The challenging act of balancing the equation of increasing need for field service resources with a dwindling current labour pool is one impacting field service organisations in every corner of the globe. Here, the editorial team at WBR Singapore explain more in a special article for Field Service News…

Field service as an industry has seen significant growth over the past decade or so but, while the amount of work available to field service providers is likely to continue exponentially on its present course, the number of engineers available to carry out these contracts is rapidly dwindling.

 

Talent Crisis

There are many reasons behind the talent crises presently being experienced in the field service industry and all need to be addressed if the issue is to be satisfactorily resolved. From the issues related to an ageing workforce, the challenges of attracting fresh young talent, and the transfer of skills between the two, to the implementation of new technology and the training which must be put in place as a result, the obstacles which must be overcome are many.

Let’s take a slightly more detailed look at the field service talent gap crises, the reasons underpinning it, and how they might be overcome.

Ageing Workforce

The demographics of the field service workforce are currently experiencing a dramatic paradigm shift. The previous generation of baby boomers is now reaching retirement age, and the industry is now looking to the Millennial and GenZ generations to take up their mantle.

 

"It’s a sad fact that many of the younger people now taking their place in the global workforce do not find field service an attractive career prospect..."

 

The impact of this phenomenon on the field service industry would perhaps be felt more keenly than in other workforces due to the physical demand placed on the engineers compared to more sedentary employment. An ageing workforce is likely to find the physical demands of field service work increasingly challenging. Similarly, the more sedentary, digital, generations which exist today may also find the work difficult - albeit from the other end of the scale. It’s a sad fact that many of the younger people now taking their place in the global workforce do not find field service an attractive career prospect. Huge numbers of these people are looking for jobs with the latest tech and digital service providers rather than in maintenance and field service provision.

However, this challenge can be addressed by using the very technology these demographics find so attractive to simultaneously modernize field service and make the industry a far more appealing prospect to youngsters.

Digital Transformation

Industry 4.0 technology is already finding its way into field service work. IoT connected sensors are making predictive service contracts possible by alerting engineers to failing components before they break down entirely, while automation and AI are enabling appointments to be booked automatically and helping with intelligent scheduling and route planning.

"Augmented reality is also providing engineers with real time schematics..."

 

“There is a great deal of hype these days about the importance of optimizing dispatch and routing schedules for field service technicians – and there should be,” reports Field Technologies Online. “Assigning and dispatching technicians using ideal scheduling algorithms and optimal turn-by-turn directions can yield tremendous gains in productivity, significant service cost reductions, and much happier customers – all of which have an appreciable positive impact on the bottom line.”

Augmented reality is also providing engineers with real time schematics which can be overlaid onto real-world machines to assist with troubleshooting and repairs – especially useful with legacy equipment for which service documents are not always easy to locate.

While these technologies enable field service providers to give their customers a faster, more efficient, and overall better service, they will also serve to make your brand more attractive to young would-be engineers.

When attending recruitment drives or colleges, always promote your company’s use of the very latest digital technology and make sure you’re giving your brand the best chance of inspiring the next generation of engineers.

Skills Transfer

Digital technology can not only be used to attract young talent to your brand, but also help facilitate training and the transfer of skills between the old and new generations.

 

"Digital technology can help address many of the issues relating to the field service talent gap..."

 

“There is a growing need for well-trained technicians,” reports Ortec. “If you have them, how do you keep them? How do you educate younger generations? Start a training and leadership development program for experienced staff members to train or guide less experienced technicians. In a recent survey, 69% of next-generation workers stated that they desire digital access to experts while in the field. It’s time to start considering new approaches for knowledge transfer – even remotely, in real time – to provide the best possible service to customers.”

By staffing a contact center with experienced engineers, they can offer real-time guidance and advice to on-site staff. Using aforementioned augmented reality technology, they can draw on a screen at base and have their instructions be displayed on the companion device on-site. This allows those staff nearing retirement to take a more relaxed and less active role within the company while remaining productive, and simultaneously training the newer employees.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, digital technology can help address many of the issues relating to the field service talent gap. By not only deploying, but also promoting, its use within your organization, you will have the best chance of maintaining a well-staffed brand for generations to come.

Tackling the skills gap in the field service industry is set to be a hot topic at Field Service & B2B CX Asia, 3-5 November 2020 at Equarius Hotel, Singapore. Scan the code for further information. 

UK-based CAE firm will form part of Hexagon's Manufacturing Intelligence Division.

Precision measuring specialists Hexagon AB has acquired CAEFatigue, a provider of mechanical fatigue simulation solutions.

Consolidate

CAEFatigue, founded in 2012 and based in the United Kingdom, will be consolidated into MSC Software, Hexagon’s own Computer-aided Engineering (CAE) simulation software arm, part of Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence Division.

The implementation of CAE simulation during the design phase of manufacturing can replicate and identify potential stresses and fatigue issues of a product. CAEfatigue Vibration, a component of CAEfatigue’s software suite uses frequency-domain response rather than a time-domain alternative which increases accuracy during the simulation. At the moment It is being used in a range of sectors including the automotive and aerospace industries, both key demographics for Hexagon. Currently, MSC provide simulation software for NASA, Boeing and Genera Motors and with the addition of CAEFatigue, Hexagon expect to bring an enhanced CAE offering to existing and new customers.

Hexagon President and CEO Ola Rollén said Hexagon's portfolio of smart factory and smart industrial facility solutions will feel the benefit of the acquisition beyond its manufacturing processes. "CAEFatigue offers solutions for validating design and manufacturing methods - from choice of material to fabrication - enabling decisions during the design phase that improve quality and product life, while saving time, reducing costs and eliminating waste." 

The eternal hunt for field service excellence has recently been bolstered by the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence as a major tool in the arsenal of the field service organisation writes Aly Pinder...

The emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) has led to the next big challenge for service organizations and manufacturers. How can wemake sense of the data we now have access to? From executives to the front-line field service technician, the ability to turn data into actionable insights will become the measuring stick for sustained success.

 

Leverage

To take this leap from data points to insights, organizations are ramping up quickly to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure volumes data (flow, sensor, vibration, temperature, or other data) can be mined quickly, accurately, and autonomously. When asked in a recent IDC survey, manufacturers listed Big Data and AI as a 4.06-level of importance (on a 1-5 scale, 1-not at all important,5-very important) regarding technologies integral to their service innovation journey.

The increase in importance should come as little shock to most as technology become ubiquitous in our daily lives, however what is interesting is the impact AI is having on service broadly and field service specifically.

As organizations evolve service business models to be less reactive and more proactive or predictive, the ability to leverage real-time data across a complex network of inputs is becoming critical for this transition.

Being reactive or break / fix merely requires a customer or an operator to call the service desk and report an issue. But in order to truly be predictive or prescriptive with service prior to a failure, organizations must leverage performance data to allocate resources, trigger a service event, and schedule the service to be delivered.

Organizations are looking to AI to explore field service excellence in some of the following ways:

• Better service planning and execution – How often have we talked about the “rights” of field service; right part, right tech, right skills, right time, right resolution. As much as we’ve commented on this and attempted to reach this utopia, many organizations still miss. AI connects the dots between each of the inputs across field service execution to provide the intelligence necessary to make the correct decisions, each time.
  
  
• Customer experience optimization – Even at a global scale, manufacturers and service organizations are finding they need to personalize service experiences for their customers. AI is enabling organizations to segment customers and deliver the level of support desired. Not every customer wants the closest technician, some just want to see the tech they’ve built a relationship with over the years. AI can and should be used to identify customer needs along with how best to resolve an issue. Should you resolve an issue remotely, or send a field service technician, or notify the customer directly with a customer support agent to walk them through the fix?
  
  
• Self-healing and suggestive preventative maintenance – As service organizations embrace servitization or product as a service models, they will need to deliver uptime and outcomes. Analyzing asset performance data and anomalies at scale provides the bridge to these new autonomous field service business models. But AI also provides the reporting capability to support the dashboards and details which will validate these premium services. Without capturing data points and rationalizing the service being delivered, customers may not understand why they are paying for service when they don’t actually see a failure occur.
  
  

More and more products and equipment are being connected every day which in turn is leading to volumes of data that needs to be managed. Passively managing data will be a waste of these IoT investments. Furthermore, AI can accelerate service business model transformation which has been talked about for years if not decades.

I look forward to seeing how field service organizations take advantage of AI to take this leap and meet customer expectations for an enhanced service experience.

 

A Field Service News' favourite, Cheryl-Anne Sanderson, joins Mark Glover for our latest podcast bringing ideas around networking, perception and nurturing young talent. 

It's been nearly a year since Cher made her debut on the Field Service Podcast. Since then a career move, a successful presentation at last year's FSN Connect, not to mention a well-deserved place in FSN's top 20 service individuals - the FSN20, has made the last 12 months, by her own admission, rather crazy. Yet despite the madness she has still found time to contribute thought-pieces for us on reframing networking and to make a second appearance on the podcast on nurturing young talent.

Cher's belief in guiding the next generation of leaders in service and FM remains undiminished and has possibly got stronger. She shares with us process her firm is undertaking when guiding through young, new recruits; and ponders if anything has changed around the perception of our sectors, a key metric when attracting new talent. She also explores some of the ideas raised in her article about networking.

As ever, it's a fascinating listen from one of the strongest most forward thinking voices in the sector. Listen now!

You can listen to Cher's previous podcast for us here and you can reach out to her on LinkedIn here.

Project to be facilitated by Noventum Service Management and will focus on service-business models.

HSO has announced a research project with Microsoft to look into future service-business models.

The project will hone in on digitilasation as an enabler for new business models and how it affects increasing customer demands.
To enhance their findings research partner Noventum are looking for feedback from the service sector on the topic and have created a survey for participants to contribute, which you can do here. Those who take part will receive a full report of the project's findings.

Development from novice to expert is something we need to go through multiple times in our working career. So, why do organisations still struggle with refining this process and what still needs to be done? Martin Summerhayes writes...

 

 

Novice?

Let me ask you a question, when were you a novice? 

Likely as not, you are currently an expert in your field of service, having worked across a number of companies and business sectors over a number of years. Your experience and maturity mean, that you may be considered an expert in your field. Whether it is supply chain, reverse logistics, inventory management, field planning, field service, engineering, remote support, or repair operations. You get the picture.

The spectrum of support areas that make up an end-2-end service model are extensive and require people to understand both the individual complexity, as well as how that whole service lifecycle fits together.

How often are people “pigeon holed” into a particular part of the service landscape, gaining experience in one area, but not understanding any other?

So, back to the question, when were you a novice?

For me, it was last Autumn, when I started a new role in a new company. Despite the many years of experience that I have in the services business; taking on a new role, in a new company, brings the feeling of being a novice and having to learn from scratch, numerous things. How the company operates; what in reality my role is verses the role that is advertised and interviewed for. The clients

and partners that I have to engage with and serve. All of these aspects take time to master and I challenge anyone to say that they are fully productive and adding value within a short period of time. Even someone with the length of experience that I have, it takes weeks and possibly months to fully embrace the diverse aspects of the role that you take on.

 

"I really do not like the word apprentice due to the meaning that it has..."

 

So, let’s turn to one of the biggest challenges in the services business today that is directly tied into being a novice and getting novices into the service world.

I have played slightly with words here, as most people would call a novice, an “Apprentice”. However, I really do not like the word apprentice due to the meaning that it has. If you check the google dictionary, the word apprentice means,  “a person who is learning a trade from a skilled employer, having agreed to work for a fixed period at low wages.” Now, I know that is what the definition means, but for those who take on these roles, it can feel negative in its meaning.

I recall starting out as a field engineer, many years ago. Yes, the salary was low compared to the other engineers in the team I was joining. However, they were all more experienced than me and had been trained on a broad range of technology. Me, I was straight out of college; had masses of theory; but no practical experience at all. I was paired up with a senior field engineer for my first month and together we travelled across greater London, resolving numerous service issues. He was kind, thoughtful and helpful in explaining both the problems and how to resolve them. He taught me the technical aspects of field service, but more importantly, he taught me how to engage with customers. How to ensure that they felt that they were important. That their issue was managed well and resolved.

More important that both of those aspects were the end-2-end views my supervisor gave me. He organised for me to sit with the field despatch team, seeing how field calls were organised. He made sure I spent time with the parts storeman, so I understood the importance of returning parts in a timely manner and finally, he let me sit with the bench repair team, so I could learn some of the techniques of component repair.

"It gave the novices the freedom to experience as many different roles and aspects of service as possible..."

That early set of experiences has always stayed with me. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to mentor and support a group of novices as they started their service careers after leaving education.

I organised their joining based on a double rotation basis. A week spent with each key aspect of the services lifecycle within the business (a lot more complex than what I had experienced when I started). This meant, starting with Service Introduction, with the technical take on of new services. Then to Remote Scheduling and Partner Support. Then into the field, across the multiple different field models – High End Systems, Break Fix, Volume Repair, and Deskside. Then into Warehousing, Logistics and Repair. This was to give them a small understanding of the services model we operated.

From there, the novices were then rotated through each department again on a four to six-week rotation. The idea being that they would deliver a specific project during that time to aid that part of the business. Finally, there was 360-degree feedback from the department heads and the novices themselves as to which department that would like to be based in for the next year. At the end of the two-year programme, they were allowed to take up permanent roles or apply for other roles in other parts of the business.

Was this approach affective? Yes, highly.

It gave the novices the freedom to experience as many different roles and aspects of service as possible. It enabled them to understand the board picture and how services fitted together. It also allowed us to understand their strengths and where they worked well and for them to understand whether service and a particular role was right for them. Some stayed and some left, but every one of the novices appreciated the effort we had put into the scheme.

So, what scheme do you have? Do you even have novices in your business?

It does not matter whether your business is massive or small, there is always an opportunity to bring on new people. Let me give you two current examples.

 

"I challenge everyone in the services world to embrace the idea of novices..."

 

The client I am working with at the moment has 40,000 employees. Yep, 40,000, across the whole of the UK. They have a novice programme and operate very similarly to what I ran previously. The cohorts are grouped together in groups, to give them peer support and so that they do not feel isolated. They do a four week rotation and work on projects designed and supported by the departments they are in. They get regular support, feedback and guidance. Each novice has a mentor that they can work with. Speaking to a number of them recently, they felt positively engaged, valued and part of the organisation.

For my own organisation, which is much smaller, we too are looking at bringing on a couple of novices this year. To support the expansion of the business and also to provide resilience by cross training them in a couple of technical areas.

So, I challenge everyone in the services world to embrace the idea of novices. Bring them into your organisations, but more importantly, have a plan and a roadmap of what they are going to do. Don’t just dump them into an area of your business and expect them to thrive, proposer and grow. Look after them and in the medium term, they will grow into roles that will add significant value to your business.

I leave with the following quote:

“In most every business, you learn by doing. The apprenticeship model is much more effective than the classroom for cultivating entrepreneurs.”

Andrew Yang (American entrepreneur, philanthropist, author, lawyer, and former candidate for President of the United States in the 2020 election

Leading cybersecurity specialists and decision makers from all over Europe gathered in Helsinki, Finland on to discuss what the new 5G technology means to cybersecurity, digital infrastructure and user-centric services.

The forum’s keynote speakers included leading global experts of the field such as Jakub Boratyński from the European Commission, Steve Purser from ENISA and Timo Harakka, Finland’s Minister of Transport and Communications.

The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom, and The National Cyber Security Centre Finland operating as part of Traficom arranged the event. Traficom is a modern wide-scoped agency, which promotes the transport system and traffic safety, and boosts digitalization and trusted digital services. Traficom supports sustainable development and ensures that everyone in Finland has access to high quality, secure and reasonably priced communications connections and services.

Safeguarding the future digital society and working on 5G cybersecurity form one essential part of Traficom's cutting-edge future-oriented work on improving via innovation. It focuses on the phenomena of the digital society, seeks solutions, builds networks and helps companies and other authorities to prepare for the future. "Changing the future of the society starts from vision and courage, and it starts today", says Kirsi Karlamaa, the Director-General of Traficom.

The forum was preceded by the world’s first open 5G cyber security hackathon where 70 cybersecurity specialists and whitehat hackers from 15 different countries got a chance to test their skills on 5G technology provided by Ericsson, Nokia and Oulu University.

Traficom in the driver´s seat reinforcing the collaborative work across borders

Finland and Traficom as a visionary authority received praises for progressing and initiating the work focusing on 5G cybersecurity during Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2019. Mr Jakub Boratyński, Head of Unit for Cybersecurity and Digital Privacy from the EU Commission presented the EU Toolbox for 5G cybersecurity and emphasized Finland´s proactive role in the EU work around 5G cybersecurity.

This decade will see the expansion of 5G-based services and infrastructure, and cooperation between different players developing the fifth-generation wireless communication technology is essential. The first ever Leading Edge 5G Forum organized in Helsinki draw together companies, cybersecurity influencers and industry members, EU representatives and authorities, academics and members of the cybersecurity community to discuss the future opportunities and challenges concerning 5G.

There´s a need for the next collaborative actions on 5G cybersecurity across EU

"The Leading Edge 5G Forum indicated that there is a strong will within the community and industry to share experiences and discuss the future of 5G and cybersecurity. Going forward, Traficom will continue this cooperative work with all stakeholders and organize discussions where exchange of ideas is possible", says Kalle Luukkainen, the Deputy Director-General of The National Cyber Security Centre Finland.

- We initiated this work but our vision is that going forward the cyber security hackathons and the Leading Edge 5G Forum could be a collaborative European wide activity. Therefore, we challenge all interested parties to get in touch with us and to join the effort of putting together the next cooperative actions and a cyber security hackathon in 2021. Our common aim is to safeguard the future digital society.

5G has to be built on trust

Building digital trust globally, strengthening the existing ecosystem and focus on end-to-end thinking were recurring themes in the keynotes and presentations heard during the event. Forum speakers also emphasized that 5G is designed to be more secure than its predecessors and cybersecurity has received a massive focus in 5G’s development. However, there is work to be done as the diversity and volume of novel IoT devices and their control systems will continue to increase and pose a new kind of security and privacy risks and additional threat vectors as we move to 5G and beyond.

As the impact of Corona Virus grows in the service sector, key voices from the industry offer comment and advice on the current situation.

The last 72 hours have seen significant changes across the globe as the effect of Corona Virus (Covid-19) begins to take hold. Restrictions at borders, regional lock downs and a decrease in product demand are affecting the service sector.

EXTRAORDINARY TIMES 

We are operating in extraordinary times and as well as acting in the now we should also look to the future, Bill Pollock explains. "Today, we are all experiencing a global medical 9/11," he says. "However, as in the past, life goes on, business goes on, and service must go on, as well. Yet, the brunt of this need will first be manifested in the immediacy, as businesses of all types struggle to follow the pandemic recommendations - either mandatory, or voluntarily but once the pandemic becomes contained and controlled, the post-pandemic aftermath will likely require an even greater response from services organizations of all types."

The current situation will inevitably be a challenging one for all service directors, most of whom will never have experienced a period like this and it does provide the opportunity to thrive in the most testing of environments. Yet, first and foremost the wellbeing of staff, remains the key focus. “The safety and health is your first priority," urges Nick Frank from Si2 Partners and Head of the UK Service Community. "Then be positive and use the situation to find new ways of solving customer problems.” It's a sentiment echoed by Pollock. "The thing to remember is that service will always be required; and service organizations will always need to be innovative, responsive and cooperative in all they do moving forward."

As the situation develops service professionals will have to draw on theses values to succeed in what will be one of the most challenging periods of their careers.

 

Regular Field Service News' contributor Jan van Veen says surrounding yourself with those on the same wavelength can foster high performance, innovation and change.

Silicon Valley thrives as its own ecosystem exists on disruption. Each start-up flourishes with individuals all moving in the same direction; keen to change what's gone before. Each person has the same values, habits, goals and mindsets. As a collective it's no surprise this part of California is one of the most creative hubs in the world.

In this edition of the Field Service Podcast, moreMomentum's Founder and MD (and long-time Field Service News' Collaborator) Jan van Veen urges service leaders to choose their network wisely if they want to change the status quo. Citing the aforementioned Silicon Valley and high-performance judo athletes van Veen lays the foundations of a successful social environment for your business.

Also, for the first time this series, the podcast incorporates input from a LinkedIn discussion on this topic before the podcast was recorded. One of those who contributed to that discussion, Rohit Agarwal shared this diagram with us. It's handy to reference this image at the appropriate point of the podcast.

You can reach out to Jan on LinkedIn here and find out more information about moreMomentum here.