery level at the end of the day at 27% so this is certainly a factor to be considered if your field workers tend to work longer hours on occasion.

That said, both devices should be capable of seeing out most field service engineers working days, especially if the device is placed in an in-vehicle charging cradle in between jobs.  However, for those engineers who are required to spend long days in one location, a four-slot battery charger is an optional accessory.

Conclusion:

When we reviewed the XT100 a few months back we praised it as a solid mid,-market handheld computer that was particularly elegant and comfortable in hand and was remarkably light for a rugged device.

Similar things could be said for the XM75 although when it comes to roles where there is a large amount of scanning or field completion then the XM75 becomes the choice between the two. Similarly, if your field staff are in slightly more rugged environments, the XM75 just edges its close sibling with slightly better-rugged credentials.

However, both are a solid choice for field service organisations looking to empower their field workers with handheld mobile computers powerful enough for the job, rugged to survive yet with a light footprint.

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Data is one of the key driving forces underpinning the modern day economy, but asset and service data specifically, is absolutely crucial.

Organisations collect, aggregate and analyse plenty of it, but the way in which they do this can either be the catalyst for soaring above competitors, or the iceberg that sinks the ship.

Equally, outcome-based business models, which could be considered the next generation of the modern economy, might be a “make or break” moment in the lifespan of many global organisations. An outcome-based business model is focused on the outcome for the customer rather than a specific product. Customers receive extensive maintenance and support services after they have purchased the product, helping to nurture their relationship with the supplier.

In addition, customers only pay per outcome.

For example, the ability to only pay for a jet engine while it is in the skies, or an MRI scanner that is fully functioning and actually able to carry out a scan on a patient. Essentially, this type of model ensures that the customer always has the right outcome, enabling them to grow their own business while fostering a healthy client-supplier relationship.

Whether organisations can make an effective transition to this relatively new form of business model will likely be intrinsically linked to their ability to successfully collect and use data derived from their assets and will ultimately decide whether or not they stay afloat.

Are Outcome Based Services a key topic for you?!  There is a white paper on this topic available to fieldservicenews.com subscribers. Click the button below to get fully up to date now! 

Summary of Key Findings:

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Want to know more?!  There is a white paper on this topic available to fieldservicenews.com subscribers. Click the button below to get fully up to date now! 

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