Resilience Gives Way To Dominance: Three Predictions For How Service Emerges Stronger Than Ever In 2021

By Sarah Nicastro, Field Service Evangelist, IFS and Future of Field Service

In a year fraught with such fear, turbulence, and complexity as 2020, it has sometimes taken effort to see the positives. As someone who cares deeply about this industry, one of those positives for me has been witnessing how the leaders I’m speaking to have risen to the challenges of this year with grit, resilience, and fortitude. They’ve shown true compassion for their coworkers and customers alike, bonded together by a deepened sense of empathy.

Beyond the individual level, however, the challenges of this year have forced growth upon service organizations that I am excited to see bear fruit. Elements of increased open mindedness, greater creativity and agility, a collective surrender of comfort zones, and recognition of the criticality of both people and digital tools will spur these companies forth as 2021 takes hold. Here are three predictions for how:

Prediction #1: Digital Innovation Spikes

Our world quickly turned virtual as COVID struck, and the leaders I’ve spoken to fall into two camps: those who had made significant traction in digital transformation and were relieved they had, and those who had lagged behind for one reason or another and felt the pain of lacking tools that would aid greatly in business continuity and decision making.

The moments of service that matter most, the ability to react nimbly to quickly changing business criteria, and the capacity to expand and evolve service offerings all rely on a strong, cohesive digital infrastructure. In 2021, we’ll see digital innovation and investment spike among service organizations. Those who’ve already made progress on their digital transformation journeys will be looking to build upon their strong foundation—and those who have lagged will work hard to catch up. An IFS study of more than 3,000 executives from six regions across the world who weighed in on their organization’s plans to invest in digital transformation technologies in automation, artificial intelligence (AI), IoT and more—expressed that, globally, over 50 percent plan to increase spend on digital transformation initiatives.