As the ServiceMax Max Live event draws near an exciting name has been added to the agenda that is sure to make the event a true highlight in the field service calendar this year....
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Sep 17, 2015 • News • Future of FIeld Service • Maxlive • Events • IoT • servicemax
As the ServiceMax Max Live event draws near an exciting name has been added to the agenda that is sure to make the event a true highlight in the field service calendar this year....
Held in Paris from the 2nd to the 4th of November, the event brings together field service professionals to discuss how technology is driving field service, what are the key trends that are emerging and how can we harness them to drive further efficiencies in our own field service delivery.
At last year's event Field Service News Editor Kris Oldland was impressed by the varying range of professionals and experts both speaking and in attendance.
"What has really struck me about the group here," Oldland commented, "is that firstly it is a really broad mix, with companies as large as Sony through to small family run companies with less than ten engineers, yet they are often facing similar challenges and those challenges are as real for a local SME as they are for your household name multi-nationals"
There is a real community feel amongst the companies here
At this year's event however, there is now one added name to the speaker list that will surely drive interest even higher. That is Kevin Ashton, often referred to as the Father of The Internet of Things, who will be giving a keynote presentation.
Of course IoT is predicted to have a huge impact in a number of different industries, but perhaps none is more keenly anticipated than in how it will impact field service, so Ashton's experience and insight is sure to be extremely well received and it will be also provide an interesting backdrop to the recent research project being undertaken by ServiceMax, PTC and Field Service News which is exploring the impact of IoT in the field service industries.
This research is still open so if you haven't taken part yet you can enter the survey here
As a thank you for your time there are five signed copies of Ashton's book How to Fly a Horse: The Secret History of Creation and Discovery up for grabs too!
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Sep 16, 2015 • video • aston business school • Future of FIeld Service • MAN UK • Des EVans • Haulage • Servitization
The shift from traditional manufacturer to fully fledged servitized business was a bold and revolutionary move when MAN Trucks UK made the transition but it ultimately led them to a huge growth spree when the rest of the market was in decline.
The shift from traditional manufacturer to fully fledged servitized business was a bold and revolutionary move when MAN Trucks UK made the transition but it ultimately led them to a huge growth spree when the rest of the market was in decline.
The man driving that change was Des Evans, former Managing Director of MAN UK and now an Honarary Professor at Aston Business School.
Evans was also one of the guest speakers at a recent Service Community event and Field Service News Editor, Kris Oldland caught up with him there to find out more about why and how MAN UK made the shift to becoming one of the great examples of servitization.
The next Service Community event is being held on the 30th September and attendance is free for Field Service News subscribers. To register your place please send your contact details to TheServiceCommunity@gmail.com
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Sep 13, 2015 • Features • Advanced Field Service • Future of FIeld Service • future of field service • Kirona • resources • White Papers & eBooks • scheduling
Resource Type: White Paper Published by: Kirona Title: Driving Productivity in Field Service Download: Click here to download the white paper
Resource Type: White Paper
Published by: Kirona
Title: Driving Productivity in Field Service
Download: Click here to download the white paper
By downloading you agree to the T&Cs listed available here
Synopsis
This white paper from Kirona highlights the benefits of integrating automated scheduling with a mobile working solution.
Overview
Leveraging the power of an integrated scheduling and mobile working solution that reduces travel and idle time, streamlines processes and ultimately increases the number of jobs/deliveries/visits completed per day per field worker can deliver average productivity improvements of 20% and sometimes even higher.
Rostering vs scheduling
Rostering ensures that you have enough people to fulfil the demand at any point in time. Scheduling ensures those people are doing the right things at the right time.
Best-in-class service organisation achieve 81% performance in worker utilisation Scheduling enables you to take into account when allocating work such a location and skill set.
The order in which work is schedule can have a significant impacto productivity. If you have a team of 100 workers doing 5 jobs a day, there are 1 billio possible combinations of how those jobs could be allocated
Minimise travel time
Travel time can be the greatest source of productivity leakage. Reducing the travel time of field workers by just 10% per day can, on average, increase productivity by as much as one additional average job per day.
Kirona strongly recommends that journey planning needs to be fully integrated into the scheduling process and that it takes into account the actual route between jobs and incorporates traffic information.
Addressing no access
An efficient schedule drives productivity improvements, but only if customers keep appointments and field workers are able to gain access. Integrating scheduling with customer communication can increase the number of appointments kept and update customers on arrival times.
Streamlining Workflow Paperwork, rekeying data, manual workflows and not having access to key information are all factors that are detrimental to the productivity of your field workforce. The benefits of having a seamless mobile working solution far outweighs the investment required.
Access to the right information empowers a results-driven workforce. According to Aberdeen Group’s Field Service 2014 report, best-in-class service organisations achieved an 88% first time fix performance
Handling the emerging day
The daily challenge for field service organisations is how deal with the unexpected without compromising productivity or letting customers down. According to the McKinsey Improving Workforce Productivity, an average 5-10% of jobs are cancelled each day an 10-20% or tasks run shorter or longer than expected.
According to the McKinsey Improving Workforce Productivity, an average 5-10% of jobs are cancelled each day an 10-20% or tasks run shorter or longer than expected.
Leveraging Actionable Insight
Comprehensive insight, acting on it and measuring the impact is the key to driving continuous productivity improvement. Benchmarking individual performance and task times, analysis of capacity vs demand and understanding geographic coverage all are key productivity drivers.
Conclusions
Field workforce automation software is key to driving productivity. The technology is proven, deployment does not have to be complex and there are significant gains to be made.
We have seen time after time that by leveraging Dynamic Resource Scheduling combined with Mobile Working, organisations on average see an uplift in productivity of 20%.
Yet the value does not stop there. These organisations also see an improvement in first time fix, a reduction in no-access, reduced administration overhead and measurable improvements in customer satisfaction. The field service activities become far more predictable and so too does performance.
Every aspect of work can be measured, analysed and lessons learned to drive continuous performance. According to Aberdeen Group, a best in class service organisation is defined by its ability to achieve 81% or greater workforce utilisation, 88% or better first time fix and a 90% or better customer satisfaction.
Find out more by clicking here to download the white paper now!
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Sep 08, 2015 • Features • Future of FIeld Service • future of field service • Research • Click • field service
Like any other industry, the world of the casino has had to adapt to the many trends and changes in which new technologies offer a range of options for maintaining, supporting and implementing operational activities. ClickSoftware explores how the...
Like any other industry, the world of the casino has had to adapt to the many trends and changes in which new technologies offer a range of options for maintaining, supporting and implementing operational activities. ClickSoftware explores how the role of field services will change.
With global gambling revenues rising to over $450 billion in 2014 the industry is clearly still massively profitable. And with changes in legislation that have helped deregulate a lot of red tape that previously inhibited the casinos' activities, it looks like global gambling will soar in the future.
However, such expansion provides new challenges and new opportunities for the industry. And from the simple field service operations of maintaining existing casino operations, to adapting to the new digital challenges offered by cloud-based gaming platforms, there are many questions as to how the role of field services will play in this new and exciting future.
A highly knowledgeable and ever-ready team of field service operatives must be on hand to provide support for the vast array of potential problems that could occur. Traditional casinos are massive operations that require a great deal of skill and forethought in how to maintain and operate the wide range of functions that the businesses provide. In terms of the actual gaming activities that are conducted, a highly knowledgeable and ever-ready team of field service operatives must be on hand to provide support for the vast array of potential problems that could occur.
The sheer quantity of gaming options can often present a headache to the field service engineer
Similarly, with a range of other activities being conducted under a casino roof ranging from entertainment, catering and hospitality, the field service operations will also be under a great deal of pressure to implement productivity software with dynamic scheduling so that knowledge is shared and activities can be aligned in these huge business operations.
As casinos operate with a highly visible 'front-of-house' operation, it's therefore highly important that any field service activity is conducted in a discreet and professional manner with the minimum of disruption to the business' activities. As such, mobile apps run on compact devices are the most effective way for field engineers to stay connected in this demanding situation.
The field service aspect of this changing relationship between customer and industry will be adapted to become specialised in the digital and technological side of gaming operations.
As such, the field service aspect of this changing relationship between customer and industry will be adapted to become specialised in the digital and technological side of gaming operations.
This is especially the case with the rise of cloud-based gaming that promises to allow people to enjoy streamed high-end games direct to their device. Such a method of playing games threatens to revolutionise the traditional console-based activities as the actual game will be stored, executed and rendered on a remote computer that streams live-video action of the game to the player's device.
This method of conducting gameplay could revolutionise the online casino experience as players will be able to enjoy a much wider variety of games from different systems regardless of what device they actually own.
And with the recent news that Sony had purchased the defunct cloud-gaming site OnLive, it looks like big business will be stepping into this exciting new area of gaming potential. Whether this will result in a centralising of operations remains to be seen, but it will undoubtedly result in a much higher technological adaptation on behalf of field engineers to keep servers running and ensure that connectivity between the customer and business doesn't suffer.
Despite all of the changes that are taking place in this rapidly growing and hugely popular industry, the key concepts of field service operations must stay the same however. So clear communications between operatives through the use of rugged hardware and mobile devices that take advantage of cloud-based support will all have to be implemented and sustained in order to ensure the smooth running of the modern casino environment.
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Sep 03, 2015 • Features • Cranfied University • Future of FIeld Service • future of field service • millenials • mplsystems • field service • Service Management • Service Management Expo • telogis
Service Management Expo 2015 saw a number of excellent debates including a panel discussion that focused on the challenge of replacing an ageing workforce. As the millenials take over the work place, moderator Kris Oldand asked the panel just what...
Service Management Expo 2015 saw a number of excellent debates including a panel discussion that focused on the challenge of replacing an ageing workforce. As the millenials take over the work place, moderator Kris Oldand asked the panel just what will the changing face of field service look like?
The challenge for service companies was not so much the age of their current workforce but the aptitude and willingness to learn new skills, said Andy Beer, European Service director, Pitney Bowes. "As technology changes, the engineer's role may change from being field-based to carrying out remote diagnosis on a Help Desk. Regardless, they still need an underlying skill set and it's important those skills sets are up-to-date. Do they have the aptitude to learn and adapt?"
In field service, solutions are knowledge-based, pointed out Susannah Richardson, Marketing Director at mplsystems. "What is important is to get that knowledge documented - and your ageing, very experienced workforce can often be the best source for that. See it as an opportunity to get that valuable knowledge out of one engineer’s head and into the wider workforce. Once you've secured that knowledge, your service levels won’t drop if key staff leave or retire."
Formal, documented knowledge can also improve customer service, she added. "Once available, it can be used by the Help Desk engineers for remote diagnostics and repair, or even to guide customers on fixing problems themselves via a help area on your own website."
It is important that during the process of documenting knowledge, experienced engineers do not feel threatened, said Beer. "The solution is to show them you appreciate that knowledge and involve them in the process - such as sending them the final document for approval."
How important is technology in attracting tomorrow's engineers?
Young people don't think about technology, they just use it. They access everything digitally, including training and education...
Service companies need to remember that Millennials would also form a large part of their customer based in future said Lightfoot. "They'll expect a different sort of service and engineers will need training in soft skills. Managing clients and client behaviour, coping with complaints on a face-to-face basis will become an important part of the skill set."
A service sector that used modern technology would help attract the next generation and get buy-in from existing engineers when work processes were changing. "Giving engineers an iPad to work with wins hearts and minds," said Beer. "We found giving them permission to use the device in their personal lives made them excited and got them thoroughly engaged in the changes we were making in the business."
The sharing generation
Service companies could also benefit if they grasped the fact that the millennial generation, whether customers or engineers, are used to social media and sharing of information, remarked Richardson. "In the workplace, millennials will want to be part of a social community that shares information, interacts and is collaborative. This generation are more likely to communicate via Instant Messaging than make a voice call. Millennial customers wouldn't be phased by requesting a service via an app, not via a call to the help desk. "
It might also drive earlier resolution of a problem, she added. "Technology enables a three-way web chat, for example, with the customer calling the help desk who then brings in a field-based engineer to discuss the problem."
Trusted advisor or sales person?
The panel was asked whether a new generation of engineers would be less resistant than older workers to the idea of leveraging their position as “trusted advisor” to become a “trusted sales advisor". All were adamant that while this might be appealing for service companies, there were also inherent risks.
"There is potentially a lot to be gained, but if the field engineer starts to act in a more overt sales fashion, there is also the risk of losing that trusted advisor status with the customer," commented Beer. "Field engineers see themselves as trusted advisers and fixers. Many will resist the ideal of becoming sales representatives and customers, indeed, can see through overt sales tactics. "
Richardson however, thought some engineers would welcome a sales/upselling role. "Incentivising engineers for sales rewards them monetarily, but can also be attractive from a career development point of view."
Technology for training
There is a wide spectrum of workers, from those who are scared of a mouse to those comfortable with a smartphone...
Baby steps and the gamification concept was the way forward, thought the panel with Dan Lancaster, Field Service Specialist with Telogis, advising "Set questions in a dynamic format. The process can be heavy at the start but you soon reach the point where you can get them to filling in questionnaires to test their skills levels."
Ageing workforce: crisis or opportunity?
Having already identified the need to interact with Millennial workers, each of the panel members were asked whether they considered if an ageing workforce represented a crisis (all that knowledge disappearing from the company) or an opportunity (with all those young people with a new outlook, enthusiastic about embracing the technology) that is going to be essential for service delivery over the next couple of decades.
"There are over 1 billion mobile devices out there: your workforce will be using them anyway, so tap into that mindset," urged Lightfoot.
"Technology is delivering the opportunity to document a vast amount of knowledge and get it out there to the wider workforce and customers," pointed out Richardson.
Finally, Lancaster added: "Younger people expect to be engaged in what they are doing, at work or play. So engage them. It's a fantastic opportunity to look at your operation in a different way."
So, in conclusion, our panel unanimously agreed that any potential crisis in terms of loss of expertise as older workers retired could be overcome and that service companies should explore the different aptitudes and mindset of a younger generation to drive process change and transform customer service strategies.
The face of field service is changing, but as with anything change can be both frightening and exciting at the same time. The trick is to walk the line in the middle so you are prepared for the pitfalls and ready to embrace the opportunities. Is your company up to the challenge?
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Sep 02, 2015 • video • aston business school • Future of FIeld Service • Video • Events • Field Service Events • Servitization • tim baines
The growing industrial trend of servitization amongst manufacturers is gaining traction and as it does so ever more importance is placed upon delivering efficient and effective field service.
The growing industrial trend of servitization amongst manufacturers is gaining traction and as it does so ever more importance is placed upon delivering efficient and effective field service.
The Aston Spring Servitization Conference brought together industry and academia to discuss the latest developments within the field and Field Service News was there to find out more...
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Aug 31, 2015 • Features • Future of FIeld Service • future of field service • Mobile • Mobility • field service • IoT • The Service Council
In the continual evolution of field service, mobile will continue to be the most impactful technology for enterprise field service in the near future, more so than the Internet of Things, writes Sumair Dutta, Chief Customer Officer for The Service...
In the continual evolution of field service, mobile will continue to be the most impactful technology for enterprise field service in the near future, more so than the Internet of Things, writes Sumair Dutta, Chief Customer Officer for The Service Council
Field service, as a discipline, is changing. The rate of change isn’t as dramatic as the typical prognostications of technology-focused publications and outlets. Yes, IoT is having and will have a huge impact. So will wearable technology. But remember, this is an industry that isn’t completely mobile. Pen, paper, and the clipboard, are still considered useful tools. Technology is increasing the rate of change in field service, but the overall industry is one that is still quite cautious.
In early 2015, nearly 200 organisations participating in a field service study conducted by The Service Council highlighted the following as their top focus areas for 2015:
- Process control, review, and management
- Field service execution
- Talent management
- IT infrastructure for field service
These areas are similar to some of the priorities outline by survey participants in 2014. What is different about 2015 is the increased focus by organisations to lay a strategic foundation for their field service businesses to support sustained business growth. It's not just about cutting field service visits, but more about maximising the value of necessary field service visits. With this in mind, we see a continued evolution of field service around these three major areas:[quote float="right"]It's not just about cutting field service visits, but more about maximising the value of necessary field service visits
[ordered_list style="decimal"]
- Service Model Integration:
Reactive field service isn’t dead. Organisations were more likely to see an increase in reactive field service visits in 2014 than they were a decrease in these visits. In 2014, 41% of organisations polled saw an increase in reactive field visits over the course compared to only 28% of organisations that saw a decrease. While organisations are looking to eliminate unnecessary reactive field service visits with the aid of connected or self-service business models, their service portfolios are still comprised of a heavy dose of reactive field service visits. The primary goal with reactive visits is to increase efficiency so that the first reactive visit is the last reactive visit. However, organisations are also looking to enhance value delivered per service visit wherein an onsite visit is seen as an opportunity to share knowledge with, provide advice to, and improve relationships with the customer. Eventually the hope is that this leads to better trust, increased retention, and continued customer spending. In looking at the overall service continuum, the objective is to eliminate effort and inconvenience in dispatch-less service models but to maximise value when a dispatch is required. This requires a focused integration of the service delivery models around the end outcome felt by the customer. - Talent:
While most organisations we poll are able to deal with their field service workloads with current resource levels, most are looking for new field service talent and are having a hard time a) finding this talent, and b) getting the talent trained and out of the door. Our research shows that 46% of organisations had unfilled positions for field service technicians at the end of 2014. In searching for new agents, organisations are prioritising customer management and communication skills so that these agents aren’t only good at fixing things, but are also able to effectively communicate with customers. Organisations are also looking to hire agents who are familiar with the use of mobile devices and applications adopted by the organisation. We’re also seeing a significant change in training philosophies when it comes to field service. The overarching objective is to get new hires out in the field as soon as possible and so organisations are prioritising online training, collaboration, and knowledge platforms, to provide field agents with an always-on and always updated mode of instruction while on the move. - Mobile: Mobile will continue to be the most impactful technology for enterprise field service in the near future, more so than the Internet of Things. The reason for this is that we are just scratching the surface of what mobile can do for field service, especially when it comes to workforce empowerment.[quote float="left"]We are just scratching the surface of what mobile can do for field service, especially when it comes to workforce empowerment
Field service is changing. The speed of change is picking up with the aid of mobile technology. Yet field service is still a human discipline, and human empowerment and engagement is key to supporting field service growth.
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Aug 24, 2015 • Features • Future of FIeld Service • infographic • IoT • servicemax
This excellent infographic from ServiceMax highlights some of the key facts you need to know about the Internet of things.
This excellent infographic from ServiceMax highlights some of the key facts you need to know about the Internet of things.
How is IoT impacting upon your business? Is it something you are even considering? Do you think connected devices will change the face of field operations as we know it? Is this still tomorrows technology or is it something we should be implementing today?
Take our brief survey and help us build a picture of how IoT will impact field service and you could win one of three £50 Amazon vouchers...
Aug 19, 2015 • Features • Management • Future of FIeld Service • Lextech • mobile apps • big data • IoT • SKF
Implementing mobile apps alongside developing a good understanding of your customers can pave the way to harnessing the power of IoT, writes consultant Nick Frank.
Implementing mobile apps alongside developing a good understanding of your customers can pave the way to harnessing the power of IoT, writes consultant Nick Frank.
The key to monetising the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data is not to focus on the technology itself, but the impact on customers’ business processes and business model. However, many companies do not find it easy to imagine how their business model might change. Many are lost in the technical jargon and the abstract nature of data and analytics.
Mobile apps present a pragmatic way forward for industrial companies to understand how connectivity technologies and data can make a difference to their business. By their very nature, mobile apps affect how people “do stuff” and so the business rationale is often easier to define and quantify. As managers and leaders become savvier about apps, their imagination starts to kick in and they see the possibilities new technologies can have on their customers’ business success.
But what exactly is a mobile app? A mobile app is a software programme designed to run on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. They can be relatively simple such as the weather app on your phone, or they can be tremendously complex such as running a VMI business with its own databases, analytics, integrating a number of legacy systems. Gartner a leading technology research and advisory company, expects that by 2017 mobile apps will be downloaded more than 268 billion times and mobile apps users will provide personalised data streams to more than 100 apps and services every day. Mobile apps have already become truly integrated into most people’s lives. Although the same is not yet true of business, perceptions are rapidly changing. Undoubtedly driven by their everyday life experiences, managers are starting to imagine the value apps can bring to their own business by linking people with processes and systems more effectively.
By 2017 mobile apps users will provide personalised data streams to more than 100 apps and services every day
One such app developer, Lextech, even coined ROA, or “Return on App,” as a tool for measuring the value of the mobile app versus the investment in it. To make sure app projects are worthwhile, Lextech helps their clients find apps that provide a 100% ROA within 12 months or less. It is this emphasis on understanding what the mobile app can do for the business that is critical to success. This success can be measured in terms of cost saving, new revenues, customer satisfaction or even employee satisfaction.
Mobile apps increase the flexibility and effectiveness of people while they are outside the normal company IT infrastructure
Often companies start with automating the workflow because clear time savings can be demonstrated and measured. For example, SKF, the leading worldwide manufacturer and supplier of precision bearings, spindles and seals, knew that their factory inspectors recorded huge quantities of information on paper forms and clipboards. They replaced their paper based inspection processes with an intuitive app that enabled data to be collected and automatically downloaded into the factories reporting systems, thus reducing the reporting time by 70%. But often there are many other benefits that are not anticipated. In this case, nearly real-time inspection enabled faster decision-making on quality issues, which in the end translated to better margins. Highly skilled employees were able to focus on adding value rather than administration. (Source: Lextech)
Mobile apps can also enable process redesign and cut out ageing IT infrastructure that may be limiting performance.
But if we step back from these examples, what do we see? Companies are learning how to effectively use data and technology to improve their internal business processes. This journey is more cultural than technological. It is about companies and people not getting overly excited by technology for technology’s sake, but keeping their focus on the users and the business outcomes. Switch this same emphasis to their customers’ business, and they will be much better positioned to monetize the new technologies entering our everyday work environment at an exponential rate.
At Rolls Royce the design of a fuel management app had a deeper impact on the business than first imagined.
For many businesses, the growth of digital services around mobile apps and IoT is a strategic imperative.
In a recent Harvard Business Review article, Filippo Zingariello, Director of Global Strategic Development at SKF described how their SKF Insight programme is critical to delivering value to customers in mission critical applications. This programme has a specific goal, “Bearing Health Management will make it simpler and more convenient for customers to conduct condition monitoring and increase reliability, simplify maintenance, extend bearing life and cut total life cycle costs.” SKF has developed 45 different iPad apps that enable customers to access the data and intelligence of their assets. With over a half million machines connected to the SKF cloud, mobile apps are one of the enabling technologies for a new SKF business models based on outcomes and intelligence.
Through these examples, we have seen how mobile apps are initially used by businesses to connect their employees to their business systems so they can deliver value more effectively. As that insight into the customer’s business model grows, so mobile apps become an important enabler for customers to connect with its products and services. In this way mobile apps are not just an interesting little icon on a screen. Rather, they are an important enabler for mind-set changes that will enable companies to harness the power of the IoT and analytics technologies.
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