ARCHIVE FOR THE ‘merged-reality’ CATEGORY

Earlier this summer we introduced you to three companies that we felt were set up to bring some significant value to the field service sector. Now as we look forward to 2020 here are three more companies that could potentially help drive your field service business forwards..

Augmented, Mixed & Virtual Reality is certainly a technology trend that is set to massively impact businesses in their field service processes...

Andrea Bardini, Marketing Product Manager, OverIT explains more...

Companies everywhere are constantly seeking new ways to reduce costs, increase profits and improve customer satisfaction and these goals are exactly the ones that modern field services organizations are being asked to achieve.

Field Service is no longer a simple and basic data collection and reporting function to resolve issues and react to emergency issues with assets, it has now really become the front-end function in which the dialogue and interaction with the customers are happening.

Field Service technicians and engineers are more and more often seen as the trusted advisor who the customer looks to resolve their problems, and for this reason, they need to be equipped with the best technology available to perform their tasks at the best delivering value for the clients.

 

"Collaboration is actually the key for field service transformation..."

 

At OverIT, we continue to innovate and improve our solutions to respond to the market needs and we are firmly convinced that building applications on Augmented, Mixed and Virtual Reality is key to streamlining field processes.

By leveraging the virtual collaboration, knowledge sharing and remote assistance capabilities provided by cutting-edge technologies, companies can arm their technicians with the latest tools to perform field tasks faster, better, and hands-free.

Moreover, companies can dramatically reduce travel costs, training, and increase the first-time fix rate and service delivery, having a big impact on their operational expenses.

Collaboration is actually the key for field service transformation.

The more technicians and engineers are able to collaborate and get real-time information to resolve issues, the more they will be able to complete their tasks in a more efficient, productive and effective way. AR, MR & VR is a watershed technology not only because it frees people from two-dimensional screens and pages to help improve the way they learn, share, understand and act, but it enables remote sharing and interaction in a completely different way.

People in the field are able to share the same asset, even though they are located in different places, they can interact, ask questions, drawn on it, they can take notes, but the most important thing they have at their disposal all the information they need in their “virtual room” with no need to bring any more paper and meanwhile they can visualise instructions or receive guidance from remote colleagues they can operate because they are hands-free.

Moreover, virtual collaboration is reshaping the way companies are running training increasing efficiency and effectiveness.

We want to guide our customers through the digital transformation of the Field Service and the only way to do that is investing in cutting-edge technologies to offer a complete and innovative solution that can respond promptly to customers’ needs and that can adapt easily to the business processes to bring Field Service activities to the next level.

---

 

Be social and share

In the Big Discussion, we will take one topic, bring together three leading experts on that topic and put three key questions to them to help us better understand its potential impact on the field service sector...

This issue our topic is the what to expect in 2018 and our experts are Michael Blumberg, Blumberg Advisory, Bill Pollock, Strategies for GrowthSM and Jan Van Veen, moreMomentum

The first question we tackled was What is the biggest challenge facing field service companies in the next 12 months?

Now let's turn to the second question in the discussion...

What is the biggest opportunity facing field service companies in the next 12 months?

Bill Pollock: The biggest opportunity facing field service companies today is the ability to compete head-to-head with any of their main competitors – however large or small – through the implementation and/or upgrade to a Cloud-based Field Service Management (FSM) solution. Over the past several years, Cloud technology has normalized the playing field for both FSM solution providers and their customers, who are no longer encumbered by the cost and complexity of their legacy premise-based solutions and applications.

Advances in technology are also giving a boost to those field service companies that have embraced these new technologies. For example, the greatest opportunities over the next 12 months will most likely be realised by those companies that will have already implemented Augmented Reality (AR) and/or Merged Reality (MR) into their field service operations. However, the most likely dominant field service organisations will be the ones that have also taken steps to explore the benefits of moving to an Artificial Intelligence- (AI) and Machine Learning- (ML) driven field service solution.

The technology is already there for every field service company; however, only those that embrace – and implement – these technologies will actually be able to reap the benefits.

 

---

 

Jan Van Veen:  When talking about the biggest opportunities, I think we need to look beyond 12 months. It is mission critical to act now on future success.

Most industries are somewhere around the top of the life cycle and are facing (first signs of) commoditization.

The big opportunity for them is to go through the next life cycle where the added value is about enhancing the use of technology. The new value propositions will be heavily driven by data, algorithms and intelligence. The value will be far beyond predictive maintenance and uptime of technology.

This is a domain in which young, rapidly growing data-driven companies are in their comfort zone. So, the opportunity here is moving up the food chain and increase relevance for clients. By failing to pursue these opportunities, the threat is being forced down in the food chain and seeing other players deliver the high value, whilst seeing your role being limited to manufacturing equipment, spare parts and, to some extent, delivering low skilled hands-on machines for maintenance.

For those companies who are not ready to focus on these opportunities, I think your top priority should be to build the missing foundation and make sure you are ready to pursue the opportunities soon.

 

---

Michael Blumberg: The biggest opportunity facing field service companies in the next 12 months lies in pursuing strategies that will advance their journey along the path toward servitization.

The specific strategies vary from company to company based on where they are on their journey. For some companies, 2018 will be the year when they finally transition their field service operation from a cost centre to a profit centre. For others, the opportunity lies in monetizing service offerings and effectively marketing and selling service outcomes.

Still, others will have the opportunity to invest in digital technologies that enhance service quality, boost productivity, and create an uber-like experience for their customers.

---

Be social and share

Michael Blumberg, President Blumberg Advisory Group gives us some insight into his recent conversations at Field Service Fall in Florida last month, where Augmented Reality was once again one of the hot topics of the conference...

I recently attended WBR’s Field Service Fall 2017 conference in Amelia Island, Florida where there was a lot of buzz among participants about Augmented Reality and Virtual Telepresence. Many industry experts, observers, and practitioners believe that these technologies will have a dramatic impact on field service delivery in terms of shortening resolution times, improving first time fix rate, and reducing travel costs.

In my discussions with conference attendees, I concluded that Field service leaders face several challenges when it comes to making investments in modern technologies like Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). One obvious challenge lies in determining whether the investment is currently a priority.

To answer this question, they need to have a clear understanding about what problems they are trying to solve and what results they are trying to achieve through it.

The best way to answer these questions is to develop a use-case justification based on the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that are improved through the deployment of these technologies.

The second biggest challenge has to with the confusion that exists among field service leaders with regard to alternative and/or competing platforms, for example, AR versus VR. . By definition, VR offers a digital recreation of a real life (or fantasy world) setting, while AR delivers virtual elements as an overlay to the real world. There is also Mixed Reality (MR) where we see a merging of real and virtual worlds to produce a new environment and visual image where physical and digital objects co-exist and interact in real time.

These platforms involve different levels of investment, time, and complexity to implement. AR is typically the least expensive and fastest platform to implement.

Many AR solutions that are available on the market today can be developed, implemented and rolled out rapidly. In contrast, VR and MR platforms often require extensive programming, development, and integration before they can be rolled out to the field.

 

On the other hand, VR and MR provide a more feature-rich environment and visual experience than AR. For example, AR/MR can overlay 3-D digital twins of a sub-assembly and generate animated repair procedures as well as virtual dashboards of machine performance.

A significant investment is required to implement this type of platform and these investments often require input from various internal stakeholders including engineering, sales, marketing, manufacturing, and finance. For some OEMs or other service providers it may be cost-prohibitive to retro-fit their existing installed base with this type of technology.

A common misconception is that wearable glasses must be incorporated into an AR or VR solution. These devices may not be practical or ergonomically suited for the task at hand. However, this is just one component of the platform so all hardware and software needs must be considered with each solution. Other viewing devices, such as a smart phone or tablet, can be used to generate a remote, collaborative experience.

Many field service leaders are taking a wait-and-see attitude to implementing AR/VR/MR in hopes that costs will decrease and better versions will be available in the future. So why not wait? Field service leaders must remember that time-to-market is everything. FSOs that wait too long to take advantage of this technology may lose their competitive advantage and market share.

Once field service leaders decide on a course of action here is how to get started: The optimal approach, one that will guarantee early success, is to select a mature AR solution that can be rolled out with minimum upfront programming, software development, and systems integration.

FSOs are also advised not be overly concerned with developing an exhaustive list of feature functionality that can be included in their AR solution.

This is because AR features are continuously evolving, and too much planning into an unknown future will slow down the evaluation and selection process. Most AR solutions are available through an On-Demand model, which means new enhancements will be available as part of the subscription.

 

Lastly, FSOs are urged to demo and pilot, yes, pilot products from multiple vendors. Unlike enterprise software or mobility applications, an FSO can run multiple pilot projects with limited upfront investment in time or capital.

When it comes to selecting an AR vendor, remember that AR is a part of a broader digital transformation impacting the company.

Choose an AR partner who will work with existing IT platforms and overall strategy and can provide guidance in how to best integrate their solution. FSOs are advised to consider the following criteria:

• Sensitivity to customer’s needs – In other words, select a vendor that understands that AR is still a relatively new technology and that education and some amount of “hand-holding” is required to ensure a successful pilot and/or implementation.
• Flexibility – Vendors create win/win situations by providing their customers with flexibility. The two most critical areas where flexibility wins are business-model and software requirements. Flexible vendors offer alternative pricing methods and flexible software-feature options.
• Knowledge of best practices – This refers more specifically to best practices around change management and adoption and usage.
• Ability to integrate AR platform with ERP solutions – This will enable FSOs to store and retrieve remote sessions with dispatch work orders.
• Products that can operate in a low-bandwidth communication environment – This will facilitate the ability of FSOs to use AR in remote geographic areas.

Selecting an AR solution based on these criteria will help ensure successful results.

 

---

 

Be social and share