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Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Blogs, Field Service Management, Internet Of Things

10 Ways Service and Support Will Change by 2020

The past years have proved to be an exciting and transformative period for the service and support industry. Similar to every other industry, customer experience has prevailed and will continue to in the future as the ultimate differentiator that will drive innovation at a rapid speed. Service providing organizations, globally, are increasingly using field services as a means to please customers.

The Internet of Things, Augmented Reality, and Wearables are said to be altering every industry for quite some time now. The integration of these technologies into the field service domain will lead to revolutionary innovations. It has been predicted that the number of connected devices or things will reach 50 billion by 2020.

Such rapid rise in the IoT Technology will only lead to businesses increasing their adoption rate and leveraging technology in all possible aspects of the business.

Field Service Transformation Predictions

Below are 10 ways the service and support industry is bound to change by 2020:

Artificial Intelligence: Siri, Alexa, and Cortana are examples of digital assistants that are available today. By 2020, 40% of business transactions will be enabled by cognitive/AI personal shoppers reported a recent survey. Face-to-face conversations and telephonic conversations will become the least-used channels in the next five years. Nevertheless, humans will always be needed. However, their role will change. AI will take care of the basic customer care, while humans will remain indispensable for more advanced forms of advice.

Autonomous Vehicles: Although GPS, collision avoidance and related technologies are already available in the latest vehicles, self-driving cars could spend travel time more productively. According to a latest prediction, around 20 million autonomous cars will be on the road by 2025. Prominent organizations like Tesla are leading the way in making autonomous cars a reality.

Drones: Leveraging the drone technology will take the human component out of dangerous service scenarios. It can create a paradigm shift in the field service delivered to areas like construction sites, oil and gas management, telecom industry, etc. Drones can help get an aerial view of sites, plants, pipelines, and disaster areas, etc. Also surveying the land for thermal activity will become easy. Moreover, drones can be used to convey parts and tools from service site whenever needed.

Internet of Things: IoT is having a profound impact on not just every technology-driven industry, but also the daily lives of people across the globe. IoT and the real-time connectivity it offers has led to a massive increase in customer expectations for instant support. This, in turn, has elevated customer demands impacting the field service industry greatly.

Smart Uniforms: Recently Google in association with Levi’s created a smart jacket, which allows the user to connect to and control their smartphones by using the cuff like a touchscreen. This technology, when implemented in the field service industry is bound to be revolutionary. These smart uniforms feature conductive fibers and embedded sensors that can already monitor heart rate, breathing rate, sleeping patterns, calories burned, the intensity of activity, temperature, posture, and muscle movement. A technician wearing these uniforms can read temperature and other environmental factors and easily gauge what might be causing a system problem. Smart hats are already being used in trucking and mining industries. Some can detect signs of fatigue and send alerts to those in risky situations or operate sensitive machinery, while others can detect when the user isn’t moving optimally. Also, Smart gloves could provide feedback to technicians as they make repairs.

Augmented Reality-enabled Wearables: The era of augmented reality is not just a fad anymore as organizations are increasingly implementing AR into their services. A recent report by ABI Research predicts that 21 million AR units will be shipped by 2020. The field service industry stands to benefit greatly from AR. AR-enabled wearables like headsets will help technicians to gather all the information they need for an installation or repair. In addition, clubbing AR with field service management software would connect on-site technicians with more experienced engineers who can supervise and troubleshoot more difficult technical issues.

Robots: A recent report by Gartner predicted that by 2020, an average person will have had more conversations with robots than with their family. In the service and support industry, robots can replace humans to perform jobs efficiently and productively at a faster rate. Integrating field data collection software into robots will make things easier and efficient for the support and service industry as it will offer accurate data.

3D Printing: With this technology now available at a reasonable price, field service organizations can use them to streamline repairs in the field. Rather than order and wait for a part to arrive, the technician could print the parts on demand using a 3D printer installed in the service fan.

Social Media: In today’s mobile-first economy, customers are more connected than ever. They are quick to post reviews about poor experiences or complain directly via messaging apps. The future promises to reduce the barriers to enter a complaint as the functionality of social media evolves. Additionally, increased connectivity translates to greater volumes of inquiries and a growing burden on the customer service teams. How brands address this challenge will be critical in determining the success of their services.

The Gig Economy: The gig economy is a movement that could revolutionize the whole field service management industry. The digital technologies underpinning the gig economy like IoT can help workers become entrepreneurs who will have the freedom to dictate their work on their terms with the help of mobile workforce management software. Skilled workers who have experience in certain sectors can either make extra money in their free time or they can use gig economy as their sole source of income. Leading companies like Uber and Airbnb have laid the blueprint for the other industries to follow. By leveraging independent workers in the gig economy, organizations can help deliver the real-time service that customers now demand.

FieldEZ Embraces All Things Latest

FieldEz offers a field service management software that leverages all latest technologies and introduces automation to your field service management operations. With our software and platform, you automate location, tracking, attendance recording, service dispatch, training, and all other aspects of field service management necessary for you to execute critical service operations.

Field Service Management Software

Field Sales Management Software

June 19, 2018/by fieldez-admin

Artificial Intelligence, Blogs, Field Service Management

Unconventional Ways Artificial Intelligence Drives Business Value

Artificial Intelligence can be seen as the focal point of the evolution of machines. Machine today are learning to perform reasoning and thinking, some aspects that were only previously associated with humans. Businesses in all major industries have started building from the ground up, their AI strategies. According to fresh studies, by 2020, about 57% of businesses will have to know what their buyers need before they even tell them. This should compel businesses today to invest in AI. Buyers of tomorrow will need predictive system capabilities that reduce their part of the job.

There are scores of ways in which Artificial Intelligence is driving the businesses of today. Customers demand to get quality and expectation-exceeding services from all their providers, and companies continuously strive to achieve a balance between customer convenience and data security.

In the field service management space, there is an inevitable need to bet on AI to boost customer satisfaction. Field service management companies are in a frenzy looking out for ways Artificial Intelligence technology can be employed to make their processes efficient and their services productive.

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence in Businesses – The Benefits in Field Service Management

Customer Experience Transformation – When a field service management software leverages AI to perform customer interaction and communications, the customers are left in a state of awe. These days, companies are experimenting with their AI strategies, and in one such use case, companies can track the voice of their customers as they place service calls, and feed that into an AI system. Thereafter, when the same customer calls, they will not have to provide their identity. Their voice will become their identity, and the AI-enabled customer service software will be able to recognize them and address them by their names, without the customer having to as much as introducing herself. If this is not customer experience transformation, what is?

Training and Knowledge Management – In the area of field service management, AI can be used for managing the training of technicians. When technicians conduct a service with high performance, the details, or the video recordings can be fed to an AI-enabled application, which can take out the parts of the service that were truly exceptional. This knowledge and the insights can be used for training purposes. When in a customer service call, a sales rep performs exceptionally well, the call can be used to conduct the training sessions for other reps, so they know what it takes to deliver excellent services. Through effective knowledge management, field service companies can build a better workforce.

Job Scheduling – In a job scheduling software for a field service management business, it is important to dispatch the right talent to the right task. An intelligent system can help businesses classify and segment their resources on the basis of their technical expertise. Using this classification, the AI system can then recommend which technician will perform a particular job in the best manner. Talent management and job scheduling become easier with the AI technology. Not just this, job scheduling also takes into account the customers’ preferences of day and time. According to past data, an AI system can suggest the best service time for each customer, leading a business to deliver better and customized services according to the customer preferences. A field service management software that handles all these aspects in an intelligent manner can become a massive asset for a field service management company.

Mobile Attendance Tracking – With an AI-enabled attendance and leave system, field service managers can know when their technicians are most probable to skip work. This prior knowledge can save a field service management business from running out of technicians, as managers will work to ensure there are enough heads on the team on any given day. Staffing and recruiting processes can also be streamlined through the effective use of AI in tracking the attendance of service professionals. By integrating a mobile attendance tracking software with a service dispatch software, a system can be built that handles the need of technicians on any day without any human intervention. Field service managers will have to worry less about the technicians who have arrived or haven’t shown up, and they will have to worry less about who replace the technicians who couldn’t make it to work.

Mobile Inventory Management – In the field service management space, inventory management is a crucial piece of the business’ puzzle. When the right parts for servicing are not available, field services get delayed, resulting in an unsatisfied customer. With Artificial intelligence, requirement predictions can be made, helping field service managers fill in their inventories effectively. Proper inventory management may lead to better business revenues and enhanced customer satisfaction. Mobile inventory management is, thus, a crucial part of field service management.

The field service management industry is getting better at leveraging Artificial Intelligence for its immense benefits. And, some companies are offering Field Service Management software that are already integrated with the best technologies, including AI.

FieldEZ – Field Service Management Offerings

FieldEZ’s Service Management offering that is AI-based helps companies around the world streamline their business processes and enable their technicians to work in an efficient manner. Predictive maintenance is no longer a thing of the future. They are here in the now, integrated into our Field Service Management software.

We are the partners you were looking for to excel in your field service management business operations.

April 26, 2018/by fieldez-admin

Blogs, Field Service Management

Are you ready for fully automated field service?

Field Service Management is growing at a phenomenal rate, and the buzz in the industry today is about all things connected to the Internet enabling Automation. When a company deploys its employees outside its premises, mostly traveling to various client locations each day, most companies need a system in place to track the status of the operations remotely.

A Field Service Management software does just that. It helps a company tackle the progress of tasks undertaken by company staffs at various field sites. While there is vast applicability of a leading field service automation software in various industries, some of the functional areas include

Telecommunications industry businesses need to keep track of their workforce who install cable or phone lines to business organizations and residences.

In the Healthcare industry, remote healthcare provisions and in-home healthcare provisions require that the healthcare providers’ staff be deployed at the patients’ premises.

In the Oil & Gas utility business, engineers need to work on the sites of gas leakages and perform repairing tasks.

In Mining industry and other such industries, workers are sent to remote locations for their work of maintenance and repair, etc.

Field Service Management becomes an arduous task when company’s employees have to be tracked and updated on-the-go. Most of the businesses even today rely on the traditional paper-based methods. However, the world is moving at a rapid pace, and a study by Gartner has predicted that by 2020, about 10% of the emergency field service work will be scheduled and treated by Artificial Intelligence. Let’s understand how.

How is the Automated Field Service Management Industry Growing?

According to some predictions, the overall field service management market can reach as much as $3.52 billion by the next year. More and more companies are shifting towards the technology-enabled way of managing their field service workers and tasks. These organizations are now shifting from the traditional ways towards a faster and a more efficient tomorrow. Today, almost all of the following use cases can be seen in a standard field service management platform

The Window of Automation in The Field Service Management Industry Zero-touch automation is a mighty mission for all businesses who are developing solutions for the field service management industry. The objective is to build an automated field service solution so that the back office is completely automated with little or no manual intervention.
To align the software solution with the company’s goals, there are technical requirements that need to be addressed. Machine learning and Predictive Analytics are considered to be focal to developing such solutions. It is understood that complete automation may be achievable but not desirable because there is little chance that machinery can replace the speed of the human brain in tackling emergency scenarios and unplanned conditions.
Another study by Gartner has claimed that by 2020, over 75% of field service organizations that employ more than 50 users will deploy mobile applications that will go beyond data collection and will add capabilities that will make field service management better in ways unimaginable.

The Immense Pros of An Automated Field Service Management System Many other aspects of field service automation can be handled through the effective use of advanced technologies. Some of the benefits of leveraging a field service automation system in an enterprise are-

Cost reduction – When a route optimization and dynamic scheduling is carried out for every field service job, companies save significant amounts on fuel and time. This cost reduction is substantial enough to convince enterprises to leverage a field service management system in their premises.

Workforce management – Mobile tracking capabilities enable companies to manage their workforce at a click when they are remotely connected to their field service agents. This ensures better accountability and efficient management of unpredicted problems and delays in the job.

Better success at jobs – When the workforce gets remote access to a knowledge repository, they do their jobs better and faster. With a mobile app, workers can use manuals and diagnostic tools to get the job done in the best way possible.

Improved accounting – Prevents any redundant data entry and ensures the integrity and coherence of data through an online reporting and logging software solution.

Customer Satisfaction – By better managing schedules and resources, field service managers can take care of the appointments and exceed customer expectations. This will lead to stronger customer relationships and better customer retention.

The Prerequisites of Automated Field Service Management If a company decides that automation in its business will highly benefit it, this is what it needs to accomplish before embarking on the journey.

Take care of the data – Data is at the heart of automation. Without the right data capture, management and retrieval capabilities, automation is less of an asset. To leverage predictive analytics capabilities in a business, there is a need for data that is clean and managed.

Integrate facilities – This relates to bringing the data to a single platform. When enterprises integrate systems that manage data and keep all data in one place, Machine Learning capabilities can be leveraged.

Manage Workforce Resistance – It is seen that when a digital change happens in a company, the workforce resists the change. Companies need to ensure that all of their workers are on the same page and share their vision of transforming and automating the business.

To make business faster and its operations smoother, an automated field service management software is crucial.

Making Field Service Workforce Agile and Flexible

The principles of the Agile methodology are few but powerful. It focuses on delivering continuous value to the customer through iterative product development cycles. The focus on customer-centricity is something that field service management can learn from an agile development process. Primarily, the agile methodology is applied to software product development and delivery and is used by several organizations throughout the world for their product research and development.

The Agile mindset has permeated businesses and organizations are eyeing the methodology and wondering where they could make use of the process and benefit from it. According to a recent study, about 71% of organizations use agile for the entirety of their software development projects, or for some. Agile implementations often lead to ground- shattering results as the customer is always satisfied with the pace of development and the status of the deliverables.

However, agile implementations fail sometimes. According to a survey of these failed agile projects, about 63% of participants revealed a clash between Agile methodology’s principles and their business’ culture was the reason for the failure. When companies fail to adopt the Agile principles of development and delivery in its entirety, things fall apart.

In the field service management space, there are continuous advancements towards automation and customer-centric experiences. Manual services are prevalent today, but field service management companies are placing huge bets on leading technologies in hopes for an automated tomorrow!
Field service leaders and managers want to consider automating parts of the field service operations before hiring new talent as the current workforce ages and retires.

Agility as Part of The On-Demand Field Service Space

On-demand technology and services compel organizations to rise to the need and become responsive to the rapidly-changing demands in the field service space. Operational agility has become a priority for personnel in field service management. Before considering the cost of operations, companies are trying to understand the strategy they should opt for the processes.

Bringing flexibility into business will be difficult, but worth the time and cost for field service companies. As agility becomes a centre point for all operations, organizations will think of newer ways to do the same tasks that could add the flexible factor to their operations. According to a study, about 73% of enterprises today employ newer methods of getting work done. As more and more field service management enterprises put this question up- “How can do this better to introduce agility?”, more and more changes will continue to happen in the way operations are carried out in businesses.

Agility and the Competitive Edge

Agile methods and processes do not just allow a business to thrive, but help companies to keep up with ever-evolving technologies and advancements. Particularly in the service sector, and especially in the area concerning field service, agility in business can prove to be the competitive edge for any enterprise. Provided the flexibility is driven internally with scalability in mind, the aspects of agility should be introduced to all facets of any field service business. When changes will be business-wide, all areas of the business will be positively impacted, and the direct results will be measurable in terms of customer satisfaction, improved customer retention, etc.

An integrated service-oriented customer-centered field service management software can be the answer to the woes of the companies looking for an easier way to find flexibility in their processes. For greater consistency, improved operation, and faster processes, such software will act as a catalyst and an enabler, changing the way companies operate, forever!

Operational Visibility with An Agility-Centered Software

An integrated platform that improves business process will also enable companies to get a wide look at their operations and identify improvement areas that can be made still more flexible. An organization-wide agile development and service software will not just offer enterprises better visibility of their operations, but a better view of the field too. Right from taking a call to managing the finances, each step is properly documented, managed, and tracked to offer accessibility at any point during the entire service cycle. Organizations get the documentation of daily activities and the business intelligence required for forecasting the trends for tomorrow.

Through an agile service providing system, field service management companies can move a step closer to automation and optimization, while leveraging usability and configurability of processes. As customers demand field services instantly when, if not before they need it, it is vital for businesses to exceed their expectations through better
flexibility in their operations and service delivery.

Mobility Coupled With Agility

A smartphone is the single most important gadget for any customer today, and people want access to their most vital tasks and data through their mini-screen devices. When it comes to field service, there are many levels on which mobility can benefit operations and add the agility factor to field service business processes. Here are some of these:

 Faster response times can be assured when field service agents are not tied to the office but can take up service requests on-the-go.

 Improved collaboration between managers and peers while they are on a field service job is another added advantage of introducing mobility in field service.

 Critical knowledge and tools can be accessed from anywhere when mobility becomes the center stage of operations, exhibiting agility.

 With improved business operations comes the benefit of customer satisfaction as businesses are able to deliver services rapidly and accurately.

April 9, 2018/0 Comments/by fieldez-admin

Augmented Reality, Blogs, Field Service Management

Which Trends are Shaping the Future of Field Service Management?

Through state-of-the-art field service management software, companies have begun managing their on-field personnel with ease and efficiency. In this world where we have more and more choices for products and services, customer service plays an important role. According to a recent survey, about 97% customers revealed that the customer service was an integral aspect of their loyalty towards a brand.

Another study confirmed the fact stated above, revealing that about 64% customers have switched their service providers in at least one industry, owing to poor customer service. Field Service Management software improve on-field workers’ efficiencies, productivity, and expertise, the direct impact of which can be felt by the customer.

With a service maintenance software, companies can tackle service requests even before they are made. Latest technologies and trends play a vital role here when exceptional customer service is concerned.

The future of Field Service Management points us to the extensive yet balanced use of technologies and customer-facing processes that will improve customer-centricity and thereby enhance the end-users’ experiences.

The Trends At the Focal of Change in Field Service Management

• Customer Experience – All the major advancements in the leading businesses today revolve around the sole idea of improving the customers’ experiences through excellent customer service. Field Service organizations that employ services management software aim to make their processes transparent allowing customers higher visibility into their service methods. Businesses are trying to notify customers when their field services are due so that customers can reschedule through emails, text messages, or chat messages if need be. Another possible provision to enhance transparency in field service processes is to allow customers to track the location of the field service agent on the scheduled day of service so they can estimate the exact time when the service agent is expected to arrive. About 73% of customers believe that the most important thing a company can take care of to provide good customer service is the customer’s time.

• Operational Productivity – Technologies in the field service management space make it possible for field service providers to improve their on-site efficiencies through AI and ML-enabled applications integrated into their field service management software. Predictions of an impending field service requirements can be made through the effective use of data, and service scheduling decisions can be left to the software for better predictions. In a similar way, other technologies like AR, IoT, and mobile technologies are being employed by field service companies in a bid to do a lot with less!

• Operational Agility – We are in the booming zone of the Gig Economy, where on-demand services are offered by organizations. Operational agility or flexibility in the business will enable field service companies to scale up and down as and when the demand does. Even if the services are effectively being provided by a third-party, businesses can better manage the personnel and workmen when they have contracted another business in the wake of a high demand.

• Data reigns supreme – Customers compare their field service experiences to those they get from Amazon, Flipkart, etc. That said, there is a rising need for personalized brand experiences and engagements in the field service management space. Customer data flows in from a variety of channels today such as- email, social media, mobile phones, etc., and companies need to create a holistic analysis of each customer’s data by creating a complete view of the customer’s experiences across channels. When the data is properly analyzed and decisions for marketing, sales, and communications are based on it, customer services will see a rapid growth. Since customers today expect their communications and experiences to be personalized, data becomes focal to fathom the customer’s behavior patterns and customize their experience accordingly.

• Mobility – Mobile is the key to field service as the number of connected mobile devices is expected to witness a 100% increase to about 50 billion by 2020 from what it was in 2015. Field service organization that will stay ahead of the mobility curve will pull ahead of those who won’t. More than 62 percent of field service leaders today, leverage an enterprise BYOD strategy in their companies. Not just mobile phones, but wearables will also gain a deeper adoption this year, becoming another mobility aspect that field service management companies will have to cater to. Augmented Reality glasses will improve on-site field service agents’ efficiency and will make training processes easier.

About 92 percent of field service executives feel the need for adapting the service models to customers’ needs. When field service software solutions have embraced all the trends mentioned above and have become tech-savvy, to say the least, field services will be transformed forever.

FIELDEZ RANKED NO.1 IN CAPTERRA’S TOP 20 FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

Capterra, a Gartner company announced that FieldEZ ranks No.1 in the list of ‘Top 20 Most Affordable Field Service Management Software‘. Capterra provides guidance to organizations globally in finding the right software.

“We are truly honored to be listed as No.1 in this category. Receiving a score of 96 out of 100 is due recognition of our customers’ continued faith in our FSM offerings, and the efforts put in by our Product and R&D teams to package a user-friendly and feature-rich solution that offers the best value at the right price,” said Midhun Subramanian, CMO of FieldEZ. “The true value of the product comes from the breadth and depth of offerings that appeal to both large enterprises as well as SMBs, which relate to Field Service Management, Sales Force Automation and CRM, Field Analytics, Attendance, Inventory and Expense management.

The “Top 20 Most Affordable Field Service Management software” is an independent assessment that evaluates the standard features offered by the product, cost of these features and customer reviews on feature fit, value, and quality. The list is a comprehensive analysis of more than 300 field force automation players worldwide, based on in-depth evaluation of various metrics. The Top 20 Most Affordable Field Service Management software list is available at https://goo.gl/1G9eJS

FieldEZ also recently launched its intelligent automatic scheduling system, aided by advanced analytics, IoT integration and AI capabilities. “With the launch of these intelligent systems, we are aggressively expanding to the EMEA and APAC markets, leveraging our success stories in the US, UK and India. Our recent large customer wins in the Telecom, Consumer Durables and Healthcare Equipment space further consolidates our presence in these markets and reinforces FieldEZ’s digital transformation expertise across industries ” added Midhun.

About FieldEZ: FieldEZ Technologies is a leading provider of Field Service Management and Digital Transformation solutions. FieldEZ products and services are used by Fortune 100 companies as well as SMEs to enhance their business value, operational efficiency and customer experience. Founded in 2011, FieldEZ Technologies is backed by IvyCap Ventures.

About Capterra: Capterra is the world’s leading free software discovery and reviews platform, where the organization of all types and sizes start their search. Founded in 1999, Capterra was acquired in 2015 by Gartner, Inc. Capterra.com features the largest online collection of software user reviews and research across hundreds of categories. Every year, Capterra helps millions of buyers find the right software for their business.

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