From The Editor
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3 Technologies That Have An Immediate Impact On Customer Experience
2/22/2018
The focus of leading field service organizations is on the customer. These organizations know that ensuring a positive customer experience is the only real path to success. Your first step in meeting (and exceeding) customer expectations is to understand exactly what your customers want and need from you. From there, you need to evaluate the processes your organization has in place for delivering service to identify any areas where you’re falling short of your customers’ needs.
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The Top 3 Methods For Training Field Technicians
2/21/2018
As the field technician role continues to evolve and expectations of field workers continue to rise, providing effective training becomes ever more critical. In a recent study of more than 100 service executives conducted by Service Strategies, 71 percent of respondents indicated that they plan to increase their investment this year on staff training. In fact, increased staff training was the top reported area of investment respondents plan to make this year.
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3 Assumptions About Your Employees That Inhibit Field Service Innovation
2/14/2018
Can you think of an area in your life where the anticipation of change was far worse than the change itself? I’ll share an example of my own. When my first son was born, he slept in our room for the first few months. When the time came to move him to his nursery, he was sleeping well – and the anticipation of rocking the boat was dreadful. I put it off and put it off, terrified of a return to sleepless nights. In reality, the transition was far smoother than what I’d envisioned. When it was done, I felt silly for getting so worked up about it and making such a negative assumption about how the change would play out.
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5 AR Predictions For 2018
2/9/2018
It will be interesting to see how the use of Augmented Reality (AR) in field service progresses in 2018. While the value proposition is strong, I think the hype around the technology makes it difficult for companies to clearly assess the impact it could have on their organizations. Brian Ballard, CEO and co-founder of Upskill, joins me to summarize five trends we can expect this year.
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What Issues Are Preventing The Broader Adoption Of Wearable Technology?
1/31/2018
Spencer Gisser, Research Associate, Enterprise Mobility & Connected Devices at VDC Research joins us to discuss his recent research on wearable technology and its impact on field service.
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Appleās Business Chat Launches This Spring
1/30/2018
With the release of iOS 11.3 in the spring, Apple will launch Business Chat – a new feature in iMessage that enables customers to engage directly with businesses. Business Chat allows a customer to open an iMessage window from Safari, Maps, or Siri, and start a conversation with a business. Through this chat, customers can talk with a business’s service representative, make payments via Apple Pay, and even schedule appointments.
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The Key To Customer Satisfaction: Meeting Customers Where They Are
1/29/2018
On page 6 we delve into an in-depth interview with Jamie Smith, the CIO of ServiceMaster, about the company’s quest to maximize the customer experience. The initial part of this process was what Smith calls “customer journey mapping.” As ServiceMaster conducted this mapping, it learned that the wishes and demands of customers are not uniform. To maximize customer satisfaction, Smith explains that you have to be willing and able to “meet your customers where they are.”
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4 Digital Transformation Trends To Watch In 2018
1/26/2018
Softvision is a digital services company that provides digital innovation strategy, design, and execution for some of the world’s leading global brands. The company employs more than 2,500 professionals in eight countries and works with companies like Estee Lauder, Groupon, Microsoft, Macy’s, Mozilla, Lululemon, and Neiman Marcus. Softvision’s CEO, Andres Angelani, co-authored the book “The Never-Ending Digital Journey: Creating New Consumer Experiences Through Technology.” Here he shares with us his thoughts on where digital transformation is headed and advice for your journey.
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The Top 5 Field Technologies Articles Of 2017
12/29/2017
2017 has been an exciting year in field service! Some of my personal favorite topics to cover have been how field service is shifting to be such a strategic part of the business, the growing importance of a major focus on the customer experience, and the discussion of how Augmented Reality (AR) is beginning to take hold in field service. I had the opportunity this year to interview some wonderful field service leaders, and it was my honor to share their insights, struggles, and wins with you.
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Turning The ELD Headache Into An Opportunity
12/28/2017
Last week was the deadline for compliance with the ELD mandate. However, many statistics are flying around about the number of companies required to be compliant that have yet to roll out an ELD solution. Avoiding the mandate, however, won’t make it go away.