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We look at how power generation manufacturer Dale Power Solutions have improved their service delivery operations by using Eagle Field Service by Exel Computer Systems...

Company Profile:

Dale Power Solutions, based in Scarborough, employ around 300 people and have been manufacturing and providing maintenance services for generators and UPS systems since 1935.

The Challenge:

Dale Power Solutions had planned for increased efficiency throughout the business as a whole, but specifically targeted the service division for increased revenue growth.

The Solution:

A single ERP solution for manufacturing and service, with the flexibility to tune the solution to changing needs

The Benefits:

Increased efficiency through greater automation, as well as improved reporting, has supported a 40% increase in revenue

The Detail:

Is bespoke or off-the-shelf better?

Thanks to Exel's EFACS E/8, the best of both worlds is available. Following a business process review, Dale Power Solutions has found EFACS has improved its management reporting, enabled business process automation and supported strong business growth.

Founded in 1935, Dale Power Solutions is a leading provider of secure power solutions for situations requiring uninterrupted power. The company manufactures generators and UPS systems as well as providing maintenance services. Based in Scarborough, Dale Power Solutions employs around 300 people.

The company used to rely on multiple applications for its manufacturing and field service divisions. The software had limited functionality, so EFACS E/8 was selected and implemented in early 2014 as a single solution to cover both areas of the business, with 100 back office users and 75 remote engineer users.

While the manufacturing side of the system worked well, the initial deployment of the field service element had been to a basic level, without a great deal of tailoringWhen IT and Communications Manager Az Yasin joined the company in late 2014, he recognised that the system hadn't yet achieved its full potential.

"EFACS E/8 had been deployed with all the modules," says Az. "It was an off-the-shelf package along with one or two customisations."

While the manufacturing side of the system worked well, the initial deployment of the field service element had been to a basic level, without a great deal of tailoring. The company’s plan for 2015 was to rely on the flexibility of the solution in order to increase service operations from 30% to 50% of its turnover

"The key problem for us was that we were trying to grow our services. There were processes that needed to be fixed through EFACS E/8."

Although the original implementation had delivered improvements, with some business processes changed to fit. Not everything had been automated, including service engineer scheduling, and some spreadsheets remained in use. The reason? Insufficient business process mapping to identify the data required.

Gap Analysis:

A project team was formed in 2015 to improve the use of EFACS E/8 for increased business efficiency.

"We decided to do a gap analysis of the whole organisation," says Az. "We identified the key issues and listed about 100."

This list was divided into areas that could be fixed in-house and those that depended upon Exel's consultancy services. The idea was to streamline data and process flow.

"The key was giving end users improvements to meet their needs."

An improvement programme began with an Exel consultant spending 10 days on-site. As refresher training for the project team, the consultant also demonstrated the field service capability and then advised on the changes. These covered everything from quotation and contract management, through to service delivery and documentation.

"Exel know their product very well. They were able to guide us through."

Supported by temporary contractors and Exel's consultancy services, the project team set to work. New reports were written in-house making use of new custom fields for business data.

There were improvements for service, engineering projects, manufacturing amendments and the supply chain. The strength of the Customisation Toolkit provided a useful way to enhance standard functionality.

One task was a set of electronic forms for service engineers to record details, such as defects found. Used on mobile phones, this enabled data to be captured, processed and uploaded into EFACS E/8. Other highlights included new buttons to 'push' service data into other areas, such as new quotations.

Exel also delivered some of the required changes in a new software release.

"Exel performed well in making the changes. We managed to quickly achieve about 75% of what we set out to do."

New Efficiencies:

The company has seen a £10 million growth in turnover in three years to £35 million. Greater automation, backed by improved business reporting, has supported that 40% increase. For example, higher efficiencies in purchasing have benefitted manufacturing and service operations, including vehicle stock replenishment.

"EFACS E/8 has enabled us to grow quite rapidly," says Az. "The service division is using the system more thoroughly than ever."

Service engineers have new Samsung mobile phones. These run the field service application and support completion of the electronic forms. Service engineers have new Samsung mobile phones. These run the field service application and support completion of the electronic forms. Mobile usage is now better and quicker than before.

The inherent integration within EFACS E/8 allows the separate business divisions to feel joined up. There is now commonality between the business divisions, as it offers easy access to, and use of, shared information.

"We are looking to be clever with the Customisation Toolkit on some key processes in order to improve them further," says Az. "EFACS E/8 is very customisable and I think that is one of its biggest strengths for Dale Power."

 

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Michael Blumberg, President Blumberg Advisory Group explains why Augmented Reality will be at the core of field service in the not too distant future giving examples of three companies that have already embraced this game-changing tech...

Want to know more? You’ll find a white paper on this topic @ fs-ne.ws/7Q9230fLKu7

If your Field Service Organization (FSO) is not using some form of remote telepresence or video collaboration tool today like Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), chances are you will be in the future.

There are many compelling data points and trends that support this prognosis. First, a recent study by Salesforce.com reports that 92% of service executives indicated they need to transform their service models to keep up with consumer needs.

Second, according to Aberdeen Group, Best in Class field service organizations are 72% more likely than their peers to utilize visual collaboration tools (e.g., AR/VR). It is only a matter of time before other companies follow suit. Third, end-customers have begun to expect this type of service experience. Indeed, 84% of millennial customers have used a self-service portal for customer service. The immersive nature of AR/VR apps makes it the ultimate self-service experience.

Customer demand is obviously a critical factor driving the proliferation of AR/VR applications in the field service industry.

Fueling the demand for AR/VR technology is the fact that it is both relevant and effective within a broad array of industry segments and use casesAs a result, the use of collaboration tools like AR will become the standard by which customers evaluate and measure field service performance. Fueling the demand for AR/VR technology is the fact that it is both relevant and effective within a broad array of industry segments and use cases.

Indeed, it is difficult to find any technology segments where AR/VR does not have practical value. In fact, any technology that is comprised of electronic, electro-mechanical (e.g., pneumatic, hydraulic, etc.) or electrical components can benefit from AR/VR enabled service and support.

Another factor driving demand is the fact that early adopters are achieving measurable results from the deployment of AR/VR pilot projects. For example:

Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery is exploring AR and VR solutions to increase both field service utilisation and productivity while reducing travel expenditures. AR would enable the company to send technicians who communicate with remote experts, thus reducing the total number of man-hours on site as well as travel costs.

Bombardier, a provider of propulsion and control equipment for trains, was able to make significant savings, per service event every time they utilized AR to resolve technical issues remotely.

Bosch Rexroth, a manufacturer of hydraulic drive systems, spent every year in Sweden alone a lot of travelling time to go to customer’s sites to inspect what problem or question the customer had prior to deploying AR. The company now offers its customers the option of purchasing support hours to their value-added service offering that utilizes AR to deliver remote support. The collaborative and visual aspects of this technology are far more effective than telephone support. As a result, Bosch Rexroth is now able to provide quicker uptime to customers while generating a profitable income stream.

The technology industry, of which field service is a subset, is already considered to be the biggest economic driver of ARIn the coming years, we are likely to see an exponential growth of AR in the field service industry. In fact, the technology industry, of which field service is a subset, is already considered to be the biggest economic driver of AR. Furthermore, industry forecasters anticipate that expenditures on AR technology will exceed $100 million by 2020.

While we are likely to see new developments in AR/VR feature functionality, this technology will be deployed in one of two environments:

1. In support of an existing installed base of equipment
2. Embedded in the design of new products

We are also likely to find different versions of AR deployed in the field. For example, certain service environments, like Oil & Gas or Utilities, may require that AR applications be integrated with rugged wearable devices to deliver a hands-free environment, whereas non-rugged wearable devices or smartphones/tablets may be more than sufficient in enabling a collaborative experience in markets like IT or Telecom.

As technology improves it is very likely that consumers will purchase AR for business use in much the same way they purchase their own laptops and smartphones for similar business use. It is also quite possible that “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) will apply to AR as well.

This will completely change the paradigm of service support and break down barriers to finding and hiring talent, which in turn will continue to facilitate the use of freelance technicians. Regardless of future possibilities, these potential developments should not stop FSOs from investing in AR and reaping the benefits today.

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Paul Whitelam, VP of Product Marketing, ClickSoftware asks if IoT sensors, Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning will help the UK water industry avoid a looming crisis...

One would be forgiven for assuming a nation surrounded by water, with a storied history of naval exploration and an advanced privatised water management sector, would be exempt from facing a water or wastewater crisis.

But many experts agree that the current population boom and climate scenario are forcing the industrial, national, and regional water and wastewater situations towards crisis in the United Kingdom.

What do these mounting challenges mean for the field service management organisations? How can they innovate to meet and overcome each challenge while satisfying end consumers? In the following paragraphs, we discuss how water and wastewater service organisations can get ahead of the looming crisis.

Population boom, climate change, water scarcity combine to create the perfect storm

Ofwat, a government water management program overseeing England and Wales, recently published a report outlining many key challenges in these region. They city population growth and climate changes were identified as the key drivers of change, while growing pressure to address water scarcity, environmental quality, and resilience of systems in the face of rising consumer expectations as the  major hurdles. Key among these, you will find:

• The UK population is forecasted to grow 20% over the next 20 years
• Rising environmental standards may drive up costs
• Technology to manage new customer expectations is lacking
• Major climate change has left specific regions at risk
• Water scarcity poses immediate threat to supply
• Customer expectations for service sector and water continue to rise

In reality, many of these challenges intersect.

This report cites that a full 60% of Thames Water’s customers are concerned about the environment. In addition, 85% of Wessex Water’s customers feel protecting rivers, lakes, and estuaries was critical.

The reality is more dire than consumers may realise. Given the uneven population distribution across the country, freshwater resources are often pulled from areas that are already under pressure, while new regions have been identified that previously threatened just years ago.

As the report cites, “Water catchments across Wales, south-west and northern England are predicted to experience significant unmet demand under many of the scenario combinations that the Environment Agency has considered.”

Can water management and field service teams get ahead of this looming crisis, or will consumers simply have to cut back on consumption altogether as the population booms?

3 ways UK service organisations can innovate to overcome crisis

Luckily, the field service industry is experiencing a renaissance in service technology that could solve current and future water problems. The Internet-of-Things, artificial intelligence, and predictive maintenance technology could each provide innovative solutions for both meeting growing demand, and minimising environmental impact.

1. Invest in and inform customers of water reduction faucets, shower heads, high efficiency washing machines and emerging technology

To be fair, this first recommendation is more about customer satisfaction, not just technology, but the fastest way to avert a water and wastewater crisis is the simplest; reduce the amount of water usage in businesses, factories, and homes.

This will require service organisations convincing customers that these new faucets, shower heads, and high efficiency machines will both save them money through reduced water usage, and save the environment. And if that doesn’t work? A healthy bit of policy should do the trick.

With the number of consumers who have expressed care for environmental issues, couldn’t a bit of a nudge from service providers push many over the edge to adopting more efficient technology?

With even a 10% increase in the number of homes, businesses, and facilities equipped with smarter end using devices, we could improve our water usage future in short order.

2. Enable IoT sensors on industrial water facilities and natural resource hubs

The Internet-of-Things promises to bring advanced real-time diagnostic capabilities to equipment, that for decades has required a human to perform a diagnostic task. By embedding internet-enabled sensors on all the equipment that cleans, processes, transports and delivers water, we could improve the efficiency of the entire water lifecycle by significant margins.

Would this require an up-front investment? Most certainly, but privatised water and wastewater organisations and service companies would certainly be keen on efficiency gains, especially if margins could move up incrementally.

Using IoT sensors for advanced real-time diagnostics could allow organisations to get predictive about water usage, resource allocation, and more. With the right application of IoT technology, equipment and processing, diagnostics could stand to become more efficient than ever.

3. Use AI and machine learning for ultimate efficiency gains

While seemingly intimidating at the outset, artificial intelligence and machine learning technology are in fact well within reach for organisations willing to embrace a healthy technical challenge. How about the payoff? Datasets that take a team of data scientists several weeks to interpret can now be crunched by AI algorithms in seconds.

Upon gaining results, future-oriented field service organisations will soon apply machine learning models that are ready-built for various service scenarios.

Think of machine learning algorithms as software with a brain. First, you develop an algorithmic model. Let’s use flooding—a common water crisis scenario—as an example. By first coding your software to understand all the steps a human would take in a flood scenario, and second enabling artificial intelligence algorithms to process information in real-time, you can effectively combine real-time flood data and your algorithm to unlock an immediate decision tree.

The software acts upon data in an instant, making airtight decisions and optimising your entire field service chain the same way your dispatch, or service executives would—given the parameters of your programmed scenario. But the main difference between AI software managing a service chain, and a human being? Software will make fewer mistakes.

As the UK continues to seek a resolution to current and future water scenarios, a healthy balance of policy, innovation, and customer support will be required.

 

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As the availability of vehicle tracking equipment continues to improve, it's not just transport operators who are interested in the information it provides, but increasingly their customers too - especially at the blue-chip end of the market.

 

That's exactly what happened for Reading-based waste management and disposal specialists, A Better Service, when as part of their continuing growth, they won a contract to serve public water supplier Thames Water.

“We're a family-run business” Director and Transport Manager Darren Bicknell says. “My father started it 36 years ago, then my brother and I came on board, growing it vehicle by vehicle up to the 33 trucks we now operate.” The company's main occupation is tanker services, including gully-emptying, the servicing of septic tanks and cesspools, dealing with blocked drains and sewage disposal.

 

We used another system before going over to AGM routeMASTER but as our fleet grew, ease of use became a much bigger consideration and that's what won us over

 

“We used another system before going over to AGM routeMASTER but as our fleet grew, ease of use became a much bigger consideration and that's what won us over” Bicknell adds.

 

Periodically, Thames Water audit their suppliers, asking for tracker reports for a certain vehicle covering a certain period and it's this which he now finds so much easier to do. “Visually AGM's system is brilliant” Bicknell explains. “You just have to look at it and everything's there and easy to use, which is one of the reasons why we went with them. We needed next to no training either – it's simple from the off.”

Now the cloud-based routeMASTER system is up and running, Bicknell and his staff can use it as a failsafe record of just where their vehicles were at any given time, and because it also shows when the PTO on the tankers is engaged, he can prove what they were doing too. “As well as enabling us to periodically double-check the hours our drivers are booking and thereby avoid costly discrepancies, Thames Water also need the loading and disposal times entering on their tickets” he explains. No human is perfect, however, and every now and again a driver may miss one of these. “Now I can just check it and put it in myself, which is really handy” Bicknell says.

Add to all that the ability to advise customers of ETAs at a glance and you really can't go wrong, especially not, he says, when AGM also provide good, solid back up. “We're really pleased with the routeMASTER system and the AGM team” Bicknell concludes. “I can't fault them!”

 

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rapidBizApps has announced the launch of SunSight, a new field service management software for Solar energy providers. The software was built for solar installers to gather field data digitally, streamline business workflows and do more installations.

With SunSight, Solar installer companies can now maximise productivity of field workers, maximise their vendor time utilisation, save time and convert overhead costs into profits.

“While the potential for green energy is immense in the United States, many Solar companies are faced with challenges of overhead costs that does not allow them to fully tap into the potential of Solar growth.”

“With SunSight, solar companies can shorten the time it takes to get data from the field and quicken business operations. This translates to faster project delivery, more installations per month and more profit per project,” said Satish Penmetsa, CEO of rapidBizApps.

Designed for ground staff, operations managers, project managers and members in the field service management organisation, SunSight features project portfolio management, digital field data collection and a one-tap approval system to make time consuming tasks faster than ever before. Managers can also create their own custom forms to collect data of their choice. More importantly, Solar projects can be managed even when on the move.

 

Project and Business stakeholders can get an instant snapshot of all business activity to stay updated whenever any activity is made on a project. SunSight can be connected to an analytics platform of choice to receive actionable insights that can help transform the way projects and field services are managed.

“Solar companies now have the power to deliver projects faster and bring in the Solar revolution. SunSight is designed to handle the hassles of field service management, data collection and project management while industry professionals can focus on field service innovation and delivering value to customers,” adds Satish.

SunSight is built for a workforce using the Android, iPhone or iPad devices. SunSight is also fully cloud-based which means the software can be accessed on any computer with an internet connection and a modern internet browser.

All data is safely and securely stored on the cloud with cutting-edge technology to protect information and customer privacy. SunSight also adds integration with CRM and ERP systems making it a fully integrated solution for Solar Providers. Since the software is cloud-based, it is constantly updated with newer features that are instantly available to anyone using it.

 

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Thames Water staff using the V110 have praised the device for important features such as how lightweight it is, its highly sensitive touchscreen and digitised stylus, as well as its superior processing power - especially noticeable when using the GPS functionality to bring up large, detailed Map/GIS software, critical to productivity in the field. Here we look at the case study of why the water utilities giant selected the device...

Challenge

Thames Water is under constant pressure from regulators and customers to reduce bills while having to maintain some truly challenging infrastructure, especially in the City of London.

To keep the taps running for nearly 30% of the UK’s population, Thames Water makes heavy demands on its technology, requiring reliability in tough conditions, the best connection available, high processing speed, large memory for files stored offline and the capability to run the latest operating systems. The hardware needs to be easy to use, durable and perform seamlessly, allowing operatives uninterrupted service.

 

With a 2,000-strong field force as well as contractors, Thames Water employees find themselves in extremely challenging conditions; often working below the ground, in difficult weather conditions, frequently with dark, or even very bright lighting, and even at non-typical angles, in which they need to access and input data onto their devices.

Technology naturally needs replacing as devices reach the end of life, and when this time came for computing devices at Thames Water, the challenge was to find a new solution that would meet these stringent requirements and provide a robust, intuitive platform for a variety of staff.

Solutions

Thames Water prioritised its requirements for a water resistant, drop-proof rugged device that would be able to stand the test of time. It carried out exhaustive trials with three competitive devices involving 200 Thames Water engineers. The competitive devices were tested in the field against important criteria such as: battery life (over six hours), GPS signal, 3G+ and 4G capabilities, speed, durability and scored each from one to 10.

Other hardware features, such as 10 to 12 inch screen, physical keyboard and sensitive touch screen were also important assessment criteria. It was important that the device would be compatible and work well with ClickMobile, a solution Thames Water uses to better manage and optimise its workforce.

Getac performed exceptionally in the field, with around 90% of users rating it by far the standout device across the board.

Severn Trent Services has been using service management software supplied by Tesseract for nearly four years. In the latter months of 2014, they saw the wisdom of upgrading to the latest version of the software, Service Centre 5.1 (SC5.1).

Already they are enjoying huge time savings and greater efficiency as a result of the new components available to them. UK-based Severn Trent Services is part of a major international conglomerate that in total serves 4.2 million households and businesses throughout the world. It is the leading national supplier of water and wastewater services to businesses in the UK, currently providing services to more than 1,500 sites nationwide.

Their work includes water hygiene services; controlling and maintaining assets such as sewage and water treatment works and sewage pump stations; and connecting water supplies to housing developments. Their national status means they have the capability to give businesses with multiple sites the ease, simplicity and efficiency of dealing with one supplier for all their locations.

Severn Trent use Tesseract to run their water hygiene service, which is a hugely important part of their work. Essentially they make sure businesses comply with water hygiene legislation by carrying out inspections, cleaning tanks and pumps, performing disinfections and conducting remedial works to bring water systems to the necessary standard.

Moving away from labour-intensive processes

Before the upgrade, Severn Trent only relied on Tesseract’s software to manage their customer contracts and invoicing. Their field service management depended on a variety of manual and labour-intensive processes. Several different software systems were used to manage the engineers – one for allocating the jobs, one for travel planning and one for collecting feedback, time capture and other data.

“Extensive manual intervention was required to make these systems work together properly,” says Jack Fleet, Water Compliance Scheduling Technician for Severn Trent Services. “This eventually became clunky and we saw that there was too much room for human error. It also took up a lot of office time.”

In July 2014, Severn Trent reviewed their business, looking at how timely and how efficient their processes were, and how they could serve their customers better. Having been using some components of Tesseract’s service management software for several years, they decided to extend that usage to field service management. They wanted one whole, cohesive software system managing their engineers instead of several. A field service management overhaul By upgrading to SC5.1, Severn

Trent are now benefiting from Tesseract’s Remote Engineer Access software (REA). This allows engineers to log in remotely from their i-Pads, view allocated calls for dispatch, look at the call history for a site, product or customer, raise parts requests, add service reports and close completed jobs - amongst many other functions. REA completely streamlines field service management and removes the bulk of manual interventions that were previously necessary to perform these functions.

 

Severn Trent also have the benefit of Tesseract’s flexible Email Service, which automates the sending and receiving of emails from Tesseract Service Centre. Severn Trent are using the Email Service to handle customer appointments and reports, but automated emails can be triggered by all kinds of activities, such as when calls are logged and closed, and parts have been shipped.

Finally Severn Trent are using Tesseract’s fully customisable Reporting Service, which enables customers to schedule and run reports at any time during the day or night.

A bespoke feature

Currently in development is a bespoke feature of the software, which Tesseract are producing especially for Severn Trent. This feature will help to assess whether certain site restrictions mean that specific engineers are required to attend them. For instance, the engineer might need to have a DBS check, a certain qualification or skill set, or a certain level of training to be able to work at the site.

Tesseract are looking at inserting some additional fields to the allocation software to help Severn Trent assign the right staff. “The good thing about Tesseract is their enthusiasm for customisation,” says Jack Fleet.

“They are developing this feature specifically for us because they are persistent in wanting to improve and expand what they offer. If this feature ends up working for us, it’s something Tesseract will make available to other customers.

In the same way, if Tesseract develop something for another customer and think it will work for Severn Trent, they will make it available to us.”

What does the future hold?

Tesseract’s SC5.1 went live at Severn Trent Services on December 1st 2014 and already Severn Trent have seen a massive saving in office time. Efficiency has improved enormously thanks to REA and the upgrade has made customer contracts and invoicing more effective and timely as well. Severn Trent have plans to install Tesseract’s Prospect Centre. This is a sales enquiry and action follow up module allowing for the registration of both existing customers and new sales leads so that sales activity can be monitored. It contains data such as the sales source, sales value, product required and next action date, and has a helpful ‘Salesman’s To Do List’ feature. Severn Trent also want to implement Tesseract’s Quote Centre, which enables sales teams to generate quotes and easily convert them into customer contracts once the quote is accepted.

 

However, Severn Trent’s more immediate priority is Tesseract’s Diary Assist, which they will incorporate in July 2015 in order to further streamline their field service management processes. Diary Assist is a centrally hosted web service for call optimisation which handles both planned and reactive maintenance calls. It allocates jobs to engineers based on skill sets, availability, travel time, customer site cover times and various other factors, and effectively automates the deployment process even further.

 

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