Sign up for HSO's latest webinar.
ARCHIVE FOR THE ‘hso’ CATEGORY
Mar 03, 2020 • Software & Apps • News • Microsoft Dynamics 365 • Microsoft Dynamics for Field Service • Webinar • HSO
Sign up for HSO's latest webinar.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service is uniquely placed to assist in the digital transformation journey. As a leading Microsoft Gold Partner and Inner Circle member, HSO brings real added value to your business through unrivaled field service experience and functionality enhancements with HSO Dynamics Advanced Field Service.
Join Danny Wieder, Field Service Consultant and Stephen Manley, Business Development Manager, for a 30 minute webinar, where they will take you on a field service journey and explore real-life customer stories.
Topics
- Field Service trends, challenges and opportunities
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service & additional functionality developed by HSO
- Take a ‘peek’ at some of the emerging technologies
- Real-life case studies and experiences
- Questions
Register now to find out how to win more business and increase profits with digital field service transformation.
The Webinar takes place on 19 March.
Dec 06, 2019 • Features • Software & Apps • HSO
BAM delivers service excellence with its new Field Service platform at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam.
BAM delivers service excellence with its new Field Service platform at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam.
Dec 06, 2019 • Features • Software & Apps • HSO
Servitization is the next generation of manufacturing revenue. This article from HSO guides you through the how to keep costs low to achieve success in a servitization model.
Servitization is the next generation of manufacturing revenue. This article from HSO guides you through the how to keep costs low to achieve success in a servitization model.
Nov 01, 2019 • Features • Software and Apps • HSO
In recent months the media have been awash with articles about how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning will change the way we work, live and even love. From archaeology to agriculture, medical imaging to cars, it seems that no sector...
In recent months the media have been awash with articles about how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning will change the way we work, live and even love. From archaeology to agriculture, medical imaging to cars, it seems that no sector will remain unaffected. So, what does this mean for Field Service and how can it benefit from these new technologies? Danny Weider, Field Service Consultant at HSO looks at some of the merging trends and their potential impact on Field Service operations...
Aug 14, 2019 • Managemenet • management • return on investment • field service management • field service software • Technology Investment • Building a case for investment • HSO
In this series, which features a number of features based around an exclusive white paper published by Field Service News in partnership with HSO we are looking at three core arguments service directors when trying to secure investment from their...
In this series, which features a number of features based around an exclusive white paper published by Field Service News in partnership with HSO we are looking at three core arguments service directors when trying to secure investment from their board in new field service management systems. Having taken a look at two of the more traditional arguments so far in Return on Investment and Health and Safety we now turn our attention to a newer facet of the argument, can your organisation afford not to invest if it means you are going to be at a competitive disadvantage...
Jul 30, 2019 • health and safety • Managemenet • management • field service management • field service software • Technology Investment • Building a case for investment • HSO • Business Development
In this series, which is based around an exclusive white paper published by Field Service News in partnership with HSO, we are exploring three core arguments service directors can make to the board to secure investment in implementing or upgrading...
In this series, which is based around an exclusive white paper published by Field Service News in partnership with HSO, we are exploring three core arguments service directors can make to the board to secure investment in implementing or upgrading their field service management systems. In the second part of the series we look at how you can build a case based around health and safety...
Jul 23, 2019 • Managemenet • management • return on investment • field service management • field service software • Technology Investment • Building a case for investment • HSO
In a new series based around an exclusive white paper published by Field Service News in partnership with HSO we look at three core arguments service directors can make to the board to secure investment in implementing or upgrading their field...
In a new series based around an exclusive white paper published by Field Service News in partnership with HSO we look at three core arguments service directors can make to the board to secure investment in implementing or upgrading their field service management systems. In the first part of this series we look at how you can build a case based around return on investment...
Jul 02, 2019 • Software & Apps • News • Microsoft • HSO
HSO Partner of the Year Finalist in Retail, Field Service and Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations categories.Each year, Microsoft presents the Partner of the Year Awards to partners who have delivered exceptional performance in terms of...
HSO Partner of the Year Finalist in Retail, Field Service and Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations categories.
Each year, Microsoft presents the Partner of the Year Awards to partners who have delivered exceptional performance in terms of innovation and customer success. Out of 2,900 plus entries from 115 countries, HSO’s entries in the Retail, Field Service and Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations categories were recognised as finalists.
An outline of HSO's work in achieving the multiple nominations are below:
Field Service: Data-driven working based on IoT and predictive maintenance BAM Building & Construction, the largest construction company in the Netherlands, won the contract for maintenance of the existing infrastructure at Schiphol Airport in 2018. In order to optimise and streamline the maintenance of more than 17,000 assets at the Schiphol terminals, HSO implemented Microsoft Field Service at BAM, which enables data-driven working based on IoT technology and predictive maintenance.
Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations: Standardising processes and eliminating customization with Process Mining HSO is the largest Dynamics 365 F&O Partner worldwide, with a growth of 250% in Dynamics 365 cloud software between 2016 and 2018. The HSO entry highlighted the added value of using advanced modelling tools when implementing or upgrading an ERP solution, in order to make Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations projects as efficient as possible. This way HSO ensures best practice implementations and minimises customisation.
Retail: Retailers make the transition to a future-proof cloud platform For 27 years, HSO have been helping retail organisations with process optimisation and transformation. Over the past year, the complete cloud migration of Godiva; the supply chain, Azure and Power BI solution for Rituals; and the retail implementation for fashion chain Joules, stood out particularly in this sector. Thanks to these striking and innovative customer cases, HSO became a finalist in the Retail category.
Commenting on the achievement, Eric Veldkamp, International Marketing Director HSO said: “We are thrilled by this major achievement. To become a finalist in no less than three categories is a great recognition of the commitment and efforts of our dedicated employees and successful collaboration with our customers.
“It’s an honor to recognize finalists and winners of the Microsoft 2019 Partner of the Year Awards,” said Gavriella Schuster, Corporate Vice President, One Commercial Partner, Microsoft Corp. “These companies are successfully leading their industries, building intelligent solutions, addressing complex business challenges and making more possible for customers around the world. I’m honored to congratulate each winner and finalist.”
Jun 03, 2019 • News • future of field service • Software and Apps • Microsoft HoloLens • mixed realities • HSO
Wearing a Mixed Reality headset, an engineer can share what they see and communicate with another engineer miles away. They might also be able to simultaneously call up manuals or other information through a heads-up display and view details provided by their assisting engineer.
Last month saw the launch of Hololens 2, the much-improved successor to Microsoft’s mixed reality headset Hololens. Microsoft is not a lone voice in the dark, with a plethora of other companies working on technologies with similar applications. Nreal and Zappar are just two of the start-ups trying to cash in on this emerging market. Are their investors just taking a gamble or are there good reasons for their investments?
This makes one wonder – is Mixed Reality just another gimmick or could it bring major benefits to Field Service operations? I suspect the latter, and here is why:
The adoption of new technologies tends to follow the S-Curve. As a product or technology gains traction in the market, its market begins to grow. At first, the growth is slow, almost imperceptible. It then develops more rapidly as consumers begin to adopt the technology. As the market expands, that growth continues. Finally, a host of factors cause the growth rate to decline and then gradually growth tapers off as it becomes a replacement market.
"The adoption of new technologies tends to follow the S-Curve..."
So where is Mixed Reality on the S-Curve? In his much quoted “Diffusion of Innovation”, Everett Rogers terms the first group to adopt a new technology as “Innovators”. Innovators are characterised by a willingness to take risks, have the highest social status, have financial liquidity and have closest contact to scientific sources and interaction with other innovators. Their risk tolerance allows them to adopt technologies that may ultimately fail. Financial resources help absorb these failures. I would suggest that the US military, who have just placed a large Hololens order, fits squarely into this category.
The next stage of adoption belongs to the early adopters. Early adopters have a high degree of opinion leadership as well as high status and financial liquidity. Whilst facts and figures are still sparse, anecdotal evidence suggest that we may already have started to move into this phase. The companies I hear about who are investigating Mixed Reality are in niche markets, very profitable and their engineers are highly skilled. They are happy to take some risks and try innovative solutions. This suggests that we may be about to accelerate fast up the S- Curve, but what benefits can we expect?
Well, wouldn’t it be nice if we could bottle skills and experience. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case and wherever we look we encounter skills shortages. Be it HVAC, Gas Central Heating or High-Speed Printing; in Cornwall, London or Scotland – companies struggle to recruit experienced engineers. In niche sectors it is the worst. When baby boomer engineers are retiring they the take their skills with them and it’s hard to replace them. Would it not be great if a senior engineer could guide the engineer on site through fault-finding and repair from the comfort of the office (or even from home), in real time? How many senior engineers could you retain this way?
But then, do we need to stay with the traditional model of service visits. In many sectors it is common that the first visit is about identifying the fault and the parts required to fix it. We may try to do this over the phone but often without success. How often could this be done by customer staff with guidance from a skilled engineer delivered remotely via Mixed Reality? I imagine it would be a lot, if it was easy enough. How much would that improve engineer productivity and first-time-fix rates and fix-times? And what about inaccessible locations or when the fault occurs off-shore or on a ship? The benefits of Mixed Reality for fault finding and assisted repairs are massive. Of course sometimes it’s as simple as getting a second opinion about a tricky issue.
Then there is training. Ever simulated a fault and waited forever whilst six trainees take turns resolving it with their heads in a confined space? Wearing Mixed Reality headsets, they could be right there with the trainer inside the machine.
These are just a few examples. As technologies expand and become cheaper, their applications multiply. Just think what you could do with a mobile phone 10 years ago and what we use it for now. No wonder some industry analysts expect shipments of Mixed Reality devices to exceed five million in the next three years.
So, yes – I see Mixed Reality changing the way we do service, and soon!
Danny Wieder is a Field Service Consultant at HSO.
Leave a Reply