As 2017 draws to a close, we’re reflecting on all of the FSM related blog posts we’ve read this year. Here’s just a small sample of the Gogh Solutions’ team’s favourite reads, including some thought provoking insights, new research data as well as a few predictions for future trends in the industry.
- Digitial revolution
“Uberization” and “servitization” have become buzzwords of the year, with many blog posts on the topic of digital transformation as a strategy for growth, innovation and improved customer experience. In their blog post, IFS reveals that according to the latest figures from researcher Raconteur, there’s still a lot of room for improvement:
“28% of field service organizations (FSOs) are failing to attain at least 80% service level agreement (SLA) compliance, with 66% of these organizations also citing concern or serious concern over their current cost model.” Raconteur
- Generational change
There’s a lot of concern about the potential negative impact of an aging field service workforce and the impending retirement of baby boomers will have on service organizations. It’s not all doom and gloom though. Field service news examines why tech savvy, multi-tasking millennials, are actually a perfect fit for field service.
“70% of service organizations are concerned about the knowledge loss from a retiring field workforce” The Service Council
- Customer experience
“Field Service is becoming the face of your company”. We couldn’t have said it any better! This post from Forrester, outlines the importance of extending customer self-service, improving service delivery and how field service customer interactions are the most personal channel for customer engagement.
“41% of US online adults prefer to use digital customer service rather than speak with a live person on the phone. This is a win-win: Customers receive service with less friction, and companies contain costs by deflecting agent-assisted interactions.” Forrester
- Technicians as sales people
We recently touched upon this subject in our own blog post, and it’s a question we see repeated often: should you be using your technicians as sales people? A panel of experts at Field Service News discuss the pros and cons of this approach.
“Best-in-class firms (top 20%) were twice as likely as peers to incentivize technicians to identify cross-sell and up-sell opportunities. These same best-in-class firms realized a 7% year over year increase in service revenue, compared to 3% for average (middle 50%) and 1% for laggards (bottom 20%) of companies.” Aberdeen
- Technological innovation
Drone technologies, wearables, augmented reality, robotics…sounds more like science fiction perhaps than the future of field service? This blog clearly explains how drones and wearables can be leveraged to gather data, reduce costs, ensure safety, as well as optimize processes and increase efficiency. You can also watch this video from IFS demonstrating how drones have the potential to transform filed service operations.
“Virtual and augmented reality will be an $80 billion market by 2025.” Goldman Sachs
- Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is set to be the next big thing for improving field service. This post from Forbes, explains how AI will take scheduling, work assignment and maintenance to the next level. Advancements in both preventative and predictive maintenance reduces asset downtime and extends machine lifetimes.
“The Industrial IoT market is worth $11 trillion and predictive maintenance can help companies save $630 billion over the next 15 years” Manufacturing Business Technology
- Outcome-based service
More and more, technology like IoT is facilitating outcome-based service models in field service in a way that manual processes never could. Although technically not a blog post, this webinar that does a great job of explaining how outcome based services versus traditional break fix services, help to meet the ever rising expectations of customers and enhance revenue.
- Metrics that matter
OK, so we’re blowing our own horn here with our own blog post, but metrics really do matter, after all, you can’t improve what you don’t measure! With technology enabled data points, field service tools have changed the way companies measure KPIs.
Want to find out more about metrics? Watch our on-demand video here.
- Mobile
The Service Council reminds us that while AR, AI and IoT might be currently peaking in Gartners’ hype cycle for emerging technologies in 2017, mobile continues to be the most transformative technology for field service organizations.
- Field Service Technology Predictions
Looking to the future, Field Service Matters, sums up some predictions for what the field service landscape might look like in 2020. From smart uniforms, to autonomous vehicles and 3D printing, these technologies look set to have a further part to play in field service in the years to come.
“By 2040, autonomous vehicles are expected to comprise around 25% of the global market” Brookings Institute
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