Our series of excerpts from the exceptional industry guide 'Mobile Resource Management for Dummies', which has been commissioned by Verizon Connect has so far explored Understanding Digital Transformation in a Connected, Mobile World also Thinking...
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Sep 04, 2018 • Features • Fleet Technology • fleet technology • Gamification • Verizon Connect • Driver Behaviour • field service • field service management • field service technology • Service Management • SOftware Implementation • telematics • For Dummies • Mobile Resource Management • Managing the Mobile Workforce
Our series of excerpts from the exceptional industry guide 'Mobile Resource Management for Dummies', which has been commissioned by Verizon Connect has so far explored Understanding Digital Transformation in a Connected, Mobile World also Thinking Outside the Silo and Harnessing the Power of Telematics, and Realising the Value of Mobile Resource Managemen
Now in this latest excerpt, we turn our attention to how field service organisations can avoid Mobile Resource Management pitfalls whilst they drive greater employee engagement.
Is Mobile Resource Management a key Topic for you?! Dive straight into the full eBook by hitting the button below!
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If you need to catch up with the previous articles in this series you can find part one here, part two here and part three here.
As with any new project or initiative, there are some common pitfalls to avoid when deploying a Mobile Resource Management (MRM) solution. In this excerpt, we shall look at some of these pitfalls and how to address them, as well as how to engage employees in every department throughout your organisation using the concept of gamification to coach and improve worker performance and drive a more satisfied, efficient and safe organisation.
You Can’t ‘Set It and Forget It’
MRM is a business strategy supported by processes and technology and used by teams throughout the organisation.
Although technology is a vital component, many organisations mistakenly focus purely on the technology and neglect to consider how supporting processes will map to the MRM solution, and fail to define or implement a strategy to gain user adoption.
"The goodwill created through co-consultation will quickly evaporate if people don’t understand how to use the software and how it benefits the company, their team members, and themselves..."
Although various teams throughout your organisation may have been consulted during the MRM planning process, don’t expect them to automatically embrace the new system or instinctively know how to use it effectively. The goodwill created through co-consultation will quickly evaporate if people don’t understand how to use the software and how it benefits the company, their team members, and themselves.
The level of personalisation will depend on the workflows and the capabilities of the solution being implemented. User training always needs to be built into any MRM project plan.
As well as covering tuition on software functionality and its benefits, group training is a perfect forum to formulate processes and ensure buy-in collectively from all teams. Tailored training programmes involving the system users or those with a vested interest in delivery – your MRM ‘advocates’ or ‘champions’ – need to be developed.
In this way, the system will be seen as a universal corporate tool and not just one department ‘selling’ it.
A common pitfall (discussed in our article in this series on 'Thinking Outside the Silo') is trying to cobble together your own MRM system by integrating siloed best-of-breed solutions in-house. The ever-changing applications make constant connectivity a difficult, moving target that’s costly to set up and that requires a long-term and expensive commitment, relying on a small team/person with highly specialised knowledge – this can be a very high-risk proposition.
Don’t Just Throw in the Kitchen Sink
As the saying goes: garbage in, garbage out.
Spend time cleaning up your data – especially any data that includes addresses. Have you maintained a consistent style or format for data entry? Doing some data validation to determine whether your data is in the proper format goes a long way towards helping to make your data more usable.
One of the fundamental deployment errors in any new system is simply ‘forklifting’ your data from the old system to the new one. Before you begin the process, separate, segment and streamline your data. Work out which segments are relatively clean and which will need additional cleansing. Think clearly about what you want to put in and what will actually be relevant day to day. What data is going to get users to actually want to use the system? Remove out-of-date activities, as well as organisations and contacts that haven’t been touched recently. Relevancy is a guaranteed way to overcome user resistance.
Don’t just focus on addresses – think about time windows, skill sets, delivery days/dates and other common data.
These will all impact the effectiveness of your MRM solution if they’re not accurate and up-to-date. Have a clear, consolidated, centralised database of all your fleet/asset information to avoid delays and frustration, especially at remote locations.
Taking the necessary steps to fix any issues or errors in advance will significantly improve the MRM data conversion and implementation process.
Establish Your Mission
While your drivers, technicians or crews may be a subset of a larger business, there’s no reason why that subset shouldn’t have its own mission that aligns and supports the overall corporate mission.
"While your drivers, technicians or crews may be a subset of a larger business, there’s no reason why that subset shouldn’t have its own mission that aligns and supports the overall corporate mission..."
Once the mission is established, it’s time to break it down to individual objectives that support the mission. For example, the mission may be to operate the safest fleet in your region, so the objectives may include reducing speeding incidents, Hours of Service (HOS) violations or vehicle idle time.
Create measurable key performance indicators (KPIs) from the established objectives and keep them as specific as possible. No matter what your objectives are – increasing productivity, decreasing fuel costs, improving the safety of your crews or increasing asset utilisation – the secret to achieving them is keeping them Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound (SMART). You then need to connect your entire organisation to the established goals.
Align Your Objectives
Review your objectives to ensure that they align with business operations. For example, if your company puts working as fast as possible first and safety second, then setting an objective to reduce speeding won’t align. Get your company influencers (normally managers or supervisors) involved to review and align to the objectives.
Your managers need to be on board with the new objectives because they play an important role in influencing others, and ultimately help to achieve a successful outcome. After reviewing and refining your objectives, and aligning them with your organisation, you’re ready for deployment.
Plan Your Rollout Across the Organisation
If you’re rolling out at multiple locations, draw up a coordinated plan.
Ensure that all parties are on the same page and engaged across the entire organisation – not just in the main office, but at all remote sites. Everyone needs to be aware of the deployment plan and the local champion/team must have everything prepared for deployment at their site on the agreed day/time.
Clear and concise internal communications are critical to ensure a smooth rollout.
Scope the deployment properly first: don’t move the goal posts during implementation. This is very difficult to do, as local variance and conditions means that tweaks are needed but they can cause delay.
What Is Gamification
Gamification is the use of game mechanics in a typically non-game-oriented context.
Gamification is used by software companies to build business applications that increase engagement and participation while accelerating learning. It leverages the human instinct to compete with ourselves or others, with the objective of encouraging teams to achieve company-wide goals.
For example, you can deliver greater safety and compliance by giving near real-time data to drivers so that they can track – and eventually improve – their own performance, or improve productivity by empowering field workers to track near real-time performance metrics when completing work orders.
For gamification to be most effective it needs to be ‘refereed’. This means monitoring results, providing incentives and celebrating wins...
For gamification to be most effective it needs to be ‘refereed’. This means monitoring results, providing incentives and celebrating wins. It can’t just be a new fad or flavour of the month initiative. Instead, it must become part of the fabric and culture of the business otherwise results will slip and workers will return to their old habits.
To monitor the results, you need a scoreboard to help reinforce the KPIs so that your employees know what they’re playing for.
The system takes the predetermined metrics and generates a score, then lets the employee see how they perform against their peers. It’s an opportunity to improve behaviours and perform with pride because they see metrics that show a direct correlation to how they’re helping to make their operation successful.
Managers can compare employee scorecards and the types and frequencies of training content being accessed to different metrics such as the rate of accidents, lost-time injuries and productivity, and draw direct correlations between what moves the needle and what doesn’t.
Done right, gamification can be more than just a passing fad.
The data derived can be a powerful force for change in your organisation – you’ll see more than better business results: you’ll have employees who feel more engaged and appreciated, recognised for good performance on the job and motivated to do their best.
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Aug 17, 2018 • Features • Fleet Technology • fleet technology • Verizon Connect • field service • fleet management • Service Management • Field Service Solutions • For Dummies • Mobile Resource Management • Managing the Mobile Workforce
In a new series, fieldservicenews.com is pleased to bring you a selection of articles taken from the recently released limited edition of Mobile Resource Management for Dummies, which is presented by Verizon Connect.
In a new series, fieldservicenews.com is pleased to bring you a selection of articles taken from the recently released limited edition of Mobile Resource Management for Dummies, which is presented by Verizon Connect.
Is Mobile Resource Management a key Topic for you?!
Dive straight into the full eBook by hitting the button below!
Sponsored by:
Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this content.
Modern Challenges in Managing a Mobile Workforce and Assets
Digital transformation has become imperative for many businesses today that find they must reinvent themselves, or face the possibility of extinction in an increasingly competitive and rapidly evolving market landscape.
Amazon, Netflix and Uber are three modern examples of companies that have used disruptive technologies to transform entire business models.
Beginning in the 1990s, Amazon challenged the status quo in the bookselling market (remember when Amazon only sold books?!). Today, Amazon has become a colossal market force befitting its name. Retail booksellers like Waterstones, Borders and Barnes & Noble have either disappeared altogether or are struggling to hold on. Beyond books, Amazon has transformed the entire retail industry. Amazon has also transformed distribution and logistics. Perhaps most excitingly, Amazon has taken a novel idea to sell excess compute capacity in its data centres and completely revolutionised computing as we know it today. With the launch of Amazon Web Services (AWS) in 2006, Amazon helped to usher in the cloud computing era.
Netflix is another example of a company that used digital transformation to completely reinvent the film rental business, and crush the Blockbuster chain of video rental stores. Today, Netflix is transforming the entire entertainment industry as it produces original films and television programming, largely bypassing the traditional Hollywood entertainment moguls altogether.
"The factor that unites all of these success stories is a user-centric experience that gives end-users what they want, now..."
Finally, Uber is challenging traditional taxi companies by leveraging an intuitive mobile app to connect drivers with passengers using global positioning system (GPS) location services and crowdsourcing to replace inefficient dispatchers. Uber uses cashless transactions to safely and efficiently collect and pay fares.
The factor that unites all of these success stories is a user-centric experience that gives end-users what they want, now.
For businesses and industries that manage large mobile workforces and assets – such as fleet vehicles, heavy equipment and specialised tools – plus field service organisations, and construction and repair services, innovative uses for technology are driving exciting new opportunities, as well as complex challenges.
Among these challenges, the evolution of the many disparate solutions to manage the mobile workforce has limited the potential of MRM deployments. Different applications and functions – such as route optimisation, navigation, telematics and mobility – operating in independent silos with little or no data connectivity or integration between them create a complex environment that doesn’t adequately support real-time operations (see Figure 1-1).
FIGURE 1-1: Siloed applications and technologies add complexity.
A rapidly changing landscape
Not surprisingly, technology is driving a rapidly changing industry landscape. For example, electric cars – once considered science fiction – are now very much a reality. The UK is the latest in a growing list of countries, along with France, to outline plans to halt the manufacture of petrol and diesel cars, announcing that it will ban their production by 2040. For any business that relies on fl preparation for this transition starts now. MRM solutions are key to this, having been shown to lead to significant cost savings through efficient route planning and reduced idling time and fuel waste.
"Just as technology is driving this change, it also offers the solution to the challenges it presents..."
But just as technology is driving this change, it also offers the solution to the challenges it presents. In the US, record numbers of businesses are turning to advanced MRM systems to collect vital information on their staff, vehicles and assets to ensure that they can keep pace with inevitable changes to business processes, regulation and reporting. C.J. Driscoll and Associates project that the total number of MRM units installed on fleet vehicles, commercial trailers, heavy construction equipment and personal mobile devices used in the field will grow to more than 14 million units in the US by 2019.
Naturally, data plays a key role in any business transformation – especially when upgrading vehicles to new technologies or transitioning to new systems and processes. The more data you collect, the easier it is to adapt. With this in mind, the choice facing business fleets is simple: get ahead of the game now, or spend precious resources catching up in the future.
The technologies of tomorrow are here today
In other areas, there’s simply no time to get ahead of the game – tomorrow’s technologies are already integral to the way we work and live. This is particularly true of the Internet of Things (IoT). Just like the cloud before it, the IoT is most definitely here to stay, with various industry analysts predicting anywhere from 20 to 30 billion IoT connected devices by 2020.
"The natural progression of this vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication is, of course, the autonomous vehicle..."
The impact of this trend on fleets is potentially enormous, as greater connectivity allows vehicles to interact with one another and collect data on vehicle environment, condition and performance. Most fleets already collect information on speed, fuel use and driver behaviour, but the technology exists to go much further. Businesses can automate previously labour-intensive or manual processes such as routing, payroll and reporting, through comprehensive MRM systems, connecting the vehicle, the people and the work seamlessly – potentially improving efficiency, productivity and, ultimately, the bottom line. The natural progression of this vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication is, of course, the autonomous vehicle. Uber launched its first fleet of autonomous taxis in 2016, and the likes of Google, Apple, Tesla, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz are investing millions in the space.
Vehicle connectivity and standard fitment of hardware will become increasingly widespread, enabling live updates of current vehicle health, GPS positioning and traffic and weather feeds. The speed of change is phenomenal, and businesses need agility and flexibility to survive and thrive in the market.
Change today or pay tomorrow
With any new technological development, the last to adapt pays the heaviest price. Progress waits for no one and the companies that thrive are those that embrace it. In the current climate, doing nothing is simply not an option – change is happening, and it is happening now.
As technology continues to infiltrate the way we work, we create more data than ever before. At best, this leaves companies in a position where they have more data than they know what to do with, and therefore fail to take advantage of the potential opportunity that it offers. At worst, businesses waste precious time and resources analysing that data, which can make it feel like more of a hindrance than a help. In such an environment, implementing a system that can analyse this data for you, help to automate key processes, and future-proof your business is no longer a luxury but a necessity.
"Your customers are used to technology as an enabler, and they will go to whoever can give them the best and most convenient service possible!"
Your customers are used to technology as an enabler, and they will go to whoever can give them the best and most convenient service possible!
MRM technology can do this and more: giving you a clear picture of your business every minute of the working day, and enabling you to make the best use of your people, your vehicles, and your resources – potentially saving you time and money, and providing a better customer experience and competitive advantage.
The companies that now lead the world all used technology to carve out a niche and disrupt the norm, changing the industries they now dominate forever. Who remembers the companies they crushed along the way?!
Leveraging Cloud and Mobile Technology
Cloud computing takes mobile resource management to new heights. The cloud enables businesses of any size to leverage massive computing and storage capacity without committing capital expenditure or requiring entire IT departments to operate and maintain it. Cloud services are typically provisioned on a subscription basis in which customers only pay for what they use – much like public utilities. Business can easily and automatically scale their cloud environment up or down as business needs dictate.
One of the most popular cloud computing service models is software as a service (SaaS), in which a cloud customer uses an application that’s hosted in the cloud, but the customer is not responsible for maintaining the software application (such as updates and security patches) or the underlying infrastructure (such as servers, databases and network equipment).
The cloud also enables near real-time access to data – critical to many mobile resource management applications. Rather than connecting back to a server in a corporate network that may have relatively limited network bandwidth, some MRM applications exchange data in the cloud, which supports more robust data centres located around the world and is equipped with massive computing and storage capacity, as well as network connectivity.
"Like the cloud, mobile innovation has changed our world today. Smartphones are everywhere – and they’re getting smarter..."
Like the cloud, mobile innovation has changed our world today. Smartphones are everywhere – and they’re getting smarter. Increasingly powerful and intuitive applications create new possibilities for solving complex mobile workforce and resource management challenges.
As 5G cellular technology begins to be deployed by 2020, ubiquitous connectivity – practically everywhere – will become a reality. In addition to ever greater network speeds, 5G technology will enable near real-time communication between devices, applications, and users in harsh and remote environments that are not possible today, such as at sea, in the air, or in remote mining areas. 5G innovations will enable certain types of Internet traffic to be prioritised so that mission-critical applications – such as for autonomous vehicles – are delivered reliably and quickly. 5G will also overcome many current structural challenges, such as interference in metropolitan areas and tall buildings.
As 5G networks become a reality, the power of cloud computing and its applications for telematics and mobile resource management will continue to drive digital transformation in every industry. Additional information on vehicle hardware (as standard from 2018 on new model launches) will improve vehicle connectivity and information gathering.
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