IFS, the global enterprise applications company, announces the availability of new and enhanced capabilities in its customer engagement software enabling companies to respond to the challenges facing the traditional call center and transform their customer engagement. IFS is leading the way for service organizations to become knowledge and outcome centric throughout the entirety of the service experience.

Forward-thinking companies have become customer obsessed knowing that new business and customer retention rely on it. IFS’s customer experience applications are engineered to provide visibility and context for the customer, the contact center, and the service organization throughout the service cycle, through technology that is easy to deploy, configure, and use. This includes enriching work processes with automation and AI capabilities to ready companies for a future where self-service will be at the start of 85 percent of customer interactions by 2022, up from 48 percent in 2019.

The importance of engaging customers through a single, unified experience across every channel—voice, e-mail, chat and social—has never been greater. IFS believes companies overlook this area at their peril. Gartner notes:* “By 2022, 50 percent of large organizations will have still failed to unify engagement channels. This will result in the continuation of a disjointed and siloed customer experience that lacks context. 

highly configurable and integrated omnichannel hub to IMPROVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCEs

In this latest release, businesses can enjoy:

• A smooth transition from a telephony-based support center to a full omni-channel contact hub in a matter of days—complete with a customer service agent desktop
• A new customer engagement studio that allows companies to configure their own customer service desktop while eliminating the need for costly one-off customizations
• Simple integration to enterprise resource planning (ERP) and field service management (FSM) applications, agents are empowered to handle issues rapidly, driving front-office productivity by an average of over 40 percent

“As businesses use service offerings to power their way to growth in the new normal, the imperative has never been greater to focus on the customer experience,” said Marne Martin, President of IFS Service Management. “Businesses need a single view of a customer, yes, but they also need a complete service management solution that delivers on the service outcome that a customer expects in order to drive net promotor score, sustainability, and growth. This is where IFS is leading the way to deliver sustainable outcomes and knowledge-based service, which is the future for more and more service businesses.”

IFS’s latest investments in customer experience also include remote assistance and “On My Way” to provide a complete customer management solution for businesses looking to grow their service capability and transform their customer experience.

Over the past two years, IFS has seen strong growth in its service management business with more than 50 percent of revenues coming from its field service customer base in the first half of 2020. New license sales across its service management applications, including its recognized FSM offering, grew by more than 150 percent in first half 2020 compared to first half 2019.

Further Reading:

• Learn more about IFS Customer Engagement @ www.ifs.com/customer-engagement/
• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about IFS on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/ifs
• Find out more about IFS @ www.ifs.com
• Follow IFS on Twitter @ twitter.com/ifsuk

Salesforce has announced today the next generation of their FSM solution Salesforce Field Service. Which has been designed to equip field service organisations with the power of AI-powered tools to deliver trusted, mission-critical field service.

Built on the world’s #1 CRM, Salesforce Field Service includes new appointment scheduling and optimization capabilities as we see the fruits of last year’s acquisition of ClickSoftware bear fruit. The new release also introduces AI-driven guidance for dispatchers, asset performance insights and automated customer communications. In essence the launch comprises of an impressive suite of tools that each can play a significant role in helping field service organisations achieve the most fundamental and important aspect of service delivery – ensuring field service jobs are completed the first time, on time, every time.

When the pandemic first hit, many industries that send employees out to complete jobs in the field had to shut down entirely. But critical machinery still needs to be repaired—medical devices require servicing, air conditioning units need to be fixed and assembly line machines still malfunction. After getting over the initial shock of COVID-19, frontline workers got back to work and have been at it ever since.

"It is more crucial now than ever for field technicians to have the right information and tools to maximize equipment uptime and first-time fix rates..."

After an initial dip in March, Salesforce Field Service saw usage jump more than 50% between April and July 2020, and is actually now being used 20% more than at pre-COVID levels as companies and frontline workers scramble to clear the backlog of service requests created earlier this year.

It is more crucial now than ever for field technicians to have the right information and tools to maximize equipment uptime and first-time fix rates. This was the feedback that Salesforce heard loudly and clearly from their customers and they have reacted strongly to these industry requirements.

Leveraging the decades of industry expertise and innovation within their ranks, Salesforce have approached building their next-generation field service management product to help field service organisations overcome the challenges they face as we move towards recovery.

Some of these customers include:

GreenThumb (UK)

Greenthumb, conducts approximately 2.5 million lawn treatment visits to customers’ homes every year across the U.K. Just months after implementing Salesforce Field Service, Greenthumb started saving money—and the environment.

Smarter scheduling enabled their field crew to complete at least one extra job per worker per day, which generated more revenue. “By routing crews efficiently, we estimate it will save over £400,000 in annual fuel costs,” said Paul Edwards, Managing Director. “With no more need for paper work orders, we will cut paper requirement by three million sheets per year, which will rise as we gradually replace traditional mail with digital communications. In addition, working on a lightning-fast system has enabled our dispatchers to resolve customer inquiries an average of 45 seconds faster than before—going from seven clicks per case to just three.”

Best Buy (Canada)

Best Buy Canada is transforming how its 500-member support team helps clients with installations, repairs, and technical support. With the Geek Squad agents having access to the Salesforce Field service application on mobile, this helps provide greater visibility as clients receive real time updates of any schedule changes.

“With Salesforce Field Service, we will be able to optimize the efficiency of the team and improve the accuracy of when an agent is due to visit a client,” said Chris Sallans, Vice President, Retail Operations & Geek Squad. “There are now fewer manual processes for our Geek Squad agents, enabling them to spend more time helping clients resolve their technical issues.”

WBP Group (Australia)

WBP Group, one of Australia's largest, independent property valuation and advisory firms, needed to reshape how it operated to minimize contact between employees and customers in response to COVID-19. Service Cloud enabled the rapid launch of virtual valuations, creating a safe no-touch experience for customers and employees.

Salesforce Field Service has increased the efficiency of scheduling appointments for WBP and will be used in the future to manage valuations from end to end.

Want to Know More? As part of our beyond the headlines series Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News, spoke with Salesforce’s Paul Whitelam about the new release to find out more. Read that exclusive interview here!

Warranty claims is a $50 billion industry that organizations have overlooked during the digital transformation process. With little insight into how much money is wasted, two to four percent of a company’s revenues vanish into a black hole of fraud or discrepancies. Today, these expenditures are considered the cost of doing business for product manufacturers, but they don’t have to be.

To reign in unnecessary costs while also bringing data-driven processes to warranty claims (and beyond), Aquant created Intelligent Warranty Audit. The AI-driven product enables organizations to leverage large amounts of warranty data, reducing service costs through faster, more accurate claims processing.

Aquant’s AI-driven platform categorizes and prioritizes disparate data, helping warranty managers quickly process or reject high-risk claims. In addition, Aquant’s technology bridges the data gap that exists between the warranty management process and other departments across the organization. With this new digital thread, organizations can fill in a missing part of the transformation puzzle to bolster positive service outcomes and drive innovation in product engineering, sales, and marketing. 

AI-POWERED TECHNOLOGY ANALYZES HIDDEN WARRANTY DATA TO LOWER CLAIM COSTS AND IMPROVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

With Intelligent Warranty Audit, organizations will:

• Reduce warranty waste and processing times 
• Encourage service best practices among their network of providers to deliver exceptional customer experiences
• Drive a closed loop of innovation to feed intelligence back into the rest of the organization

“It’s time to liberate warranty departments from the inefficiencies of manual processes and bring them into the 21st century as a key component of digital transformations,” said Assaf Melochna, President and co-founder of Aquant. “Today, leaders accept a wide range of inconsistencies because it hasn’t been cost-effective for claims managers to scale the process. Intelligent Warranty Audit adds ROI by guiding claims managers through the cases that have the biggest impact on the bottom line while providing a clear framework on why a claim falls outside normal parameters.”

Intelligent Warranty Audit infuses teams with accuracy and speed thanks to AI and natural language processing. The technology analyzes data from multiple sources to quickly identify and alert warranty managers to high-risk claims for review by analyzing:

• Asset service history
• Service provider performance
• Customer behavioral trends
• Anomalies in cost, service, or other criteria 

“Enhanced digital tools such as AI are critical beyond simply improving day-to-day operations for warranty departments. Manufacturers and service organizations should view the warranty management process as another opportunity to deliver value to customers,” notes Aly Pinder, program director Service Innovation and Connected Products IDC. “When warranty management departments are included in larger transformation projects, that data becomes another key change agent in the move to deliver exceptional service in the new experience economy.”

Further Reading:

• Learn more about Warranty + AI  @ www.aquant.io/events/idc-webinar/
• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about Aquant on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/aquant
• Read more about Intelligent Warranty Audit @ www.aquant.io/platform/intelligent-warranty-audit/
• Learn more about Aquant @ www.aquant.io

New integration between the companies’ WorkLink and Field Service Management platforms gives field service technicians real-time access to augmented reality work instructions and remote assistance...

Scope AR, the pioneer of enterprise-class augmented reality (AR) solutions, today announced it has partnered with ServiceMax, the leader in asset-centric field service management, to enable a visual knowledge base for industrial work processes. As a trusted technology partner, Scope AR’s WorkLink platform will integrate with ServiceMax’s Field Service Management (FSM) platform to give field service technicians the real-time knowledge they need to more efficiently and accurately complete work orders. Users will now have access to detailed augmented reality work instructions and the ability to initiate live, remote assistance calls, while enterprise organizations can now capture and scale expert knowledge through the creation of work instruction catalogs. 

"We’re excited to be a part of the ServiceMax Partner Program and extend the value of their FSM platform..."

- Dave Gosch, Scope AR

“AR is uniquely positioned to help close the growing skills gap in field service across industries,  and can deliver on-demand knowledge transfer and empower workers to become experts at any given task with very little training time,” said Dave Gosch, VP of sales and solutions at Scope AR. “We’re excited to be a part of the ServiceMax Partner Program and extend the value of their FSM platform.” 

Beyond increased efficiencies out in the field, the partnership also delivers benefits at the enterprise level. Insights gained from data available across both platforms provide a comprehensive view of how work is actually completed, offering visibility into areas of continuous improvement or where additional training may be needed. Additionally, enterprise organizations can leverage the creation of work instruction catalogs to build a knowledge repository. This allows companies to effectively overcome the constraints of remote work and the growing skills gap that plagues field service teams. Additionally, companies retain and scale expert knowledge that can be permanently accessed after a worker retires.   

“Visual work instructions that leverage AR provide the ultimate form of knowledge transfer to both novice and expert front-line workers alike, helping them perform the job faster, thus increasing overall business agility,” said Joseph Kenny, VP Global Customer Transformation at ServiceMax. “With the integration of all systems that affect this experience - from field service management and learning and development, to competency management, team communications and now AR work instructions - organizations are finally able to achieve optimized service and skills management.”

Further Reading:

• Learn more about how WorkLink seamlessly integrates with the ServiceMax FSM platform @  www.scopear.com/partners/servicemax/. 
• Read more about Digital Transformation @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/tag/digital-transformation
• https://www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/tag/digital-transformation
• Read more about Augmented Reality in Field Service  @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/hs-search-results?term=Augmented+reality+
• Follow ScopeAR on twitter @ https://twitter.com/scopear
• Follow ServiceMax on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/ServiceMax
• Find out more about the services ServiceMax offer to field service companies @ www.servicemax.com/
• Find out more about the services ScopeAR offer to field service companies @www.scopear.com/

Webfleet Solutions, Europe’s leading telematics provider, has enhanced its offering with new features that give fleet managers remote insights into their electric and hybrid vehicles. The EV management tools are part of the new release of WEBFLEET version 3.10 and are available for over 50,000 Webfleet Solutions customers across 60 countries.

“With the electric vehicle management tools, we are helping our customers to adapt to EV operations and maximising their cost-saving potentials,” said Beverley Wise, Sales Director UK & Ireland of Webfleet Solutions.

NEW FEATURES IN FLEET MANAGEMENT SOLUTION TO HELP MANAGE EVS

With the EV features in WEBFLEET, fleet managers can:

• Get insights into the battery levels of their electric vehicles
• See the remaining driving range
• Get information on real-time charging status
• See the remaining charging time of their EV at all times

A fleet manager can use the remaining driving distance, for example, when planning a sequence of orders or choosing a vehicle for a job. “By knowing exactly how much charge a vehicle has and how far it needs to travel, fleet managers can avoid higher charging costs during peak time or waiting in line for charging,” explained Wise.

“Adding EV features in our fleet management software is only a first step,” Wise emphasises. “In the course of this year we will – with the feedback of our strong global customer base – further develop our EV management tools. Our goal is to use our vast experience and proven expertise in telematics to help fleets get the most benefit out of the needed transformation”.

The electric vehicle tools are part of the newest WEBFLEET release and are available to all customers worldwide. In addition, the new version also offers enhanced features to help fleet managers in their day-to-day business, including a new road type usage report. The report gives insights into how a selected vehicle was used with the distance driven per road type and can help to decide for the best tyre types for respective vehicles.

Further Reading:

• Read Webfleet Solutions' latest eBook  @ www.webfleet.com/prepare-to-plug-in
• Read more about Fleet Technology @ www.fieldservicenews.com/fleet-technology
• Read more about Webfleet Solutions on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/webfleet
• Learn more aboutWebfleet Solutions @ www.webfleet.com
• Follow Webfleet Solutions on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/Webfleetnews

Autotalks and Applied Information have teamed up to carry out the world’s first Dual-Mode /Dual-Active V2X deployment, in which Autotalks’ chipsets are installed in roadside units such as traffic lights in Georgia, Texas and Hawaii.

Autotalks, which specializes in V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) communication solutions, has teamed up with Applied Information, Inc., an Atlanta-based provider of intelligent transportation infrastructure solutions, to save lives on the roads of Georgia, Texas, and Hawaii. The two companies are carrying out the world’s first Dual-Mode /Dual- Active V2X deployment, in which Autotalks’ dual mode chipsets are installed in emergency vehicles and on roadside units such as traffic lights.

Applied Information has developed a Dual-Mode/Dual-Active Roadside Unit to communicate with vehicles equipped with V2X On Board Units (OBUs). The main use-cases are for emergency vehicles' traffic signal preemption, transit buses for traffic signal priority and vehicles involved in roadside work zones.

the world's first dual-mode v2x deployment for emergency vehicles

The traffic signal preemption function in Alpharetta, Georgia, the first site of the RSU deployment, transfers the normal operation of the traffic control signal to a mode of operation which gives the right of way to emergency vehicles such as ambulances and firefighting vehicles, while all other traffic is brought safely to a halt. As a result, these vehicles can arrive to their destination earlier and have better chances to save lives.

The deployment is expected to expand to include other use cases beyond emergency vehicles, such as transit bus priority, red light running alerts and “get ready for green” message to make traffic move more safely and efficiently through signalized intersections.

In Alpharetta, over 150 traffic control devices are connected and provide a unique opportunity to make real improvements in safety and mobility on streets and highways. The Georgia site is the first real life testing site of this type of deployment. Applied Information has signed similar agreements in Texas and Hawaii, where the two companies are cooperating in similar deployments.

The deployment takes place throughout a 78.5 square mile area surrounding the Infrastructure Automotive Technology Laboratory (iATL) in Alpharetta. The iATL is the world’s first private-sector facility for developing connected vehicle applications for both vehicles and traffic control devices such as traffic signals.

"Enabling the US automotive industry to immediately start large-scale V2X deployment during the period of uncertainty until a uniform technology is chosen."

“Our work with Applied Information, which results in the world’s first Dual-Mode /Dual- Active V2X deployment, is another proof that the auto industry is determined not to wait until the US regulator will decide which V2X technology to deploy. Whether C-V2X or DSRC is selected, there is a move to deploy agnostic technologies such as the one we are offering with AI, and to begin saving lives today,” said Yuval Lachman, vice president of business development at Autotalks. He added that the collaboration will expedite Autotalks’ entry into the U.S. market.

“The AI/Autotalks solution enables roadway operators to confidently deploy V2X technology today so the infrastructure is ready for the auto industry deployment, while providing ‘Day One’ benefits such as safer, faster emergency vehicle response times now,” said Bryan Mulligan, President of Applied Information.

Autotalks believes that it has an important advantage as its dual mode V2X chipset can enable the US automotive industry to immediately start large-scale V2X deployment during the period of uncertainty until a uniform technology is chosen. With the company’s dual mode chipset, carmakers can focus on bringing enhanced safety to US roads with V2X without taking into consideration which V2X technology will prevail.

Autotalks’ deployment-ready, 2nd generation V2X chipset is the world’s first available solution which supports both DSRC based on 802.11p/ITS-G5 standards and C-V2X based on 3GPP release 14 and 15 specifications with embedded V2X cyber-security functionality. The chipset allows customers to easily toggle between DSRC and C-V2X communications.

Further Reading:

• Learn more about AI's TravelSafely™ app @ www.travelsafelyapp.com
• Read more about Software & Apps  @ www.fieldservicenews.com/software-apps
• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Learn more about Autotalks @ www.auto-talks.com
• Learn more about Applied Information @ www.appinfoinc.com/

IFS, the global enterprise applications company, announces that Panasonic Appliances Air-Conditioning Europe, a leading provider of heating and cooling solutions, has chosen IFS Remote Assistance™, to enable installers, field technicians, engineers and customers to share real-life situational context with remote product experts so that hands-on service and repair instructions can be visually demonstrated and acted upon.

With a company-wide, strategic shift toward a servitized, subscription-based business model, the Panasonic Appliances Air-Conditioning Europe business, comprised of sales, support and technical service staff across Europe, needed a central software solution to ensure a consistently excellent service experience for its clients.

A MERGED-REALITY SOLUTION FROM IFS TO PROVIDE REMOTE PRODUCT SUPPORT

With IFS Remote Assistance, Panasonic Heating & Cooling Solutions is able to remotely diagnose issues, ensure real-time knowledge sharing, and significantly speed up repair rates, which was typically seven days. By reducing or even eliminating the need to make site visits, the company is also able to lower travel costs and environmental impact. 

“Our investment in the IFS solution is part of a larger strategy to transform our business mindset from product-centric to service-centric and to develop the maturity of our service organization,” Head of European Service at Panasonic Appliances Air-Conditioning Europe Karl Lowe said. “With IFS Remote Assistance, we are leveraging state-of-the-art technology to unleash the full potential of our highly skilled workforce, regardless of where they are based. Not only are we able to navigate constraints, we are actually able to improve repair rates and access real-time performance data to help us gauge and improve our service.”

Alain Laing, Managing Director, IFS UK and Ireland, added, “Across the globe, we are seeing visionary manufacturers invest in technology to enable a servitized business model. We are thrilled to be part of Panasonic’s transformation journey and look forward to doing our part to provide the tools they need so they can ensure the safety of its workforce and a great customer experience.”

Further Reading:

• Learn more about IFS Remote Assistance  @ www.ifs.com/remote-assistance
• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about IFS on Field Service News @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/ifs
• Learn more about IFS @ www.ifs.com
• Read more about Panasonic @ www.panasonic.com

ServiceMax, the leader in asset-centric field service management, today announced that Gartner has positioned the company as a Leader in the Gartner 2020 Magic Quadrant for Field Service Management among 14 other field service software providers. Gartner based its analysis on each company’s ability to execute and completeness of vision.

“We are pleased to be recognized by Gartner as a Leader in the field service management market,” said Neil Barua, CEO of ServiceMax. “ServiceMax continues to expand its field service management capabilities for asset-centric industries with its market-leading product innovation, customer success and retention, and unmatched market expertise. As a provider solely focused on field service, we’re proud to be seen as an industry thought leader as we continue to deliver product innovations that help our customers run more profitable, efficient service operations in complex, asset-intensive industries.

innovation in FIELD SERVICE management is key for organiSations

Gartner Inc. analysts, Jim Robinson and Naved Rashid write, “Equipment operators and owners have come to expect that their service providers will use the latest technologies to provide the most efficient and highest quality service. It is increasingly difficult for analog FSPs to compete with those that use multiple digital technologies in their field service operations.”

To remain an industry leader, ServiceMax continues to build on its history of innovation and thought leadership, most recently rolling out new product features and content designed to further empower field service organizations. Enhancements include improved scheduling solutions with Service Board, additional mobile capabilities such as satellite layers on maps and improved route views, and increased collaboration with interactive hotline bots and photo annotation. The company has also delivered transformative thought leadership for the field service industry including the 2020 CSO Report, featuring insights gathered from ServiceMax’s global service leader community and the newly launched Field Service Finder, a job board designed to help customers reach qualified workers for open roles.

Further Reading:

• View a complimentary copy of Digital Transformation Investment in 2020 and Beyond here
• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about ServiceMax on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/servicemax
• Learn more about ServiceMax @ www.servicemax.com
• Follow ServiceMax on Twitter @ twitter.com/ServiceMax

IFS, the global enterprise applications company, announces that BRITA, one of the world’s leading companies in drinking water optimization, has selected IFS’s comprehensive service management solution covering field service management, workforce scheduling & planning, and customer engagement.

BRITA is fully committed to customer service as the main point of competitive differentiation. To power its pursuit of becoming global market leader, the company needed a comprehensive service management solution that could ensure a consistent and positive customer experience globally while delivering workforce efficiency and data accuracy.

THE importance OF FIELD SERVICE management for global enterprises

Following a competitive bid process involving several enterprise software vendors, BRITA selected IFS based on the solution’s wide-ranging field service management functionality and native integration with workforce scheduling and planning capabilities. 

The central IFS solution will unify a number of manual processes with a holistic end-to-end platform that spans the entire service value chain, from service request management to automated technician dispatch and maintenance and repair completion. The solution will also help BRITA in the future to return and recycle spent water filter products. 

The IFS solution, which will be used by BRITA’s field and customer service staff in Germany, France, Switzerland, Benelux, and the UK, will be fully integrated with the company’s existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) systems.

“Customer service is a vital part of our value proposition and a key differentiator in our highly competitive market segment,” said Tanja Manegold, Senior Group Director Service Prof. Dispenser at BRITA. “Investing in a best-in-class service management suite will help us advance our leading position. IFS was able to present us with a fully integrated platform that can deliver one version of the truth, which will help us deliver on our service-level agreements and enhance our first-time fix rates.”

Marcus Pannier, IFS Managing Director, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, added, “We are honored to work alongside such a globally renowned brand such as BRITA. All around the world, leading-edge manufacturers like BRITA are looking to service and servitization strategies to boost revenues and earn more customer hearts and minds. At IFS, we have anticipated this shift and are ready to equip these early movers with robust enterprise software that is designed to enhance workforce efficiency while safeguarding a great customer experience.”

Further Reading:

• Learn more about IFS Service Management  @ https://www.ifs.com/service-management/
• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about IFS on Field Service News @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/ifs
• Learn more about IFS @ www.ifs.com
• Read more about BRITA Group @ www.brita.com