In this exclusive article for Field Service News, Craigh Greenhalgh, Research Analyst at Comparesoft, offers an analysis of field service management software available today and how businesses need to embrace digital transformation to gain a competitive edge.

We are at the peak of an evolutionary leap into the digital age with more than half of today’s businesses connected to the Internet of Things (IoT).

Entire industries are transforming to capitalise on the advances in field service management software and gain a competitive edge – increasing efficiency, slashing costs and meeting market demand for quicker and more comprehensive services.

Businesses still operating in the paper age must adapt soon if they are to survive the world’s transition into a brutal new age of cut-throat digital commerce.

Here’s how it all began, along with some insightful facts and figures on the shape of things to come in the immediate future of field service management.

how the internet of things came of age

The term Internet of Things (IoT) was introduced in 1999 by British technologist Kevin Ashton to describe networks and platforms which connect humans and the objects they interact with.Uptake was slow at first but increasing cross-industry dependence on intelligent software and smart devices has spurned explosive IoT growth over the past five years.

The number of publicly known IoT platforms has doubled to 620 since 2015, now connecting more than 22 billion devices around the world, according to data gathered at the end of 2019.That growth is expected to continue exponentially with increasing demand for smarter asset management, in the field and on factory floors, to help us humans make informed decisions from a distance – decisions that can save money and even lives.Market analysts say the trend is heading towards 50 billion devices connected to the IoT by 2030 with the total volume of data being stored and transferred in the region of 100 zettabytes (Zbs).

Iot roots blossom into a trillion-dollar market

As a result, worldwide spending on the hardware and software connecting the Internet of Things is projected to hit US$1.1 trillion by 2023.

A significant sign of the paradigm shift underway from old to new management tools is that even the worldwide agricultural IoT market accounts for a whopping $30-billion slice of that trillion-dollar pie.Consumer spending on smart home systems worldwide hit US$ 115 billion in 2020 and is expected to rise to at least $150 billion over the next two years.On top of that, the IoT analytics market is projected to be worth more than $500 billion in the same period.On the mobile hardware development front, Panasonic is one of the many manufacturers tapping into the industrial IoT market. As seen with the launch of mobile devices aimed specifically at supporting the field service management sector. The rugged handheld Android devices come with an ANSI rating for hazardous locations. They also feature barcode and magstripe readers.

how businesses are benefitting from better field service management software

These unprecedented advances in the abilities of artificial intelligence have given birth to legions of industry-specific software solutions created to capitalise on this interconnectivity of emerging technologies. Here’s how progressive businesses are benefiting from smarter field management software solutions:

Increasing Productivity

Workers using mobile devices connected to warehouse inventory management software are much more productive. Zebra Technologies Corporation is arming warehouse workers with wearable tech, including head-mounted displays and ring scanners, which is claimed to increase productivity by 24%.

Meeting Customer Expectations & Boosting Brand Loyalty

Customer demands are the same across the board – from retail consumers tracking delivery packages in their living rooms to engineers collaborating on industrial megaprojects. They all expect instant access to real-time information to make informed decisions.

Cutting Unnecessary Costs

Cost savings with fluid asset management is a hugely beneficial side effect of using field service management software solutions. You save time and labour costs with instant updates from assets in the field, which helps schedule preventative maintenance and mitigate future repair costs.

Improving Workplace Safety

Human error is reduced with artificial intelligence in charge. Managers can take preventative measures to drastically reduce risks of breakdowns and accidents based on data from real-time measurements and calculations made remotely in the field.

Streamlining Accounting

Software and apps that can learn about your accounting requirements help keep your operations in compliance with local and regional regulations. Instant accounting also means shorter billing cycles and better cash flow management.

What are your options for field service management?

Today’s field service management solutions are a combination of hardware and software that provide a virtual workspace with cloud computing that can be accessed by tens of thousands of users at the same time from almost any location.The range of solutions is vast and often confusing. Field service managers need to consider their options depending on their company’s unique needs, budget and existing infrastructure.Digital field service management solutions are usually packaged and labelled in one or more of the following three ways:

IaaS - Infrastructure as a Service

Hardwired hardware in the form of servers and digital data storage space. The hardware can be physically located at your offices as an ‘on-premise’ network. The off-premise alternative is to pay for the use of servers operated by third-party data centres that provide cloud services available over the Internet. Examples include Amazon EC2, Google Compute Engine, Rackspace and Windows Azure.Massive cost savings is the main advantage for field service managers opting to outsource IaaS as there is no initial outlay for expensive hardware, no excessive power costs and no need to employ a dedicated IT team round the clock at your own premises.

PaaS - Platform as a Service

Developers use IaaS data centres to build, operate and host computing platforms ‘in the cloud’ that are accessible to designated users. The platforms make software tools available over the internet for a broad spectrum of industries.Apps, interfaces and operating systems can be built and used on these platforms, which these days can handle a variety of computer languages to store, manipulate and display data on almost any device.

Popular platforms include AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Windows Azure, Heroku, Force.com, Google App Engine and Apache Stratos

PaaS - Platform as a Service

Also referred to as ‘enterprise software’, SaaS solutions piggyback on the infrastructure and platforms as a service (IaaS and PaaS) mentioned above.Using third-party software as a service gives you a complete package of field service management solutions hosted in the cloud on remote servers and accessible over the internet.Everyday examples of SaaS in the virtual workplace include Google Apps, Dropbox, Salesforce, Cisco WebEx, Concur and GoToMeeting.The major advantage for managers using SaaS is not being responsible for any hardware or software maintenance, meaning massive cost savings and fewer headaches. The biggest challenge is deciding which software service to use that best suits your needs.

5 types of field service management software

Field service management software solutions fall into five broad categories, each helping organizations manage various types of ‘assets’, which could be anything supporting operations such as buildings, machinery, vehicles, warehouse stock, raw materials or even human resources.Advanced SaaS solutions also allow you to tie in accounting operations to help shorten billing cycles by creating core financial reports in real-time such as profit and loss accounts, balance sheets and cash flow statements.Each of the five types of field management software listed below was developed for industry-specific purposes but their functions frequently overlap.

1. Asset Management Software

Used for tracking, accounting, inventory management and scheduling for a wide range of assets, including properties and facilities, equipment and machinery, IT hardware, software tools and apps, infrastructure assets, fleet assets and so on

2. CMMS Software

Computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) are used to plan and schedule preventative and predictive maintenance as well as streamline reactive maintenance, especially for bespoke infrastructure and fleet operations.

3. Enterprise Asset Management Software

Enterprise asset management (EAM) software applications cover more aspects than maintenance schedules to maximise worker efficiency and minimise costs with features such as labour and materials management, access on mobile devices and work order management.

4. IT Asset Management Software

Software tools and apps in house and in the cloud to manage employee and IT department hardware.

5. Asset Tracking Software

Tracking the location and status of assets as well as information on who’s using them. Ideal for operations where assets are being moved about inside premises or in and out of premises.

survival of the fittest

The future success of field service management operations in 21st-century industries will be defined by how well they adapt to market demands. Only the fittest will survive by choosing the right tools to avoid becoming fossilised in a bygone era.

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Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Connect with Craig Greenhalgh and Comparesoft on LinkedIn @ www.linkedin.com/comparesoft
• Find out more about Comparesoft @ www.comparesoft.com
• Follow Comparesoft on Twitter @ twitter.com/comparesoft

 

In a new series of excerpts from a recent white paper published by Aquant we uncover how field service organisations and their workforce (really) measure up, and provide an analysis of how to use hidden KPI data to cut service costs and improve delivery...

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Want to know more? Field Service News Subscribers can access a White Paper on this topic on the link below.

If you have yet to subscribe click the button below to join 30K of your field service management professional peers and subscribe now to access this content and our entire premium content library now!

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Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content Aquant who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this white paper, as per the terms and conditions of your subscription agreement which you opted into in line with GDPR regulations and is an ongoing condition of subscription.

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WHAT KPI MEASUREMENT DOES AND DOESN'T TELL US

Sarah Nicastro, IFS, reflect’s on the recently published Gartner 2020 Magic Quadrant for Field Service Management and the positive trends it shows for our industry...

The Gartner 2020 Magic Quadrant for Field Service Management is a highly-anticipated piece of research each year, both for the vendors hoping they’ve achieved a prominent placement and for those in the industry who rely on the Magic Quadrant to help steer their technology investments for the upcoming year(s).

As I read through the Gartner 2020 Magic Quadrant for Field Service Management, I was impressed by the progress the report illustrated not only as it relates to the technology provided by the vendors evaluated but by the statistics that painted a picture of significant progress by service organisations.

I’ve been interviewing service leaders from businesses across a wide variety of industries for more than twelve years. What has been clear to me over the past few years is the seismic shift taking place as service becomes a strategic differentiator for businesses in almost every industry. My personal collection of conversation after conversation reveals immense progress is reflected in some of the research shared in the Gartner 2020 Magic Quadrant for Field Service Management.  

OUTCOMES-BASED SERVICE TAKES HOLD

In Gartner’s strategic planning assumptions, shared at the beginning of the report, Gartner states that, “By 2025, over 50% of equipment manufacturers will offer outcomes-based service contracts that rely on access to digital twin data, up from less than 20% in 2019.”  

In a later section of the report that shares survey results from 84 customers of 14 vendors evaluated, Gartner reveals that, “One third of respondents are already using this model, up from 19%, and 34% intend to offer this model within the next 12 to 24 months.” We know that Servitization and outcomes-based service are the future – but we also know they are not easy evolutions and take time.  

SOFTWARE USE ADVANCES TO MEET SERVICE NEEDS

As service organisations continue on the path to outcomes-based service, more advanced technologies must enable the delivery of those outcomes. The software vendors featured on the Gartner 2020 Magic Quadrant for Field Service Management have evolved quite a bit over the last couple with some of the solutions becoming simultaneously more sophisticated and simpler to use.  

Gartner shares two other strategic planning assumptions that reflect more advanced technology demands. First, “By 2025, 50% of field service management deployments will include mobile augmented reality collaboration and knowledge sharing tools – up from less than 10% in 2019.” We’ve seen even more enthusiastic adoption of AR since COVID-19 struck and I wouldn’t be surprised if the number in 2025 is even higher than 50%.  

In the survey of 84 customers from the 14 vendors, 64% of respondents are using or plan to use knowledge management within 12 months. Both AR and knowledge management hold great potential in a number of critical areas for field service organisations: improving customer experience, increasing productivity, more efficient training, and the prevention of loss of uncaptured knowledge as older workers retire.  

Gartner also shared that “algorithms and bots will schedule over two-thirds of field service work for field service providers dependent on automated schedule optimisation, up from less than 25% in 2019.” In the survey results, Gartner revealed that “Sixty-three percent of the respondents (up from 39%) indicated that they were already offering their customers a means to self-serve.”  

Moreover, the report states that “In 2017, Gartner predicted that, by 2020, 10% of emergency field service work would be both triaged and scheduled by AI, up from less than 1% in 2017. Of the surveyed reference customers this year, 23% indicated that they already schedule some work automatically.” Respondents also stated that “the overall average number of technicians handled by each dispatcher was 47, compared with the 21 reported by respondents to the survey conducted for the 2019 Magic Quadrant.”  

We see here an interest and readiness from field service organisations to leverage more advanced tools, which I believe stems from a recognition that doing so is essential in order to remain competitive and successful.  

It’s also interesting to keep in mind that much of the work for this report was completed prior to the real impact of COVID-19. While the challenges of the pandemic are vast, I do also believe that once we’ve recovered, we will see an acceleration of innovation among field service organisations because navigating the challenges has resulted in more openness to change, increased agility, and greater recognition of the importance of technology.

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Further Reading:

• Read more about Gartner’s Benchmarking Work in the Field Service Sector @ www.gartner.com/field-service-management
• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Connect with Sarah Nicastro @ www.linkedin.com/sarahhowland/
• Read more exclusive Field Service News articles from Sarah Nicastro @ www.fieldservicenews.com/sarah-nicastro
• Find out more about the services IFS offer to field service organisations @ https://www.ifs.com/uk/solutions/service-management/
• Follow IFS on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/IFSUK

As one of the most severely affected places by COVID-19, the Government of the Piedmont Region in Italy requested that the B-LiFE (Biological Light Field Laboratory for Emergencies) service was deployed in the area since June to carry out vital COVID-19 diagnostic tests.

Using its advanced mobile laboratory, the mission of the B-LiFE department was to carry out a large number of COVID-19 tests for first responders, civil protection, health personnel, police and volunteers.

The deployment of B-LiFE is led by the Centre for Applied Molecular Technologies of UCLouvain (Catholic University of Louvain) with the support of ESA (European Space Agency), the Luxembourg Government and its Ministry of Defence. B-LiFE's partners in this humanitarian mission are Belgian companies Eonix and Nazka Mapps, Luxembourg companies’ SES and GovSat, and French company ETELM.

 

ETELM AND B-LIFE PARTNERED UP TO PROVIDE CRITICAL COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT IN ONE OF THE REGIONS WORST AFFECTED BY THE PANDEMIC

B-LiFE was developed as part of the ESA Space Solutions programme (formerly known as IAP-ARTES 20), with the participation of Belgium and Luxembourg. The integration of satellite and terrestrial telecommunications, information management, earth observation, location management and real-time epidemiological mapping allows B-LiFE to be deployed very quickly, autonomously and as close as possible to a crisis zone.

Mobile laboratories have become extremely important during the COVID-19 pandemic. B-LiFE is one of the most advanced mobile laboratories in the world and has been operational since 2014 when it was successfully deployed in Guinea during the Ebola outbreak. It is integrated and certified in the European Civil Protection Mechanism (EUCPM)

ETELM, a partner of B-LiFE, has made a critical contribution to the initiative in supplying telecommunications services. It has enabled the integration of TETRA and LTE terrestrial telecommunications capabilities into the satellite terminal provided by SES, GovSat and the Luxembourg Ministry of Defence. This work was necessary to ensure full autonomy during a crisis situation and to enable interoperability with local emergency services.

ETELM's 4GLinked Unified Mobile Platform has been successfully deployed and tested to support B-LiFE laboratory operations, including PMR TETRA and LTE base stations. ETELM's participation in the B-LiFE mission in the Piedmont Region, and the successful use of its equipment and service, ensures the company’s ongoing partnership with B-LiFE.

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Further Reading:

• Learn more about ETELM  @ www.etelm.fr
• Find out more about B-LIFE @ www.blife.it
• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about Covid-19 on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/covid-19
• Follow ETELM on Twitter @ twitter.com/ETELM2

 

On 24 September 2020, Keolis, in partnership with Urban ICT Arena, Telia, Ericsson Intel and T-engineering, launched a new autonomous self-driving, electric minibus trial in Stockholm, Sweden, using 5G technology to remotely control and supervise the vehicle.

This trial aims to explore the safe introduction of self-driving autonomous electric vehicles in complex urban areas with a view to optimising route planning and traffic.

The trial will be conducted in Royal Djurgården, one of the country's most popular tourist destinations, from 24 September to 8 October 2020. The autonomous minibus, which will drive along a 1.6 km route, will serve the National Museum of Science and Technology, the Maritime Museum, the Nordic Museum and Vasa Museum.

To mark the launch, an inauguration ceremony took place in Djurgården, attended by Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland, Anders Ygeman, the Swedish Minister for Energy and Digital Development, Kristoffer Tamsons, Regional Minister for Transport of the Stockholm Region and Chairman of Stockholm Public Transport, Daniel Helldén, Deputy Mayor of the Traffic Division in Stockholm, and Bernard Tabary, CEO International at Keolis Group.

"Since the launch of the world’s first driverless metro in Lille (France) in 1983, Keolis has been drawing on its expertise as a pioneer in autonomous mobility to make shared mobility smarter, more connected and more sustainable. This ground-breaking trial in collaboration with our key partners constitutes another important step forward," says Bernard Tabary, CEO International at Keolis. "We’re pleased to be conducting this trial in Sweden, where we already have a strong presence through our subsidiary Keolis Sverige and carry 730,000 passengers per day."

An important step in preparing for full autonomy in collaboration with key partners

This trial illustrates Keolis’ leadership in the operation of autonomous vehicles. In 2016, the Keolis Group launched a trial of the first autonomous vehicles in Lyon, France. Since then, it has operated autonomous vehicles in Australia, Belgium, Canada, the USA and the UK, carrying 200,000 passengers and covering over 100,000 km.

The pilot project at Djurgården explores how a system with 5G-connected vehicles, which are monitored by a control tower remotely, can facilitate the safe introduction of self-driving electric buses in more complex and demanding urban areas. Benefits of such a system include improved route planning and traffic flows, reduced operational costs and pollution and a more reliable, accessible form of public transport for passengers.

The unique technical features of the 5G network, including extremely high data speeds combined with low latency, mean that the connected buses can respond in real time to commands from the centralised control tower. This is a prerequisite for the safe remote control of vehicles and an important step in moving the driver from the bus into the control tower.

Keolis and Ericsson, which provides the technology for the connected control tower, initiated the project following demonstrations of remote control 5G vehicles in 2019 at the UITP exhibition in Stockholm and at the RNTP exhibition in Nantes.

Telia is providing 5G connectivity in collaboration with Ericsson. Intel is delivering processing power to both the IT system in the vehicles and the control tower, as well as the mobile network. The vehicle, which is equipped with self-driving technology, is provided by the Swedish technology firm T-engineering. It features seven seats and will drive at a maximum speed of 18km/h.

Commercial services run from Monday to Friday, between 8 am and 10 am and 2 pm and 4 pm, and feature a safety driver present in the vehicle at all times. The trial ends on 8 October and will be continued in Kista Science City. The aim of this trail will be to pilot the vehicle from a control tower without an operator on board. In parallel with the Swedish trial, Keolis is testing fully autonomous vehicles at a site closed to traffic in Châteauroux in France.

 

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Further Reading:

• Learn more about Keolis  @ www.keolis.com
• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about 5G Technology on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/5G
• Follow Keolis on Twitter @ twitter.com/groupekeolis

 

EIT Digital-supported innovation activity Last Mile Autonomous Delivery (LMAD) has developed a software platform to operate multiple types of autonomous delivery robots (ADRs).After operating the solution at Nokia's Paris-Saclay campus in France, the LMAD startup, which has been incorporated to commercialise the solution, has recently successfully operated it in Finland.

In August, a pilot was run at Aalto University Campus, a parkland-style area at the core of Espoo’s Otaniemi district home to several high-tech companies, the school’s buildings and a student village with more than 4,000 residents.

The local K-Market Otaniemi grocery store offered its customers the option of ordering their groceries online and having them delivered by means of LMAD’s autonomous vehicle. In times of a pandemic, this option perfectly met the safety needs of the customers.

“I believe that the more options the customers have, the better. With the robot, we have been giving customers one additional option to receive the goods for themselves, without as much human interaction as there might be when doing the traditional delivery,” the owner of K-Market Otaniemi, Aleksi Tapani, says.

 

HOME DELIVERIES WITHOUT HUMAN INTERACTIONS TO MEET THE SAFETY NEEDS OF CUSTOMERS

Home deliveries are set to grow, as more and more people become aware of how time-consuming going to a physical store can be, and how much easier it is to order some goods online and wait for them at home.

Meeting customers’ expectations, however, does not play out in terms of margins, as part of the cost of the delivery is absorbed by merchants.

“The question is how to make last-mile delivery profitable. Automatization and robotics can be part of the solution, that's why I was keen on getting in this pilot and seeing what it would bring,” Tapani says.

The experiment was successful, so much that K-Market Otaniemi decided to take part in the next LMAD operation, which will take place in October.

In addition to that, LMAD will be deploying a full delivery service at Nokia’s campus in the outskirts of Paris by the end of the year, another test drive of the platform in Finland in November with additional new pilots being planned elsewhere, to test the platform with robots made by various manufacturers.

“So far, we have been using robots made by our partner GIM Robotics, but we will soon operate an ADR produced by the French manufacturer TwinswHeel, which is also part of our partner team, and possibly another manufacturer next year. LMAD is an open, flexible platform, that can work with several providers. This is something which differentiates us from potential competitors,” LMAD’s CEO, Jean-Philippe Bellaiche, says.

 

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Further Reading:

• Watch a video of the robot delivering at Aalto Campus @ www.youtube.com/6iN5vqUW52A
• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Find out more about LMAD @ https://www.lmad.eu/
• Read more about EIT Digital @ www.eitdigital.eu

 

In the previous feature in this series of excerpts from an exclusive Field Service News White Paper, sponsored by Salesforce, we looked at the pros and cons of remote service delivery for the customer. Now in the final feature in the series we look at the pros and cons of remote service delivery for the field service organisation... 

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Want to know more? Field Service News Subscribers can access a White Paper on this topic on the link below.

If you have yet to subscribe click the button below to join 30K of your field service management professional peers and subscribe now to access this content and our entire premium content library now!

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Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content Salesforce who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this white paper, as per the terms and conditions of your subscription agreement which you opted into in line with GDPR regulations and is an ongoing condition of subscription.

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Understanding Good and Bad of Remote Service Delivery for Field Service Companies

Having looked at the considerations from the customers perspective, now let us take a look at the pros and cons from the position of the service provider...

 

Pro#1: Reducing the Cost of Service Delivery

Ultimately the most significant benefit for the service provider when it comes to delivering service remotely is that it reduces the single biggest cost line on a service P&L – the truck roll. Not only is there the expense of getting the service engineer to site, including man-hours, fuel and vehicle maintenance costs etc., but the sheer amount of ‘windscreen time’ each engineer spends significantly impacts one of the most critical KPIs that field service organisations measure – engineer utilisation.

The cost of on-site service delivery vs remote service delivery is quite simply astronomical. By adopting a remote-first approach to service delivery, the service organisation can instantly improve profit margins, while potentially offering a faster and more efficient service to the customer.

 

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Pro#2: Greater Geographical Coverage

Additionally, the adoption of remote services can allow the field service engineer to cover an infinite geographical spread essentially. Compare this to the average range of a field service engineer which, dependent on location, is usually viewed as a couple of hundred miles. In this respect, remote service delivery can offer a major benefit to the field service organisation.

Not only does it mean that there is greater flexibility in arranging and scheduling work calls as the restrictions of geographical regions are primarily removed, it can also potentially allow for further expansion of a service offering into an area that was previously physically impossible to access.

 

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Con#1: The Loss of Meaningful Interaction with the Customer:

As we touched on above when reviewing the pros and cons of remote service delivery for the customer, where there is a distinct advantage for the customer to have a trusted advisor on site, this is very much a two-way street. 

The on-site engineer is the ambassador of your business, and this is something that should not be overlooked. In an era of increasing digital touchpoints, the service engineer’s on-site visit is one of few, indeed potentially the only face to face interaction that your organisation may have with your customer. Statistically, we are, on average, 70% more likely to buy from someone we have met, and this is down to a matter of trust.

Having a real, physical presence when interacting with your customer is overwhelmingly more likely to lead to a more established, trust-based relationships than it will have a negative impact.

This is a massive aspect to be considered before adopting a remote-first approach.

 

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Con#2: The Loss of the Eyes and Ears of the Engineer On Site

For the service provider, often it is said that the service engineer is the best salesperson within a company. Not only do they have the highly valued, but equally hard to achieve trusted advisor status within the eyes of the customer, but they can act as the eyes and ears of the sales department as well.

An engineer on-site may be able to notice competitor assets that are near the end of their lifecycle, or that your service organisation has also incorporated into your service offering, providing an opportunity for cross-selling of a new service contract.

When we couple subject matter level expertise, a trust-based relationship with the customer and the ability to see what opportunities for upselling or cross-selling are available for the engineer, this can prove to be a potentially potent mix when it comes to seeking out further revenue opportunities.

 

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Look out for the next feature in this series coming next week where we explore the Pros and Cons of remote service delivery for the Field Service Provider...

Don't want to wait?  www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full white paper now by hitting the button below. If you are yet to subscribe you can do so for free by hitting the button and you can access the white paper instantly upon completing the registration form!

 

 

 

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Further Reading:

• Read the initial news report about the announcement of the latest iteration of Salesforce Field Service @ www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/salesforce-announce-the-next-generation-of-field-service-ai-powered-tools-for-trusted-mission-critical-field-service
• Read more about digital transformation in field service @ www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/tag/servitization-and-advanced-services
• Read more about the impact of COVID-19 on the field service sector @ www.fieldservicenews.com/en-gb/covid-19
• Read previous articles by Paul Whitelam @ www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/author/paul-whitelam
• Find out more about Salesforce Field Service @ www.salesforce.com/uk/products/service-cloud/field-service-lightning/
• Connect with Paul on LinkedIn @ www.linkedin.com/in/paulwhitelam/
• Follow Salesforce on Twitter @ twitter.com/salesforce

Tweddle Group today launched its new Integrated Diagnostic Explorer software—or IDEx—to enable faster, more accurate diagnostics for a wide range of industries.

Tweddle Group's Chief Executive Officer Pat Aubrynsaid IDEx will serve a dual purpose. "We designed IDEx with two goals in mind," Aubry said. "We wanted to make diagnostics easier and more accurate for technicians. And we wanted to make it easier for manufacturers to create and publish good diagnostic information."

Traditional diagnosis relies on rigid diagnostic trees and procedures, but real-world diagnosis is far more nuanced. IDEx uses sophisticated AI algorithms to help technicians quickly get to the root cause of even the most complex cases.

IDEX helps technicians isolate the root case quickly and accurately

"We spent a lot of time with technicians in the field. Then we asked ourselves, 'What would the diagnostic process look like if we could change the status quo and design it from scratch?' That line of questioning led to IDEx," said Tweddle Group Director of Product Development Justin Dickow. "IDEx thrives on complex issues. Our diagnostics engine adapts the troubleshooting steps in real-time, to help get you to the root cause as fast as possible."

Manufacturers will no longer need to write detailed, step-by-step diagnostic procedures. "Today, these procedures are costly and time-consuming to author, and the results are often inaccurate," Justin said. "IDEx will reduce the cost and effort of developing and distributing diagnostic information. It will also reduce the time spent on diagnostics and minimize errors in repair."

 

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Further Reading:

• Register for a free limited release of IDEx @ www.idex.ai
• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about Tweddle Group @ www.tweddle.com
• Follow Tweddle Group on Twitter @ twitter.com/TweddleGroup

 

In a new series of excerpts from a recent white paper published by Aquant we uncover how field service organisations and their workforce (really) measure up, and provide an analysis of how to use hidden KPI data to cut service costs and improve delivery...

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Want to know more? Field Service News Subscribers can access a White Paper on this topic on the link below.

If you have yet to subscribe click the button below to join 30K of your field service management professional peers and subscribe now to access this content and our entire premium content library now!

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Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content Aquant who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this white paper, as per the terms and conditions of your subscription agreement which you opted into in line with GDPR regulations and is an ongoing condition of subscription.

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AQUANT BENCHMARK REPORT

Why Service Leaders Need To Think About Standards KPIs In New Ways:

Key Findings:

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Look out for the next feature in this series coming next week where we explore three more key technologies required for remote service delivery.

However, www.fieldservicenews.com subscribers can read the full white paper now by hitting the button below. If you are yet to subscribe you can do so for free by hitting the button and you can access the white paper instantly upon completing the registration form!

 

 

 

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Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Read more about Aquant on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/aquant
• Find out more about Aquant @ www.aquant.io
• Follow Aquant on Twitter @ twitter.com/Aquant_io