I’ve witnessed significant progress among field service organizations this year. If asked to summarize what’s happening, I’d conclude that in 2018 field service has become more strategic. Born from the recognition that field service can be a profit center versus a cost center, companies have begun to realize that being more intentional about how they’re delivering field service can truly transform their business.
We’ll be featuring lawncare company TruGreen for an upcoming Field Technologies’ cover story, discussing how the company has been on a mission since 2014 to put technologies in place to transform its operations and better serve its customers. While I was talking with Ken DeWitt, CIO of TruGreen, for the article, he spoke about how one of the keys to success with a customer-centric approach is to have a solid strategy that guides every aspect of your tactical approach.
Orkin revamps processes and updates technology to better meet customer expectations, and in doing so saves between $60,000 and $90,000 per month in fleet costs alone.
The elimination of paper speeds invoicing from one week to essentially same day.
Editor in chief Sarah Nicastro talks one-on-one with Dot Mynahan of Otis Elevator about the opportunities for women in field service.
Amano McGann modernizes its field service operations as it looks ahead to IoT.
In a space like field service that is becoming increasingly competitive, it may seem counterintuitive for me to suggest that you start ignoring what your competition is doing — but hear me out. As field service organizations struggle more and more to differentiate themselves, I think it becomes increasingly important to tune out what other companies in your industry are doing. Here are two big reasons why.
Much of the content I read seems to oversimplify field service innovation. Maybe this is because I have so many conversations with field service leaders that, despite immense knowledge and vast capabilities, are still struggling to get a handle on the best ways to improve their businesses. You read about how companies are transforming with today’s technologies, and in many ways it looks easy, but the reality is it is just that – there are so many competing priorities, a multitude of options (a gift and a curse), and numerous paths to success.
As today’s field service organizations race to adapt to growing demands and new business models, we see technology after technology being introduced in an effort to maximize productivity, improve the customer experience, and share knowledge across the business. Your technology options today are virtually limitless, which is both exciting and intimidating. But as you evaluate how tools like a new field service software solution, IoT, AR, or AI can help you accomplish your field service optimization goals, you have to keep in mind one critically important thing – any of the technologies you have at your disposal will only have their intended impact if they are embraced by your workforce.
We’ve published a number of articles recently on the challenges field service organizations are facing with recruitment and hiring. In this article with Robb Origer of DISH and in this article with Roy Dockery of Swisslog Healthcare, we discussed how it is necessary for field service organizations to move away from hiring based on experience and begin hiring based on skills and abilities. However, despite this recognition, the field service industry is still struggling to diversify. You can read here the firsthand perspective of a female field technician on how the industry needs to up the efforts to become more inclusive.
