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

Inseego (NASDAQ: INSG), a leader in 5G and intelligent IoT device-to-cloud solutions for the enterprise, today announced that the Inseego 5G MiFi® M2000 mobile hotspot is now available at T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) – making the award-winning 5G MiFi M2000 the Un-carrier’s first 5G hotspot. T-Mobile joins a rapidly growing list of tier-one mobile operators around the world that have selected Inseego 5G technology for their networks.

“We are extremely proud to be the trusted choice for T-Mobile with their first-ever 5G mobile hotspot, bringing breakthrough performance to over 100 million enterprise and consumer customers on the Un-carrier’s nationwide 5G network. In addition, this launch enables T-Mobile to provide a secure, integrated solution for their enterprise customers with Inseego Connect cloud management software,” said Inseego Chairman and CEO Dan Mondor. “This exciting expansion of our relationship with T-Mobile reinforces why Inseego is trusted by mobile operators and enterprises worldwide. Inseego 5G solutions lead the industry in speed, security, and bullet-proof reliability which is why our mobile broadband and fixed wireless solutions are becoming the gold standard that brings out the best in 5G networks. Inseego Connect is one component of our new software-as-a-service cloud platform, and this is an important validation of our product and strategy.”

A COMPLETE ENTERPRISE MOBILE BROADBAND SOLUTION

With Inseego’s 5G MiFi M2000 mobile hotspot along with the Inseego Connect cloud management software, T-Mobile enterprise customers gain full control over devices connected to their corporate networks. This combination offers IT organizations an enterprise-grade solution that incorporates best-in-class performance and reliability along with complete visibility into device deployments. 

The comprehensive Inseego Connect cloud management solution enables IT organizations to remotely manage 4G LTE and 5G WAN edge infrastructure through a cloud-native architecture that allows them to quickly scale their operations. From a single management platform, accessed through a web interface or a smartphone, IT managers can remotely configure, manage, monitor and secure devices deployed throughout their corporate network.

The Inseego 5G MiFi M2000 features fast 5G speeds plus 4G CAT 22 LTE fallback. Its simultaneous dual-band Wi-Fi 6 means up to 40% faster Wi-Fi speeds than Wi-Fi 5 and up to four times increased data throughput per user when multiple devices are connected. The device features the latest in security to help keep transmitted information safe when connecting up to 30 Wi-Fi enabled devices at once, along with enterprise-grade WPA3 Wi-Fi security and a VPN pass-through providing a seamless, secure data channel. It’s easy to stay connected — whether from home or on the road — with all-day usage through the removable 5050 mAh battery and Qualcomm Quick Charge™ technology¹.

Today’s announcement expands the strong relationship between Inseego and T-Mobile. The companies currently  provide  subscription management service to government and enterprise customers with the Inseego Subscribe solution.

“T-Mobile is excited to expand our relationship with Inseego into the 5G era,” said Mike Katz, EVP T-Mobile for Business. “Our nationwide 5G network has superior coverage for businesses to tap into so they can more effectively operate remotely or enable employees to work and learn at home. The Inseego 5G MiFi mobile hotspot brings the quality experience T-Mobile customers have come to expect, by taking advantage of our 5G speeds.”

To learn more about the Inseego 5G MiFi M2000, visit: 5G MiFi® M2000 Mobile Hotspots | Inseego Corp.

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Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Find out more more about Inseego @ inseego.com
• Learn more about Inseego 5G MiFi M2000 @ inseego.com/mifi-m2000
• Read more about 5G on FSN @ www.fieldservicenews.com/5g
• Follow Inseego on Twitter @ twitter.com/inseego

Last week Salesforce announced the next generation of their FSM solution, Salesforce Field Service, which was designed to equip field service organisations with the power of Artificial Intelligence-powered tools to deliver trusted mission-critical field service delivery. To find out more about this announcement Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News spoke exclusively with Paul Whitelam,VP of Product Strategy, Field Service Management, Salesforce.

The development of Salesforce as a powerhouse within the field service management sector has always been on the cards ever since they first announced their first foray into the world of Field Service Management (FSM) four years ago back in 2016. As the world's most dominant CRM platform, they had the muscle to grow in this aligned technological space rapidly and have done so at breakneck speed. However, in the last 12 months, their development has been given a turbo-boost with the acquisition of Click (formerly ClickSoftware.) Given that the original iteration of Salesforces' Field Service Lighting was developed using Click's technology, there was always something of an inevitability of the acquisition. Now just over a year after the intention to acquire Click was announced we are seeing the fulfilment of the promise of this more formal union emerge.

As Whitelam explained when I spoke to him just ahead of last week's announcement of the next generation of Salesforce Field Service (now minus the 'lightening' suffix) "we evolved particularly after the acquisition of Click in October last year it has given us an really unfair advantage in terms of accelerating the integration of the Click Intellectual Property into the Salesforce codebase."

 

"Click had hundreds of people with twenty years plus experience in the space which is now infused into the Salesforce ecosystem..."

- Paul Whitelam, Saleforce

 

However, it was not just the best-in-class technology that Click brought to the marriage. As a company that spent years at the fore of the FSM sector, they also brought a wealth of industry experience.

"It [the acquisition of Click] has also accelerated our growth in areas such as go to market implementation capabilities. Click had hundreds of people with twenty years plus experience in the space which is now infused into the Salesforce ecosystem," Whitelam explains.

So, what makes the new iteration of Salesforce Field Service so exciting? Well firstly, much has been made about the ability for companies on the platform to leverage Einstein, Salesforce's own powerful AI offering. Indeed this is something that underpins much of the tools that were central to Salesforce's initial wave of messaging that we saw across the industry trade journals across the last week or so. 

 

Understanding the New-Normal of Field Service Operations:

However, while this is an essential ingredient in the Salesforce mix, perhaps what was also apparent was how the solutions Salesforce have introduced show an increased maturity of understanding of the challenges field service organisations are now facing in a post-pandemic world

"A lot of people are now thinking about the context of what field service means in the face of today's pandemic-centric environment," comments Whitelam.

"The truth of the matter is that in terms of field service, the show must go on. These are mission-critical staff, of course in healthcare, but also elsewhere in industries such as utilities or communications that literally must continue being able to support the various infrastructures these organisations maintain.

"There are some typical ever present challenges field service companies face such as challenges around data being in disparate systems, not having a consolidated view of the history of what has taken place with an asset and information about the customer themselves," Whitelam continues.

 

"We have to ensure a task can be broken down, so that the points where there must be person to person interactions are minimised..."

- Paul Whitelam, Salesforce

 

"However, obviously there are new challenges that come from the pandemic. Safety requirements is a key issue for example. Companies need to be making sure they are not risking spreading the infection and doing everything to safeguard the safety of their staff and their customers alike."

This is at the heart of the dichotomy field service organisations now face. They must continue to deliver mission-critical maintenance, yet still some six months on from the initial lockdowns much of the exact details of the threat of COVID-19 remain uncertain. When dealing with so many unknowns, at the corporate level at least, it is essential to take every precaution possible to mitigate any potential risk while still being operationally effective.

The balancing act required to navigate this particular tightrope requires rethinking many fundamental processes within field service delivery.

"We have to ensure a task can be broken down," Whitelam suggests, "so that the points where there must be person to person interactions are minimised. Companies must do as much preparation for the job as possible in a remote environment. Also can the wrap up of the job be outside of that face to face environment?"

 

Finding a way to clear the backlog built up during lockdown:

While, finding a way to get back to work as quickly and safely as possible is the first and most obvious challenge that field service organisations face, the mountain of maintenance jobs that were put on hiatus during the height of the lockdowns also present another significant challenge.

"For me, I think [the backlog of work] has really put a new light from our perspective on the value of automation," comments Whitelam.

"What we have seen with our platform is that levels of engagement with our customers on our platform are 20% higher than it was before the pandemic. In field service at least, it is not so much a v-shaped recovery, but something more akin to a checkmark because we are simultaneously playing catch up on all of that maintenance activity as well. Companies are going to be best placed to address this new dynamic by automating as much as they can and having their dispatchers and specialists focus on exceptional cases. Automation is the surest way to free up the appropriate time to allow them to do that.

However, while automation will go a long way to helping remove much of the non-essential day-to-day tasks within the field service workflow, it may still not be enough alone to get things back on track.

 

"Elasticity in the workforce is another example of something that as we entered into 2020 was a best-in-class attribute, a nice to have, rather than a necessity. Now, it is essential..."

 

Put simply; there will still be a need for a human pair of hands to resolve issues, even in some of the most routine maintenance work. This is where the concept of the blended workforce must become more prevalent.

"Companies should be making sure they are deploying the full range of workers included badged employees, contract workers and third-party labour," agrees Whitelam when I put this motion forward to him.

"At Salesforce, we have a number of ways of engaging with those third parties. You can very easily set them up in the system and you can allocate work to them and gain visibility into that work progress. Being able to support that kind of work model and having a more elastic workforce is really important."

Elasticity in the workforce is another example of something that as we entered into 2020 was a best-in-class attribute, a nice to have, rather than a necessity. Now, it is essential. This is especially so when there is just such an unknown availability of resources generally.

"If suddenly your people can't come to work, which is still an issue we face as an industry and a society, you've got to be able to pivot and you've got to have alternative options," Whitelam asserts. "Having an elastic workforce to address these new challenges is critical," he adds.

Of course, while some jobs simply cannot be completed without an onsite field service technician, increasingly we have seen service organisations turn wherever possible to utilising remote service delivery as an alternative.

"There are a couple of aspects to this shift to remote service delivery," explains Whitelam.

"One is ensuring the field service technician has got access to knowledge when they are at the point of service. This involves recommending articles and best practices to resolve the problem or connect them with other experts within the field service organisation that have experience of the task at hand.

"However, I think in the future there is going to be more recognition of ways to serve the customer without necessarily rolling a truck. Salesforce has something of an advantage here in that the field service piece is part of the Service Cloud already.

"Field Service is one way to solve a problem, in some use cases it is going to be the only way to solve a problem. However, in many other use cases there may be alternative approaches to finding resolution. These could involve the call-centre, digital engagement tools, knowledge management and even self-service – the fact that you have all of these in one platform, that actually gives a lot of companies many advantages. They can solve a problem in one of many different ways depending on the cost profile and the nature of the issue," he adds.

Indeed, the challenges we as an industry face as we look towards the final months of 2020 and hopefully to a far less turbulent 2021 are many. However, the technologies and tools at our disposal can allow us to not only ride the tsunami of disruption caused by COVID-19 but to come out of this the other side more robust, more resilient and more responsive to our customers' needs.

With this latest iteration of their FSM solution, Salesforce have now absolutely established themselves as being at the vanguard of the organisations delivering these tools.

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Further Reading:

• Read the initial news report about the announcement of the latest iteration of Salesforce Field Service @ www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/salesforce-announce-the-next-generation-of-field-service-ai-powered-tools-for-trusted-mission-critical-field-service
• Read more about digital transformation in field service @ www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/tag/servitization-and-advanced-services
• Read more about the impact of COVID-19 on the field service sector @ www.fieldservicenews.com/en-gb/covid-19
• Read previous articles by Paul Whitelam @ www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/author/paul-whitelam
• Find out more about Salesforce Field Service @ www.salesforce.com/uk/products/service-cloud/field-service-lightning/
• Connect with Paul on LinkedIn @ www.linkedin.com/in/paulwhitelam/
• Follow Salesforce on Twitter @ twitter.com/salesforce

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.

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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/