Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News talk to Peter Alexander, former President of Sulzer's Rotating Equipment Services division about his closing keynote presentation at the Spring Servitization Conference, hosted by Aston Centre for...
ARCHIVE FOR THE ‘management’ CATEGORY
Jul 12, 2017 • video • Management
Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News talk to Peter Alexander, former President of Sulzer's Rotating Equipment Services division about his closing keynote presentation at the Spring Servitization Conference, hosted by Aston Centre for Servitization, The Advanced Services Group and the University of Lucerne.
Alexander talks at length about the differences in cultures between product focussed teams and service focussed teams and why it is absolutely to overcome these areas when going through a process of servitization.
Be social and share this feature
Jul 10, 2017 • Features • Management • Coresystems • crowd service • resources • White Paper • White Papers & eBooks
Resource Type: White Paper Published by: Coresystems Title: 3 Traps to Avoid if You Want to Meet Your Customer Satisfaction KPI
Resource Type: White Paper
Published by: Coresystems
Title: 3 Traps to Avoid if You Want to Meet Your Customer Satisfaction KPI
Field Service Professional? Click here to apply for a complimentary industry subscription to Field Service News and get the white paper "Preparing for the Connected Customer" sent directly to your inbox now
Synopsis:
For field service management (FSM), one of the most crucial KPIs is customer satisfaction.
Customers who are pleased with products and services are not tempted to seek out better solutions. In effect, guaranteeing customer satisfaction is a way of building up a loyal clientele and ensuring retention...
This white paper published by Coresystems explores three traps that every field service organisation must avoid if they want to ensure that they are meeting perhaps the most important KPI in todays competitive service landscape - customer satisfaction...
There are three things to pay close attention to when measuring this KPI: speed, quality and customer engagement.
The three traps many field service companies fall into according to this white paper are:
- Trap #1 - Long wait times
- Trap #2 - Diminished quality
- Trap #3 - Feeling left out
Overview:
There are three things to pay close attention to when measuring this KPI: speed, quality and customer engagement. This white paper offers an important list of ways to steer clear of bad service traps.
1st Trap: Long Wait Times:
Time is of the essence. Time wasted – on hold, repeating information to call center representatives who have no background knowledge of the issue, waiting for available service appointments or busy technicians – feels like time stolen to customers. A survey conducted by Aberdeen group showed that 51% of those surveyed were most dissatisfied with the waiting times for appointments.
Field service management software can play an integral role in increasing service response time by:
- By integrating quick response codes (QR code) into devices, companies give customers the technology to quickly transmit all the necessary product details to service providers with one quick scan.
- By taking advantage of the latest developments in IoT, like sensors, companies can rely on predictive technology to respond to breakdowns or glitches before they occur.
- By relying on a crowd service , companies can be sure they have a sufficient workforce with the expertise needed to handle customers’ technical service issues.
2nd Trap: Diminished Quality:
According the Aberdeen group survey, when asked to list their top four (out of twelve options) reasons for being dissatisfied with customer service, 58% of those surveyed stated that it was technicians who could not solve their issues due to a lack of expertise or equipment.
Should your customer survey indicate that clients are dissatisfied with the level of quality your service technicians are providing, the most immediate response you can take is to ensure that your technicians are properly trained to perform the tasks at hand. However, it can sometimes be difficult to find experienced and highly-qualified specialists. This is where the targeted use of FSM software can have measurable positive implications.
3rd Trap: Feeling left out:
Some companies make the mistake of assuming that a customer is content to report a problem and sit back and wait for the solution to appear.
This is a dangerous assumption to make. 38% of customers surveyed reported that they were unhappy about technicians not arriving on time. They were not content with knowing that technicians were on their way, they wanted to be able to track the progress of their repairs from start to finish. They wanted access to 24-hour status updates.
They wanted to be able to report problems when they occur, and not have to wait for the limited window of opportunity during which customer representatives were available.
Want to know more? Field Service Professional? Click here to apply for a complimentary industry subscription to Field Service News and get the white paper "Preparing for the Connected Customer" sent directly to your inbox now
Be social and share this feature
Jun 28, 2017 • Features • Management • Jan Van Veen • management
In a new feature series Jan Van Veen explores what are the common factors in an organisations DNA that makes them stand head and shoulders above the rest of the competition...
In a new feature series Jan Van Veen explores what are the common factors in an organisations DNA that makes them stand head and shoulders above the rest of the competition...
We have discovered 4 winning habits of long-lasting achievers in service, which sets them apart from competition. These long-lasting achievers see that change and innovation in their organisations is energising and easy and that their people pursue opportunities that go beyond business-as-usual.
Everyone in their organisations has the opportunity to be highly influential In every manufacturing industry, there are exciting – but challenging- changes taking place; involving Servitization, Internet of Things, Big Data, and so on. Customer needs and expectations are shifting, as is the competitive landscape. The speed of change will only continue to increase.
And this will offer huge opportunities for existing manufacturers, and new entrants into the sector.
Many people in manufacturing companies have identified the changes, their impact, and the potential opportunities.
They also see their companies stagnating and dropping behind, despite many attempts to increase a sense of urgency and get buy-in. This often leaves them feeling disappointed and frustrated, yet they are still eager to make a difference.
The 3 Dominant Problems
Most leaders in manufacturing face 3 problems relating to their ability to adapt for more success today, and in the future. One of the concrete consequences, is slower growth of their service business.
Slow change: Whether it is regarding small changes or larger change, it seems to be that many forces repel against it. A lot of energy is wasted in resisting change and in turn, fighting resistance.
There is limited clarity in direction, limited collaboration between departments, a conflict of objectives, too much uncertainty and fear, and a lack of passion and engagement from employees.
As a result, performance issues continue without adequate and timely interventions. Projects and strategies slow down or at worst, fail during execution. Consequently, employees show signs of being worn-out of yet another change initiative.
[quote float="left"]The ‘4 winning habits’ are in fact, the missing link to increase and sustain momentum, to continuously adapt, drive change and innovate their business- including driving a strong service business
Being stuck in “business as usual”: There are very few ideas and initiatives beyond small, incremental improvements, if any at all. Whether it is about product innovation, new services, sales approaches or delivery processes, most changes are focussed on incremental improvements of the status-quo. Of course, this is important, but not sufficient to be successful in our changing world.
Lack of influence: Most people within a company, from the operation specialists, to the CEOs, feel disappointed or even frustrated due to having limited influence to make a real difference.
What makes matters worse, is when they see good ideas and concerns failing to resonate with their organisation.
The 4 Winning Habits
The long-lasting achievers experience the same challenges and opportunities as those who stagnate. They have access to the same market for clients, same technology, same market for talents, and the same knowledge and expertise within the industry.
We can also point out that they have similar visions and strategies, change management, communication strategies and budgets for the change initiatives.
It appears that the ‘4 winning habits’ are in fact, the missing link to increase and sustain momentum, to continuously adapt, drive change and innovate their business- including driving a strong service business
The 4 habits are:
- Direction: Everyone shares a clear and succinct picture of changes in the industry, where the company is heading and what needs to change over the coming years. They all understand how they can contribute to the change, and ultimately, fit in.
- Dialogue: Across all teams and levels there is a constructive and forward-looking dialogue on performance, progress, priorities and aligned actions. Everyone feels secure and confident to adapt and try new approaches.
- Decision-making: Everyone has the power to make decisions within their role, to adjust, perform and improve. There are adequate guiding principles to ensure coherence and alignment of all decisions.
- Discovery: Everyone is aware of (potential) trends, opportunities and threats and the best practices available. They spend time in exploring, testing and learning. There is more focus on new things which go beyond the current core business, which is imperative for future success.
Over the following months, we will elaborate upon each of these habits and support our content with real-life examples.
The Result
The results long-lasting achievers obtain with these 4 winning habits is deep-rooted.
Fluid change: Everyone is passionate and keen to make a difference. They all recognise the need to change and adapt. They collectively think and act to achieve greatness. Change energises!
Pursuing opportunities beyond “business as usual”. Everyone is sensitive to threats, opportunities and obstacles, and behave in a coherent and forward-looking way.
Highly influential: The CEO, operational specialists, and anyone in between have influence to drive change and innovation, and make a positive difference.
They therefore discover:
- More real value innovation, like service innovation.
- Higher growth rates and margins
- Better customer loyalty
- Higher employee engagement
- Better retention and attraction of talents[/unordered_list]
The Essence
If you assume that the focus is about change management and buy-in, then you have missed the point:
It is about making change management obsolete.
There is no need to cope with resistance against change, because the changes come from the ‘bottom-up’.
I believe this is the power of combining business innovation on one hand, and talent development and empowerment on the other.
Be social and share this feature
Jun 22, 2017 • Features • Management • Continuous Improvement • Jan Van Veen • Managemenet
In a new feature series Jan Van Veen explores what are the common factors in an organisations DNA that makes them stand head and shoulders above the rest of the competition...
In a new feature series Jan Van Veen explores what are the common factors in an organisations DNA that makes them stand head and shoulders above the rest of the competition...
We have discovered 4 winning habits of long-lasting achievers in service, which sets them apart from competition. These long-lasting achievers see that change and innovation in their organisations is energising and easy and that their people pursue opportunities that go beyond business-as-usual.
Everyone in their organisations has the opportunity to be highly influential In every manufacturing industry, there are exciting – but challenging- changes taking place; involving Servitization, Internet of Things, big data, and so on. Customer needs and expectations are shifting, as is the competitive landscape. The speed of change will only continue to increase.
And this will offer huge opportunities for existing manufacturers, and new entrants into the sector.
Many people in manufacturing companies have identified the changes, their impact, and the potential opportunities.
They also see their companies stagnating and dropping behind, despite many attempts to increase a sense of urgency and get buy-in. This often leaves them feeling disappointed and frustrated, yet they are still eager to make a difference.
The 3 Dominant Problems
Most leaders in manufacturing face 3 problems relating to their ability to adapt for more success today, and in the future. One of the concrete consequences, is slower growth of their service business.
Slow change: Whether it is regarding small changes or larger change, it seems to be that many forces repel against it. A lot of energy is wasted in resisting change and in turn, fighting resistance.
There is limited clarity in direction, limited collaboration between departments, a conflict of objectives, too much uncertainty and fear, and a lack of passion and engagement from employees.
There is limited clarity in direction, limited collaboration between departments, a conflict of objectives, too much uncertainty and fear, and a lack of passion and engagement from employees.
Being stuck in “business as usual”: There are very few ideas and initiatives beyond small, incremental improvements, if any at all. Whether it is about product innovation, new services, sales approaches or delivery processes, most changes are focussed on incremental improvements of the status-quo. Of course, this is important, but not sufficient to be successful in our changing world.
Lack of influence: Most people within a company, from the operation specialists, to the CEOs, feel disappointed or even frustrated due to having limited influence to make a real difference.
What makes matters worse, is when they see good ideas and concerns failing to resonate with their organisation.
The 4 Winning Habits
The long-lasting achievers experience the same challenges and opportunities as those who stagnate. They have access to the same market for clients, same technology, same market for talents, and the same knowledge and expertise within the industry.
We can also point out that they have similar visions and strategies, change management, communication strategies and budgets for the change initiatives.
It appears that the ‘4 winning habits’ are in fact, the missing link to increase and sustain momentum, to continuously adapt, drive change and innovate their business- including driving a strong service business
The 4 habits are:
- Direction: Everyone shares a clear and succinct picture of changes in the industry, where the company is heading and what needs to change over the coming years. They all understand how they can contribute to the change, and ultimately, fit in.
- Dialogue: Across all teams and levels there is a constructive and forward-looking dialogue on performance, progress, priorities and aligned actions. Everyone feels secure and confident to adapt and try new approaches.
- Decision-making: Everyone has the power to make decisions within their role, to adjust, perform and improve. There are adequate guiding principles to ensure coherence and alignment of all decisions.
- Discovery: Everyone is aware of (potential) trends, opportunities and threats and the best practices available. They spend time in exploring, testing and learning. There is more focus on new things which go beyond the current core business, which is imperative for future success.
Over the following months, we will elaborate upon each of these habits and support our content with real-life examples.
The Result
The results long-lasting achievers obtain with these 4 winning habits is deep-rooted.
Fluid change: Everyone is passionate and keen to make a difference. They all recognise the need to change and adapt. They collectively think and act to achieve greatness. Change energises!
Pursuing opportunities beyond “business as usual”. Everyone is sensitive to threats, opportunities and obstacles, and behave in a coherent and forward-looking way.
Highly influential: The CEO, operational specialists, and anyone in between have influence to drive change and innovation, and make a positive difference.
They therefore discover:
- More real value innovation, like service innovation.
- Higher growth rates and margins
- Better customer loyalty
- Higher employee engagement
- Better retention and attraction of talents
The Essence
If you assume that the focus is about change management and buy-in, then you have missed the point: It is about making change management obsolete.
There is no need to cope with resistance against change, because the changes come from the ‘bottom-up’.
I believe this is the power of combining business innovation on one hand, and talent development and empowerment on the other.
Be social and share this feature
Jun 15, 2017 • Features • Management • mplsystems • research • Bill Pollock • Strategies for Growth • Susannah Richardson • UK
"Bill Pollock, President Strategies for GrowthSM takes a look at some of the findings of their 2017 Field Service Management Benchmark Survey to explore the degree to which UK Field Service Organisations are investing in new technologies and...
"Bill Pollock, President Strategies for GrowthSM takes a look at some of the findings of their 2017 Field Service Management Benchmark Survey to explore the degree to which UK Field Service Organisations are investing in new technologies and analytics…”
Each year, Strategies For GrowthSM (SFGSM) conducts a series of Benchmark Surveys directed to the global services community. The preliminary results of the 2017 Field Service Management (FSM) Benchmark Survey clearly reflect that UK/Europe Field Service Organisations (FSOs) are continuing their focus on addressing the top market drivers that impact their geographic marketplace – and in many cases, at a significantly higher rate than their global respondent counterparts!
For example, UK/Europe FSOs currently place their greatest emphasis on dealing with such key market drivers as:
- Customer demand for quicker response time;
- Internal mandate to drive increased service revenues;
- Need to improve workforce utilisation and productivity; and
- Need to improve service process efficiencies.[/ordered_list]
In fact, the 2017 results clearly show the increased importance of making process improvements compared to just one year earlier when process efficiencies did not even place among the top three market drivers. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that UK/Europe FSOs are continuing to invest more in new technologies – most notably, the Internet of Things, or IoT, and mobile tools – in support of their respective field forces.
It’s no longer simply about field technicians being at the right place at the right time with the right parts, but also about them being empowered to excel in the service that they offer and to provide additional services - Susannah Richardson, mplsystems
“We’re also seeing organisations looking at ways to better manage the planning of their workforce in real-time. Typically planners spend lots of time managing exceptions, such as: emergency jobs; customer changes or job overruns and delays; even if they have scheduling in place, too often these are not flexible enough to handle live situations. We are seeing lots of interest in our new scheduling algorithms to handle real-time changes and IoT feeds (AESOP) and so improve efficiency in both planning teams and the field workforce.”
However, one of the greatest differences reflected in the UK/Europe survey results is in the percent of services organisations that are currently developing and/or improving the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) they use to measure service performance; (i.e., cited as a top strategic action by 65% of UK/Europe respondents, compared to only 47% overall.
Richardson agrees that, “Business analytics are a large part of all of our customers’ field services and business operations, which is why it is such an integral component of our solution offerings. Traditional measures don’t offer service performance, as they are operationally focused and don’t reflect customer experience. However, now we’re seeing our clients using our analytic tools to develop their own dashboards as they have become increasingly focused around KPIs specific to the service and experience that they are delivering to their customers.”
Another key factor that may be used to explain the heightened focus of UK/Europe FSOs for stepping up to improve their lot is that they continue to lag slightly behind their global counterparts with respect to service profitability (mean average of 35%, or slightly lower than the 38% attained among the overall respondent base, both in 2015/16 and 2017 surveys).
In addition, at a mean average of 81%, UK/Europe FSOs are also currently falling somewhat below the global survey population with respect to attaining desired levels of customer satisfaction (i.e., 83%). However, the research also strongly suggests that the market recognises the importance of stepping up to the challenge of improving their performance for these two key metrics.
Planned strategic actions by UK/Europe services organisations through 2017 reflect an even more dynamic, rather than static, approach to the field services marketplace
While UK/Europe services organisations cite current investments in mobile tools to support field technicians as somewhat lower (27%) than the overall survey base (40%), future plans (i.e., over the next 12 months) for integrating new technologies are reported virtually at par with the rest of the world (i.e., 35% in the UK/Europe, compared with 37% for the global survey base). Accordingly, these data suggest that the adoption of new technologies in the UK/Europe may be roughly only one year behind that reflected by the general survey population (which is mainly comprised of respondents from the Americas).
Planned strategic actions by UK/Europe services organisations through 2017 reflect an even more dynamic, rather than static, approach to the field services marketplace. For example, 54% of respondents plan to develop and/or improve their use of field service KPIs, or metrics; and just as many plan to improve planning and forecasting activities with respect to field operations (54%).
What these data primarily show is that the UK/Europe field services community recognises the need to take specific strategic actions to enhance and improve existing service processes and operations, and that these actions begin first and foremost with the need to develop and/or improve the use of service metrics and KPIs.
The greatest impact on the future of Field Service Management is most likely to come as a result of the growing acceptance of Cloud-based technology
However, the greatest impact on the future of Field Service Management is most likely to come as a result of the growing acceptance of Cloud-based technology. Among those UK/Europe organisations currently planning an FSM implementation in the next 12 months (or considering doing so in the next 12 to 24 months), a Cloud-based solution is preferred by 40% of respondents, compared to only 20% citing a preference for Premise-based – basically, a 2:1 ratio in favour of Cloud.
However, roughly two-out-of-five respondents (40%) remain undecided at this time (compared to only 33% for the general survey population). Still, Cloud-based FSM solutions appear to be the dominant preference, regardless of global geography.
In 2017 and beyond, the focus will likely be even stronger on the customer in terms of striving to meet (and exceed) their demands, preferences and expectations – or “back to the basics”. UK/Europe FSOs will continue to plan to accomplish this mainly by improving the processes they use for delivering their services; the KPIs they use to monitor their improved performance over time; investing in new tools to support both field technicians and customers; and integrating new technologies into their existing FSM or Service Lifecycle Management (SLM) systems.
Richardson and the team will be attending Field Service Management Expo next week where mplsystems will be unveiling a new genetic algorithm based scheduling tool, to find out more visit them on stand N650 and for those unavailable to attend you ca contact Richardson directly at susannah.richardson@mplsystems.co.uk
Be social and share this feature
Jun 05, 2017 • Management • News • Events • Field Service Management Expo • Service Management Expo
With the newly rebranded Field Service Management Expo (formerly Service Management Expo) now just two weeks away Chris Edwards, Director Field Service Management, UBM gives us a look at what to expect from the newly rebranded Field Service...
With the newly rebranded Field Service Management Expo (formerly Service Management Expo) now just two weeks away Chris Edwards, Director Field Service Management, UBM gives us a look at what to expect from the newly rebranded Field Service Management Expo in it's fourth consecutive year in London's ExCel
If you haven't registered yet it's free do so on the following link www.servicemanagementexpo.co.uk/FSN
Off the back of an electrifying 2016 show, we wanted to ensure we deliver even more for 2017 and went straight to the industry to identify how. This has resulted in a name change to reflect the profile of our visitors and make sure that Field Service Management Expo mirrors this important market.
The Field Service Theatre will include over 12 hours of seminar and workshop content over the 3 days, exploring the customer journey, recruitment, IoT, the customer experience and RoSPA dedicated workshops on fleet management and driver safety.
Headlining a programme boasting more than 25 sessions is this year’s Inspirational Speakers, who will be focusing on the theme of strength, resilience and defying the odds. Featuring Dame Kelly Holmes, Professor Brian Cox OBE and Simon Weston CBE, each will deliver an inspiring session on the obstacles they’ve faced, solutions they’ve found and how the results have allowed them to march on.
Also new to 2017, visitors will have the opportunity to meet like-minded professionals in dedicated networking sessions, which finish each day in the Field Service Theatre. Topics for discussion will include, ‘powering intelligent service delivery’ and ‘Removing business silos and engaging with your customer’
It promises to be another amazing year for Field Service Management Expo and the team and I can’t wait to welcome the entire service management industry, as you and your peers network, learn and identify innovative cost saving solutions in an incredibly fun and energetic week. We’d also love to hear your feedback and hope you’ll join the conversation on social media, so tweet us @FSMExpo using #FSME17
What to expect:
1:2:1 Meetings Programme
The complimentary matchmaking tool enables visitors and exhibitors to search and connect with each other before the show, allowing you to manage your event schedule.
- Arrange meetings at exhibitors’ stands or in one of the dedicated Meeting Lounges
- Search thousands of contacts by job title, products and services, buyer/seller activities and market sector
- Make the most of your time at the show, pre-arrange meetings and open the door to new business opportunities
Find out more at: www.servicemanagementexpo.co.uk/visit/meet-suppliers
Dedicated Networking Bookending the day
Its visitor’s opportunity to expand their service management industry community and discuss trends and pain points with like-minded peers. Topics will range from ‘Powering intelligent service delivery’ and ‘An agile field service operation’ to Digital marketing transformation and ‘Removing business silos and engaging with your customers’
Session will take place in the Field Service Theatre at the beginning and end of each day.
Field Service Theatre Sponsored by IFS/ FSM
Through a mix of networking sessions, seminars and debate, this theatre will explore the service management customer journey. Sessions will focus on: ‘the customer experience in the service management industry’, ‘IoT’, ‘proactive maintenance’ and ‘recruitment’. Afternoons will be dedicated to fleet safety with RoSPA-led sessions each day.
Sessions will include:
- Delighting the customer with service excellence
- Driver Behaviour – why it’s important within your business
- Can a focus on customer experience really make a difference?
- Embracing millennials in the workplace
- Customer experience excellence in the service industry. Ideas and tips to make a critical difference
Get first-hand experience with over 100+ products and solutions
Discuss your project needs and learn about tried and tested implementation when you meet the product technicians. Plus, discover a range of suppliers across the entire service management chain including IFS, Protean Software, iTouch Vision, MPL Systems, BigChange Apps, Mix Telematics and more.
Inspirational Speakers
Our biggest inspirational line-up ever, featuring Double Olympic gold medallist, Dame Kelly Holmes; Rock star physicist Professor Brian Cox OBE; and Falklands War veteran, Simon Weston CBE are coming to inspire and motivate you in the Keynote Theatre between 20-22 June.
- Build your motivation by emulating the work-ethic that led to double Olympic medals from Dame Kelly Holmes and discover more on her work on numerous mental health boards
- Explore the universe with Professor Brian Cox OBE, and expand your mindset beyond the day-to-day aspects of your role
- Be inspired by a story of triumph and courage, from Falklands war hero, Simon Weston CBE, and turn adversity into opportunity
When are where?
- Dame Kelly Holmes: When & Where: 20 June, 11.30 – 12.30, Keynote Theatre
- Professor Brian Cox OBE: When & Where: 21 June, 11.30 – 12.30, Keynote Theatre
- Simon Weston CBE: When & Where: 22 June, 11.30 – 12.30, Keynote Theatre
Register your place at Field Service Management Expo here; www.servicemanagementexpo.co.uk/FSN
Be social and share this feature
May 23, 2017 • Features • Management • management • Bill Pollock • IoT
Bill Pollock, President Strategies for GrowthSM takes a look at some of the findings of their 2017 Field Service Management Benchmark Survey to explore exactly what the impact of IoT is set to be in 2017...
Bill Pollock, President Strategies for GrowthSM takes a look at some of the findings of their 2017 Field Service Management Benchmark Survey to explore exactly what the impact of IoT is set to be in 2017...
There have been myriad times in recent years when a new technology seems to control the conversation in the business world – and, particularly, in the services sector. And, field service is typically one of the first areas where customers and users catch their first glimpse and initial understanding of what each of these “new” technologies can do for the industry.
However, it usually takes a while longer before they truly understand what these new technologies can do specifically for their respective organisations.
Many of these new technologies enter the mainstream of the business world – and the global services community – after some initial fanfare, trade press, blogs, tweets and white papers, etc.
10 to 15 years ago, RFIDs were all the rage, with seemingly every article and white paper talking about the potential use of RFIDs for everything from tracking parts shipments, to identifying personal items that consumers send to the dry cleaner for laundering.
For example, 10 to 15 years ago, RFIDs were all the rage, with seemingly every article and white paper talking about the potential use of RFIDs for everything from tracking parts shipments, to identifying personal items that consumers send to the dry cleaner for laundering.
The evolution of RFIDs, however, was fairly steady to the point of almost being modestly linear over the next decade and a half.
But, fast forward to 2017, and Tesla Inc. founder and CEO, Elon Musk, has recently announced the formation a new company, Neuralink Corp., which The Wall Street Journal describes as a “medical research” company that plans to build technology “through which computers could merge with human brains”, essentially using embedded chips to upload and download thoughts directly from humans. In less than a couple of decades, RFIDs went from the “talk of the town”; to a backdrop of steady (albeit non-glitzy) market adoption and deployment; to a virtual science fiction-like catalyst between the technology of today and the advanced future.
That is why the introduction and accelerating proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT) in field service is such a big deal. Because, as most industry analysts tend to agree, the projected growth path for the full integration and convergence of the IoT into the global services community – particularly in field service – are stunning!
While some new technologies start out like “gangbusters”, many quickly turn into fads, or segment specific applications, as only a small percent actually do become “game-changers”. And this is where the convergence of field service and the IoT seems to be so much different than the rest.
As technology companies actively tout the capabilities (and supposed uniqueness) of their respective IoT-based applications, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution providers tend to focus on how their embedded Field Service Management (FSM) solutions are also bolstered by the IoT. And, then, there’s Augmented Reality (AR) – which could not exist in its present form without the functionality of the IoT. In fact, many services industry analysts have stated that there could be no servitization – at all – without the IoT.
Maybe so; maybe not. There certainly could be no Augmented Reality (AR) without the IoT. And AR is already one of the “shining lights” among the “new” technologies that has staked its claim as the “next big thing” in field service.
However, even as the services community continues to talk about the gradual introduction of AR into their field service operations, the technology is already morphing and converging with other related technologies, most notably, Virtual Reality (VR). This “new” new technology is already being brandished as “Mixed”, or “Merged Reality” (MR) among the global technology leaders (i.e., depending on which one of the leading technology providers you follow).
Still, the results of Strategies For GrowthSM‘s (SFGSM) 2017 Field Service Management Benchmark Survey reveal that while “new” technologies provide a host of specific benefits for Field Services Organisations (FSOs), most are still not ready to embrace the full potential of all they can ultimately offer.
However, both the need – and the perceived benefits – are there.
For example, the top opportunities, or benefits, of acquiring and integrating new technology are cited as:
- 44% Ability to run a more efficient field service operation by eliminating silos, etc.
- 39% Improve customer satisfaction
- 35% Ability to provide customers with an end-to-end engagement relationship
- 30% Establish a competitive advantage
- 26% Improve field technician utilisation and productivity
- 25% Reduce Total Cost of Operations (TCO)
However, as boldly as these opportunities and benefits are cited, less than 10% of respondents presently claim to be leveraging Augmented Reality (AR) into their field service operations – although 18% say they would be either “very” or “extremely likely” to do so in the next 12 months.
There are twice as many respondents (37%) who say they are “not likely” to do so, compared with 18% of the more progressive respondents who will be moving forward with AR.
The survey reveals similar findings with respect to VR – perhaps the advent of “Mixed” or “Merged Reality (MR) will move the market somewhat more forward during what seems likely to be a period of accelerating growth in acceptance.
As reported in the SFGSM survey, it is still somewhat comforting that the respective levels of interest in acquiring these new, IoT-powered, technologies continues to grow:
- 31% Are currently integrating new technologies into existing field service operations
- 37% Plan to integrate new technologies into existing field service operations in the next 12 months
- 36% Are interested in learning more about the IoT and AR
Once again, the impact of the convergence of field service and the IoT looks to have an increasingly strong acceptance for the foreseeable future.
Be social and share this feature
May 22, 2017 • Features • Management • Lead management • Service Sales • sumair dutta • The Service Council
Sumair Dutta, Chief Customer Officer at The Service Council offers his insight on how to leverage the untapped power of your field service operations to build additional revenue streams...
Sumair Dutta, Chief Customer Officer at The Service Council offers his insight on how to leverage the untapped power of your field service operations to build additional revenue streams...
There is an increased responsibility on field service organisations to complement operational and customer facing improvements with commercial results. In The Service Council’s (www.servicecouncil.com) 2016 field service research, the lack of revenue opportunities was seen as a major strategic challenge by 40% of organisations.
To counter this challenge a number of organisations were looking at their front-line field service personnel to identify new business opportunities (aka Leads) or to sell when in front of the customer.
Most organisations currently have some form of a field service lead program in place and more are beginning to equip their engineers with the tools necessary to sell. There’s not enough room to debate if field engineers should be selling in the first place. In our research, we’re finding that more field service customers are accepting of a sales approach from a field service engineer if they have a relationship with that engineer or if the engineer has resolved their current challenge and is working to provide them with additional value.
In terms of field service lead generation, there are several best practices to consider when building a program. These best practices are compiled from our 2015 research on service sales and revenue growth and from a recent IdeaShare discussion that we hosted with several business leaders.
Develop a Dedicated Lead Management Process and Support it With Technology
Typically, the two major failure points occur around lead follow-up by sales and in lead affiliated compensation for field service engineers.
A lot of the core areas of lead management can be automated with the aid of mobile and CRM solutions. That said, its essential that there is well thought out process for how leads are managed throughout the entire sales cycle, all the way from identification to closure.
Deliver Training Materials at All Levels of Field Service
Change management is essential in the rollout of any new program. Poor attention to this often leads to unsuccessful adoption of the program and poor attainment of desired goals. Its likely that field service engineers will resist when asked to participate in lead generation as they will see this as a proxy to selling.
Therefore, organisations need to prepare this engineers on the purpose of the program and then reinforce the impact of the program on all stakeholders impacted, including the customer.
Once purpose has been established, the ‘how’ of lead generation needs to be reinforced with training sessions and materials. Preferably training content and scripts are available on-demand for engineers to refresh their knowledge as needed.
Its also essential that relevant instructional content is developed for multiple parties in the field service chain, starting with the engineers and moving up to supervisors and regional leaders.
Communicate and Then Communicate Some More
In this day and age of mobile content and self-service portals, it might seem silly to develop flyers and brochures to reinforce the message of a lead program, but these methods do work.
The message is simple, the more a program is discussed and reinforced, the more it is adopted.
In addition to reinforcing steps, best practices, and procedures, its also beneficial to reinforce the value of the program in the form of engineer success stories or customer results.
What’s even more impactful is an actual testimonial from a customer of how the extra time spent by a front-line engineer directly impacted the customer’s results and outcome.
Ensure Visibility Across the Lead Lifecycle
Part of the communication process involves giving engineers visibility into the status of their leads. If its assumed that leads are just going into a black hole, the lead pipeline will eventually dry out. Engineers don’t need to see every lead be successful, they just need to know that their effort is being followed up on.
Push for Sales Accountability
The monetary value of a service lead might not compare with that of a regular sales opportunity.
While the field engineer cares about the amount of recognition received, they care more about getting recognised in a timely and painless manner.
Therefore, its essential that sales leadership is bought into driving accountability for a service lead program. An easy way to do this is to show the impact that top performing regions or districts are having when it comes to top-line revenue.
If sales isn’t motivated by that performance, business leadership will be.
Compensation – Make it Timely
Most organisations develop a financial reward system for field service engineers based on leads closed. Some offer incentives for lead generation.
The issue is that most programs stop here. While the field engineer cares about the amount of recognition received, they care more about getting recognised in a timely and painless manner.
They shouldn’t have to fight for the recognition or have to wait for it for a considerable amount of time. Therefore, its essential that the reward system developed, monetary or otherwise, is efficient enough to deliver the reward to the field engineer in an expedited manner.
Evaluate Metrics that Drive Action
Activity drives results and while its essential to measure the impact of a lead generation program to garner further buy in, its absolutely essential to track activity-based metrics as leading indicators.
[quote float="Right"]Activity drives results and while its essential to measure the impact of a lead generation program to garner further buy in, its absolutely essential to track activity-based metrics as leading indicators.
These metrics could include participation rates, referrals per tech, and average cycle or follow up time for leads. One of the organisations participating in our IdeaShare uses an engineer confidence index to measure the health of their lead program.
The index measures how confident the engineers are in their ability to get paid on leads. The higher the confidence, the greater the activity.
We’ve worked with organisations that have developed and grown lead generation programs into significant revenue contributors. These programs don’t require a great deal of investment from a technology point-of-view, but they do require leadership, a rigorous process, and a focus on change.
Sumair Dutta is the Chief Customer Officer at The Service Council. He has over 12 years of experience as an analyst in the field service management space. His work can be found at www.servicecouncil.com.
Be social and share this feature
May 10, 2017 • Features • Management • Nick Frank • Digital Transformation • Si2 partners
If the key to adoption of new technologies in Field Services lies more in people than technology itself, then embedding the self-learning DNA gene must be the priority for all organisations wanting to be winners writes Nick Frank, Si2 Partners...
If the key to adoption of new technologies in Field Services lies more in people than technology itself, then embedding the self-learning DNA gene must be the priority for all organisations wanting to be winners writes Nick Frank, Si2 Partners...
Previously we have observed that those field service organisations that have been able to quickly adapt to the fast evolving digital environment display a common trait “the self-learning gene”.
This is the innate ability to continually move through the problem, solution, problem, solution learning loop that propels organisations forward, such that they are comfortable experimenting with new approaches, have an outside-in perspective, are able to solve problems systematically and generally embrace change as an exciting part of business life.
There are many change methodologies that can be used to achieve this goal, but if leaders are not careful, they can find themselves hiding behind the process.
Perhaps harder to grasp is that there is no defined roadmap to follow, but there are guidelines, which we can apply to our particular situation. If you want to achieve a high performing, adaptive organisation through developing your ’self-learning genes’, then these are seven principals you may consider:
Communicate, collaborate and communicate again:
This is the mind-set of leadership change. Get comfortable with being out there, in front of your team providing a clear direction, but with the clear understanding that it is your team members who will deliver a great solution.
As Dwight Eisenhower US president and Army General said: “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done, because they want to do it”
Ensure your team has a sense of purpose:
A sense of purpose is what drives us all forward in both a private and work environments. It comes from 3 perspectives:
- Know why we are here!
- Feel that the business we work for stands for the things we believe in
- That there is consistency between what a business says and what it does.
By constantly focussing on these three elements, sharing experiences, best practices and success stories people start to believe in an organisations purpose.
Focus on the language of solutions:
It is hard for many English speakers to appreciate, but language is the gateway to understanding culture. Without speaking French, it is challenging to truly understand what it means to be French. The same is true in companies, which means achieving a common solution focused language is a critical step in embedding a ‘way of thinking’ within the DNA of the organisation.
For example a phrase that was embedded in me while I was running a Field Service organisation was “Fix yourself, before you fix your customer”. It was used and applied to every person in the organisation and is still used today!
Be a role model in what you say and do:
It is important to remember that you cannot tell people how to think. They have to figure that out for themselves. The only tools you have is to influence your team by what you say and what you do! A great examples would be the key performance indicators you focus on to manage your business. These say a lot to your people about what are your priorities.
Relentless follow up and training:
Evolving a company intrinsic DNA is not a one shot event. It’s a journey, its relentless, be prepared for the long haul. In small teams it is possible to drive this as a manager, but within larger organisations, a more formalised programme is required to touch every individual.
Training and support programmes that emphasis and re-emphasis solution thinking should be embedded into your annual budget if you are really serious about change.
Be open to Outside-IN thinking:
It’s a sad fact, but people will often listen more to people outside their immediate organisation, whether that be another department, customer or consultant. Be aware of this and use it to your advantage to influence and embed the ‘Self-Learning gene’ in your people
Be prepared to manage people out of the organisation:
Sometime people for whatever reason are not prepared to change. In my experience more people than you might think can live with change (I am an optimist), but when it’s clear that its not working, be prepared to be ruthless and actively manage poor performers out of the organisation.
In a short article it is difficult to fully discuss all the aspects of the self learning culture and why it is important. So in co-operation with Field Service News, we propose to organise a virtual round table later in the year to discuss with peers how to embed the ‘Self-Learning gene’ into your organisational DNA.
If you would like to participate, please contact either Kris Oldland or Nick Frank.
Si2 ON-Demand is a unique advisory and support service that enables top performing leaders to solve problems and get things done, quickly, easily and cost effectively.
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.
Leave a Reply