Field Service in the early decades of the twenty-first century has become an increasingly tricky beast to tame. Customer expectations are hurtling forward at breakneck speed to what some companies view as almost impossible standards to reach. The...
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Aug 13, 2019 • Features • Management • Ageing Workforce Crisis • workforce management • field service • Industry 4.0 • localz • Customer Satisfaction and Expectations
Field Service in the early decades of the twenty-first century has become an increasingly tricky beast to tame. Customer expectations are hurtling forward at breakneck speed to what some companies view as almost impossible standards to reach. The customer of today is not only better informed than ever before, but via the widespread amplification of social media, more powerful also.
In this series, run in partnership with Localz, we look at precisely what these new challenges of modern field service are and how your organisation can adapt and thrive in this brave new world...
Aug 08, 2019 • Features • Management • Jann Van Veen • moreMomentum
Regular contributor to this magazine, moreMomentum’s Founder and Director Jan Van Veen continues to urge firms to move out of their comfort zone in order to achieve real innovative change. Mark Glover picks some key points from Jan’s recent...
Regular contributor to this magazine, moreMomentum’s Founder and Director Jan Van Veen continues to urge firms to move out of their comfort zone in order to achieve real innovative change. Mark Glover picks some key points from Jan’s recent appearance as a guest on The Field Service Podcast.
The benefits of servitization and digitalisation continues to fill content in podcasts, conferences and academic papers. Indeed, much of Field Service News’ pages is dedicated to these two phenonium and how the service industry should embrace both.
However, it takes a certain amount of courage for firms to break free from their traditional business-model, which might well have served them perfectly well over the years, in order to undertake a strategy which demands a long-period away from the comfort zone.
I hosted the Field Service Podcast where Jan Van Veen, Director and Co-Founder of Consulting and Training company moreMomentum was a guest. Jan continues to work closely with manufacturers, encouraging business innovation and change in their make-up and I began the podcast by suggesting to Jan that some manufacturers are reluctant to make changes in their set-up; reluctant to innovate. “I think it’s more about making sure that everybody is happy,” he responds. “That everybody has the same sense of direction of what needs to happen, and then also to make it happen. I think this is the biggest challenge.”
The comfort zone here is ‘business as usual’. Firms, Jan believes, can see the advantages of servitization and digitalization as a release from the pressure of performance but they are struggling to make the process happen, or the rate of change is too slow.
“In general, what we see is that change is not growing rapidly enough in business,” Jan says. “There is more and more of doing the same, of doing business as usual which does incrementally improve business offerings, products and services etc., which is all good but that doesn’t take them to the future; that doesn’t help them reap the benefits of digitalization and servitization.
Jan identifies the comfort zone as something that manufacturers have been doing – albeit successfully – for many years: improving reliability and preventing disruption through a focus on asset uptime and product-related services. It’s a rut that could potentially leave firms lagging behind competitors, competition that could even come from their own customers as they become more digital savvy.
“I think that’s the main concern here,” Jan warns. “Digitalization is becoming more and more ingrained into everything a business does. We are seeing clients of manufacturers becoming more digital in their operations and therefore start to think about other solutions that can improve their own operations. The questions become about the role of the manufacturer in all this.”
It’s an interesting point and one that challenges the traditional notion role of a manufacturer.
Should they stick to the traditional product-related services offering or attempt to get closer to the business processes of their clients and pursue a more operational-oriented approach achieved through committed servitization and digitalization adoption? Jan, of course, encourages the latter, but admits the difficulties it poses, particularly when it comes to altering a rigid business-model, which involves risk and requires cultural buy-in.
“There’s a bigger bet involved,” he says. “We have to seriously re-invest in new capabilities, digital capabilities, new competencies, new operations and processes. It becomes about political decision making. Reframing and changing the business logic is something which any kind of business finds very difficult.”
Reframing and changing business logic, as Jan says, can be extremely challenging. Firms are reluctant to alter a process that may not be flourishing but is working. Tinkering with a framework does indeed carry risk where the fallout could be extremely damaging. However, most firms are aware there needs to be some type of change and innovation in order to improve processes, services and products. There is a range of innovation, ranging from short term improvements to disruptive radical change and it’s the most forwardthinking companies that embrace this entire spectrum that ultimately succeed.
"Firms are reluctant to alter a process that may not be flourishing but is working..."
“They play the game on each type of innovation at the same time and are therefore working on performance for today, tomorrow and the day after,” Jan explains. “It means that every type of innovation and change has different challenges and pitfall and therefore requires different strategies and techniques. If we are not aware of that we will find ourselves applying the wrong approaches, which may work for one type of innovation, but not another. We then fail.”
The key in the process is business logic. But what exactly is it? How can we define it? Let’s strip back one of the basics of enterprise. Every industry or business has a prevailing set of thinking patterns or knowledge about their customer’s needs: yearly performance; information about competitors; world trends which we then, as a business, make appropriate strategic decisions from. It essentially defines how businesses act, decide, change and learn.
The benefits of servitization and digitalisation continues to fill content in podcasts, conferences and academic papers. Indeed, much of Field Service News’ pages is dedicated to these two phenonium and how the service industry should embrace both.
However, it takes a certain amount of courage for firms to break free from their traditional business-model, which might well have served them perfectly well over the years, in order to undertake a strategy which demands a long-period away from the comfort zone.
I hosted the Field Service Podcast where Jan Van Veen, Director and Co-Founder of Consulting and Training company moreMomentum was a guest. Jan continues to work closely with manufacturers, encouraging business innovation and change in their make-up and I began the podcast by suggesting to Jan that some manufacturers are reluctant to make changes in their set-up; reluctant to innovate. “I think it’s more about making sure that everybody is happy,” he responds. “That everybody has the same sense of direction of what needs to happen, and then also to make it happen. I think this is the biggest challenge.”
The comfort zone here is ‘business as usual’. Firms, Jan believes, can see the advantages of servitization and digitalization as a release from the pressure of performance but they are struggling to make the process happen, or the rate of change is too slow.
“In general, what we see is that change is not growing rapidly enough in business,” Jan says. “There is more and more of doing the same, of doing business as usual which does incrementally improve business offerings, products and services etc., which is all good but that doesn’t take them to the future; that doesn’t help them reap the benefits of digitalization and servitization.
Jan identifies the comfort zone as something that manufacturers have been doing – albeit successfully – for many years: improving reliability and preventing disruption through a focus on asset uptime and product-related services. It’s a rut that could potentially leave firms lagging behind competitors, competition that could even come from their own customers as they become more digital savvy.
“I think that’s the main concern here,” Jan warns. “Digitalization is becoming more and more ingrained into everything a business does. We are seeing clients of manufacturers becoming more digital in their operations and therefore start to think about other solutions that can improve their own operations. The questions become about the role of the manufacturer in all this.”
It’s an interesting point and one that challenges the traditional notion role of a manufacturer.
Should they stick to the traditional product-related services offering or attempt to get closer to the business processes of their clients and pursue a more operational-oriented approach achieved through committed servitization and digitalization adoption? Jan, of course, encourages the latter, but admits the difficulties it poses, particularly when it comes to altering a rigid business-model, which involves risk and requires cultural buy-in.
“There’s a bigger bet involved,” he says. “We have to seriously re-invest in new capabilities, digital capabilities, new competencies, new operations and processes. It becomes about political decision making. Reframing and changing the business logic is something which any kind of business finds very difficult.”
Reframing and changing business logic, as Jan says, can be extremely challenging. Firms are reluctant to alter a process that may not be flourishing but is working. Tinkering with a framework does indeed carry risk where the fallout could be extremely damaging. However, most firms are aware there needs to be some type of change and innovation in order to improve processes, services and products. There is a range of innovation, ranging from short term improvements to disruptive radical change and it’s the most forwardthinking companies that embrace this entire spectrum that ultimately succeed.
"Firms are reluctant to alter a process that may not be flourishing but is working..."
“They play the game on each type of innovation at the same time and are therefore working on performance for today, tomorrow and the day after,” Jan explains. “It means that every type of innovation and change has different challenges and pitfall and therefore requires different strategies and techniques. If we are not aware of that we will find ourselves applying the wrong approaches, which may work for one type of innovation, but not another. We then fail.”
The key in the process is business logic. But what exactly is it? How can we define it? Let’s strip back one of the basics of enterprise. Every industry or business has a prevailing set of thinking patterns or knowledge about their customer’s needs: yearly performance; information about competitors; world trends which we then, as a business, make appropriate strategic decisions from. It essentially defines how businesses act, decide, change and learn.
With this in mind and in order to helps businesses observe their own rationale for change, Jan has developed a Hybrid Innovation Matrix. Relatively small, incremental changes, shown in the bottom left of the matrix represent what most businesses are doing. These take place during the day which includes customer feedback, marketing and R&D. “I don’t think this is the real challenge here,” Jan tells me. “Most of the companies have that right. It becomes more challenging when we move up the left column to the bigger changes within the current business logic, such as applying new predictive technology in our maintenance and services. This includes political decision making and serious change management if you want to launch that new technology.”
Yet, it’s the red side of the matrix – the new business logic - splintered by disruption, that is the most challenging but most rewarding. The bottom right is where firms, by thinking about their current business model can start to extend and develop new knowledge and potentially reconfigure their business model. “Here, we are challenged by re-thinking, reframing, and, ultimately,” he says, “developing new models,” Jan said.
More generally, in the top right, darker red quadrant is where new solutions and markets are being created. Usually through a cluster of companies focusing on one area, for example, digital becoming more common in healthcare or the emergence of renewable energy. Here, Jan predicts the incubation of further ideas and disruptions. “We will see different kinds of developments going on and we still don’t know which one is going to emerge or be dominant, but one thing is for sure, in the next five to ten years, something serious will happen and change here.”
But how can companies use the tool to establish their own potential for change, or more specifically, make sure they’re avoiding ‘business as usual’? The key is ensuring any large-scale changes (top left of the matrix) such as a new software system, does not come at the cost of new business innovation that is incubating in the right-hand side of the matrix. “If that happens,” Jan says, “then you will see that every initiative in the right column will be sacrificed for something which has a shorter-term result in the left column, and then you’re really stuck in business as usual.”
Jan is passionate about change management and innovation and it was obvious during the podcast how much of a difference this matrix and other tools can make to a manufacturer’s outlook. He’s the first to admit that it’s not an easy process but is adamant about the advantages it can bring, an attitude affirmed when I ask what inspires him to do what he does. “I believe that it’s all about empowering and enabling everybody in an organisation to be eager and passionate about performing, learning, developing and growing; as a person and therefore as a business.
“It is all about people making it happen, and I’m a firm believer that people do drive change and want to change, as long as there’s a good reason and not too many obstacles. Therefore, we have to give them good reasons and avoid all the obstacles, and then,” he says, “great things can happen.”
More generally, in the top right, darker red quadrant is where new solutions and markets are being created. Usually through a cluster of companies focusing on one area, for example, digital becoming more common in healthcare or the emergence of renewable energy. Here, Jan predicts the incubation of further ideas and disruptions. “We will see different kinds of developments going on and we still don’t know which one is going to emerge or be dominant, but one thing is for sure, in the next five to ten years, something serious will happen and change here.”
But how can companies use the tool to establish their own potential for change, or more specifically, make sure they’re avoiding ‘business as usual’? The key is ensuring any large-scale changes (top left of the matrix) such as a new software system, does not come at the cost of new business innovation that is incubating in the right-hand side of the matrix. “If that happens,” Jan says, “then you will see that every initiative in the right column will be sacrificed for something which has a shorter-term result in the left column, and then you’re really stuck in business as usual.”
Jan is passionate about change management and innovation and it was obvious during the podcast how much of a difference this matrix and other tools can make to a manufacturer’s outlook. He’s the first to admit that it’s not an easy process but is adamant about the advantages it can bring, an attitude affirmed when I ask what inspires him to do what he does. “I believe that it’s all about empowering and enabling everybody in an organisation to be eager and passionate about performing, learning, developing and growing; as a person and therefore as a business.
“It is all about people making it happen, and I’m a firm believer that people do drive change and want to change, as long as there’s a good reason and not too many obstacles. Therefore, we have to give them good reasons and avoid all the obstacles, and then,” he says, “great things can happen.”
Aug 01, 2019 • Features • Management • Business Improvement • Jim Baston • Business Development
Field service is a sector led by people who inherently understand operations, as such we often hear of companies ‘fine tuning’ their processes as they seek further efficiency gains. However, in today’s world service is also a significant revenue...
Field service is a sector led by people who inherently understand operations, as such we often hear of companies ‘fine tuning’ their processes as they seek further efficiency gains. However, in today’s world service is also a significant revenue generator, so it is high time we turn to tuning up our business development skills as well writes Jim Baston...
As service providers, we are very much aware of the advantages of preventative maintenance programs and equipment tune-ups. Part of our job is to convince our customers of their merit so that we can help them reduce or eliminate unexpected failures, extend asset life and improve operational efficiencies.
If preventative maintenance and tune-ups provide such benefits for our customers, would it not make sense to apply the same logic for ourselves? When was the last time you conducted a tune-up on your initiative to engage your field service professionals in business development activities?
Engaging our field team in making proactive recommendations to our customers provides a valuable service. By identifying ways our customers can improve their business, our field team contributes to their ability to achieve their business goals. Our field service professionals, because of their knowledge of the technology and of the customer, are in a unique position to see opportunities that no one else can see. Therefore it makes sense that we maintain this initiative in a finely tuned condition so that our field team can perform this valuable service at the highest levels.
Here are four areas to focus our tune-up efforts to ensure that our field service team’s business development efforts are performing at their best:
1. Check the processes and systems that oversee opportunity capture and management to ensure they are working efficiently and without error.
Opportunity capture and management systems and processes are the backbone of the business development initiative. If the systems are not working smoothly, then opportunities get lost, field professionals get frustrated and customers become disappointed. Failure to maintain the processes and systems will be a sure way to bring the entire initiative to a grinding halt.
To keep systems and processes operating in tiptop condition, check to ensure that there is a clear and simple process to capture opportunities and that the process is clearly understood. Take proactive steps to simplify the process further. Check to ensure that there are no opportunities falling through the cracks. Ensure that management responds quickly to address any anomalies when problems in the process do occur.
2. Assess how familiar your team is with ALL of your services and capabilities.
Conducting maintenance in this area will contribute to the efficiency and consistence of the initiative. Teams that have a high awareness of your overall capabilities, will be in a better position to recognize opportunities where that capability will help the customer and be more comfortable in engaging the customer in a conversation about it. Evaluate how well your team understands the complete range of services that you provide.
Assess your strategy of bringing new members up to speed and ensuring that everyone is familiar with any new services you add. Evaluate whether your team recognizes the value of learning about your services and how it contributes to the overall benefit of your customers.
3. Evaluate your opportunity follow up strategy.
Not following up on recommendations will result in lost opportunities and contribute to the overall inefficiency and effectiveness of the initiative. Not following up will also have a negative impact on the customer. Many years ago I was asked to do some research for a service organization to gain insight into some specific actions that could be taken to improve their service delivery.
I met with several customers and one related a story to me that highlights the negative impact on the customer of not following up on recommendations. In this case, the field service professional made a recommendation to avoid an anticipated equipment failure.
The recommendation was not acted upon by the customer and several months later the failure did occur. The cost of responding to the resulting emergency situation was many times more that the cost of taking the recommended preventative action. The customer was angry with the service provider. It turns out that the customer had forgotten about the recommendation and the service provider did not follow up to remind him.
Evaluate your process for following up on opportunities. Is it clear who is to follow up? Are they provided with the information needed to do this in a timely manner? Are they following the process? What failsafe measures are in place to ensure that no follow-ups are missed? How well are these measures working?
4. Assess how well you and your management team are supporting the field team.
Management support is both the fuel and the lubricant of the initiative. Consistent and engaged management support will contribute to the efficiency and longevity of the efforts of your field service team. Initiatives that are poorly supported by management will never achieve the planned performance levels and will lose whatever momentum they have quickly.
As you assess management support, consider the following:
• How often do you speak of the initiative? Is it part of most conversations?
• Do you speak of it as part of the overall strategy to serve the customer? Are the proactive efforts of the field team referred to as a service to the customer?
• When was the last time you provided training to enable your team to perform capably and comfortably?
• Do you offer reminders and refreshers to keep the initiative fresh. Do you provide an opportunity like role-playing to let your field service professionals practice their customer conversations in a safe environment?
• Do you make time to regularly coach the team on the desired behaviours?
We provide a valuable service when we engage our technicians in business development by making proactive recommendations to our customers. In order to ensure that we are providing this service at the highest level, it is important that we maintain the effectiveness of the initiative through regular tune-ups.
If it works for our customers, then it will certainly work for us.
Jim Baston is President at BB Consulting Group.
As service providers, we are very much aware of the advantages of preventative maintenance programs and equipment tune-ups. Part of our job is to convince our customers of their merit so that we can help them reduce or eliminate unexpected failures, extend asset life and improve operational efficiencies.
If preventative maintenance and tune-ups provide such benefits for our customers, would it not make sense to apply the same logic for ourselves? When was the last time you conducted a tune-up on your initiative to engage your field service professionals in business development activities?
Engaging our field team in making proactive recommendations to our customers provides a valuable service. By identifying ways our customers can improve their business, our field team contributes to their ability to achieve their business goals. Our field service professionals, because of their knowledge of the technology and of the customer, are in a unique position to see opportunities that no one else can see. Therefore it makes sense that we maintain this initiative in a finely tuned condition so that our field team can perform this valuable service at the highest levels.
Here are four areas to focus our tune-up efforts to ensure that our field service team’s business development efforts are performing at their best:
1. Check the processes and systems that oversee opportunity capture and management to ensure they are working efficiently and without error.
Opportunity capture and management systems and processes are the backbone of the business development initiative. If the systems are not working smoothly, then opportunities get lost, field professionals get frustrated and customers become disappointed. Failure to maintain the processes and systems will be a sure way to bring the entire initiative to a grinding halt.
To keep systems and processes operating in tiptop condition, check to ensure that there is a clear and simple process to capture opportunities and that the process is clearly understood. Take proactive steps to simplify the process further. Check to ensure that there are no opportunities falling through the cracks. Ensure that management responds quickly to address any anomalies when problems in the process do occur.
2. Assess how familiar your team is with ALL of your services and capabilities.
Conducting maintenance in this area will contribute to the efficiency and consistence of the initiative. Teams that have a high awareness of your overall capabilities, will be in a better position to recognize opportunities where that capability will help the customer and be more comfortable in engaging the customer in a conversation about it. Evaluate how well your team understands the complete range of services that you provide.
Assess your strategy of bringing new members up to speed and ensuring that everyone is familiar with any new services you add. Evaluate whether your team recognizes the value of learning about your services and how it contributes to the overall benefit of your customers.
3. Evaluate your opportunity follow up strategy.
Not following up on recommendations will result in lost opportunities and contribute to the overall inefficiency and effectiveness of the initiative. Not following up will also have a negative impact on the customer. Many years ago I was asked to do some research for a service organization to gain insight into some specific actions that could be taken to improve their service delivery.
I met with several customers and one related a story to me that highlights the negative impact on the customer of not following up on recommendations. In this case, the field service professional made a recommendation to avoid an anticipated equipment failure.
The recommendation was not acted upon by the customer and several months later the failure did occur. The cost of responding to the resulting emergency situation was many times more that the cost of taking the recommended preventative action. The customer was angry with the service provider. It turns out that the customer had forgotten about the recommendation and the service provider did not follow up to remind him.
Evaluate your process for following up on opportunities. Is it clear who is to follow up? Are they provided with the information needed to do this in a timely manner? Are they following the process? What failsafe measures are in place to ensure that no follow-ups are missed? How well are these measures working?
4. Assess how well you and your management team are supporting the field team.
Management support is both the fuel and the lubricant of the initiative. Consistent and engaged management support will contribute to the efficiency and longevity of the efforts of your field service team. Initiatives that are poorly supported by management will never achieve the planned performance levels and will lose whatever momentum they have quickly.
As you assess management support, consider the following:
• How often do you speak of the initiative? Is it part of most conversations?
• Do you speak of it as part of the overall strategy to serve the customer? Are the proactive efforts of the field team referred to as a service to the customer?
• When was the last time you provided training to enable your team to perform capably and comfortably?
• Do you offer reminders and refreshers to keep the initiative fresh. Do you provide an opportunity like role-playing to let your field service professionals practice their customer conversations in a safe environment?
• Do you make time to regularly coach the team on the desired behaviours?
We provide a valuable service when we engage our technicians in business development by making proactive recommendations to our customers. In order to ensure that we are providing this service at the highest level, it is important that we maintain the effectiveness of the initiative through regular tune-ups.
If it works for our customers, then it will certainly work for us.
Jim Baston is President at BB Consulting Group.
Jul 31, 2019 • Management • Software & Apps • News • servicemax • Service Execution Management
Report Highlights Improvements Beyond Traditional Service Efficiency
Report Highlights Improvements Beyond Traditional Service Efficiency
ServiceMax has revealed the results of its new survey of customers to better understand how real-world organizations benefit from service execution management technology – and areas where even the most advanced organizations can improve, including measurable impact on key performance indicators such as Net Promoter Score (NPS) and employee engagement.
Partnering with market research consultancy Wakefield Research, the ServiceMax Impact Report analyzes the impact that service organizations track by leveraging ServiceMax’s field service management and asset service management solutions. Further, the report shares insights for service leaders to help them go beyond productivity and efficiency gains and rethink approaches to workforce management, asset service strategies and customer experience that drive service transformation.
Partnering with market research consultancy Wakefield Research, the ServiceMax Impact Report analyzes the impact that service organizations track by leveraging ServiceMax’s field service management and asset service management solutions. Further, the report shares insights for service leaders to help them go beyond productivity and efficiency gains and rethink approaches to workforce management, asset service strategies and customer experience that drive service transformation.
Today’s service leaders and their technicians in the field need the right tools and knowledge to keep critical equipment running – and to exceed customers’ ever-changing expectations for uptime and support. Service jobs take many forms – a field service technician drives three hours to a remote hospital to perform preventive maintenance on an MRI machine; the head of security at an office building calls their maintenance team to fix a broken surveillance camera; an aviation MRO crew waits in a hangar to perform planned maintenance on a 787 jet engine – and these service calls all require specialized skills, effective logistical coordination and varying levels of planning to ensure the job is executed effectively and efficiently.
Service is not a one-size fits-all industry. This year, survey results reveal companies that have started their digital service transformation journey are seeing impact across their service business and bottom line. By providing digital tools that engage the service workforce, provide visibility into the install base as maintained in the field and address increasing demands for a seamless customer experience, ServiceMax customers are able to provide insight and impact to board level initiatives.
Highlights from the survey, which showcase average business impact for customers using the ServiceMax platform, include:
- 25% increase in service revenue;
- 17% reduction in service costs;
- 20% increase in Net Promoter Score;
- 21% increase in contract renewals;
- 12% increase in equipment uptime;
- 29% increase in employee satisfaction;
- 23% improvement in technician productivity;
- 22% increase in workforce utilization.
"With ServiceMax, we've been able to capture lead generation in the tool and they can pass leads straight over to the sales organization in real time. Lead generation has increased dramatically,” said Stephen McPhee, Head of Americas – Lab Water, MilliporeSigma. “Engineers feel more satisfied on a day in and day out basis because they are making a difference when they're passing a lead to the sales organization. Revenues have been increasing as a result."
“At ServiceMax, our mission is to help all service organizations run profitable, productive and competitive service operations,” said Neil Barua, CEO of ServiceMax. “We’re honored to work with our customers every day to make this mission a reality and we’re incredibly happy to hear how the ServiceMax platform is instrumental in improving our customers’ service execution management strategies and abilities to support their own clients.”
A comprehensive service execution management solution, such as ServiceMax, helps organizations across industries improve the productivity of complex, equipment-centric service and achieve quantifiable results, including dramatic service revenue growth, increased customer satisfaction and a reduction in compliance incidents.
Jul 30, 2019 • Features • Management • Ageing Workforce Crisis • workforce management • FIeld nation • field service • Blended Workforce • FieldNation
There are three key considerations that field service organizations must take into account when building a modern workforce, including the changing demographics from Baby Boomer to Millennial, the impact of technology on field service operations,...
There are three key considerations that field service organizations must take into account when building a modern workforce, including the changing demographics from Baby Boomer to Millennial, the impact of technology on field service operations, and the growth of the ‘gig’ economy. In a new series run in partnership with FieldNation, we explore all three...
Jul 30, 2019 • Features • Management • Mark Brewer • Digital Transformation • Experience Economy • field service • field service management • IFS • Service Management • Customer Satisfaction and Expectations • Managing the Mobile Workforce
In his previous article for Field Service News, Mark Brewer, Global Industry Director, Service Management, IFS introduced the concept of the experience economy, now he outlines why digital transformation is the key to driving it forwards...
In his previous article for Field Service News, Mark Brewer, Global Industry Director, Service Management, IFS introduced the concept of the experience economy, now he outlines why digital transformation is the key to driving it forwards...
Here's a scary statistic. The average person clicks, taps or swipes a mobile device 2,617 times a day. It shows just how much time we now spend interacting with the online world. Banking, booking holidays, shopping, socialising and so on, we increasingly live our lives through a screen. And with every interaction, we expect a particular level of service in return.
With digital technologies continuing to advance rapidly, along with consumers' understanding of the possibilities they enable, people demand an immediate and seamless experience whenever and however they make contact. These expectations, which are already prevalent in the home, have now evolved in the workplace. This has major implications for the planning and delivery of service, and specifically how companies look to drive customer loyalty (and ultimately retention) via a superior experience.
Automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have a significant role to play here. AI isn't strictly new of course. But what is new is the way it influences today's experience economy by affecting outcomes, driving engagement and in many cases scaling the human.
Superior engagement
A comprehensive customer contact strategy is essential for any service organisation. Traditionally, this has focused on voice or email; now it includes an entire omnichannel capability with multiple media touchpoints. As you'd expect, this evolution is being driven by younger age groups. 26 per cent of millennials use social media and 29 per cent use texts and messaging apps to reach out for service, while three-quarters of all people over 44 years of age prefer using more traditional means such as emails or phone calls.
For example, if you want to book an appointment for someone to come and service your boiler, you can organise it without having to speak to anyone, online. A chatbot replaces the 'real' person. This is more convenient for you, more cost-effective and efficient for the organisation you're talking to - but it also raises your expectations.
This means responses must be faster, and there's no room for error. There's no time for long calls with operators or the patience to be passed from department to department. And gratification must be swift and successful, however you interact - whether via a web portal, email, virtual assistant, or even an instant messaging service like WhatsApp.
74 per cent of companies offer some form of self-service for customers - and the majority have implemented it specifically to improve customer experienceThis has implications for businesses looking to maintain positive customer relationships. An operation which has traditionally focused on contact centres, predominantly powered by phones (i.e. voice), must now deploy a comprehensive, omnichannel communications suite capable of serving a wide range of contact media, anytime and anywhere.
This can be problematic. Many companies can't afford to extend their contact centre facilities to multiple locations, or cater specifically to every market they're working in.
However, help is at hand with virtual contact centres which can make efficient use of distributed and varied workforces, automatically matching agents with requests and customers. This also drives a more responsive, agile, and scalable workforce where agents can engage in multiple simultaneous conversations using multiple chat sessions and providing consistently high service levels.
The B2C world already does this pretty well. 74 per cent of companies offer some form of self-service for customers - and the majority have implemented it specifically to improve customer experience. B2B organisations need to follow suit. The rewards are big for those who do it well. Companies with effective omnichannel communications enjoy 28 positive customer experiences for every one negative experience, while companies without this experience just two positive experiences for every one negative*.
It's a no-brainer. Doing omnichannel well can create up to 14 times more positive customer experiences. Crucially, this also influences customer loyalty. To look at it another way, your business will potentially only lose one in 29 customers, as opposed to one in three!
Powering the experience
The driver here is digital transformation, enabling new levels of service provision. Customer interactions differ based on age, demographics and preferences. Digital supports them all. It's no longer just your customer services department talking to these customers, it's your equipment, IoT sensors, AI, chatbots and more: predicting behaviour, recommending actions, solving issues, intuitively. The more it does this, the smarter it gets.
This technology is transformational and can bring huge benefits to your business. However, you need the right infrastructure in place to manage it.
So, what next?
To see examples of how IFS has helped customers drive digital transformation in their operations, and understand how omnichannel customer engagement can improve your customer’s experience, visit ifsworld.com.
*Forrester: The role of emotion in customer experience
Jul 30, 2019 • Features • Management • Retail • bybox • Cashless Society • Claudine Mosseri • field service • field service management • Service Management • UK
Retail in the UK is changing rapidly and it is placing ever greater importance on same-day-fix requirements of solution providers writes Claudine Mosseri, General Manager, Field Services, ByBox explains...
Retail in the UK is changing rapidly and it is placing ever greater importance on same-day-fix requirements of solution providers writes Claudine Mosseri, General Manager, Field Services, ByBox explains...
As card payments and online banking continue to rise, Britain’s high street banks are facing closure. Research suggests that two local branches have shut shop every day for the past three years. And, with RBS recently announcing the closure of 162 physical branches, it doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. For local towns and high streets, this poses a problem, as it becomes increasingly difficult for consumers and merchants to access and manage cash.
Traditionally, many small businesses would only deal exclusively in cash, a whopping three million* in the UK alone. Owing to rental prices on payment terminals, facilitating card payments can often be too expensive to maintain when operating on small margins. Yet not having access to a local bank, means these retailers are not only missing out on possible revenues streams but they now need to also travel to a different town during business hours to pay in takings. Leading to additional expenses, missed interest and other threats such as theft if cash is left on the premises.
As large retailers lead the charge, offering more payment options and increased technology within stores, it’s not just bank closures putting pressures on local, high street stores. Today’s consumer is used to a seamless, integrated shopping experience, whether in-store or online.
Working with a provider that offers same-day fixes and ensures device uptime can help stores adapt to an increasingly cashless societyIn July this year, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) reported that with cash no-longer being the most popular payment method, card payments accounted for 54% of retail transactions and almost 75% of total sales in the UK. In addition, demonstrating our desire for fast convenience, contactless payments were up 121.9% in April 2018, compared to the same period the previous year.
Now a more connected and contactless nation, reliance on payment terminal uptime is paramount. It’s not enough to simply accept card payments onsite anymore, with research suggesting that non-functioning payment devices leave one-in-three customers unable to complete a purchase. Even with more payment options in place, retailers must ensure they are working in order to enhance the customer experience.
Bank closures and changing customer expectations will undoubtedly result in a shake-up of the payment industry and retail environments, but how can independent merchants be supported during the transition?
For starters, as facilitating card payments becomes the only convenient option, technology providers will need to ensure that devices, and the supporting software, is affordable, dependable and user-friendly. Two-thirds of consumers report experiencing failing card machines on at least one occasion. For small organisations, this could easily result in lost customers and business. And if card is the only option, it’s even more important that devices are functioning.
With any new installation, device maintenance must be considered to minimise faulty technology, negative shopper experiences and lost sales. For small businesses, the support of the payment industry in increasing uptime isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a necessity. ByBox’s Switch service aims to mitigate the knock-on effects of retail device downtime, on the consumer, merchants and the payments industry. The service, which uses a network of App and Bluetooth controlled lockers in strategic locations, ensures same-day fixes via pre-positioned parts.
Britain’s high streets are changing. Stores, whether large or small, are under increased pressure to modernise in-store offerings. Customer demand and closing banks are resulting in independent retailers needing to keep pace with large, big-name chains.
In order for any store to succeed in this competitive, connected environment, they must adopt new technology with confidence in the reliability of such devices. Working with a provider that offers same-day fixes and ensures device uptime can help stores adapt to an increasingly cashless society while offering an enhanced customer experience.
Resources Used
- https://brc.org.uk/news/2017/debit-cards-overtake-cash-to-become-number-one-payment-method-in-the-uk
- https://www.theukdomain.uk/smaller-businesses-offer-cashless-payments/
- https://squareup.com/gb/news/one-in-six-brits-is-now-a-card-only-shopper
- http://www.theukcardsassociation.org.uk/contactless_contactless_statistics/
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Jul 25, 2019 • Features • Management • Michael Blumberg • first time fix
First time fix rates have always been and likely always will be the number one KPI that Field Service Companies focus on, but it is an elusive number to hit, Michael Blumberg gives his expert advice... Achieving a high first-time fix rate and...
First time fix rates have always been and likely always will be the number one KPI that Field Service Companies focus on, but it is an elusive number to hit, Michael Blumberg gives his expert advice...
Achieving a high first-time fix rate and completing service visits in a timely manner represents the Holy Grail for many Field Service Organizations (FSOs). Unfortunately, many FSOs face stumbling blocks to achieving this outcome. At issue, their technicians may lack the knowledge required to effectively resolve service issues in a timely manner.
In many cases, the information exists within the organization but it is difficult for technicians to find or access it in a timely manner. As a result, the customer may experience longer downtime while the FSO experiences higher operating costs associated with lost productivity, longer time spent on site, and increased calls to the Technical Support by the Field Service team.
This status quo may exist for several reasons. First, knowledge is maintained in disparate and disconnected databases. For example, service knowledge may exist in manuals, knowledge, articles, service bulletins, schematics, support tickets, or Knowledge Management Systems. Second, the information sources may differ in complexity, format, maturity or even language. Some of these sources may be analog (i.e., paper-based) while others might be digital/ online. Regardless, it becomes a time consuming and cumbersome task for technicians to find this information.
Another challenge to knowledge management that some FSOs face is that there is often no system of record or audit trail to capture the steps technicians followed or the knowledge sources they relied on to solve the problem. Documenting this information could save a lot of time next time a different technician encounters the same problem. FSOs have attempted to solve these problems through one or more the following technologies:
CRM/ERP
Many CRM/ERP applications include feature functionality for storing and retrieving repair documentation based on keyword search. Others include the ability to search for a possible solution to a problem based on the description of the symptoms. Unfortunately, CRM/ERP knowledge solutions are typically designed for a Telephone Technical Support environment. As a result, they are not necessarily mobile friendly.
Knowledge Management Solutions (KMS)
For example, CaseBased Reasoning (CBR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, or Neural Networks. These solutions provide a more precise diagnosis and accurate solution to the problem at hand then CRM/ERP solutions. However, they can be very costly and time consuming to implement particularly if the FSOs is supporting an extremely large install base of equipment with a long service tail.
• Augmented Reality (AR)
This technology is gaining widespread appeal as a preferred technology for facilitating an improved remote support experience between experts and field service engineers (FSEs)/ customers. It is of course much more economical to deploy than KMS solutions listed above. The consensus among industry participants is that AR is best suited for situations where the field engineer is working on something for the first time and/or has exhausted other attempts at solving the problem.
While they are many great Knowledge tools available to FSOs, each application has its limitations. Unfortunately, no single technology is a panacea for all issues. A more effective alternative is to implement a unified knowledge platform that leverages investments in legacy Knowledge assets (e.g., service bulletins, knowledge articles, etc.) while permitting the addition of advanced functionality such as AR, IoT data, AI, machine learning, and predictive analytics.
Characteristics of the optimal solution include:
• A unified platform that connects disparate systems and knowledge bases through a single sign-on;
• Ability to deliver all service content including service manuals, service bulletins, knowledge articles, parts catalogues, and training videos on any mobile device;
• Allow Google-like search against fully indexed content from all sources for faster and more accurate results;
• Filter relevant answers based on the product failed component, symptom, or failure description;
• Easily author and publish content in real-time to deliver the most up-todate and accurate information;
• Capture technician feedback to continuously improve the content and search results;
• Multilanguage support capabilities including real-time text transaction;
• Integration into enterprise systems (e..g, CRM/ERP) and other knowledge tools;
• Reporting and analytics.
Electrolux, a leading global appliance manufacturer, provides a great example of a company that was able to overcome knowledge challenges by implementing a unified knowledge management platform. The company’s legacy system was outdated, not searchable, or mobile friendly.
Service information was located inside Electrolux’s firewall and there was no offline functionality. Service Technicians spent an inordinate amount of time retrieving information. They would often contact the Electrolux Technical Support Line for help, placing an increased burden on the Support Line personnel.
By implementing a solution similar to the one described above from Mize, Inc., Electrolux is now able to provide its 3,000+ service providers with real-time mobile access to knowledge documents and videos. To date, over 2,000+ documents have been published by Electrolux, reducing the number of interface points for service providers and dealers to access information.
This enhanced capability has reduced both the number of calls to the Technical Support Line and the length of hold times that Technicians experience.
Not only that, Electrolux is able to reduce their support costs. In addition, technicians are more productive as measured by shorter repair times and higher first-time fix rates all of which have a dramatic improvement on Customer Experience.
MIchael Blumberg is Founder of Field Service Insights and CMO of Mize.
Achieving a high first-time fix rate and completing service visits in a timely manner represents the Holy Grail for many Field Service Organizations (FSOs). Unfortunately, many FSOs face stumbling blocks to achieving this outcome. At issue, their technicians may lack the knowledge required to effectively resolve service issues in a timely manner.
In many cases, the information exists within the organization but it is difficult for technicians to find or access it in a timely manner. As a result, the customer may experience longer downtime while the FSO experiences higher operating costs associated with lost productivity, longer time spent on site, and increased calls to the Technical Support by the Field Service team.
This status quo may exist for several reasons. First, knowledge is maintained in disparate and disconnected databases. For example, service knowledge may exist in manuals, knowledge, articles, service bulletins, schematics, support tickets, or Knowledge Management Systems. Second, the information sources may differ in complexity, format, maturity or even language. Some of these sources may be analog (i.e., paper-based) while others might be digital/ online. Regardless, it becomes a time consuming and cumbersome task for technicians to find this information.
Another challenge to knowledge management that some FSOs face is that there is often no system of record or audit trail to capture the steps technicians followed or the knowledge sources they relied on to solve the problem. Documenting this information could save a lot of time next time a different technician encounters the same problem. FSOs have attempted to solve these problems through one or more the following technologies:
CRM/ERP
Many CRM/ERP applications include feature functionality for storing and retrieving repair documentation based on keyword search. Others include the ability to search for a possible solution to a problem based on the description of the symptoms. Unfortunately, CRM/ERP knowledge solutions are typically designed for a Telephone Technical Support environment. As a result, they are not necessarily mobile friendly.
Knowledge Management Solutions (KMS)
For example, CaseBased Reasoning (CBR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, or Neural Networks. These solutions provide a more precise diagnosis and accurate solution to the problem at hand then CRM/ERP solutions. However, they can be very costly and time consuming to implement particularly if the FSOs is supporting an extremely large install base of equipment with a long service tail.
• Augmented Reality (AR)
This technology is gaining widespread appeal as a preferred technology for facilitating an improved remote support experience between experts and field service engineers (FSEs)/ customers. It is of course much more economical to deploy than KMS solutions listed above. The consensus among industry participants is that AR is best suited for situations where the field engineer is working on something for the first time and/or has exhausted other attempts at solving the problem.
While they are many great Knowledge tools available to FSOs, each application has its limitations. Unfortunately, no single technology is a panacea for all issues. A more effective alternative is to implement a unified knowledge platform that leverages investments in legacy Knowledge assets (e.g., service bulletins, knowledge articles, etc.) while permitting the addition of advanced functionality such as AR, IoT data, AI, machine learning, and predictive analytics.
Characteristics of the optimal solution include:
• A unified platform that connects disparate systems and knowledge bases through a single sign-on;
• Ability to deliver all service content including service manuals, service bulletins, knowledge articles, parts catalogues, and training videos on any mobile device;
• Allow Google-like search against fully indexed content from all sources for faster and more accurate results;
• Filter relevant answers based on the product failed component, symptom, or failure description;
• Easily author and publish content in real-time to deliver the most up-todate and accurate information;
• Capture technician feedback to continuously improve the content and search results;
• Multilanguage support capabilities including real-time text transaction;
• Integration into enterprise systems (e..g, CRM/ERP) and other knowledge tools;
• Reporting and analytics.
Electrolux, a leading global appliance manufacturer, provides a great example of a company that was able to overcome knowledge challenges by implementing a unified knowledge management platform. The company’s legacy system was outdated, not searchable, or mobile friendly.
Service information was located inside Electrolux’s firewall and there was no offline functionality. Service Technicians spent an inordinate amount of time retrieving information. They would often contact the Electrolux Technical Support Line for help, placing an increased burden on the Support Line personnel.
By implementing a solution similar to the one described above from Mize, Inc., Electrolux is now able to provide its 3,000+ service providers with real-time mobile access to knowledge documents and videos. To date, over 2,000+ documents have been published by Electrolux, reducing the number of interface points for service providers and dealers to access information.
This enhanced capability has reduced both the number of calls to the Technical Support Line and the length of hold times that Technicians experience.
Not only that, Electrolux is able to reduce their support costs. In addition, technicians are more productive as measured by shorter repair times and higher first-time fix rates all of which have a dramatic improvement on Customer Experience.
MIchael Blumberg is Founder of Field Service Insights and CMO of Mize.
Jul 23, 2019 • Features • Management • Jann Van Veen • moreMomentum • Motivation
“Fail-fast, learn fast,” does not really work to improve (service) innovation or agility. Individuals, teams and organisations fail when they did not do what they should have done. So, goal-oriented actions and task, whether it is execution,...
“Fail-fast, learn fast,” does not really work to improve (service) innovation or agility. Individuals, teams and organisations fail when they did not do what they should have done. So, goal-oriented actions and task, whether it is execution, learning, exploring or driving change. The paralysing fear to fail comes from too much emphasis on the end results alone. Jan Van Veen, Founder, moreMomentum explains more.
We see increasing attention for the way to manage and lead organisations and teams and to build confidence to innovate and change in a rapidly changing world. The widespread fear to fail has a paralysing effect which hinders sustainable change, innovation and improvements.
To reduce this fear to fail, the idea has emerged that it is okay to fail:
• We should ‘Fail fast, learn fast’;
• ‘Failure is an option’;
• We should organise ‘Failure celebration nights’.
However, in practice I see many people finding it difficult to really embrace these concepts wholeheartedly. In the end, failure is a failure, it doesn’t feel right and by nature is something you try to avoid. It will not feel okay fail really, whatever we say about failure and how much we celebrate failures.
In some cultures, this is stronger than others. Besides that, most industries and companies experience increasing pressure on performance. So, should we take it easy when performance is behind expectation?
I fully agree with the point that many companies suffer from the paralysing effect of the fear to fail. However, I am afraid we are missing the point and do not get the right balance between accountability on the one hand and confidence to perform, learn, explore and change on the other hand.
Learning From Young Ambitious Athletes
I have the pleasure of being involved in coaching young and ambitious judokas who have a dream of participating at the Olympics some time. My sons are pretty fanatic judokas as well. They train hard - five evenings per week - and play three tournaments per month. Losing a match often happens very intensively: you’re on your own, and within a few minutes or even seconds you are violently thrown on your back – game over! If you’re not the top of the league (yet), you lose most of the matches.
How to stay motivated? How to keep on learning and performing? How to feel proud of what you are doing and accomplishing?
I’d like to share three things around failure and success, which I have seen working very well for these youngsters as well as for the leading and dynamic manufacturers which are ahead of the game during today’s rapid transitions and change.
Focus On The Right Actions To Get Results, Not The Results Themselves
Instead of focussing on winning the match, the most talented athletes focus on their task, doing the right things to have the best chances to win the match. They evaluate how well they performed their task and how they could do better. The end-result (winning or losing the match) is hardly indicative. There are so many other factors which influence the end-result. Their best match could be the one they lost, not the one they won.
In practice, many businesses focus too much on the results alone when managing their teams. Everything is okay as long as the results are okay. However, when they miss a deal, lose a client, or when a new service-product does not sell well, there is a problem
which has to be fixed ‘yesterday’. It doesn’t matter how - only the results count!
On the other hand, successful teams and individuals focus on building strong capabilities and competencies. They feel accountable for execution and results. Whenever either results or execution are below expectations, they review, find the root causes, try other approaches and learn. This will bring the best, sustainable results.
This is success! Not doing this – on the other hand - is the failing. So, failure should not be an option!
"Many businesses focus too much on the results alone..."
Articulate The Expected Outcome Of Learning And Experiments
I have seen how much more pleasure, engagement, learning and the results judokas get when they are very targeted in their learning and experiments. The experience the effects on intermediate objectives which are leading indicators for the overall result – winning more matches. For example, they will focus an entire tournament on dominating their opponents, force them to move and then experience how much more they are in control and get more opportunities to make a throw.
Too often, we see teams trying something new without being explicit about the expected effect and about how to ‘measure’ the impact. They tend to relate this impact to the end-result only. This reduces their ability to evaluate and validate their actions properly. They abandon good ideas too quickly because of the lack of performance improvement on the short term and move on to try something else. As a result, they learn slow and sometimes even follow unproductive paths.
However, successful teams articulate the learning objective, the expected impact and outcome of their initiatives and experiments very well. Whether it is about improving performance, finding new ways of working or developing a new service or business model, they have:
• A proper root-cause analysis;
• Clarity on critical assumptions which need to be valid for success;
• Formulated the critical questions;
• Designed their experiments to validate the critical assumptions and answer their key questions;
• Defined how to measure the results and validate their hypothesis.
Our Experiment-Learning-Card can help better articulate your experiments.
As a result, they can truly say that any answer or result is a good one and brings them further. A negative outcome is not a matter of failing at all. However, not following these kind practices is the failing. Failure should not be an option!
Like Edison said: “I did not fail, I only discovery 10.000 ways that don’t work.” Focus on learning from success and progress
Many young athletes with aspirations to get to the top – and ultimately will make it – are the winners at the moment. However, they have a mindset, attitude and practice to have a steep learning curve. That motivates and is the best predictor for good results.
Many of us often forget that we learn more successes and progress towards an aspiration than from failures themselves. Failures can increase a level of threat, stress and adrenaline, which can improve performance in a typical flight-or-fight situation. The effect is often short term and limits openness, creativity and collaboration. Which is not really a good situation for innovation and learning.
Our hormone-systems (dopamine, endorphin, oxytocin and more) are built around feeling rewarded and connected when achieving something (together), making progress and getting closer to the goals and feeling connected with
each other.
Every step we get closer to the desired result will motivate us more to be persistent and find ways to make the next step.
Conclusion
• Learning ≠ Failing and Failing ≠ Learning;
• Focus on actions and tasks for results;
• Focus on building capabilities for results;
• Celebrate progress and (small) successes;
• Specify objectives of learning, experiments and discovery as explicit as possible;
• Use our Experiment-Learning-Card to better articulate your experiments.
Jan van Veen is Founder and Managing Director at moreMomentum.
Field Service News is published by 1927 Media Ltd, an independent publisher whose sole focus is on the field service sector. As such our entire resources are focused on helping drive the field service sector forwards and aiming to best serve our industry through honest, incisive and innovative media coverage of the global field service sector.
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