ARCHIVE FOR THE ‘news’ CATEGORY

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced a review of compliance with consumer law in the cloud storage  services sector. While the review is focused solely on establishing compliance with consumer law, it is being driven partly by the European Commissions's strategy to build a "Digital Single Market" so may ultimately have wider implications for business cloud services. 

In the UK, the review has been prompted by consumer concerns about price and service changes for cloud storage. Cloud storage is used by a growing number of UK consumers to store photographs, music and documents: an estimated 40% of UK adults use cloud storage services.

The CMA review of consumer law compliance in this important sector follows some reports of practices and terms being used that may breach consumer law. For example, the CMA reports it has heard about consumers being surprised by significant price increases and by reductions to unlimited storage capacity deals after contracts have been agreed. The CMA is also aware of concerns about the loss or deletion of some consumers’ data.

The CMA’s review will assess how widespread these practices are, whether they breach consumer law and how they are affecting consumers. The review is open for responses until 15 January 2016. The CMA wants to hear from businesses about their practices and from consumers and industry experts about their experiences.

Nisha Arora, CMA Senior Director, Consumer, said: “Cloud storage is a dynamic and growing sector which is already highly valued by consumers. “We want to hear from business, interested organisations and consumers about their experiences, to assess whether companies understand and comply with consumer law and whether cloud storage services are working well for consumers as a result.

“If our review finds breaches of consumer protection laws we will take further action to address these which could include enforcement action using our consumer law powers, seeking voluntary change from the sector or providing guidance to business or consumers.”

The CMA review may ultimately have implications for business because it is being driven in part by the European Commission's strategy to build a 'Digital Single Market. This builds on the previous European Cloud Computing Strategy, which was designed to speed up and increase the use of cloud computing across all economic sectors and included work on developing ‘safe and fair’ terms and conditions.  The Digital Single Market strategy aims to develop legislative proposals for simple and effective cross-border contract rules for consumers and businesses.

The CMA report is expected to be published in May 2016.

Be social and share this news

Connected car technology means Christmas shopping has just got a lot easier for Swedish shoppers. Volvo Car Group has announced the world's first commercially available In-Car Delivery service.

The car maker has teamed up with PostNord, the Nordic region’s communication and logistics supplier , Lekmer.com, the leading Nordic online toy and baby goods store, and Mat.se, a Swedish online grocery retailer, to have Christmas toys, gifts, food and drinks delivered to its cars.

The  In-car Delivery service works by means of a digital key, which is used to gain one-time access to the vehicle. Owners simply order the goods online, receive a notification that the goods have been delivered and then just drive home with them. Volvo owners just choose the In-car Delivery option at the online checkout when they buy their gifts, food, drinks or other packages.

Volvo In-car Delivery is currently only available for Volvo drivers in Gothenburg who subscribe to the Volvo On Call service, but it will be introduced elsewhere in Sweden and to other countries in future. There will also be a wider range of goods available for In-car Delivery as Volvo joins forces with more companies.

“Christmas is fun – but let’s be honest, it is also a busy time for most families. This service simply makes shopping easier,” said Björn Annwall, Senior Vice President for Marketing, Sales and Service at Volvo. “Volvo In-car Delivery provides concrete proof that connected car technologies can be used to save people time and make their lives easier.”

Volvo is always keen to explore new technologies, be it in the areas of safety, autonomous driving or connectivity, but believes fundamentally in Nordic utility – meaning it will only introduce a technology if it actually saves lives, saves times, adds an element of convenience or benefits drivers.

“Volvo is not interested in technology for the sake of technology,” said Klas Bendrik, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Volvo. “If a technology does not make a customer’s life easier, better, safer or more fun, we don’t use it.”

Be social and share this news

There is growing awareness in field service companies that fleet management can have a significant impact on the efficiency of their operations. Fuel costs is a core part of that, yet keeping track of fuel purchases can be time-consuming.  Fleet management solution provider Trimble is partnering with fuel company Shell in a solution which utilises the euroShell fuelcard to provide fleet managers with integrated data for monitoring and reducing fuel consumption.

Shell is building partnerships with field service management software providers to integrate fuel purchase data into operations management systems - last week Field Service News reported on the company's collaboration with TomTom.

Trimble's Performance Solution combines data from the Trimble on-board computer with the Performance Portal, making it possible for users to monitor and analyse drivers, vehicles and fuel consumption all through one single portal. With this innovative analysis tool, fleet managers can control at a glance the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) most relevant to them.

Performance Solution is a user-friendly system with graphical displays, flexibly adjustable parameters and an in-depth analysis functionality. In addition, the Web-based Performance Portal has been enhanced with smart algorithms. The evaluation of driving behaviour is centred on actual driving information such as speed, stationary, braking behavior.   Users can monitor the KPIs relevant to them and provide drivers with a record of their driving performance in a PDF format.

Driver coaches can zoom in on different KPIs for detailed information, while managers can consult a dashboard for a larger perspective.

"Performance Solution can easily be integrated and extended with our other fleet management solutions for a tailor-made total solution," said Michel Van Maercke, general manager, Trimble Transport & Logistics, EMEA and Pacific Asia.

"Our customers affirm that telematics is essential to good fleet management," said Robert Springer, Sales Manager Shell Commercial Fleet Netherlands. "After extensive research on the changing needs of our customers as well as evaluating solutions available in Europe, we are convinced that Trimble offers a telematics solution that meets the needs of our customers."

Be social and share this news

Infor, the provider of cloud-based business applications for specific industry sectors, has announced Mobility for Field Service (MFS), an application that allows customers to use its M3 enterprise resource planning (ERP) system from anywhere via a mobile device.

Mobility for Field Service v15.1.0 takes work orders that have been assigned to users in Infor M3 and displays them in a clear, easily digestible format that is easily understood on a mobile device. Colour-coded status indicators show how far each assignment has been processed, and workflow settings can help the user choose the most logical way in which to proceed with the assignment. Within each assignment, an intuitive layout of key data helps the user access the relevant information quickly and easily. This allows field users to simplify operations by creating a streamlined approach for working with M3 in the field.

The mobile solution uses Infor Ion middleware for transactional integration between the user’s mobile device and M3.  A run-time license for ION is provided to customers that are not currently using the middleware system.

MFS is currently available for tablets running on Android 4.4 or later and Windows 8.1 or later, as well as personal computers running the Windows operating system. Support for the iOS operating system is currently planned during 2016.

Innovative components include: integration for Infor document management, interconnected data sourcing and reporting, and an administrative toolbox that incorporates quick configurability features.

“As the equipment-centric industries continue to evolve and modernise, the technologies that support day-to-day operations must also mature and keep pace with the user. It is with this in mind that we created Infor Mobility for Field Service, which facilities access to strategic data from wherever the user may be located,” said Brian Dunks, product director, M3 Product Management, Infor. “This solution has been thoughtfully designed in response to the needs of our customers, to ensure that all users, including field technicians, are suitably equipped with the same high-quality tools that are utilised throughout the enterprise.”

Be social and share this news

Oneserve, a field service management software specialist, has made the bold claim that the market they operate in is being stifled by market leaders, who they state are putting their own interests before the needs of their customers.

In an explosive press release published yesterday the UK based FSM software provider went on to comment that there is a a fundamental flaw in the industry going as far as questioning the integrity of other providers and the quality of the service they deliver to the mobile field market suggesting that “The dominating business model lacks the flexibility to adjust to the prevailing market demand, and subsequently, opens up a field of discontent.”

Established in 2010, Oneserve claim that the current market needs a complete overhaul if it is to give customers what they are actually crying out for; innovative, joined-up solutions that offer real value for money and reflect the needs of a modern field workforce. Those that can not or do not sign up to this way of thinking they assert, will be quickly become fossilised as more innovative, flexible companies take control.

A spokesman at Oneserve commented.“Many of the large players in this market have grown wildly out of control, meaning that customers are now experiencing appalling levels of service and in many cases are paying extortionate amounts for professional services that should not be needed; increasing the true cost of ownership and hindering their ability to develop and grow without assistance.

“There are too many of these lumbering dinosaurs in our sector. They are falling so far behind the ball in terms of where the market should, and will, be heading over the next few years that extinction seems only round the corner for them. For too long the business model of selling cheap licenses and then pushing hugely expensive professional services, has been the tried and tested method of securing sales. But this is changing, and quickly, it has to be about a true SaaS offering, a flexible approach that allows technology of different types to talk to each other and giving customers what they really want; a self-service model that allows them the freedom to utilise the solution as they see fit, without having to purchase extra services on top.

“The financial turnover of a number of these dinosaurs in this market is impressive. What should be so worrying for them and their customers is that despite this many are making huge losses. This combined with their lack of appetite or ability to change is adding to the momentum of the huge meteorite that is speeding towards them. There is no sign that this momentum is slowing down. Unless they are able to turn their business proposition upside down, which is not easy with such huge losses and multiple VCs piling on the pressure, there is a real chance that they’ll be wiped off the face of the market.”

Whilst Oneserve are clearly not afraid to pull their punches the world of field service management is indeed changing dramatically. The advances made in the technology can make a difference to the way that organisations are able to manage, monitor and analyse their field force.

However, South Coast based company believe this is in fact causing even more issues than it resolves. With so many companies in the field service management sector jumping on and over hyping new technology and trends such as ‘Internet of Things’, without putting the basics right first. Core issues that customers are crying out for, such as self-service, are largely being ignored argue Oneserve whilst adding that there are many customers who want to buy the solution and run it themselves and not be held to the whole swathe of professional services that too often accompanies any purchase in this sector.

In a closing statement to the press release Onserve concluded. “Companies need to understand and reflect the fact that the roles of a field based workforce has changed dramatically over the past few of years. Field service management can no longer be a rigid structured solution, it has to be a flexible one that embraces the many aspects of what a mobile workforce needs. The self-service approach is absolutely what customers want and need. They are no longer satisfied being tied to hugely expensive additional services, but instead want to buy the solution and grow and develop without ‘forced’ assistance.

The world has changed and a new breed of faster, more agile and innovative companies are taking the places of the out-of-date lumbering dinosaurs that have dominated our sector for so many years.

Be social and share this story

HomeAdvisor, the US-based on-line marketplace for home services, has announced a partnership with Better Business Bureau (BBB) to provide homeowners with comprehensive and trustworthy sources of information about home service professionals.

As a result of the partnership, homeowners can now access BBB information, including accreditation status, for home service professionals included in HomeAdvisor’s pre-screened nationwide network.

HomeAdvisor allows homeowners to find trusted, local service professionals and instantly book appointments. The BBB integration, available on mobile and desktop, provides additional assurance for homeowners seeking reputable service professionals and allows consumers to click through to the BBB website to view the complete BBB Business Reviews. HomeAdvisor plans to integrate its Seal of Approval, given to service professionals who pass a rigorous background screening, on BBB’s website next year.

“Like BBB, we start with trust. With more than five million reviews submitted by homeowners and one of the industry’s most comprehensive screening processes, HomeAdvisor is a leading online marketplace to connect with home professionals,” said HomeAdvisor’s CEO, Chris Terrill. “Working with BBB further strengthens our promise to provide homeowners with trusted, qualified professionals.”

“Collaboration of this level does two things: builds the importance of marketplace trust in the eyes of businesses and gives consumers the tools they need to make informed decisions,” said Kim States, CEO of BBB Serving Denver and Boulder, and host of the conference. “We are thrilled with the additional opportunities this partnership brings to everyone involved.”

BBB assigns ratings from A+ (highest) to F (lowest) based on various aspects of the business including its complaint history with BBB, transparent business practices, and licensing and government actions known to BBB.
HomeAdvisor has connected more than 30 million homeowners to the company’s growing network of nearly 100,000 pre-screened home service professionals.

Be social and share this news

There is room for significant improvement in the way service organisations manage and operate their fleets: that was a key message that emerged from Microlise's  inaugural Field Service and Fleet Conference held at the MIRA Proving Ground, Warwickshire earlier this month and supported by Field Service News. 

There is growing recognition among service organisations of the importance of developing the driving skills of mobile service personnel and the benefits it can deliver in terms of operational and employee safety and reduced costs.

Delegates at the Microlise event heard from the UK Government's Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency,  the Head of National Roads Policing Intelligence, logistics company  DHL and former Stig Ben Collins  alongside Microlise Director of Product Stephen Watson.  In a series of sessions, they are able to learn useful and practical information on everything from safe driving style and the use of technology to monitor driving performance, driver engagement and real world case studies of fleet management best practice.

To underline the importance of driving skills, Microlise fitted a fleet of vans, supplied by event sponsor Hertz, with telematics so that guests could be let loose on the MIRA City Circuit, which simulates the driving conditions found in an urban environment. The objective was to drive economically and safely; with drivers scored on how well they achieved this.  This practical element to the event underscored to many delegates the level of driving skills required and gave them a deeper appreciation of the challenges engineers face on a daily basis when travelling between each job.

On the subject of vehicle management, Mark Cartwright of the Freight Transport Association Van Excellence scheme shared that more than 49% of vans currently fail their MOT first time round.  Many service organisations do not have a policy of routine vehicle safety checks incorporated into their operations, he said.

It was an action-packed event where everyone gain a greater insight into this often-overlooked  element service management. FSN looks forward to hearing what topics will shape next year’s agenda.

Be social and share this news

TomTom Telematics and Shell are to co-operate to offer businesses in Europe a complete fuel management solution using the TomTom Telematics fleet management platform WEBFLEET alongside Shell fuel management services.

As a result of this agreement, TomTom Telematics will launch a service that integrates euroShell Cards data into its WEBFLEET software-as-a-service platform, making fuel transactions and fuel management information available for users in one system.

“TomTom Telematics has a strong portfolio and high performance standards to help fleets improve fuel efficiency, which fits well with the expectations of Shell customers,” said Thomas Schmidt, Managing Director at TomTom Telematics. “Furthermore, the integration of euroShell Cards fuel data within WEBFLEET provides a more complete picture for fleet managers, enabling them to optimise and manage all aspects of fuel efficiency.”

Parminder Kohli, General Manager Business Development at Shell Commercial Fleet, added: “This deal provides customers with a complete solution combining one of the telematics industry’s richest reporting suites with Shell’s fuel card expertise and one of the largest petrol station networks in Europe.”

“Fuel is amongst the biggest cost factors when running a vehicle fleet. However, by providing businesses with driver, vehicle and fuelling data insights, areas for improvement can be more easily identified and acted on, helping these businesses to reduce their costs and carbon footprint."

TomTom Telematics has over 500,000 subscribers in 60 countries.

Magenta Technology, the developers of the Maxoptra routing and scheduling system, has launched an online application that automates job despatching for users of TomTom’s telematics and fleet management solutions. The app, called Planndit, links job details from Maxoptra directly to TomTom WEBFLEET, eliminating the need to manually type in job details. This makes job despatch and sequencing quick and easy, saving time and eliminating errors.

It means being able to despatch routes to any TomTom Pro device in less than 30 seconds per route, and that includes verifying the overall route on a map and optimising the route sequence within the process before it is sent. The app simply connects to the TomTom service and pools the devices in use so jobs can be sent to the correct operative.

The Maxoptra app automatically calculates distance and driving time for the route and each individual address. The route sequence can be optimised for the best cost by re-ordering stops with a simple drag-n-drop. Notes for the driver can be added and sent with the address to the driver's TomTom Pro with a simple click.

Maxoptra is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform designed to enable quick decision-making within ever-changing operational environments such as service management. The Planndit app is a module available as a low cost, pay-as-you-go service and includes a simple 3-step wizard to take the user through the process, eliminating the need for any training.

Stuart Brunger, Business Development Director for Maxoptra, commented: “In talking to TomTom users it was clear that, although telematics promised big benefits, there was something missing. What they needed was an integrated system; a seamless link between their job management system and TomTom. With the Planndit app, we have addressed this with a solution that transforms job despatching and customer service delivery by linking Maxoptra and TomTom WEBFLEET to create an integrated operations system.”

Be social and share this news