Virtusa Corporation, a global provider of digital strategy, digital engineering, and IT services and solutions that help clients change and disrupt markets through innovation engineering, today announced new capabilities, including augmented reality (AR) based test and diagnostic capabilities to improve the efficiency of field force workers and help them improve customer service while reducing average handling time.

Traditional Communications Service Providers (CSPs), wireless providers, internet, cable, and satellite operators, along with other managed service providers, typically have a large contractor-based field force that must be trained to diagnose and make repairs using a massive portfolio of products and equipment. 

Virtusa’s Smart Field Force Management Platform addresses these issues by helping technicians quickly locate problems with minimal training. Using AI, the platform provides guided resolution paths for frequently encountered issues. The application is able to automatically co-relate and initiate diagnostic tests based on the type of issues reported. Using machine learning, the system is being trained to recognise 20,000 different devices. This allows field engineers to diagnose problems with minimal training. Automated job closure notes allow better capturing of issue resolution in the field, which in turn enables better analytics for the product teams to improve product performance and capability over time. 

Using the new Virtusa Smart Field Force Management Platform, CSPs can expect:

• 60% reduction in field operation by route optimisation and remote test and diagnostic capabilities
• 30% improvement in service engineer efficiency by identifying the main fault location and common faults
• 80% reduction in CapEx by consolidating eight devices into a single mobile platform
• 45% reduction in CPE swaps through guided resolution steps
• 50% reduction in repeat service calls through detailed root cause analysis

The new platform is already in use by a large CSP in Europe that provides fixed line, mobile, cable, and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers. The solution enables over 4,000 field technicians to use a single application that quickly identifies the main fault location eliminating the multiple devices engineers use to diagnose these issues.

“Customers today have a wide range of options for how to consume products and services from CSPs,” said Frank Palermo, EVP, technology, media, and telecommunications, Virtusa. “Additionally, innovations around 5G will bring both immense opportunity and challenge. The Smart Field Force Management Platform will help improve customer service and reduce costs, enabling CSPs to better compete in this increasingly crowded market.”

 “Smart Field Force Management also provides real-time and historical performance data to further enhance the diagnostic capabilities across network and customer equipment,” says Ravi Kumar Palepu, SVP, TMT solutions, Virtusa. “Technicians are now able to quickly identity faults across the network and devices avoiding guesswork and expensive equipment replacement.”