IFS, the global cloud enterprise software company, has announced the launch of  IFS assyst 11.4. This latest update is set to deliver the ability for companies to adopt and deploy workflow technology more broadly within their business. A single pricing model, as well as a simplified deployment model, will ensure business value is delivered within weeks of adoption. 

IFS assyst 11.4 will also deliver a considerable set of new capabilities to help organisations standardise, improve, and automate service management workflows simply and effectively. In this first release since IFS acquired Axios Systems in June 2021, the vendor marks a key milestone in its mission to deliver innovation and customer value to all its customers regardless of size.

With the new release IFS vows to simplify pricing, licensing, and deployment to keep to its promise to deliver value and great experience

As the digital imperative accelerates and becomes the backbone of business transformation, companies need to deliver rich customer and employee experiences. By extending the benefits of IT Service Management (ITSM) to the wider enterprise thus evolving into Enterprise Service Management, IFS assyst 11.4 focuses on secure and automated self-service, putting the employee experience at the heart of any digital transformation strategy from IT, HR, and finance, to facilities and beyond.  

“Digitising processes and building effectiveness through workflows is a fundamental pillar of any company’s  digital transformation journey. Achieving this across the entire enterprise has until now been complex and expensive, and therefore limited to the IT function,” said Martin Schirmer, President, IFS assyst. “With assyst 11.4, we have tackled some fundamental roadblocks from pricing, to contracting, and deployment - all of which will make it simpler and faster for an organisation to scale up in the roll out of the technology.”

With this release, assyst has extended the omnichannel experience, advancing its chatbot and providing a mobile app for self-service. This means that employees can get access to the help they need wherever they are working, allowing them to focus on more complex or pressing priorities.

Key capabilities of IFS assyst 11.4 include: 

• Over 100 predefined service workflows for improved time to value

• Low code approach to defining & maintaining service workflows

• A consumer-standard user-interface, intuitive, and easy to navigate 

• Simple cost-effective pricing for easy enterprise-wide deployment

• Integration with collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams

“The release of IFS assyst 11.4 is the result of an incredible amount of hard work and investment from the IFS team over a short space of time,” continued Schirmer. “IFS is customer obsessed and with this release we are staying true to our north star, bringing enhanced service capabilities to companies anytime, anywhere.”

IFS assyst 11.4 is available immediately globally for customers to purchase. To learn more, please visit: https://info.axiossystems.com/assyst-11.4-broadcast 

---

Further Reading:

• Find out more about IFS @ www.ifs.com/
• Read more about IFS on Field Service News @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/ifs
• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Learn more about  of IFS Assyst 11.4 @ info.axiossystems.com/assyst-11.4-broadcast  
• Follow IFS on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/ifs

Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News reflects on the alignment of digital transformation and servitization - the two key trends driving innovation and evolution in our industry... 

There have been two key trends that have been consistently present within our industry for a number of years. Both have been at the heart of discussions in boardrooms and on conference stages alike. Implementation of both has been accelerated by the pandemic. These two trends are of course Digital Transformation and Servitization - but just how closely related are they? 

For Sarah Nicastro, Vice President of Customer Advocacy, IFS the two are very closely aligned. 

"We believe that Servitization and Digital Transformation are inextricably linked, in that the progression of digital is a major factor in the increased demands customers have that are prompting companies to Servitize as well as in the fact that it’s impossible to Servitize without digital capabilities," Nicastro explains. 

"To seize the potential of advanced services, companies must view Digital Transformation as key to success. Digital is required to gain insights into the performance of assets in a way that allows a proactive and predictive response, to optimize the utilization of both its workforce and inventory in the manner necessary for guaranteeing outcomes, and to ensure the customer experience is seamless and informed.

"Data is also proving to be an integral part of an advanced services value proposition in the form of providing customers unique insights gleaned from digital tools in use. As such, companies should seek a modern digital platform that provides a range of capabilities to eliminate the failure points common in a disjointed environment and to protect the integrity of the customer experience.  " she adds.

This is a comment that is echoed by Iwi Lin, Marketing Manager, Durabook. 

"Digital transformation is already happening within the business-to-business sector, meaning organizations across every industry need to embrace this digital change," he comments. 

 

"Servitization can only be a consistent and reliable revenue source if your business performance remains equally efficient and dependable..."

- Iwi Lin, Durabook. 

 

"The adoption of emerging technology is where true industry revolution occurs, determining who will rise to the top and who will fail over time. Companies that implement technology to streamline processes, optimize budgets and improve overall workforce performance are predicted to outlast their competition.

"However, servitization can only be a consistent and reliable revenue source if your business performance remains equally efficient and dependable, which is where rugged devices come into play. These computers are fast becoming the focal point of these technologies as they enable organizations to realize even greater operational capabilities," 

Indeed, our world both inside and beyond field service is evolving rapidly in terms of technology and as we add the further pressures of a servitized business model into what is an already complex mix of many moving parts that constitute field service then the importance of being able to leverage, but also importantly trust the technologies we deploy throughout digital transformation is critical. 

As Lin adds "With technological evolutions in IoT, 5G, Augmented Reality (AR), machine learning and AI, companies investing in new technologies will be able to predict and prevent operational failure. Computer manufacturers that provide rugged devices can help organizations understand how to operate these devices in the field to enable their digital transformation programs and ensure new technologies are used for their maximum benefit.  

"With uninterrupted servitization a crucial factor for business success, the latest equipment is designed with optimum efficiency in mind. Rugged devices are the only models that can withstand the frequently harsh conditions many field computers must endure.

"The latest devices also contain sensors that feed operational data back to the manufacturer on the product’s condition, reducing maintenance issues and downtime. Should a problem arise, the manufacturer or service provider will be automatically notified by the faulty part so it can be quickly fixed. While they may require a greater initial outlay, they are far more cost-effective in the long term because of this lower need for maintenance costs." 

 

"Servitization at its core means providing outcomes rather than products or even services – it’s a company-wide transformation in the identity of the business and the customer value proposition."

- Sarah Nicastro, IFS

 

Coming from an industry where reliability in the field is a critical component of the success of their products, Lin's point raises an important distinction between servitization and digital transformation. While they are invariably two facets of the same conversation, the latter is the enabler, while the former represents the true paradigm shift. 

As Nicastro explains, "Servitization at its core means providing outcomes rather than products or even services – it’s a company-wide transformation in the identity of the business and the customer value proposition, not a simple addition to the service portfolio.

"However, in many cases this transition occurs over time in a phased manner to ease the impact on culture and operations and to help manage change."

Of course, while technological innovation or advances in service design thinking are important, these all become something of a moot point if they are not aligned with what our customers actually need and want. This is a critical part of the discussion which cannot be overlooked. 

"Without customers, nothing happens," states Ricky Sevta, CRO, simPRO bluntly.

"Customers we’ve talked with agree. They also know it’s a tricky balance, tailoring your services to the unique needs of your customer while also providing high-quality service to every customer. You also have to do it better and faster than your competitors, and still turn a profit.  

"In our experience working with all types of trades businesses, we believe technology like job management software, can help you do it all.  

"Job management software helps you better manage all the moving parts in your business, and gives you insights (data) into how well you're truly performing in each area of your business. More importantly, it shows the relationship between these areas. 

"You can then pinpoint how your performance, in these areas, good or bad, ultimately impacts the customer experience," Sevta adds. 

 

"Your customers make everything happen. Why make them wait?'

- Ricky Sevta, simPRO

 

"For example, how does proper stock management impact customer service? Say your field staff arrive at a job only to realize that they don’t have what they need. Now they’re wasting the customer’s time and their time. This can lead to an irritated customer and a job that takes much longer than it needs to. 

"Your engineers are set up for success, and empowered to provide good customer service when they know that they have the right materials for every job, and can check stock from anywhere at any time, but so is the rest of the team. With field management software, your admin team can check inventory while talking to a customer rather than having to take their number down, manually check the stock and then call them back."  

"Your customers make everything happen. Why make them wait? Job management software, especially cloud-based software, gives staff all of the relevant information they need to deliver the best customer service no matter whether they're remote or on-site," Sevta concludes.

Indeed, there is a broad mix of tools available for field service companies of all shapes and sizes, across all sectors in today's market. Digital transformation is all around us and will continue to evolve at pace. As to will the servitization movement, with service portfolios becoming more advanced and sophisticated as we embrace such tools. 

However, as Sevta rightly states, keeping the customer centre to all we do is the one true key to success. 

 

---

 

Further Reading:

IFS, the global cloud enterprise applications company, announced its Q3 2021 year-to-date (YTD) financial results, ending September 30, 2021.

Driving strong performance in Q3 was the increase in customer demand for IFS in the Cloud, with cloud revenue up 104% year-on-year (YoY). In line with this, recurring revenue now constitutes 81% of software revenue, representing a 19% increase YoY.

With customers achieving faster time-to-value because of the improved deployment capabilities of IFS Cloud, as well as more partners implementing IFS solutions, the contribution of software revenue now represents 72% of IFS’s total revenue, up 17% YoY.

Industrial asset & service proposition drives momentum with major customer wins

The improvements against every leading KPI demonstrate IFS’s continued growth as well as an impressive revenue mix that is delivering consistency and predictability. Combining this with IFS’s differentiated proposition for companies managing asset and service needs, provides a headwind for strong end of year.

In Q3, IFS also added depth to its offering with the acquisition of Customerville. Customerville is an award-winning feedback platform that elevates feedback and listening across the entire customer journey thanks to its unique design-driven approach. It enables companies to get a better understanding of their customers, address issues and unearth new opportunities so that they can ultimately deliver amazing Moments of Service™.

Testament to IFS’s leadership in Service Management is recognition from Gartner who named IFS a Leader, for the sixth consecutive time, in the Magic Quadrant for Field Service Management. In Q3, IFS also won competitive tenders with its industrial asset and service proposition, adding one of the world’s largest packaging and one of the world’s largest telecoms companies as customers.

Commenting on the results, Darren Roos, CEO of IFS, said: “At heart, IFS is a technology-driven software company and the investments we have – and continue to make – into the IFS Cloud platform and our customer-facing services evidence themselves in these stellar results. The strong growth in software revenue is testament to us attracting new customers, but also in our commitment to our current customers whose ongoing success is of paramount importance to us. I’m proud of the work that our team has done to create market differentiation with our industrial asset and service capabilities, which continues to create positive momentum.”

IFS CFO, Constance Minc, added: “It is hugely impressive for a business of our size to be growing at such a pace, while at the same time building resilience and consistency into our revenue mix. We are continuing to deliver to plan which provides us full confidence in how we will close out the year.”

Summary of the financial highlights from Q3 2021 YTD:

• Software revenue was SEK 3.4bln, an increase of 17% Year on Year
• Recurring revenue was SEK 2.75bln, an increase of 19% Year on Year and representing 81% of software revenue
• Cloud revenue increased 104% Year on Year representing more than 29% of software revenue

* Note: all figures based in Swedish Krona and reported in constant currency.

In line with WorkWave establishing itself as a standalone business at the end of Q2 2021, the performance reported above excludes WorkWave’s contribution to the IFS Group. Performance including WorkWave saw software revenue grow at 24% YTD. The IFS Group is on track to achieve $1bln USD revenue in 2021.

---

Further Reading:

• Find out more about IFS @ www.ifs.com/
• Read more about IFS on Field Service News @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/ifs
• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Learn more about  of IFS Cloud @ www.ifs.com/ifs-cloud/ 
• Follow IFS on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/ifs

IFS, the global cloud enterprise applications company, today announced the latest update to IFS Cloud™, which is now generally available. IFS’s twice annual release cycle allows customers to constantly evolve their solution without the need for big upgrades or migrations, clearing their road to focus on business transformation.

The latest evolution of IFS Cloud delivers a long range of innovative, industry-specific new capabilities. For one, IFS is helping businesses collect the data needed to demonstrate their compliance and improve their performance against environmental sustainability standards - IFS Cloud Sustainability Hub is now available and integrated inside Microsoft Teams. Secondly, IFS Cloud for HCM and Talent Management solutions now provide the flexibility of using either basic or out of the box functionality for recruitment, onboarding, and development of your most key resource – your people.

New features include ESG capabilities, Advanced Analytics and innovative user experience

Available now are new APIs that connect factory machinery with IFS Cloud to deliver a connected shopfloor – this provides real-time intelligence that enables companies to better manage their supply-chain and production in line with order demands. New Intelligent Asset Monitoring and Maintenance functionality uses machine learning to improve predicative maintenance capabilities and efficiency.

The new Advanced Analytics feature that is accessible through the user-customizable Lobbies leverages modular tabular analysis models to clearly display business-critical information relevant to the user. End users can visualize their data in real, detailed graphical renderings suitable to the way they access and consume data, reducing the skills needed to make insights available to everyone.

As a market differentiator and ongoing driver for the evolution of IFS Cloud, the platform’s UX has also been updated. New branding capabilities allow the customer to integrate their own look & feel, helping to create a more engaging experience for users. Adding customization and analytical capabilities enables users to join up data, insights, actions and transactions in one place.

Additional capabilities added to IFS Cloud include:

• The Update Studio puts customers in control of the update and cadence of functionality, allowing them to analyze the release update and understand what impact it might have on configuration or customization, before making any changes, which is especially critical to customers in regulated industries. The Update Studio is at the heart of enabling our customers to stay evergreen.
• The Dispatch Console, which is part of IFS Cloud for Service Management, now features capabilities based on four personas of dispatchers, ranging from those that rely on a mostly automated process to those that will complete a whole process start to finish manually. IFS Cloud now gives each user profile the power to make sure they are delivering their Moment of Service™ for their customers.

IFS Chief Product Officer Christian Pedersen commented, “The updates we have built into the latest release of IFS Cloud are meaningful for our customers, both in how customers engage with the software through the UX improvements, as well as the additional functionality that has been added to help them manage and address the issues they face and the opportunities ahead of them. An example of this is the new IFS Cloud Sustainability Hub – there is no customer who does not want to improve the impact they are having on the environment and communities we all work in. Sustainability is a critical item for not only our planet, but IFS and our customers. We are continuing to see the world over that businesses want and need to transform if they are to prosper. Therefore, having regular, meaningful updates to our platform is key to enabling customers to remain evergreen and empowered to continually drive value from their software.”

IFS is committed to delivering an ever-evolving set of solutions for customers along their transformation life-cycles – future-proofing their operations, limiting risk to their businesses, and allowing them to create increasing value to their own customers.

“We’ve been expanding our digital transformation globally with IFS’s help, and since we initiated IFS Cloud six months ago, it’s proving to be key in how we deliver on our ambitions,” said pioneer IFS customer Cimcorp’s Director of Corporate IT, Pekka Nurmi. “IFS Cloud provides a big step forward in technology and capability for us and our customers and will continue to support our global growth strategy. The biggest value provided by IFS Cloud is the ease of use for the everyday end user – our users are excited and even our management has shown particular interest in the new user interface and functionalities."

To find out more about the latest IFS Cloud release, visit: https://www.ifs.com/ifs-cloud/cloud-21r2/

---

Further Reading:

• Find out more about IFS @ www.ifs.com/
• Read more about IFS on Field Service News @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/ifs
• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Learn more about  of IFS Cloud @ www.ifs.com/ifs-cloud/ 
• Follow IFS on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/ifs

In this final feature from a recent white paper published by IFS, we discuss the importance of thinking ahead about the role that technology can play in your business in the future.

Following the initial success of the partnership between global cloud enterprise applications company IFS and leading cloud-based iPaaS provider Boomi, IFS is now unveiling enhanced connectivity to empower IFS Cloud customers to accelerate time to value.

The IFS-Boomi partnership, announced in February, 2020, has already attracted investments from numerous IFS customers looking for a faster and more efficient way to integrate and interconnect their business solutions' landscape with minimum effort and a low total cost of ownership.

CUSTOMER DEMAND FOR INTEGRATION PLATFORM AS A SERVICE CONTINUES TO GROW

---

Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about IFS on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/ifs
• Learn more about the IFS-Boomi partnership @ www.ifs.com/solutions/boomi/
• Find out more about IFS @ www.ifs.com/
• Learn more about Boomi @ boomi.com
• Follow IFS on Twitter @ twitter.com/ifs

 

In this third feature from a series of excerpts from a recent white paper published by IFS, we look at how field service organisations can overcome the barriers to achieve remote service success.

In this second article of a series of excerpts from a recent white paper published by IFS, we analyse what role remote service will play for companies in the post-pandemic world when it comes to customer-facing use.

In the first article of a series of excerpts from a recent white paper published by IFS, we look at companies that have accelerated adoption of remote services in their operation during the pandemic.