The need for digital transformation – and the challenges facing the UK and global supply chain – were at the heart of the inaugural BT Field Engineering Forum.
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Jul 17, 2019 • Fleet Technology • News • fleet • lastmile • BT • Parts Pricing and Logistics
The need for digital transformation – and the challenges facing the UK and global supply chain – were at the heart of the inaugural BT Field Engineering Forum.
The first BT Field Engineering Forum, sponsored by Kuehne+Nagel and held at London's BT Tower on 17 June, covered a wide range of topics on how the sector can move forward.
The host, BBC newsreader Huw Edwards, brought together industry experts to discuss the rapid evolution of technology and how innovations such as self-driving cars, drones, blockchain – and even BT’s own Final Mile solution – can help organisations to improve performance and efficiency.
A key theme was customer service and how the supply chain is responding to a significant shift towards an environment where the customer is central. Keynote speaker and author Sean Culey explored the disruptive technological models that are driving this change, and what businesses must do to deliver the experience that customers now demand.
Throughout the day, speakers and panellists demonstrated the impact of change upon major market sectors such as retail, or specific organisations such as the NHS and the Ministry of Defence.
Crucially, each speaker had practical, proven solutions to these challenges, which they shared with over 100 delegates from across the UK supply chain.
Topics ranged from perceptive fulfilment – using data to pre-empt customer buying decisions – or the use of personalised procurement portals for faster, more efficient operations.
The event also gave BT the chance to demonstrate the power of its Final Mile solution for field engineers. Final Mile is a nationwide network of secure lockers and boxes, used as intermediary stock locations by organisations with large field engineering teams. By storing parts at strategic sites along engineers’ routes, businesses can reduce driving hours to serve customers faster, remove cost and minimise environmental impact.
Stephen Maddison, Managing Director of Final Mile, explained why the Field Engineering Forum was so important. “Not so long ago, organisations only reviewed their supply chain every three years or so," he said. Today, given the pace of change and the exciting new technologies available, businesses need to keep their finger on the pulse continuously.That’s why we created the Field Engineering Forum – a place where industry leaders can tackle these issues head-on, share best practice and forge new partnerships. The supply chain is the bloodstream of the economy, so it’s vital it’s in a healthy state. We’re delighted with the quality of debate and are looking to repeat this event next year.”
The first BT Field Engineering Forum, sponsored by Kuehne+Nagel and held at London's BT Tower on 17 June, covered a wide range of topics on how the sector can move forward.
The host, BBC newsreader Huw Edwards, brought together industry experts to discuss the rapid evolution of technology and how innovations such as self-driving cars, drones, blockchain – and even BT’s own Final Mile solution – can help organisations to improve performance and efficiency.
A key theme was customer service and how the supply chain is responding to a significant shift towards an environment where the customer is central. Keynote speaker and author Sean Culey explored the disruptive technological models that are driving this change, and what businesses must do to deliver the experience that customers now demand.
Throughout the day, speakers and panellists demonstrated the impact of change upon major market sectors such as retail, or specific organisations such as the NHS and the Ministry of Defence.
Crucially, each speaker had practical, proven solutions to these challenges, which they shared with over 100 delegates from across the UK supply chain.
Topics ranged from perceptive fulfilment – using data to pre-empt customer buying decisions – or the use of personalised procurement portals for faster, more efficient operations.
The event also gave BT the chance to demonstrate the power of its Final Mile solution for field engineers. Final Mile is a nationwide network of secure lockers and boxes, used as intermediary stock locations by organisations with large field engineering teams. By storing parts at strategic sites along engineers’ routes, businesses can reduce driving hours to serve customers faster, remove cost and minimise environmental impact.
Stephen Maddison, Managing Director of Final Mile, explained why the Field Engineering Forum was so important. “Not so long ago, organisations only reviewed their supply chain every three years or so," he said. Today, given the pace of change and the exciting new technologies available, businesses need to keep their finger on the pulse continuously.That’s why we created the Field Engineering Forum – a place where industry leaders can tackle these issues head-on, share best practice and forge new partnerships. The supply chain is the bloodstream of the economy, so it’s vital it’s in a healthy state. We’re delighted with the quality of debate and are looking to repeat this event next year.”
Jul 10, 2019 • Features • Software and Apps • Uber • localz • lastmile • Customer Satisfaction and Expectations
The Uberization of Field Service has long a hot topic ever since the silicon valley firm disrupted the private transport sector and every other vertical at the same time. Localz, a solution provider focussing on last-mile communications might just...
The Uberization of Field Service has long a hot topic ever since the silicon valley firm disrupted the private transport sector and every other vertical at the same time. Localz, a solution provider focussing on last-mile communications might just be able to help field service companies deliver the ‘Uber’ experience. Kris Oldland reports.
There used to be an adage in business when it came to dealing with suppliers that jokingly went along the lines of “I only want one throat to choke.”
The idea was that if an organisation was providing you with a service, it was preferable to have just one touchpoint with them, one human at the end of the phone who understood the entirety of the relationship. One vendor who could provide the hardware, the software and of course all the services required to make that then all work.
However, today this concept seems somewhat antiquated, particularly amongst larger organisations. In a world of increasing connectivity and APIs, the prevalent thinking is more along the lines of “I want whatever you have to work with what I have.”
Best-of-breed solutions are once again returning to the fore to resolve specific challenges, often challenges that have arisen as the result of the disruptive nature of emerging technology we have witnessed in recent times and the ripple effect that disruption has on service across many varied and disparate industry verticals.
This development has led to a new wave of innovative companies rising to prominence within the field service sector. These include ‘Last Mile’ solution provider Localz who have already garnered an impressive roster of clients including DPD, Belron and UK utilities giant British Gas. The latter even having showcased their use of Localz technology as a major USP in their most recent high profile advertising campaign.
Localz is a perfect example of an organisation that has been able to identify an essential gap in the current field service management ecosystem that has been exposed by developments outside of the sector. Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel and fix parts that weren’t necessarily broken in the first place, they’ve instead focused on providing a well thought out, easily implemented and effective solution for an important but somewhat overlooked part of the service cycle.
“We’re not here to change the world for field service companies; we are not going to make you change everything you already have. We are here to help you quickly get big cost savings and massively improve your customer experience by simply plugging in our location based day of service software,” comments Tim Andrew, CEO Localz.
Of course, the twenty-first century has so far been the century of data. We have seen field service companies make a concerted effort across the board to knock down the silos between divisions to allow data to flow seamlessly across an organisation to enable them to attain the once fabled, but now commonplace 360-degree view of the customer.
This trend has played well into the hands of the major platforms who could facilitate this by offering multiple functionalities within their suite of solutions. SAP, IFS, Microsoft and others have all championed the benefits of the platform approach for this reason.
As is the cyclical nature of such things, it is often outside of the restrictions of enterprise providers, that we see innovation flourish and thrive. It is a well established pattern of evolution and consolidation that those of us in the field service sector with more than a few flecks of grey in our beards will recognise.
However, the difference between today and previous years is the prevalence of APIs and the increasing ease of integration, which allows a solution like Localz to plug-in on top of a broader system and deliver the impressive level of last-mile communications and visibility that British Gas has harnessed so effectively.
“Connectivity is the big thing,” explains Andrew as we discuss how technology development has evolved in the last decade.
“It’s also important for technology providers to realise they need to switch the model on how the technology works. Smarter providers have stopped putting themselves in the centre. Customers’ don’t want to hear about a solution that is the centre of their operation; they have already invested significantly in many solutions and established efficient processes that broadly work well. Now they want to improve; they want to see how we add value to what they’ve already invested in.”
"The twenty-first century has so far been the century of data..."
The solution itself can be described in a sense as Uber for Field Service in that there is a very slick visual representation for the end customer to see the engineer arriving.
There is also, other useful technology within the solution, including scan to van stock management, which can be a game changer for the P&L of some companies struggling to cope with the constant movement of spares. However, it is in its ability to allow field service companies to deliver a service experience that has become an expectation in the age of Amazon and Uber, that Localz grabs the headlines.
This is mostly because it is addressing an issue that many service companies, whether it be a giant like British Gas is universal, or a niche SMB are facing - customer expectations and understandings of what ‘good’ service looks like are evolving rapidly.
“Something I touch on quite a lot is that customers are more informed across the board today,” explains Andrew
“Whether it be in a B2C, B2B or even a B2E environment, we’re all just universally more informed today as such customer expectations are radically increased. Also, the ability to switch providers, especially in the consumer world, is becoming easier and easier. I don’t need to speak to somebody; I literally can go on a website and choose from A, B, and C and get better service.”
The term that has risen to popularity over the last eighteen months in this regard is the ‘experience economy’ where customer satisfaction is no longer enough, we have to consider and understand the total customer experience to deliver customer delight. With this in mind, tools like Localz have become an essential part of the field service equation as they play a significant role in meeting the modern expectations of that service experience.
As Andrew touched on, this experience economy, these increasing customer expectations, have begun to break down the barriers of what we would traditionally define as business to business or business to consumer service standards.
The impact of disruptors, such as Uber and Amazon, is being felt wide and far beyond transport and e-commerce, it’s become ubiquitous across all industries.
“It’s definitely becoming that way,” Andrew agrees as we touch on how the lines across bB2C and B2B appear to be blurring.
“Service expectations especially around visibility and communication on the day of the service call are fast becoming table stakes in B2B, but I think we’re going to see it in B2B soon enough as well.”
If indeed the zeitgeist of the early twenty-first century, in the field service sector at least, is one of seamless service experience, then tools like Localz could very quickly become an essential addition to any field service organisation’s technology sector.
There used to be an adage in business when it came to dealing with suppliers that jokingly went along the lines of “I only want one throat to choke.”
The idea was that if an organisation was providing you with a service, it was preferable to have just one touchpoint with them, one human at the end of the phone who understood the entirety of the relationship. One vendor who could provide the hardware, the software and of course all the services required to make that then all work.
However, today this concept seems somewhat antiquated, particularly amongst larger organisations. In a world of increasing connectivity and APIs, the prevalent thinking is more along the lines of “I want whatever you have to work with what I have.”
Best-of-breed solutions are once again returning to the fore to resolve specific challenges, often challenges that have arisen as the result of the disruptive nature of emerging technology we have witnessed in recent times and the ripple effect that disruption has on service across many varied and disparate industry verticals.
This development has led to a new wave of innovative companies rising to prominence within the field service sector. These include ‘Last Mile’ solution provider Localz who have already garnered an impressive roster of clients including DPD, Belron and UK utilities giant British Gas. The latter even having showcased their use of Localz technology as a major USP in their most recent high profile advertising campaign.
Localz is a perfect example of an organisation that has been able to identify an essential gap in the current field service management ecosystem that has been exposed by developments outside of the sector. Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel and fix parts that weren’t necessarily broken in the first place, they’ve instead focused on providing a well thought out, easily implemented and effective solution for an important but somewhat overlooked part of the service cycle.
“We’re not here to change the world for field service companies; we are not going to make you change everything you already have. We are here to help you quickly get big cost savings and massively improve your customer experience by simply plugging in our location based day of service software,” comments Tim Andrew, CEO Localz.
Of course, the twenty-first century has so far been the century of data. We have seen field service companies make a concerted effort across the board to knock down the silos between divisions to allow data to flow seamlessly across an organisation to enable them to attain the once fabled, but now commonplace 360-degree view of the customer.
This trend has played well into the hands of the major platforms who could facilitate this by offering multiple functionalities within their suite of solutions. SAP, IFS, Microsoft and others have all championed the benefits of the platform approach for this reason.
As is the cyclical nature of such things, it is often outside of the restrictions of enterprise providers, that we see innovation flourish and thrive. It is a well established pattern of evolution and consolidation that those of us in the field service sector with more than a few flecks of grey in our beards will recognise.
However, the difference between today and previous years is the prevalence of APIs and the increasing ease of integration, which allows a solution like Localz to plug-in on top of a broader system and deliver the impressive level of last-mile communications and visibility that British Gas has harnessed so effectively.
“Connectivity is the big thing,” explains Andrew as we discuss how technology development has evolved in the last decade.
“It’s also important for technology providers to realise they need to switch the model on how the technology works. Smarter providers have stopped putting themselves in the centre. Customers’ don’t want to hear about a solution that is the centre of their operation; they have already invested significantly in many solutions and established efficient processes that broadly work well. Now they want to improve; they want to see how we add value to what they’ve already invested in.”
"The twenty-first century has so far been the century of data..."
The solution itself can be described in a sense as Uber for Field Service in that there is a very slick visual representation for the end customer to see the engineer arriving.
There is also, other useful technology within the solution, including scan to van stock management, which can be a game changer for the P&L of some companies struggling to cope with the constant movement of spares. However, it is in its ability to allow field service companies to deliver a service experience that has become an expectation in the age of Amazon and Uber, that Localz grabs the headlines.
This is mostly because it is addressing an issue that many service companies, whether it be a giant like British Gas is universal, or a niche SMB are facing - customer expectations and understandings of what ‘good’ service looks like are evolving rapidly.
“Something I touch on quite a lot is that customers are more informed across the board today,” explains Andrew
“Whether it be in a B2C, B2B or even a B2E environment, we’re all just universally more informed today as such customer expectations are radically increased. Also, the ability to switch providers, especially in the consumer world, is becoming easier and easier. I don’t need to speak to somebody; I literally can go on a website and choose from A, B, and C and get better service.”
The term that has risen to popularity over the last eighteen months in this regard is the ‘experience economy’ where customer satisfaction is no longer enough, we have to consider and understand the total customer experience to deliver customer delight. With this in mind, tools like Localz have become an essential part of the field service equation as they play a significant role in meeting the modern expectations of that service experience.
As Andrew touched on, this experience economy, these increasing customer expectations, have begun to break down the barriers of what we would traditionally define as business to business or business to consumer service standards.
The impact of disruptors, such as Uber and Amazon, is being felt wide and far beyond transport and e-commerce, it’s become ubiquitous across all industries.
“It’s definitely becoming that way,” Andrew agrees as we touch on how the lines across bB2C and B2B appear to be blurring.
“Service expectations especially around visibility and communication on the day of the service call are fast becoming table stakes in B2B, but I think we’re going to see it in B2B soon enough as well.”
If indeed the zeitgeist of the early twenty-first century, in the field service sector at least, is one of seamless service experience, then tools like Localz could very quickly become an essential addition to any field service organisation’s technology sector.
Jul 02, 2019 • Fleet Technology • Software & Apps • News • localz • lastmile
Powered by Localz technology, British Gas’ new “On my way” platform is helping keep its position as the leading energy supplier in the UK.
Powered by Localz technology, British Gas’ new “On my way” platform is helping keep its position as the leading energy supplier in the UK.
British Gas has partnered with Localz, leading experts in last mile location and messaging technology, to improve customer experience and overall efficiencies. With engineers challenged to fulfill appointment promises and an increased demand for uberisation from customers, British Gas has implemented Localz “On my way” solution to deliver real-time automated messages to customers.
British Gas engineers were experiencing challenges fulfilling their call ahead promise when leaving the previous job. Engineers said it was difficult to make contact with their next customer when they were on their way. In some cases this meant they were late to an appointment and the customer had not been informed. These poor experiences led to anxious customers and increased calls into contact centres checking the arrival time of their engineers.
Localz “On my way” Solution enables British Gas’ engineers to send one-click on the way notifications to their next customer. Customers receive SMS or landline phone call notifications with a real-time ETA and live map tracking. These notifications also support two way communication, allowing the customer to message or call their engineer back with important information, further reducing chase calls into the contact centre. The solution is being used by 7,000 British Gas service and repair engineers. The increase in their first time access rate has enabled British Gas to achieve its goal of delivering best in class customer service as the leading energy supplier in the UK.
“The utilities industry is currently in a transition from a commodities business to a services industry. Today’s customers are becoming accustomed to services that are centred around their convenience and experience. Companies such as Uber and Amazon Prime have created new benchmarks for service. By implementing Localz technology, British Gas is meeting and delighting customers with new levels of real-time communications,” said Technology & Innovation, British Gas. “The Localz solution is a vital part in helping us as our organisation grows.”
Localz “On my way” Solution enables British Gas’ engineers to send one-click on the way notifications to their next customer. Customers receive SMS or landline phone call notifications with a real-time ETA and live map tracking. These notifications also support two way communication, allowing the customer to message or call their engineer back with important information, further reducing chase calls into the contact centre. The solution is being used by 7,000 British Gas service and repair engineers. The increase in their first time access rate has enabled British Gas to achieve its goal of delivering best in class customer service as the leading energy supplier in the UK.
“The utilities industry is currently in a transition from a commodities business to a services industry. Today’s customers are becoming accustomed to services that are centred around their convenience and experience. Companies such as Uber and Amazon Prime have created new benchmarks for service. By implementing Localz technology, British Gas is meeting and delighting customers with new levels of real-time communications,” said Technology & Innovation, British Gas. “The Localz solution is a vital part in helping us as our organisation grows.”
“Rapidly hiking consumer expectations, alongside the fact we are an increasingly time-poor society, has created the ‘Individual Economy’, or ‘IConomy’. Each of us expects service providers to have apps and solutions which allow us to see our appointment progress in real-time. Transparency and two-way communications on our smartphones are now a standard expectation. By implementing our solution British Gas has not only been able to fulfill customer satisfaction levels but has also been able to improve its business efficiencies, improving first time access rates means more customers can be seen,” said Tim Andrew, CEO and Co-Founder at Localz.
Life is connected and impatient. Localz solution is a field service solution that enables enterprise to manage and communicate in real-time by integrating technicians, customers and technology. Smart real-time location, tracking and messaging addresses customer service demand for ‘uber- like’ comms and empowers the field team to take control.
Life is connected and impatient. Localz solution is a field service solution that enables enterprise to manage and communicate in real-time by integrating technicians, customers and technology. Smart real-time location, tracking and messaging addresses customer service demand for ‘uber- like’ comms and empowers the field team to take control.
Jul 02, 2019 • field service software directory listing • Field Software providers directory listing • localz • lastmile
Localz Contact information:
UK Key Contact: Tristan Smith Email: tristan.smith@localz.com
Address: The Foundry, 77 Fulham Palace Road, London, W6 8JA Phone: (+44) 2080 498320
USA: Key Contact: Luis Ortega Email: luis.ortega@localz.com ...
Localz Contact information:
Address: The Foundry, 77 Fulham Palace Road, London, W6 8JA
Phone: (+44) 2080 498320
Phone: (+44) 2080 498320
USA:
Key Contact: Luis Ortega
Email: luis.ortega@localz.com
Address: 3951 Higuera Street,Office 5, Culver City CA 90232
Phone:(+1) 805 657 3253
Key Contact: Luis Ortega
Email: luis.ortega@localz.com
Address: 3951 Higuera Street,Office 5, Culver City CA 90232
Phone:(+1) 805 657 3253
Australia:
Key Contact: Justine Coleman
Email: justine.coleman@localz.com
Address: 134 Little Lonsdale Street,Melbourne,Victoria 3000
Phone: (+61) 3 8899 6916
Key Contact: Justine Coleman
Email: justine.coleman@localz.com
Address: 134 Little Lonsdale Street,Melbourne,Victoria 3000
Phone: (+61) 3 8899 6916
Global Website: https://localz.com
Services provided by Localz:
- Smart messaging and location technology that meets consumer demands for constant real-time updates and 'uber-style' real-time tracking;
- Intuitive apps for the mobile workforce simplify the day of service, providing oversight of each customer’s job details, vehicle inspection and instant accident reporting;
- A one-click “on my way” button enables the technician to send an accurate, real-time ETA SMS when on route to their next customer;
- A management dashboard enables office-based staff or call-centres to have visibility of technicians locations with live status of their jobs.
All about Localz:
Localz takes the communication complexity out of on the day service, providing businesses with mobile workforce solutions to deliver a frictionless last mile customer experience. ‘Uberized’ consumers expect real-time transparency and control.
The Localz operational platform enables real-time tracking of the service technician, accurate ETAs and two-way communication. Localz “on my way” messaging increases customer satisfaction and first time access rates.
The Localz platform is being used by the RAC, DPD, OVO Energy, Autoglass, Safelite, Woolworths and British Gas.
Latest video from Localz:
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