The global Field Service Management (FSM) segment has reinvented itself several times over the years, from break/fix, to network services, to software support, to predictive diagnostics, and more. However, the introduction of the Internet of Things (IoT) is having a much greater and more profound impact on the global services community than anything that has preceded it. FSOs will be increasingly behind the technology curve if they do not leverage IoT-powered FSM capabilities – or…
Spoiler alert: there’s no secret. Success in digital transformation comes from a lot of hard work. Sadly, many organizations either don’t realize the legwork that goes into digital transformation or think they can cut corners without feeling the impact. As Jack Rijnenberg, director of global customer service at Markem-Imaje will attest to, the only true path to a successful digital transformation is through the hard work – you can’t cut around it. Markem-Imaje is a Dover…
As I approach 11 years in this industry, I can’t help but reflect back on not only my personal journey but all of the ways in which the industry has progressed. What strikes me is the realization that we’ve finally arrived in the future of field service! My early days were filled with writing articles on real-time knowledge transfer, the use of field mobility, and integration of GPS data. A few years later it was IoT’s early coverage (then referred to as M2M).
Gosiger’s business transformation included investment in a field service management system that, through efficiency gains, gives the company the capacity to take on an additional $2.6 million in service work each year. Gosiger, a 90-year-old family-owned and operated machine tool distributor and manufacturing solutions provider headquartered in Dayton, OH, delivers machine tool solutions — including high-performance machines, engineering, service, support, and parts — in 13 states. The company employs 185 service technicians who install and…
According to a report released by Field Technologies in November, improving customer experience was reported the #1 strategic initiative for 76 percent of service organizations surveyed. While some of these field service organizations are really embracing CX and implementing a true strategy, others I’ve encountered know that CX is something they should be focusing on, so they claim to have a “CX focus” without much actual strategy or action behind it. Schindler Elevator Corporation is a great…
According to IDC’s Top 10 2019 Predictions for Digital Transformation, at least 55% of organizations will be digitally determined, transforming markets and re-imagining the future through new business models and digitally enabled products and services, by 2020. Konica Minolta Healthcare Americas, Inc. is one company that is leading the way. Konica Minolta Healthcare Americas, Inc., headquartered in Wayne, NJ, is focused on imaging technologies including digital radiography, ultrasound, healthcare IT, and service solutions. In the…
Few of my conversations with field service leaders over the past year haven’t touched on the immense struggle of recruiting and hiring field technicians. In all service verticals, but particularly those more mechanical in nature versus technical in nature, the lack of capable and willing labor is keeping people up at night. As such, some organizations are turning to a contingent workforce model to supplement their internal teams. Other companies that are introducing new service…
Service Parts Logistics Management represents the largest investment and second largest operating expense within an Aftermarket Service or Field Service Organization (FSO). Service parts also represents one of the most critical resources required for ensuring high first-time fix rates and recurring revenue. Therefore, anything that a FSO can do to improve the productivity, efficiency, or quality of the service parts logistics pipeline will have a dramatic positive impact of financial performance and customer satisfaction. To…
I was reading a Forrester 2019 Customer Experience (CX) predictions blog last week and this quote stuck out to me, “Meanwhile, customer expectations have been rising slowly but steadily. In the current favorable economy, it’s likely that this movement will continue, pressuring firms to improve CX just to keep from falling back even further. It’s like what the Red Queen said in Through the Looking-Glass: ‘. . . it takes all the running you can…
Bob Latvis has a long history in field service. He started as a field technician at Cox Communications more than 30 years ago and worked his way up through the ranks to serve as the Regional VP of Field Operations at Cox before taking a role as the Regional VP of Technical Operations at Comcast Cable. As a leader within these organizations, Latvis has always focused on being accessible and authentic – traits that have…
