The Internet Of (People Who Install, Repair, And Maintain) Things

By Dave Yarnold, CEO, ServiceMax, www.servicemax.com

Tablets, CRM systems, and GPS are just the beginning of what’s to come in field service.

Technology whiplash! That’s what I’ve seen of late in field service organizations. Our industry has been working with old ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems that weren’t able to handle the cloud, mobile, and social needs of a modern field service organization, and in many cases we’ve had carbon copies, clipboards, spreadsheets, and whiteboards. In the blink of an eye we’ve seen a switch to tablets, CRM systems, and GPS. As swift and stunning as those changes have been, it’s merely the beginning of what’s on the way.