From The Editor
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Tackling The Field Service Talent Problem
12/28/2017
One of the biggest challenges facing the field service industry right now is the aging workforce. Under the umbrella of that one challenge are actually a handful of really big problems.
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5 Essential Questions That Will Shape Your AR Strategy
12/21/2017
James Heppelman, president and CEO of PTC, recently co-authored an article for Harvard Business Review along with Michael E. Porter, a University Professor at Harvard. The article, titled “Why Every Organization Needs An Augmented Reality Strategy,” takes a deep dive into how Augmented Reality (AR) is impacting our world, especially from a business sense.
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The Foundation Of Providing Good Service
12/19/2017
Customers want knowledgeable field service workers, on-time appointments, and first-time resolution. Your goal should be, and probably is, to provide all of those things. But in reality, you will at times fall short. And when you do, you need to fall back on one element that is the foundation of good service.
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Does Your Company Need A CCO?
12/12/2017
I came across an article on Forrester’s blog today titled, “What Chief Customer Officers Talk About Over Dinner,” written by VP and research director Harley Manning. My first thought upon reading this headline was, I wonder how many field service organizations even have a CCO (chief customer officer)? If I’m being honest, CCO is a term that not too long ago I would have laughed off – especially specifically for field service. But as the focus on customer experience grows and grows among field service leaders, I realize that there is value in a CCO-type title taking charge of the customer journey (whether you call them your CCO or something else).
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Keep Calm And Field Service On
11/28/2017
There is a vast amount of both transformation and innovation taking place in field service. Is that exciting and invigorating? Yes. Is it also incredibly overwhelming for many organizations? Yes. Take a deep breath.
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3 Field Service Fatal Flaws
10/31/2017
Field service has changed drastically in recent years – even in the past year. Whether you consider good field service to be an art or a science or something in between, what it takes to master field service is not the same as it was even a year ago. The result of that rapid and drastic change is that there are many field service organizations committing these field service “fatal flaws,” be it because they think the old way of doing business is working just fine, or because they just aren’t sure how to evolve.
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Taking A DIY Approach To Mobile Application Development
10/30/2017
Titan Machinery owns and operates a network of full-service agriculture and construction equipment dealerships. The company has more than 2,500 employees working from nearly 120 locations across the United States and Europe. After a lengthy ERP upgrade initiative, Titan was looking for a simple way to extend mobile capabilities to its 335 field service technicians.
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A Potential Game Changer For iOS Enterprise Support
10/27/2017
I did a Q&A in April with Neal Ratner, manager of business innovation at Applus + Energy and Power titled “When An Apple Fan Is Forced To Choose Android.” Neal and I discussed the fact that, while he’s an avid Apple fan, there were some important reasons that, for his company’s use, he simply couldn’t recommend the use of the devices. Here’s what he had to say...
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Simple Advice Every Great Leader Needs To Hear
10/26/2017
I watched a video on inc.com not long ago that stuck with me. In it, Simon Sinek, bestselling author of Starts With Why, discusses the fact that leadership isn’t a rank achieved, but a skill you always practice. He brings up a few really good points, including the fact that good leaders recognize the fact that they aren’t experts; rather, they are students that are always learning and continually improving their skills. He also mentions that great leaders always prioritize the needs of their people above their own needs.
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Are You Guilty Of Ignoring The ELD Mandate?
10/25/2017
There’s less than two months to go until compliance is required for the ELD final rule, which was enacted at the end of 2015 by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The ELD mandate requires commercial drivers who are required to prepare hours-of-service (HOS) records of duty status (RODS) to do so using electronic logging devices (ELDs). The goal of this mandate is to ensure accuracy of record keeping and increase safety.