ARCHIVE FOR THE ‘management’ CATEGORY

Zero-hour contracts have long been a contentious issue, with arguments back and forth about why they are or aren’t good for both business and employees. And it looks like an issue that isn’t going away anytime soon. Robert Williams, VP Sales, UK&I, ClickSoftware explains more...

Just recently the Business Secretary Vince Cable announced a ban on exclusivity contracts in a bid to give employees the opportunity to seek additional work elsewhere. It had meant if people were working on zero-hour contracts, they couldn’t seek additional work, inevitably leaving some people short if they didn’t get enough hours from that employer.

So why are zero-hour contracts such a contentious issue and is it simply a case of employers looking to have the most efficient workforce possible?

Well first and foremost it isn’t just an argument around employers being right or wrong to use them. The real point of conversation is how beneficial they are in the long-run. Of course you get the instant saving on resource by reducing your commitment to long-term staffing costs. But what if you sign a big piece of business or a product flies off the shelves faster than you can replenish the stock. The major business around zero contract hours is that they are rarely based on long-term forecasting, leaving companies vulnerable for changes in their market which, with some decent planning, can be accounted for in a good forecasting model.

Now it is also true that you cannot have a bloated workforce that is operating inefficiently just in case resource is needed. I suspect many businesses have been operating this way for years and adopted zero-hour contracts to counterbalance a huge excess in the level of resource and productivity. Yet going from one extreme to the other isn’t the best way to solve this problem. Instead, there should be a middle ground whereby careful analysis is conducted and factored into a detailed resource plan.

This plan could then identify where zero-hour contracts have a continual benefit for both employer and employee. For example, if you are a business which traditionally sees seasonal peaks and troughs in the level of resource coupled with personnel that tend to be short term and high churn, then zero-hour contracts are absolutely a viable option to ensure you have the most optimised staff possible.

For those high churn positions where you know you will see people coming and going in roles, there is little need to go the extra mile to keep them motivated as more often than not, those people will only have a fleeting relationship with the company. Where zero-hour contracts become more problematic is when they are applied to job roles which see less churn and are more skilled. With this sub-set of the workforce, there is an intangible benefit of keeping them engaged and motivated. At the heart of this is fostering an environment where they feel valued and wanted. Identifying this real engine room of the business is where good planning comes into play again.

 

This does entail a central planning function which can identify these incidents and then be capable of implementing the new staffing solutions, but this is something successful companies are doing. Having all of this in place will give you an optimised and diversified workforce that is equipped to change with the market. So if one section needs to be upscaled, then that can be taken from another part of the business where it is less critical.

With this best practice in place the benefits of having an engaged and motivated workforce will become apparent. The days of a job for life may be coming to an end, but you can still certainly engender a sense of loyalty from staff whilst they are there. Planning the way they are deployed and in which roles, is a primary way of doing this.

For employers, the good news is that technology has never been able to offer them more insights than it does today. From timesheets to smart devices, there is a whole range of data that can be crunched and fed into a system that comes up with the best answer. It’s new of course, and not absolutely perfect, but is surely a wiser path to take than simply employing too many people or using zero-contract hours to provide a rudimentary solution on a week-by-week basis.

Research commissioned by customer service specialists KANA Software suggests many organisations are overlooking the potential for customer service improvements that could drive revenue.

The survey of UK Contact Centre Association (CCA) members included a diverse mix of industry sectors, from financial services, to local government and retail. It reveals that only 40 percent (39.6 percent) believe senior management places a clear focus on customer service as a way to drive revenue; noting one-fifth of respondents (20.8 percent) think there is little or no focus on customer service at a senior level.

The survey also found that the majority of respondents are unconvinced of the link between customer service and the bottom line. Well below half (41.5 percent) take a keen interest in revenue loss resulting from poor customer service. According to the data, one-in-10 management teams pay no attention to the financial implications of a poor customer service experience.

Improving quality and reducing the “cost to serve” are currently seen as primary challenges in today’s organisations. The research also highlights what call centre agents perceive as key barriers to providing a better service: outdated systems, lack of investment, agent skills gaps and a lack of understanding or support at a senior level.

“Unfortunately, the contact centre is often seen as an operational expense and nothing more,” says Steven Thurlow, head of worldwide product strategy for KANA. “Often, senior management will review functional aspects, such as speed of handling times and resolution times. This approach is unlikely to drive further investment and instead maintains a focus on efficiency above all else. Fast service and good customer experiences are not always the same thing. Strategic investments in people, processes and the technology platforms that can aid them should be considered by the C-suite and across organisations.”

Thurlow adds, “The commercial value of an effective call centre, balanced against mitigating and eliminating the potential damages of poor customer service, should not be overlooked. A contact centre is not an unavoidable cost – it can be an invaluable tool.”

 

Dave Hart, vice president of global customer transformation at ServiceMax provides a tale of two field service companies and how listening to your field service techs is not only easier than ever but more important than ever also...

Here’s a tale of two field service companies — one that figured out how to build better products by tapping into their technicians’ on-the-ground experience, and another that didn’t and then paid the price.

First, the company that stumbled: Years ago, I worked for a manufacturer that released an update to one of its most popular products. There wasn’t anything wrong with the existing version: it was easy to use, rarely broke down and, when it did, it was simple to fix. The “new and improved” version, however, wasn’t well-designed and didn’t work as well. Our field service techs were left scratching their heads. “How could we get everything so right with one product and then so wrong with the next?,” they asked.

The reason was obvious: the research and development (R&D) teams and the service techs never spoke to each other. 

 

Now, for a different story: A large healthcare technology company has installed a knowledge management system on the smartphones, tablets and other assorted devices its tech carry with them on the road. The techs document what they and the customers experience with the products day in and day out. The information is delivered to the company’s product development team for consideration when updating the system — or even creating a new product altogether.

The lesson? Your service techs know your company’s products the best — even better than the customers do. They are on the ground every day and hear what customers like, and don’t like, about the product. They develop an intuitive sense for what can (and probably will) go wrong.

The Power of Data Collection in the Field

Unfortunately, the story of a product rollout that didn’t go according to plan is more the rule than the exception. The strange thing is, it doesn’t have to be that way. Collaboration between field service techs and product teams, such as R&D, has never been easier. Field techs carry smartphones, tablets and laptops in the field Communication apps such as Salesforce Chatter, Skype and Apple Face Time make it simple, fast and efficient for product developers to work with field service techs.

So while companies are embracing knowledge management systems on mobile devices, they’re not capitalising enough on the information that gets collected. The operations side see the real-time updates about product glitches or common customer gripes, but the research and development side doesn’t. That’s a huge missed opportunity.

Consider the healthcare company that I described above as the exception. So far, the company has collected more than a thousand product suggestions from field workers who use its mobile knowledge management technology. Both the technical support and product teams vet the suggestions, and share the most informative ones with the rest of the company.

How Service Tech Feedback Can Boost the Bottom-Line

Here’s a basic example of how technology-enabled collaboration between service techs and product developers can improve business. Say that a product has a fundamental problem or part that needs to be regularly replaced. Field techs can often spot design flaws that, if corrected, would reduce maintenance and repair times. If a product developer can look at a product from the tech’s perspective, everyone benefits — the company, its customers and the techs who service the equipment.

Multiply that across multiple products and service calls and you start to see the time and money savings. There’s an added benefit, too: like all employees, service techs want to be heard. Giving them a strong voice in how the products they work with every day are created goes a long way toward engaging them in all aspects of the business.

The healthcare company is a prime example of how companies can tap into their technicians’ vast product knowledge. Every field service company should follow its lead.

 

 

 

Continuing his series looking at case studies of how service companies adapt their culture to improve their productivity Nick Frank, service management consultant with Noventum Service Management looks at how happiness became a key tool for Dutch firm Hutten...

It sounds so obvious that people are the key to any business change, so why do we often overlook their importance.  Is it because managers are so wrapped up in their strategies and actions plans, that they forget talking to customers and employees requires a different kind of language?  That the ‘just get it ***** done!’ mentality does not achieve the results they want.

Whatever the reason, the lesson we learn time and time again is that it’s your ‘people that make you stand out from the crowd’. So how do you then make sure that people development and communication is a key part of your plan.

Some companies take a very novel approach. Take Hutten, a leading Dutch kitchen service provider. Pascal Verheugd their HR director told us about their unique approach;

“Most companies, particularly in Holland, are driven by productivity and profit margins. Here at Hutten, we thought differently. We wanted to position happiness as the central driver within our company.

Working from the ground up, we engaged with all team members to develop our mission to promote the values of happiness, collaboration, transparency and sustainability across our organisation. This was not just a top down initiative, and neither was it only internally generated. Our partners, suppliers and clients are key stakeholders, so these values were generated also considering their input from the outside in.

This ‘happiness vision’ could have been difficult to justify on board level but in our case, the CEO, Bob Hutten and I were singing from the same hymn sheet. We were both of the belief that social innovation should be the most important goal for every company and that managing targets, bonuses and profitability simply isn’t enough.

People have to want to work for you. If they share the same values internally and are happy working together then it stands to reason that their happiness will create better productivity and that this will filter through to customers in the end.”

Now this may be a very different approach, but I am sure there is a lesson here for us all in both our professional and work lives!

So if you are interested to know more more about the importance of people in achieving your goals, you can get more information from this link, or you can sign up for our next UK Service Executive Leadership Course in September, where you will get an opportunity with your peers to develop your thoughts on people and leadership…and perhaps have a a bit of fun yourself.

 

 

Customer requirements for field service and customer support will never be the same from one country to another, any more than they will be the same from one customer to another. However, one thing remains very clear – the requirements for service are becoming increasingly standardised, even on a global basis. Bill Pollock President of  Strategies For Growth^SM explains more...

The above is particularly true as more and more local services organisations are going regional, regional organisations are going national, and national organisations are going international in terms of their sales, marketing and global services capabilities.

Just a few years ago, only the largest services organisations had credible worldwide global service and support portfolios. However, today, mainly through the proliferation of Cloud-based technologies; Internet, tablet and social media tools; and the increasing use of strategic alliance partners, even the small and medium-sized services organisations are finding themselves empowered to support their customers on a global basis.

Still, the perceptions of what it might take to be a “world class” global services provider remain inconsistent even among some of the most sophisticated vendors. However, regardless of each individual organisation’s approach or perceptions, it can safely be said that services requirements are both every bit the same, and every bit different, in each corner of the globe.

Further, many services providers in the United States have discovered over the past several years that there is more than one language spoken in global service. This was a lesson learned years earlier by most European and Asian providers trying to break into the U.S. market, as well as by Canadian services organisations that have been dealing with bilingual support (i.e., Canadian English and Canadian French) for decades. However, the globalisation of service and support refers to much more than simply language differences – it must also focus on the cultural, economic and business differences that are manifested in varying forms all over the world.

 

As most individual businesses continue to grow larger, and larger businesses continue to acquire, merge and consolidate, there will be increasing pressure on global services providers to grow along with their customers’ needs for a broader and more sophisticated range of services – both in terms of breadth and scope (e.g., a full array of professional services in addition to traditional break/fix and help desk support, etc.) and geographic coverage (e.g., cross-border capabilities).

The conventional wisdom is that some of the services providers that presently offer very high levels of service and support, but only among the basic, or “core”, types of services, or only in a limited geographic area, may actually end up losing out to other, less high performing providers that offer a wider array of services over a larger geographic (i.e., global) area.

The general rule of thumb among customers is often, “why settle for varying or erratic levels of service and support over the whole of our enterprise by relying on the use of multiple vendors, when we can ensure a more standardised mode of delivery – all at satisfactory levels – provided across our entire system?”

While the former mode of service delivery may range from “excellent” to “average” depending on the type of service provided, or the location of the end user, the latter mode generally assures that, at least, there will be consistent levels of service provided enterprise-wide – i.e., with no geo-by-geo “surprises”.

In today’s services environment, the true measure of a provider’s ability to adapt to its marketplace is no longer answered strictly in terms of how well it can deliver different types of support to different types of customers, but in how well it can provide desired levels of service and support to each of its customers, regardless of their size, industry segment or geographical location.

As such, the word “global” should no longer simply conjure up images of field technicians trudging through the wilds of the Great Australian Outback, or cross-country skiing to a remote IT site through a harsh Canadian winter terrain (although this may also be the case from time to time), nor should it be interpreted solely as fostering a company mentality of trying to be “all things to all parties”.

Rather, “global” should be defined as “offering the full complement of desired services and support, either directly or through strategic services partnerships, to support the full enterprise-wide needs of the customer.”

It has taken the services industry the last century to get to the point to where it is today. However, it will be around this definition of “global service" and support that the future of the industry will likely be based. Where it will ultimately take us will, as always, be heavily dependent on how the services marketplace believes its providers are responding to its “global” needs.

As part of Trimble Field Service Management's recent event "The Big Debate" Will Sambrook of The Arkenham Partnership looks at how important the board is in implementing change for field service organisations as well as discussing sharing data within an organisation and what the key changes required to implement a successful change

 

 

In recent years, the battle to improve operational efficiency in field service has been hard fought with businesses constantly looking for new ways to do more with fewer resources. As a result, business leaders are being forced to critically examine the way their organisation works and look for new ways to deliver the competitive edge required to thrive in today’s marketplace.

Customer Service vs. Cost

71% of field service organisations use customer satisfaction as the main metric to measure the performance of their business. However with an increased focus on service excellence, yet reduced customer spending and a squeeze on profit margins, companies must find ways to balance service delivery with the cost.

One way organisations can look to achieve this balance is through ‘getting it right first time’. The most common customer complaint is when a technician does not resolve the issue first time. This may be due to not having the right part or tools, not having the right skills or not enough time to complete the job .

Issues like this can be avoided if companies focus on their productivity by taking a bird’s eye view of the end-to-end process. They need to know what the problem is, who is qualified to solve it, notify them of the task, know where they are, when they will arrive and when the job is done. Taking these necessary steps to avoid a return visit will maintain productivity and ensure customer satisfaction.
“Customer Service is a strategic issue,” says Jo Causon, chief executive of the Institute of Customer Service. “If organisations do not include it in the boardroom then some of those organisations won’t be around in the longer term.”

Managing Mobile Resources in Field Service Delivery

Managing a large field service operation today is filled with complexity, from managing the people to the assets, vehicles and jobs. Research shows that workforce management is one of the biggest areas of concern in field service and with much field-based work becoming increasingly complex and critical in terms of timing, skills and consequence, more importantly than ever companies need to ensure that their field service is not derailed by unpredictable dynamics of the working day.

The biggest and most repetitive challenge facing organisations managing a mobile workforce is cost and this is closely related to the following secondary challenges:

• The role of the technician in the business - with a proven link between customer satisfaction, retention and profitability, how the technician interacts with the customer can be significant in the customer experience.
• Measuring service performance - ultimately you need to understand what has happened and you want to know that ‘now’ to use that data to enable real-time decision-making.
• Managing change and embedding best practice - organisations often wrestle with change whether it is new technology, new people, new policy or new assets. Finding a way to embed change and making sure that best practice is shared across the workforce is a key success factor.[/unordered_list] 

The importance of Measuring Field Service Performance

As the business adage goes, “you can’t manage what you can’t measure” and this has never been truer when it comes to the performance of field service organisations.
A field service operation is extremely dynamic and often unpredictable. Each day, managers are faced with complex issues which require fast action. However lack of real-time visibility into what is happening in the field can result in managers making poor decisions; directly impacting the performance level of their workforce. Indeed, performance management and visibility were cited as being key areas of concern for field service organisations .

In order to improve operational decision-making, field service managers must begin to utilise instant and accurate information about key trends occurring in the field. Real-time data about why a service window wasn’t met, how many planned jobs were left incomplete, duration of tasks and which technicians are performing well, can all be used to drive service performance levels and transform the way work is planned, allocated, managed, reported and evaluated.

Turning data into information

In recent years, field service organisations have been overwhelmed by the flow of information coming in from multiple sources, in various formats and through an array of tools. The major challenge they face is how to make sense of the massive amounts of data in order to extract valuable insights to help hone day-to-day operations and make long-term strategic decisions.

In a recent Trimble survey, the main concern with using data from the field was the reliability of the information. Performance Management Analytics (PMA) has come to the fore as a solution able to tackle this challenge by giving managers the ability to review a day’s work and measure performance results against specific metrics. For example, they can identify the most productive performers, determine which schedules and routes produce the best results and compare results from one vehicle or worker against the entire workforce.

Implementing successful change to better engage workers

When a company is implementing any change to the way it works, whether it is rolling out new technology or processes or ways of working, engaging the workforce is the key for success.
“Board engagement is absolutely essential,” says Will Sambrook, Managing Director of The Akenham Partnership. “But it is important that Boards do not believe they have to be all-seeing, all-doing, all-acting. Their role is much more about creating the line of sight, from the Board strategy to what’s happening in the organisation; the processes, the people, their engagement with the customer – everything is aligned.”

Using Technology & Tools

It widely acknowledged that technology is a key enabler to being able to deliver service excellence. Indeed, 70% of field service companies believe the key to achieving strategic business goals is having the latest field service technology in place.

Some of the future technology trends set to make an impact on field service organisations include:

• Increased integration of M2M
•  Profit-Driven Analytics
• Knowledge Management shaping strategy
• Leverage of Mobile Apps
• Cloud-Driven Transformations
• Data-Driven Productivity
• Growth of rugged mobility

For further insight into how to transform your field service operations, catch Trimble’s Caroline Pennington, Market & Analyst Manager and editor of Trimble’s recently-launched publication, Transforming Service Delivery: An Insight Report, at this months’ Service Management Expo. Caroline will be exclusively presenting some of the key trends and issues highlighted in the publication at 12pm on 17th June. Complimentary copies of the report will also be on offer at Trimble’s stand O1470. 

 

 

Sunrise Software has announced the appointment of Nigel Moat as Sunrise Solutions Manager, a senior role managing the configuration of all the services that are maintained within the Sunrise product line that are based on the Sostenuto platform. Nigel joins from Anglian Water Services Limited, where he spent the last 15 years of his 30 year tenure, leading teams to deliver solutions within this large corporation on a range of IT and business process based projects, developing bespoke build solutions and, since 2004, using the Sunrise IT Service Management (ITSM) product.

Whilst Sostenuto, Sunrise’s Service Management platform, provides a standard build, the Sunrise team configure this so that each product is aligned to business processes in a number of strategic and vertical market spaces. The Sunrise Solutions Manager role is pivotal in ensuring that configured solutions are aligned to business processes and that the business will stay ahead of the markets’ needs in each area. Configured versions currently exist for ITSM, Customer Service Management (CSM) and HR Case Management (HRCM).

“Business process mapping skills are a core competency for this role, but a working knowledge of the product, and knowing how to configure the solution to meet the real world challenges of users adds true value,” says Neil Penny, Product Director at Sunrise Software. “We are thrilled to have Nigel join us. He has a wealth of business process knowledge and because he has been a Sunrise ITSM user, this knowledge will be really advantageous to our existing and future customers as we continue to develop our products for new sectors.”

On joining Sunrise Nigel commented; “This was no small step for me after 30 years with Anglian Water, but I have always had a fondness for Sunrise. It’s such a dynamic, innovative company and the team have been really supportive and knowledgeable. I always felt that if a career change came my way, then Sunrise would be the first port of call – and the timing of this role fitted in for both Sunrise and myself’. I’m excited about the opportunity and already have some ideas, based on my previous experience, on how we can configure Sostenuto to work effectively in other areas of business, and other vertical markets.”

Sunrise will be making further announcements about new products and configurations later in the year.

Field Service News is delighted to announce the Service Community is hosting a business as usual event this June to celebrate the achievements of the late Steve Downton within the service industry.

This includes presentations from businesses influenced by Steve’s way of thinking; Pitney Bowes, Coca Cola, Elektra, Fujitsu and Siemens.

Steve founded the Service Community in 2011 to provide a networking environment for people in the service industry and the event will be followed by an opportunity to feedback on the future direction of the Service Community beyond 26 June.

This special event will be taking place at Unisys Customer Service Centre in Milton Keynes on 26 June 2014 from 12.30pm, with the future direction break out session starting at 4.30pm. To attend the event, contact theservicecommunity@gmail.com. We hope to see you there.