Self-Driving Vehicles: How Does This Evolving Technology Impact Field Service?

By Gary Brooks, CMO, Syncron

Gary Brooks is Chief Marketing Officer at Syncron. With 20 years of marketing experience, Mr. Brooks is a revenue focused B2B marketing executive who believes in qualitative work with quantitative results to deliver breakthrough revenue performance.

Self-driving vehicles are becoming increasingly popular, with 10 million projected to hit the road by 2020. This new, game-changing technology is best described as a vehicle that operates without direct driver input to control the steering, acceleration and braking. The most compelling benefit of the new vehicles is that, when operating in self-driving mode, they relieve the driver of having to constantly monitor the roadway.

Placing a person’s physical safety in the hands of automated technology might seem like a risk not worth taking. Yet it turns out that some 81 percent of car accidents are caused by human error. Using a well-made, self-driving vehicle can help eliminate the error factor – and even benefit companies with a fleet of field service vehicles.

As these driverless vehicles become more advanced, companies with after-sales service organizations are realizing how they can reap the benefits. Here’s a look at how the industry has adopted these new vehicles, predictions for the future, as well as some hiccups they may face.