From The Editor
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When Great Field Service Doesn’t Matter
6/21/2017
My husband and I (along with our two babies under two!) moved recently. I had an experience with our home security and automation provider that got me thinking about the times that great field service just doesn’t matter. Here’s what happened...
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4 Ways You May Be Frustrating Your Mobile Workers
6/13/2017
When your workers spend the majority of their day in the field, or perhaps don’t visit an office regularly at all, it is easy to become disconnected. Not necessarily in a literal sense as most companies today are connected through some sort of mobile technology, but in the sense that it can be challenging to stay in tune with what those workers are thinking and feeling. Even companies with the best of intentions tend to fall short in one of the following categories.
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3 Reasons Technology In Field Service Isn’t As Easy As It Sounds
5/24/2017
With the multitude of technologies available today, it can easily seem easier than it actually is to optimize mobile operations. This is because these new tools are marketed for how exciting, cool, and easy to use they are – and while many of them are all of those things, no technology can be a magic bullet to optimized mobile operations. Here are three of the many reasons why.
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Service Is Becoming Increasingly Strategic — Are You Ready?
5/22/2017
While attending Field Service USA in April, one of the interesting sessions I sat in on was that of Frank Bibens, president of global services at Vertiv. Bibens was speaking about the state of service, and specifically about why — at least for Vertiv — service is becoming increasingly strategic. At this point, for many — if not most — service organizations, the view of service as a cost center is long gone. Organizations have come to recognize the service function’s ability to contribute to revenue, but what Bibens was saying is that service isn’t just a contributing factor of profits — it is a strategic force behind them.
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Field Service Automation Is Never Finished
5/5/2017
In the summer of 2013 and again in November of 2014, Field Technologies interviewed David D. Douglas, VP of service management at Scientific Games, regarding his company’s use of a service management solution from Astea along with iPhones and iPads to optimize its mobile operations. David shared with us an overview of Scientific Games’ field service initiative, and then gave some tips for post-deployment success. Since we last spoke, David has been very busy merging service organizations as Scientific Games has made acquisitions.
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Major Themes At Field Service USA 2017
4/24/2017
I spent last week in sunny Palm Springs soaking up knowledge on the latest field service trends at Field Service USA. Joined by hundreds of field service leaders and dozens of cutting-edge technology providers, the week was spent discussing the topics most relevant to the industry today. While there will be many articles coming along based on conversations I had at the event and lessons learned from sessions I attended, I wanted to quickly recap for you some of the major themes I witness during the event.
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Tips To Keep Your Field Techs Happy
3/22/2017
Why should you care about how happy your field technicians are? Happy techs are more likely to provide the type of service and customer experience you’d like them to, as well as being more inclined to perform at optimal efficiency and to stick around for the long term. Your technicians are really one of your most valuable assets, so putting some time and energy into their job satisfaction is an investment well worth your while. What are some of the ways you can do this? Here are a few tips.
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3 Field Service Mistakes To Avoid In 2017
1/24/2017
Happy New Year! A new year, a new opportunity to consider how you’ll transform your field operation. I may not be able to offer you an individualized plan for exactly how to achieve success, but I can provide insight on a few mistakes to avoid that will certainly inhibit you from accomplishing your goals.
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Have You Mastered Customer Service?
10/25/2016
Most companies would agree that today’s key to field service success is putting your focus on the customer experience. So how do you “master” customer service? Spoiler alert: I don’t really think you can. It’s impossible to master something that is always evolving. That said, here are three important steps that will help to ensure that your organization is providing great customer service and stays competitive in today’s customer-centric world.
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The Value Of Fostering Healthy Field Technician Competition
9/22/2016
As field service operations find themselves in the spotlight as a profit center, companies are looking for ways to incentivize their field technicians to perform at their highest level of productivity. If done well, fostering competition among your field technicians can help to hold them accountable and motivate them to improve performance. However, when done poorly, fostering competition can backfire and cause more harm than good.