Technology isn’t new – it’s what makes things new. It’s like that old BASF television commercial – “We don’t make the products you buy; we make the products you buy better.” Well, for field service management (FSM) in general, and the services industry in particular, technology is the primary thing that makes the services you sell better – and more profitable, too. But there’s more to FSM than merely applying the right technology.
The front-line field force is often held as being the face of the organization, or to a degree, the best link to the customer a service organization or manufacturer has. Field technicians' daily interactions with customers are viewed by those of us who are passionate about field service as the cornerstone of the customer relationship, which adds value to the customer experience. But too often it ends there, with puffery or marketing speak.
Optimization of the customer experience carries with it a plethora of opportunities and challenges for an organization. One challenge is managing omni-channel communication with customers, which savvy service organizations leverage to manage customer conversations to reduce friction for their customers and outpace their competition. In fact, 51 percent of companies surveyed by Aberdeen use at least eight channels to interact with customers.
The most disruptive and compelling technology that will facilitate better service to customers from a predictive enablement perspective is the Internet of Things (IoT). This refers to connecting any device with power to the Internet. It includes phones, household appliances, automobiles, machinery, medical instruments, and almost any electronic device you can think of. To understand the magnitude of this technology, Gartner predicts that, by 2020, there will be more than 26 billion connected IoT devices.
The “People, Process, Technology” framework has effectively guided many initiatives and projects over the years and produced valuable data for reports and business metrics. Now, we are innovating the service delivery process with artificial intelligence, the use of drones, smart devices, and sensors which make data collection and analysis a design element to change the service delivery process.
Product-oriented businesses review and value their “product roadmap”. The vitality of a product-based company depends on the on-going development of a product roadmap and continuous innovation. Future market growth and company valuation are, in part, determined by this roadmap.
Global enterprise software vendor IFS unveiled its 2018 financial figures in January, reporting a net revenue growth of 23 percent in its first year under new CEO Darren Roos. Field Technologies Online spoke to Roos (an SAP veteran) about the company’s growth and the importance of the company’s field service management business.
Customer service expectations have changed dramatically over the past decade as more consumers have embraced the type of on-demand, instant-gratification approach of companies like Uber, Amazon, and Apple. For field service organizations, that means customers (and employees, for that matter) have high expectations when it comes to timeliness, reliability, visibility, and communication.
Forklift dealer MH Equipment used customized software and rugged tablets to eliminate manual data entry while streamlining work order, time card, and inventory processes.
Think about what you don’t know to insulate your field service management technology purchase from obsolescence.
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