Following the news that John Lewis has chartered a fleet of ships to limit the impact of supply chain disruption on its Christmas season, Alan Laing, UK&I Managing Director at enterprise software firm, IFS has praised the company – noting that others can learn from their foresight and planning.

As reported by the BBC, John Lewis is chartering a fleet of extra ships, along with a number of other businesses, to make sure it has Christmas stock on time.

IFS HAS PRAISED JOHN LEWIS' FORESIGHT AND PLANNING CAPABILITIES IN LIMITING THE IMPACT OF SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTION AHEAD OF CHRISTMAS

Following the news, Alan Laing, UK&I Managing Director at enterprise software firm, IFS has praised the company, noting that others can learn from their foresight and planning.

Alan Laing, UK & Ireland Managing Director at IFS commented: “Supply chain disruption has dominated the business and news agenda for much of the pandemic period, and it is clear that firms are increasingly worried about what that may mean for seasonal sales in the run up to Christmas. The measures announced today by John Lewis show a business that has made an intelligent assessment of the potential pain points in its supply chain operations and put in place a well-considered mitigation plan well ahead of time, proactively minimising disruption and ensuring their customers still receive the service they’ve come to expect from the retailer. Others can learn a lot from this example, leaning on resource planning software to gain true visibility of their business and plan for a range of potential scenarios to make sure they are delivering for their customers when it really matters – at the moment of service. However, the time to do this is now, before it’s too late.

IFS helps companies around the world who manufacture and distribute goods, build and maintain assets, and manage service-focused operations to plan and manage their supply chains and coordinate people, product, and processes to ensure businesses run optimally.

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Further Reading:

• Read more about Parts, Pricing and Logistics @ www.fieldservicenews.com/parts-pricing-and-logistics
• Read more about Service Supply Chain on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com//service-supply-chain
• Read more about IFS on Field Service News @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/ifs
• Find out more about IFS @ www.ifs.com/
• Follow IFS on Twitter @ twitter.com/ifs

 

Topcon Positioning Group announces an expansion of the Topnet Live Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) network of correction solutions to support today’s work environments.

The newly expanded global network now has more types of correction services and subscription options. This growth is a result of the increasing demand for digitalisation in various industries including construction, surveying, machine control, and agriculture.

TOPNET OFFERS A NUMBER OF CORRECTION SOLUTIONS TO SUPPOT TODAY'S WORK ENVIRONMENTS AND HELPS TEAMS ACHIEVE CONTINUOUS ACCURACY WITH ALWAYS ON-SERVICE COVERAGE

The flexible service options include Realpoint, the Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) service, and Starpoint, a Precise Point Positioning (PPP) service. The different services have varying delivery methods, coverage, and reliable centimeter-level accuracy. Under a flexible subscription model, customers can purchase to suit their needs. Additionally, an RTK service supported by PPP, Skybridge, is available to maintain connectivity and productivity if the customer temporarily leaves RTK coverage.

“The Topnet Live RTK network, first established over a decade ago, continues to grow with 5,100 reference stations globally, a 14% increase in the last year,” said Ian Stilgoe, Topcon vice president. “We are growing throughout the world in areas where there is an increasing demand for productivity and accuracy through digitalisation, with strong growth particularly in North America and Europe. We are focused on continued expansion to maximise support for our customers, so they always have the best options globally.”

Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) supplying automotive, industrial Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous robotics and all sectors that require positioning, navigation and guidance also benefit from the enhanced robustness of the network. OEMs can sell their hardware with correction services onboard and preconfigured for immediate use by customers, regardless of geographic location, with flexible subscription and licensing options to suit the exact need.

Topnet Live uses all four GNSS constellations: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou. The customer benefits from continuous accuracy and always-on service coverage. This service provides these distinct advantages in the industries it supports:

Survey, Construction and Machine Control. Topnet Live removes the need for individual base stations, dramatically increasing flexibility, productivity and safety and can drive large-scale projects with constant, reliable accuracy.

Precision Agriculture. The solution delivers fast, consistent, accurate positioning any time of day or night for soil preparation, seeding, spreading, spraying and harvesting.

OEMs, System Integrators, Product Designers. The solution provides scalable precise positioning and supports the implementation of flexible business models tailored to fit both OEMs’ and their customers’ needs.

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Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about Automation on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/sustainability
• Learn more about Topnet Live @ topconpositioning.com/topnetlive
• Find out more more about Topcon Positioning @ www.topconpositioning.com
• Follow Topcon Positioning on Twitter @ twitter.com/topcon_today

CSG^® (NASDAQ: CSGS) is transforming the way companies engage with their customers by arming today’s leading brands with future-ready, innovative solutions that drive extraordinary customer experiences.

With a customer-first culture dedicated to delivering results, CSG Field Service Management. These factors combined CSG’s breadth of experience and its leading-edge capabilities in machine learning and augmented reality led to CSG Field Service Management’s first-time placement in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Field Service Management.

CSG FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENT AVERAGED 4.6 OUT OF 5 RATING ON GARTNER PEERINSIGHT™

“Field service management is often the ‘last mile’ of customer service that can make or break your brand and your ability to win in the marketplace,” said Alfred Binford, president of customer engagement for CSG. “CSG Field Service Management delivers both agility and game changing innovation for our customers that lead to greater cost and productivity efficiencies. More importantly, it creates higher quality customer interactions that lead to elevated customer experiences. Gartner’s ratings are deeply respected in our industry, and it is a tremendous accomplishment to be in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Field Service Management. CSG will build on this momentum with our unique domain expertise in serving communications service providers to enhance our solutions and help our growing global customer base transform ordinary customer experiences to be extraordinary.”

CSG Field Service Management is a global, award-winning, multi-industry, cloud-based platform that optimizes field service operations before, during and after the day of service. The solution enables field technicians and dispatchers to make informed decisions based on real-time, predictive data that offers intelligent insights and increases customer satisfaction. These capabilities combined with automated reporting and timely, relevant customer communications help companies deliver a superior customer experience, while enabling seamless operations for both dispatchers and technicians. CSG Field Service Management supports hundreds of thousands of technicians and dispatchers every day and is the engine that processes more than 100 million work orders every year for some of the world’s largest communications service providers.

With an average 4.6 out of 5 rating on Gartner PeerInsights™, customers have commended CSG Field Service Management as “[a] powerful workforce management solution” matched with a great customer experience, “thorough communication and the willingness to assist. It was a phenomenal experience with the whole team that made our product successful.”

For more information on CSG Field Service Management, visit https://www.csgi.com/portfolio/field-service-management/. To download the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Field Service Management visit https://info.csgi.com/FSM-GMQ-2021-Report.

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Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about Automation on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/sustainability
• Learn more about CSG Field Service Management, @ www.csgi.com/field-service-management/.
• Find out more more about CSG @ www.csgi.com
• Follow CSG on Twitter @ twitter.com/csg_i

Large-scale London property development and investment company, Almacantar, has appointed digital transformation specialist Nexer to oversee the total replacement of its CRM system, in order to facilitate increased accessibility to data and ensure the consistently high level of service expected by its clientele.

Almacantar transforms iconic property development assets in prime Central London locations, and is known for its design-led approach and focus on creating long term value. Since 2010, it has acquired more than 1.5 million sq. ft, including live projects Centre Point and Marble Arch Place.

THE OVERHAUL OF THE EXISTING CRM SYSTEM HAS LED TO MORE EFFICIENT SALES AND CLIENT ENGAGEMENT PROCESSES.

With communication and management of the client engagement process throughout the property sales and completion process being critical to achieving high levels of client satisfaction, Almacantar has partnered with Nexer to implement a Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM application that will meet its specific business needs.

Almacantar’s legacy CRM application had reached the end of its lifespan, with the business requiring an updated system that would provide increased data accessibility, improved connectivity and coordination with other applications, and smooth integration with lead generation campaigns, as well as watertight GDPR compliance and data security due to the high transaction values of its property sales.

Implementation of the new application, has delivered a more efficient and streamlined sales and client engagement process, has increased automation of client communication where appropriate, has enabled accurate tracking of all client offers, and increased operator productivity. It also provides a single source of data and document management thanks to its integration with SharePoint.

Caroline Edwards, Development Director at Almacantar Ltd said: “We chose Microsoft and Nexer for our CRM needs due to its seamless integration into the other Microsoft products in use and its adaptability to our particular needs. The Nexer team provided us with invaluable support in mapping our existing business processes into the platform and, where possible, revising these for better productivity. The result is a powerful platform that is instantly recognisable to our sales and marketing team.”

Neil Andrews, Senior Executive at Nexer said: “By selecting Microsoft Dynamics 365 for its new CRM, Almacantar has seen increased efficiency within the sales team and has improved collaboration across the related service teams.  The new platform is secure and future-proofed to support the business as it continues to grow.”

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Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about Artificial Intelligence on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/artificial-intelligence
• Learn more about Nexer @ nexergroup.com/
• Find out more more about Almacantar @ www.almacantar.com
• Follow Almacantar on Twitter @ twitter.com/Almacantar_

Circle K, part of the Global Fortune 500 retailer Alimentation Couche-Tard, selects Artificial Solutions’ Conversational AI-platform to support omni-channel customer experience in multiple languages.

Artificial Solutions, a leading specialist in enterprise-strength Conversational AI, announced today that Circle K has renewed its agreement to run its Conversational AI deployments on the award-winning Teneo platform, to continue to provide support for customers and employees of its convenience retail outlets in the US and Scandinavia.

WITH THE USE OF CONVERSATIONAL AI, COMPANIES ARE ABLE TO SERVE CUSTOMER NEEDS MORE EFFICIENTLY

Conversational AI is used by Circle K to support customers through three solutions in North America and Europe:

• Kay, Circle K´s website chatbot, the one stop shop for finding the nearest location, deals and rewards
• Circle K US car wash app
• Voice bot for North American stores, that handles inquiries done via call lines, about fuel delivery times

“Conversational AI enables us to make our customers lives a little easier every day by serving their needs more efficiently. Working with Artificial Solutions has had significant benefits; Teneo has allowed the internal Conversational AI-team to build solutions faster, so that we can continue to focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences”, said Edgars Ozolnieks, Senior Manager - Digital Customer Service Solutions at Circle K.

For their deployments, Circle K is taking advantage of Teneo’s unique master-local feature. The main solution was built in English, and then exported to Swedish, Danish and Norwegian, repurposing 80% of the initial solution.

Circle K is one of the leading convenience store chains globally, and this partnership with a power-house retailer is a major validation for our technology,” said Per Ottosson, CEO at Artificial Solutions.

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Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about Artificial Intelligence on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/artificial-intelligence
• Read more about Customer Satisfaction on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/customer-satisfaction
• Find out more more about Artificial Solutions @ www.artificial-solutions.com
• Follow Artificial Solutions on Twitter @ twitter.com/ArtiSol

HSO is hosting a series of three half-day thought-provoking virtual mini-masterclass on how to achieve connected field service success.

• Why do field service companies see high customer satisfaction as critical to winning new business? 
• What are the best practices regarding collecting customer feedback data? 

Find out the answers and more by registering for the first of HSO's two hour virtual mini-masterclasses on the 9th September. Live and interactive!

This is your chance to visualise the value that a fully-connected field service management system could bring to your organisation.

We have seen an increase in sophistication in the service and design strategies of the service industry, embracing technology that has been adopted, at pace, due to the pandemic.

HSO invite you to continue your digital transformation journey as they explore the shift from the first wave of service management systems, that now form the backbone of service operations, to a newer breed of service technology solutions.

Book your complimentary place now and join HSO for three 2 hour sessions where you will gain new thoughts, ideas, and initiatives that will put your organisation on the right track to exceed your customer expectations and achieve connected service success. This series is applicable to all manufacturing, service, field service, retail, public sector, or any company who would like to further develop their service measurement techniques.

Each company that attends a virtual mini-masterclass session will be eligible to receive a complimentary half-day of consultancy, consisting of 2 x 2 hour meetings, approximately 2 weeks apart.* 

Join HSO experts, plus our special guest, Kris Oldland from Field Service News, on the 9th September at 9.30am.

Check out the agenda and book your place here. 

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Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about HSO on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/artificial-intelligence
• Book your spot at the Masterclass event @ www.hso.com/field-service-mini-masterclass-series/
• Find out more more about HSO @ www.hso.com
• Follow HSO on Twitter @ twitter.com/HSO_Tweets

The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)--the 159 year-old maritime organization tasked with preserving life, property and maintenance of marine and offshore assets--is launching AI-powered chat and voicebots to bring automated, conversational support to shipping companies globally.

ABS is launching enterprise-grade, AI-powered chatbots and voicebots on its ABS My Digital Fleet™ risk management platform together with yellow.ai, the world’s leading Conversational AI Platform. This marks an important industry first as no such digital solution has previously been deployed to provide shipping companies with helpful information and support in a conversational manner on a global scale. It is the latest addition to ABS My Digital Fleet’s Alliance Program. 

TECHNOLOGUY CAPABLE OF CONVERSING IN 100+ LANGUAGES DELIVERS INSIGHTS FOR SHIPOWNERS AND CHARTERERS IN A SIGNIFICANT INDUSTRY FIRST

yellow.ai’s industry-leading technology offers ABS My Digital Fleet users data-driven insights from the ocean of information streaming off vessels, increasing efficiency in managing operational risk. The AI chatbot acts as a virtual fleet manager to assist users with critical fleet tracking information, including weather, equipment and fuel monitoring, carbon intensity indicator (CII) monitoring, route optimization, generating easy-to-view dynamic charts on demand and more through the ABS platform. 

ABS My Digital FleetTM is the only customizable risk management platform that seamlessly integrates data to provide real-time insights for driving sustainable operations and reducing operational risks. The ABS My Digital Fleet Alliance Program nurtures an ecosystem of industry trusted intelligence and technology providers enabling integrated insights for clients on one unified platform.

“We are proud to be the first in our industry to employ a conversational AI-based virtual fleet manager as part of our My Digital Fleet platform,” said Smarty Mathew John, Vice President, of Digital Solutions at ABS. “As a shared solution for shipowners, ship managers and charterers, this will allow us to provide actionable insights for each stakeholder regarding which vessels from the fleet need their attention and why in a fast, helpful and conversational manner. Questions asked can be as simple as which vessels are not meeting charter party requirements or EEOI targets or have non-functioning critical equipment or where to bunker for lowest fuel cost. There are a lot of possibilities. With yellow.ai, ABS can continue building on its commitment to deliver cutting-edge insights and an unrivaled user experience.”

“Our deployment with ABS shows just how critical a role conversational AI can play in supporting the organizations that are tasked with keeping people and property safe,” said Raghu Ravinutala, CEO and Co-Founder of yellow.ai. “We are very proud to be working with ABS to take chatbots to the vanguard of their potential while demonstrating how our cutting-edge technology is setting the pace for innovation in the industry and redefining how people interact with an organization’s intelligence.”

More information on ABS My Digital Fleet is available here.

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Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about Artificial Intelligence on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/artificial-intelligence
• Read more about Fleet Management on Field Service news @ www.fieldservicenews.com/fleet-management
• Learn more about ABS My Digital Fleet @ ww2.eagle.org/my-digital-fleet
• Find out more more about ABS @ ww2.eagle.org
• Learn more about yelllow.ai @ yellow.ai

In the wake of an unprecedented increase in reports of violence and abuse towards frontline workers, body worn video systems provider, Reveal Media and lone worker protection specialists Peoplesafe have entered into a strategic partnership to provide public-facing workers with a body camera solution designed to record all incidents.

Initially adopted by the police force, body worn video technology is starting to be adopted by other industries, from healthcare providers such as ambulance staff through to retail and security workers.

BODY-WORN VIDEO TECHNOLOGY ENHANCES PROTECTION BY ADDING REAL-TIME VISUAL INFORMATION TO ANY INCIDENT

Unlike traditional lone working devices - which are designed to be discreet - body cameras are deliberately obvious to deter potential aggressors from being verbally or physically aggressive.

The combined technology enhances protection by adding real-time visual information to any incident.  Once a wearer raises an SOS alarm on their Peoplesafe Pro lone worker app (via their smartphone), the camera will start recording the incident.

“Working with members of the public can be unpredictable, particularly for lone workers who are often viewed as easy targets for physical and verbal abuse” explains Naz Dossa, CEO of Peoplesafe.  “Wearing a body camera, combined with our Peoplesafe Pro lone worker app, is proving extremely effective in changing people’s behaviour, reducing the likelihood of an assault on the wearer.”

Alasdair Field, CEO at Reveal Media adds; “Pairing a lone worker service to body worn video technology adds a new dimension of safety for frontline workers as it provides direct access to emergency support.  We are committed to protecting key workers and having the support of a fully accredited, 24/7 Alarm Receiving Centre in addition to our cameras will not only help us further improve our service, it will also add an extra layer of security and reassurance.

“As the market leading provider of body worn video in the UK, Reveal Media is well equipped to provide the best visual protection for our frontline workers.”

UK based technology business, Peoplesafe is the industry leading provider of GPS personal safety alarms and applications for more than 150,000 at-risk and lone workers across both public and private sectors.

Combining this service with Reveal Media’s body worn video technology will provide a failsafe solution to what is becoming an increasingly prevalent problem.

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Further Reading:

• Read more about Managing the Mobile Workforce @ www.fieldservicenews.com/managing-the-mobile-
• Read more about Health and Safety on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/health-and-safety
• Read more about Lone Worker Protection on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/lone-worker
• Find out more more about Reveal Media @ www.revealmedia.co.uk
• Learn more about Peoplesafe @ peoplesafe.co.uk

Syncron and Mize, Inc. today announced that Mize, Inc., a leader and innovator of Field Service Management (FSM) and Warranty Management (WCM) solutions, has merged with Syncron, a leader in Service Parts and Contracts Management including Inventory, Pricing, and IoT-based preventive repair monitoring solutions.

Both Syncron and Mize are well-recognized leaders within their respective cloud solution markets. The combined company will use the Syncron brand and establish a fast-growing innovator with a customer base of more than 200 of the most known and respected brands in the automotive, construction & agriculture equipment, industrial engineering, high-tech, med-tech, and consumer durables industries. With more than 700 employees by the end of 2021, based in 12 office locations in eight countries worldwide, the company will continue to invest significantly in innovation and expansion of its global coverage.

The combined company will be the world's largest privately-owned global leader offering complete Service Lifecycle Management solutions for the manufacturers, distributors, and services ecosystem.

The Syncron Connected Service Experience (CSX) platform and Service Lifecycle Management (SLM) solutions enable the manufacturers to retain more customers, deliver services more cost-effectively, and generate higher-margin revenues from the install base.

"Product-related services have become the lifeline of manufacturers’ EBITDA and net margins. Protecting end customer brand experience is of pivotal relevance for every manufacturer. Together we can help create higher margin businesses, and recurring revenue from subscription and outcome-based business models," said Dr. Friedrich Neumeyer, CEO, Syncron.

As a part of this arrangement, Ashok Kartham, Founder and CEO of Mize, will join the Syncron executive management team as the company’s Chief Product Officer overseeing all product and development for Syncron.

"Manufacturers today use disparate systems to manage their service and parts business leading to silos of data, disconnected processes, and lower profitability. The combination of Syncron and Mize for the first time brings the leading service and parts management platforms together to maximize value to the customers,” said Kartham. “With a unique ability to have one common real-time view on service parts, field service workforce, service histories, parts data, and pricing, we can provide a new level of value creation for our customers unmatched in the industry."

The deal is significant in that Mize and Syncron together can develop and deliver the first comprehensive, single platform portfolio of SaaS solutions to market that specifically addresses the complexities and profound opportunities possible in the aftermarket and services business. Syncron's capabilities in AI and ML will play a pivotal role to connect IoT-based failure prediction even better with planned service events based on optimal part availability. Manufacturers looking to enhance this vital part of their business will be able to address service profitability, optimize working capital, and enable business growth while also best approaching and developing innovative services for the world's new service economy.

"We have recognized Mize* and Syncron** both as a leader in several areas," said Aly Pinder, Lead Analyst of IDC. "We expect both companies to be able to further strengthen a joint position by creating customer innovations around fully integrated service lifecycle management processes proving value beyond individual products which I have been emphasizing for years."

“Manufacturing is going through acceleration of digitization and business model disruption,” said Léo Apotheker, Chairman of the Board, Syncron. “Service experiences as a sustainable differentiator is at the top of every C-level agenda. Coupling the talent, expertise, and products of Syncron and Mize will empower the changes manufacturers need to compete effectively throughout this transition and best position themselves competitively.”

Please visit syncron.com to learn more on how you can transform your service business to enhance service experience and drive higher profitability in a connected world.

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Further Reading:

• Read more about Parts, Pricing & Logistics @ www.fieldservicenews.com/parts-pricing-and-logistics
• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Learn more about Syncron + Mize @ info.m-ize.com/syncron-mize-introduction
• Find out more about Mize @ www.m-ize.com
• Learn more about Syncron @ www.syncron.com
• Read more about Mize on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/all-about-mize