ARCHIVE FOR THE ‘managing-the-mobile-workforce’ CATEGORY

The UK Service Community is a group of professionals who are passionate about service and believe in sharing ideas and experiences in order to improve. It is a community in the true sense of the word in that there is no legal entity, no sponsors, no sales pitch, no exchange of money.

Yes, it is free and no-one gets paid! Members give their time, their expertise or facilities so that we have the opportunity to talk, share and learn from our peers who operate in a whole range of industry sectors.

The Service Community generally has two half-day meetings per year which are generally attended by between 30-50 professionals. Recently we have been at GE Power in Stafford, the Institute of Manufacturing at Cambridge University and at Konica Minolta’s London HQ. We have had speakers from small SME’s, to the largest and best of UK industrial businesses, including buyers of Advanced Services such as the Ministry of Defence.

Generally we run the meetings from 11-4pm, including lunch, with an opportunity to listen and discuss 4-5 topics plus lots of opportunities for informal discussions with your peers. The discussions range across 5 broad areas, so there is always something of interest:

 

• Service Sales & Customer Success
• Operational Improvement
• Achieving Transformation & Change
• Leveraging Technology to achieve growth
• Leadership in Service

 

With this informality, yet access to the very best industrial thinking, the discussions run deeper and more intimate than one usually might find at networking events. To get an idea of the topics we cover and the speakers, have a look at the Service Community website on www.service-community.uk

First started in 2012 the community has grown to over 240 members, despite losing the founder of the community Steve Downton to cancer. His philosophy has been taken forward by a loose collection of service professional, including a number of senior leaders from Pitney Bowes, Elekta and Fujitsu, as well as ourselves. The membership is extremely varied across a wide range of industries and includes practitioners, consultants and solution providers.

At our next event at Renishaw new HQ near Gloucestershire, we are taking the community to a new part of the country with an agenda that will be to promote discussion through smaller groups of people to discuss common problems in the industry.

As with any community, the energy comes from its membership, so we are always interested in new ideas, or people who want to get involved.

If you believe that talking with peers is one of the best ways to improve your performance, then you can register for our next event at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/uk-service-community-at-renishaw-tickets-52993610315

Or if you are interested in talking or even getting involved, please contact us at info@service-community.uk

 

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Technology buyers are in favour of spreading the cost of equipping their mobile workforces with notebooks, tablets and handheld devices, the latest research reveals.

78% of UK technology buyers said they would be interested in a subscription-based solution to equip mobile workforces.

Currently, buyers say their top considerations when purchasing mobile devices for their workforce are cost (72%) and life expectancy of the product (54%). Yet the majority of buyers still expect to replace their mobile workforces’ devices every 2-3 years.

Buyers said an “As a Service” approach for mobile hardware, as opposed to paying out in advance with a large, one-off capital expenditure, would help them to purchase up to date technology more quickly (54%), manage costs better (49%) and free up budget to purchase more accessories (34%).

 

"53% said it would help them to maintain and dispose of devices more effectively and 33% agreed it would be a more secure way of disposing of mobile technology..."

 

The new approach of payments for hardware spread over three years at 0% interest, with helpdesk support and secure, end of life disposal was also attractive to buyers for reasons beyond cash flow. 53% said it would help them to maintain and dispose of devices more effectively and 33% agreed it would be a more secure way of disposing of mobile technology.

The service elements buyers most wanted to be included in the subscription model were a three-year warranty (65%), a payment plan with 0% interest (46%), and delivery of devices straight to the workplace (46%). Optional extras they were keen to see offered included Insurance (45%), extended standard warranty (43%), accidental damage warranty (43%), accessories (39%), specialist software applications (34%) and a trade-in programme (34%).

Despite the enthusiasm for the service, 69% of buyers were unaware of companies offering the service-based solution with 0% interest.

The independent research, carried out by Opinion Matters on behalf of Panasonic Toughbook, questioned 250 UK technology buyers of notebooks, tablets and handheld devices for mobile workforces.

“With the rapid advances in design and functionality of mobile devices and the resulting productivity gains for mobile workforces, businesses are keen to keep up to date with the latest developments,” said Kevin Jones, Managing Director for the Panasonic Mobile Solution Business in Europe. “This is resulting in an expensive capital expenditure every two-three years. But buyers are telling us that they would much rather move to a new subscription-based model, similar to the growing popularity of software as a service. Panasonic’s new Toughbook as a Service Solution helps our current and future customers overcome this challenge.”

 

Toughbook as a Service

Panasonic launched its new Toughbook-as-a-Service (TaaS) earlier this year. It’s a unique, interest-free, monthly payment model for rugged devices. Businesses can now equip their mobile workforces with any rugged Panasonic Toughbook notebook, tablet or handheld device without having to worry about large upfront costs in capital expenditure.

Toughbook-as-a-Service is an end-to-end subscription, powered by European digital services provider, Econocom. It allows companies to pay for their Toughbook devices monthly, over a three-year period. Uniquely TaaS subscribers pay the same as a cash purchase, even though payments are spread over a longer term - eliminating the need for large upfront costs and allowing organisations to benefit from an OPEX-based solution rather than CAPEX.

 

"Toughbook-as-a-Service is an end-to-end subscription, powered by European digital services provider, Econocom..."

 

TaaS solutions include access to Panasonic Toughbook devices, delivery, 3-year warranty, helpdesk support, and end-of-life services such as collection, recycling and data wiping. As well as the rugged hardware, customers can choose to add into the monthly payment, on the same 0% interest terms*, options for their solution including vehicle mounts, docking stations, specialist software applications and other device accessories, as well as extended and accidental damage warranties.

Customers can also choose to personalise their TaaS subscription with a number of optional extras, including a trade-in programme, which allows businesses to upgrade their technology without losing the value of their existing estate. TaaS also provides the ability to bundle in airtime, MDM and data analytics, for example. 

* TaaS is a 0% finance OPEX solution, including up to 20% soft costs. If the transaction requires more than 20% soft costs/software, the interest rate over 3 years will be higher.

 

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The rapid proliferation of service-based models, including Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and asset management, is attracting new market participants to the analytical instrumentation space. In just a few years, analytical SaaS instrumentation and cloud-based alternatives to legacy solutions will dominate the industrial sector due to the shift in customer focus from instrumentation features to the ways in which the technology can help enhance business outcomes.

"As the data collected from instruments can potentially deliver more value than the hardware, there is high demand for analytical instruments that mine data and convert it into actionable insights,” said Mariano Kimbara, Senior Industry Analyst, Industrial Group at Frost & Sullivan.

"Consequently, service providers are delivering software solutions that help digitize lab operations by intelligently connecting people, processes, data, and instruments. These solutions will allow users to target services more strategically, better utilize assets, reduce downtime, and plan program schedules."

Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis, Advanced Services in the Analytical Instrumentation Market, Forecast to 2022, identifies new areas of advanced services, including asset management services, radio frequency identification (RFID) inventory control services, laboratory intelligence services, consulting services, and compliance services. It also offers a deep dive into new data-driven business models.

For further information on this analysis, please visit: http://frost.ly/2ze

"In the current connected era of continual business transformation, there is an intense need to consolidate all work order management activity into a unified, automated data platform to optimize costs," noted Kimbara. "System vendors are, therefore, offering new, unified platforms that remove organizational silos and ensure connections among cross-functional divisions, linking sales, procurement, finance, logistics, suppliers, and scientists."

In addition to developing integrated service capabilities, market vendors could explore the growth opportunities present in:

 

• Delivering an OPEX model. Create an asset management service that increases visibility into the condition of existing assets.
• Shifting from a reactive business model to a proactive business model. A central data platform with automated allocation of instruments and inventory based on project demand and timelines can help anticipate events and lower costs.
• Tapping opportunities to cross-sell. The growth of asset management services could lead to revenue opportunities from rental services.
• Delivering offline and online measurement services. They can expand service lines through partnerships with software analytics providers.
• Making available expert, multi-vendor instruments service support for instruments in the entire laboratory.

 

Advanced Services in the Analytical Instrumentation Market, Forecast to 2022 is part of Frost & Sullivan’s global Test & Measurement Growth Partnership Service program.

 

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With 2020 on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to think about new ways to improve your field service business. Paul Whitelam, ClickSoftware outlines nine key areas that you need to be targeting to ensure your service delivery remains competitive as we move into the third decade of the twenty-first century...

You’ve probably been hearing a lot about new trends and visions for the future, and it’s probably a little overwhelming. An easy way to get started is by throwing away some of the outdated practices you’ve been following. To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of field service practices you might want to leave behind in 2019.

Manual scheduling

Field service scheduling requires making several quick and calculated decisions. You need to consider everything from travel time and routing, technicians’ schedules and skill sets, equipment tracking, and SLA compliance. It’s much easier to rely on an automated scheduling solution to make optimized decisions for you, so you can focus on the bigger stuff—like your customers’ satisfaction.

Using separate solutions

The only way to gain true visibility into field service schedules is to manage everything in a single solution. This includes schedules, capacity planning, long- and short-cycle work, crew allocations, and more. Limiting field service management to a single solution also gives you the flexibility to manage your workforce more efficiently and ensure that you’re equipped to handle urgent work.

Not prepping technicians for customer service

Your field resources are often the only face-to-face contact your customers have with your company. This means it’s crucial they are equipped to give the best customer service possible. Start thinking of your technicians as your brand ambassadors, and ensure they have the soft skills to make a great impression on your customers.

Lack of visibility into technician location

With Uber you can hail a ride and know exactly where your driver is and when they will arrive. And Amazon provides updates when your package is shipped and as soon as it’s delivered. Your customers know this level of visibility is possible, and they expect it in their service too. Allow customers to track their technician’s location and send them reminders and updates about the status of their service. On top of giving your customers’ peace of mind, this also helps you avoid no shows and last minute cancellations.

Long Appointment Windows & Exact Time Slots

According to our Field Service Report, more than 60% of consumers across all countries said a long wait time between their service appointment being booked and carried out led to a bad customer service experience. It’s no surprise because today’s customers expect service fast, and definitely, don’t want to be waiting around all day to get it. Use optimized scheduling and appointment booking to ensure shorter, two-hour service windows for your customers.

Leaving the customer site before booking a follow-up appointment

Sometimes a repair is more complex than originally thought or a technician doesn’t have the right part to complete a job. When a follow-up appointment is needed, don’t leave the customer site until it is booked. Instead of simply ordering a part and asking the customer to call and schedule when they receive it, do it for them. The customer will feel more at ease knowing that even though the problem wasn’t fixed today, it will be fixed as soon as possible.

Not measuring customer effort score

When it comes to measuring customer experience, the Net Promoter Score (NPS) and customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores are usually the go to. But in today’s on-demand world, convenience and ease are becoming more and more important to customers. Many organizations have started measuring customer experience by the amount of effort customers are putting into getting an issue resolved. Add this to your list of KPIs so you can ensure future customer engagements are simple and seamless.

Not using live traffic updates

As customer expectations continue to rise, the importance of route optimization and getting resources from place to place is ever increasing. Many organizations are taking advantage of predictive travel and applications like Google Maps to accurately estimate travel times and plan routes ahead of the service day. However, it’s also important to consider real-time, live traffic updates on the day of service to account for unforeseen traffic and roadblocks.

Leaving out change management

When your service team has been doing things a certain way for several years, bringing in a new solution can be overwhelming. Even if the previous solution was inefficient or completely manual and paper-based, change can be scary. When implementing a new field service management solution, it’s important to get everyone on board and comfortable with the new solution—so don’t skip out on change management. Emphasize the benefits of FSM—such as efficiency, cost savings, and customer satisfaction—and make sure everyone is properly trained on using the solution.

While no one can know exactly what the field service management landscape will look like in 2020, it’s safe to expect increasing customer expectations and new technologies. Start preparing your organization for what’s next today.

 

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Ultra Consultants, Inc., an independent research and enterprise solutions consulting firm serving the manufacturing and distribution industries, today announced the availability of a complimentary ERP Toolkit eBook.  The in-depth eBook provides comprehensive ERP education to help teams work effectively through business process improvement, enterprise technology evaluation, selection and implementation. The resources curated in the eBook draw upon Ultra’s decades of expert methodologies and deep knowledge of manufacturing and distribution.

Developed for project teams at manufacturing and distribution organizations considering an active ERP project, the ERP Toolkit delivers in-depth educational resources, including videos, white papers, podcasts and more.

Project teams are invited to download the ERP Toolkit eBook to prepare for 2019 planning.

Key resources include:

• Educational assets to get started and plan for an effective technology project
• Tips to organize a project, reduce risk of failure and drive change management
• A curated guide to help teams understand what it takes to evaluate, select and implement enterprise technology

“The decision to upgrade or implement a new enterprise technology system is likely one of the most complex and resource-intensive initiatives a company will face. The manufacturers and distributors we speak with have told us that it’s difficult to understand how to begin an enterprise technology project,” notes Ultra Consultants Founder and CEO Jeff Carr. “This toolkit gathers insight and leverages Ultra’s unique perspective as trusted, independent advisors serving manufacturing and distribution teams. We encourage project teams to download the eBook for insight specific to their organizations.”

 

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In this final excerpt from an exclusive fieldservicenews.com presentation Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined by John Hunt, Managing Director, EMEA, Astea as they discuss the ubiquity of mobile devices in field service operations today and just how the rise of mobile computing has truly revolutionised the way we approach service delivery in today's world. 

 

 Want to know more? The full length video of this presentation is available as premium content to fieldservicenews.com subscribers...

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Blockchain and its potential has been mooted in field service circles for years. Is it time we stop thinking big and instead build smaller use-cases before we lose sight of what’s actually important, the end-user? Mark Glover, Field Service News’ Deputy Editor finds out more.

In 2008, a person (or a group of people) known as Satoshi Nakamoto conceptualised the first blockchain. A year later, this digitised digital ledger was a critical accessory to the group’s (or his) headline act, the now ubiquitous cryptocurrency Bitcoin.

The impact of this decentralised digital currency on financial markets and a curious, confused society has been fascinating to follow. That the persona of the inventor or the inventors remains unknown adds to the plot.

Yet, without blockchain, the currency wouldn’t function. This smart ledger, driven by a peer-to-peer network has the potential to stamp itself on industry and in particular field service. But can the sector adopt the technology in a way that will ultimately benefit the end-user?

Firstly though, and apologies to all those who have a handle on the technology, what is blockchain? Scouring the internet for a simple definition is tricky, eventually, the excellent forward-thinking mission.com offered this: “Blockchain is the technology that underpins digital currency (Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum and the like). The tech allows digital information to be distributed, but not copied. That means that each individual piece of data can only have one owner.”

 

"The tech allows digital information to be distributed, but not copied. That means that each individual piece of data can only have one owner..."

 

Straightforward enough. But let’s expand it to industry. How can it fit into the aerospace sector and specifically a plane engine? Parties involved include the airline, the engine manufacturer and the service company all of whom are squirting data into that asset’s blockchain.

The jet engine is a high-end valuable piece of equipment, the blockchain systems enable a single, irrefutable history of that asset. The linking of parties (blocks) removes the requirement for inter-party consultation before extracting required information meaning critical decisions can be made quicker and more effectively. It’s also secure and visible to everyone and accurate and trust, therefore, is enhanced around the chain. The benefits are tangible. So why aren’t all companies rushing to implement it?

“Like all emerging technologies there are only going to be one or two applications that are going to come up for this kind of thing in the very early days,” says Stephen Jeffs-Watts, Senior Advisor – Service Management at IFS. Stephen is an expert in blockchain, a keen enthusiast of its benefits but warns that fields service shouldn’t get too carried away just yet, particularly as sectors are only starting to dip their toes in the murky blockchain water.

 

"We have to try and bear in mind that it [blockchain] is also directly proportionate to the type of kit that’s been installed...“

 

A lot of the use cases that are coming up at the moment,” he tells me, “are in very high-value assets and very highly regulated supply chains; in aerospace, defence, nuclear and very-high-end medical applications,” he pauses. “There aren’t too many Phillips Medicals out there.”

In field service, blockchain technology can potentially trace parts, verify assets and look-up maintenance and operations history, but according to Stephen, it needs to bed-in with modern hardware before its benefits can be felt. “We have to try and bear in mind that it [blockchain] is also directly proportionate to the type of kit that’s been installed,” he warns, “Are you really going to use blockchain to authenticate the asset history or the maintenance and servicing history for a ten-year-old piece of equipment?” Another pause, “You’re not.”

Let’s go back to the jet engine blockchain analogy; the engine itself is a high-end piece of equipment.

The airlines and engine manufacturer, themselves are high-end companies:  BA, KLM, Lufthansa, Rolls Royce, GE, Northrup Grumann, for example. All are big companies keen to monetise blockchain, the only real way to do this is through data-ownership but in a high-asset blockchain, this isn’t always straightforward.

Who owns the data from a jet-engine? Is it the airlines?

The thrust from their plane goes through that engine and what about linking that to the pilot who’s flying that aircraft and jet engine through the air? That’s the airline’s data too. They also have a hand in the plane’s load: the number of passengers and baggage, fuel etc. That’s also data from the airline.

The engine itself? Rolls Royce might run it on a power-by-the-hour contract, so it’s their engine, so do they own the blockchain data? Like that other revolution IoT, blockchain becomes an issue of data ownership. What can be done to grease the chains to make the process run smoother?

“You’re going to have to get industries and supply chains to actually come together and solve the underlying data ownership issue,” Steve offers. “There is going to have to be some kind of consensus; an informal consensus through co-operation; the introduction of some kind of industry standard or ultimately an enforced consensus through legislative means,

Be it an Industry standard or a regulatory framework, large-scale blockchain implementation ultimately needs sectors to work together, to come together in agreement and as Steve explains, it also becomes an issue of trust. “Let’s say there are ten people involved in the supply chain: the operator, the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), there may be a service operator; they’re all contributing data to that chain.

“But does the end operator actually have enough trust in the OEM to question if they are going to use their data and benchmark it against its competitors”, he ponders.

Issues around data-ownership, trust and unfit equipment unable to handle what is essentially a large-scale, shared google document are indicators that large-scale field-service blockchain implementation isn’t as close as we might think. Perhaps we are setting our sights too high? Maybe the use-cases should be carried out on a much smaller scale?

After all, cryptocurrency, the original thread of blockchain was designed for electronic financial transactions, not necessarily jet engines. Stephen agrees, referencing a well-known tracking device, he suggests we should keep things simple. “We could use blockchain like a glorified RFID tag that authenticates, verifies and gives you a reference point,” he says. “I can look at the blockchain and I can see who made it, when it was made, how it was transported.

“Where they may be just a couple of parameters about its last usage, you can look at that by a component-by-component type level, specifically in those cases where that kind of information is critical, or the authenticity is critical.

 

"There’s got to be a realistic level of ambition and some specific use-cases that prove the technology and prove the value of the technology before there comes any mainstream adoption..“

 

There’s got to be a realistic level of ambition and some specific use-cases that prove the technology and prove the value of the technology before there comes any mainstream adoption,” Stephen urges.

My conversation with Steve has been fascinating and his contribution to this article I’m sincerely grateful for. The insight he offered - most of which I’m unable to fit into this wordcount – was invaluable, yet despite all its potential of blockchain Stephen left me with a thought that goes beyond the blockchain hype: “So what?”

So what if an asset is pumping with blockchain data? All the customer wants is the device to start working again so they can get on with their business.

“What value does that bring to me as a customer,” argues Steve. “unless I’m in a highly regulated environment. When do you start loading up past-maintenance history? Is it good? Is it worthwhile? Probably not. So what’s the use-case that going to give killer value?

Steve continues from the end user's perspective: “Great, you’ve got blockchain. What do I get from you having blockchain? What do I get from being able to prove every last working second of this particular piece of kit? Why should I care?”

It’s an excellent point that perhaps gets lost in this fourth industrial revolution we find ourselves in. Among AI, and IoT and machine learning and blockchain should we not just focus on the customer needs and their requirements? Or will we continue to pursue the hype?

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In today’s digitalised world, employees must have access to databases and communication applications wherever they might be and on whatever device they wish to use. The fixed workstation generation is over. With more than 140 employees in 20 countries across the globe, iba’s IT infrastructure has to be able to support mobile working, while being reliable and providing the right levels of performance.

iba AG approached data centre specialist and cloud service provider Proact to help its staff enter today’s mobile paradigm and to also optimise its existing infrastructure. Everything started with analysis - to define goals and the services that were needed. After this Proact’s experts developed a cost-efficient and future-proof concept that integrated enterprise-class technology with existing solutions to create a highly unified solution.

As a result of Proact’s solution, all workloads, including the development environment, are now underpinned by two identically equipped data centres. To establish a truly turbo IT platform, Proact consolidated data and included symmetrical replication to ensure effective disaster recovery, centralised management, data protection and efficient use of resources. Ultimately, iba AG now has the performance capabilities so staff can access IT services as and when they need them.

“Proact understood our requirements for this solution right from the start and thought very efficiently and customer-oriented when designing the systems and licenses,” says Marc Besten, IT Infrastructure & Security at iba AG.

To learn more about this exciting partnership and the benefits IBA is gaining through this solution, please visit: https://www.proact.eu/en/case-studies/iba-ag/

 

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I was asked recently if my thinking has evolved since writing Beyond GREAT SERVICE, The Technician’s Role in Proactive Business Growth. The book is based on the premise that field service professionals add tremendous value when they use their experience and expertise to make recommendations that will help their customers to be better off.

As I reflect on the book, that view has not changed. In fact, it has been reinforced as I have worked with more and more companies across North America and in Europe and with their local offices around the world. I have seen how field professionals react favourably to this description of their role and how managers see the value of this approach. It squares the circle between service and sales.

Although there is nothing specific that I would change about the strategy described in the book, there are two things that I would add. Firstly, I would spend more time and provide more guidance on strategies to implement a “Beyond GREAT SERVICE” approach. Secondly, I would focus more attention on the service nature of the field service team’s proactive efforts.

 

"I have seen managers struggle to provide the ongoing focus necessary to achieve the type of cultural change needed to ensure that business development by field service professionals becomes an integral part of service delivery..."

 

I have seen managers struggle to provide the ongoing focus necessary to achieve the type of cultural change needed to ensure that business development by field service professionals becomes an integral part of service delivery. To achieve this requires systems, processes and most importantly, constant coaching and support. Not everyone on the team will be convinced of the service value of proactively making recommendations to customers, and many of those that do will be uncomfortable in those situations. Without the support structures and ongoing encouragement, even those field professionals with the best of intentions will gravitate back to how they have always done things in the past.

The reason that some managers struggle with the implementation of business promotion as a service is due to the very nature of the service business itself. The day-to-day immediacy of service pulls management away from the thoughtful, important but not urgent work that is needed to successfully engage technicians in proactive business development. Much of service is, by its very nature, reactive and that means much time is spent responding rather than initiating.

Although this is changing somewhat, there will always be a significant element of responding to unplanned emergencies that demand immediate attention and draws managers from the task of implementing a “Beyond GREAT SERVICE” approach. The irony in this is that, as progress is made toward implementing the “Beyond GREAT SERVICE” approach, the increasingly proactive efforts of the field team will reduce the number of, and resources required for, unplanned emergencies as many issues will be addressed before they become a problem. That means that the more progress managers make in implementing this approach, the more time they will have to support it – almost the opposite of what is needed.

It is also important that the Beyond GREAT SERVICE approach be viewed as an integral component of the service provided – as much a part of the service as troubleshooting, repairing and maintaining. Sure, you could argue that they are “selling” when they make a recommendation to the customer, but semantics aside, when the field team makes recommendations for the purpose of helping the customer achieve their goals they are really serving in its truest sense.

 

"Most service companies fail to achieve the results they desire when they engage their field service team in business development..."

 

The serving vs. selling perspective is a unique and critically important differentiator. From my experience, most service companies fail to achieve the results they desire when they engage their field service team in business development. In addition to the reason cited above, a contributing factor for these less than ideal outcomes is that managers don’t integrate these efforts as part of the service. Promotion of services is often treated as an “add-on” that many within the field team see as “optional”. Some even feel that promoting services is an unreasonable expectation by management.

If the field service professional’s efforts are part of the service, it is easier to get the field service team to buy-in. They can see a direct connection between what they are doing in promoting their services and the impact on the customer’s business. Customers see value in this too. When explained to them that the field service team is being asked to use their expertise to proactively identify steps that can help the customer achieve their business goals (as opposed to looking to increase revenues), they can see the benefit for their business.

So, to address these two issues, I would add this challenge for the reader of my book:

Assume for a moment that you will be adding a new service offering to your service portfolio. The new offering has the following characteristics:

• It is an add-on to existing services (does not replace)
• It’s a new concept – the customer needs to be educated on the value
• New knowledge and skills are required to implement effectively
• No new tools or test equipment needed
• It has the potential to be highly profitable – efficiency in delivery critical
• The service relies on another division to deliver a part of the service
• There is a 1 to 2 year head start over the competition

When implementing a service of this nature, what steps will you take to ensure that you successfully and profitably introduce this service?

As managers ponder this challenge, they will come up with a list of things to be done such as: (Note: This list is far from complete)

• Define the service so it can be understood internally and externally
• Identify the processes needed to support the initiative
• Take steps to get buy-in from supporting divisions and a seamless coordination between groups
• Provide training and coaching to achieve the behaviour change needed
• Create the messaging and strategy to promote to our customers etc.

The point of this challenge is that the service described in the challenge is the service of promoting services to help the customer to be better off and this contributes to management’s efforts in two ways.

Firstly, it gives them a better perspective of all of the moving parts of a successful strategy in a meaningful way that is familiar to them (they have implemented new services before). Secondly, when the initiative is recognized as a service, management will see that its implementation is not a “part-time job” that is pursued if there is time but rather an important service initiative that requires continuous focus to ensure its successful implementation.

By devoting more space in the book to helping management implement the strategy as a service, I think that Beyond GREAT SERVICE would become an even more valuable resource for those organizations that want to truly help their customers achieve their business goals. I have a feeling that a second edition is in the works.

 

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