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As part of an excellent ‘analyst’s take’ paper commissioned by ServicePower, Bill Pollock has provided an in-depth look at the service requirements for the security sector, here Samir Gulati offers us a key excerpt from that paper...

There are now more security systems players than ever, bringing refined ways of doing business and new efficiencies to the marketplace. 

In addition, there has been a complete transformation of the security installer/service technician into an “everything as a service”

professional, supported by service delivery models that embrace Cloud technology, interactive services, predictive diagnostics and customer self-service.

The most successful companies will ultimately differentiate themselves with unique and seemingly indispensable services and solutions that make it easier for a consumer (or business) to be smarter, safer, and more cost-effective.

For those organisations that install, monitor, and maintain commercial or residential security systems, ServicePower enables faster, smarter service, so they can deliver on today’s consumer service preferences and expectations, while also reducing operational costs and driving new and more predictable revenue streams.

 

"The most successful companies will ultimately differentiate themselves with unique and seemingly indispensable services and solutions..."

 

The five primary factors to focus on when evaluating alternative Field Service Management (FSM) and Warranty Management (WM) solutions for the security services segment are critical to the success of the vendor/solution evaluation and selection processes.

They include:

• Customer Engagement – by offering a customised, self-service portal to enable customers to log in with their account number and report issues or order add-on security services, schedule the appointment, watch their installer/ service technician en route, and communicate with him or her, if needed; also to suggest relevant new cross sell and/or upsell services during this key interaction opportunity.
• Smart Scheduling – the ability to pair parameters such as skills, certifications, and geography with the latest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for real-time scheduling to ensure that the best installer/service technician is assigned, at the least cost; and provide the opportunity to re-optimise schedules and routes in real-time to accommodate intra-day changes, increase on-time arrival and completed jobs per day, and decrease travel costs.
• Mobile Tech Enablement – to ensure that the installer/service technicians arrive with everything they need to get the job done the first time, driving consistent quality service delivery, improved productivity, and increased completion rates; also to provide a value-based experience by personalising the customer’s experience via fully configurable mobile functionality which also improves schedule compliance and first-time installation/ fix rates, and proactively offer additional value-added security solutions while onsite to increase revenue.
• Contractor Management – to facilitate better management of outsourced or supplementary third-party contractor staff to quickly expand geographic reach or support changing demand; the ability to dynamically choose a contractor based on rank scores, credentials, crowd-sourced Better Business Bureau (BBB) info, and dynamic rules configuration; and confidently being able to book an appointment based on available time-slots, coupled with the ability to view the current job status and track overall progress.
• Reporting & Analytics – the ability to use real-time Business Intelligence (BI) to measure performance metrics, fine tune future operations, and enhance the customer experience; along with the ability to access Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), scorecards and reports in real-time, from either mobile devices or the desktop, and share them both inside and outside the organisation, as warranted.

The best FSM and WM solutions will also be those that include additional functionalities, such as:

• Claims Management
• Work Order Management
• Inventory, Asset and Contract Management
• Outsourced Managed Services

The main benefits that can be realised through the implementation and use of a Field Service Management (FSM) and Warranty Management (WM) solution designed specifically for the security services segment are many, and quite compelling, as follows:

• Improve management control over service provisioning
• Reduce manual processes to create and manage field schedule routes, thereby reducing travel times
• Increase appointments, per day
• Less time spent on-site
• Enable improvements in overtime, travel, skills, and spares
• Grow revenue
• Increase customer engagement
• Serve customers more efficiently with convenient scheduling, increased first-time installation/ fix rates, and improved service levels
• Use Business Intelligence (BI) to better measure and improve service operations KPIs
• Research has shown that for a typical Fortune 1000 company, just a 10% increase in data accessibility will result in more than US$65 million additional net income, according to Forbes.com.

These benefits, albeit on a smaller scale, can also be realised by small-to-medium-sized security services organisations as well.

 

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 Samir Gulati is Chief Marketing Office with ServicePower

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Asolvi has brought about a digital transformation at Cryptex Security, a London-based specialist in home and business security systems. This has not just enabled the company to go paperless, reduce admin staff and acquire a competing business. It’s also let co-founder and finance director Ian Zeff fulfil a lifelong dream to live and work abroad...

Cryptex specialises in harnessing the power of the Internet of Things (IoT) to make people and buildings safer. Its intruder alarms, access control and CCTV systems are embedded with sensors and software that enable them to interact with each other via the internet and are capable of being controlled by computer or smartphone. This provides occupiers with more extensive and comprehensive security as well as greater ease and flexibility in how they use it.

Maintenance in this industry is more important than in any other because of the disastrous implications of a security system going down. IoT technology is vulnerable to cyber threats as well as physical threats, which is why the maintenance of smart security systems has to be intensive and meticulous. It also means that providers need a foolproof maintenance management system to ensure not just that nothing falls through the cracks, but that there are no cracks. 

Cryptex operates rigorous preventative and corrective maintenance programmes on all security assets, both on-site and, leveraging its IoT capabilities, remotely. Since April 2016, all of these programmes have been managed through Tesseract — Asolvi’s pan-industry solution, suitable for field service businesses of all types — which Cryptex chose over several market-specific options.

 

Going paperless

One of the reasons Cryptex chose Asolvi was because it wanted to automate its service processes, including workforce management and invoicing, and go paperless. “The efficiency gains we’ve made since implementing Tesseract are radical,” says Ian Zeff. “We’re now completely paperless. Our printing and postage costs are zero. And being in the security industry, we used to have to do huge amounts of shredding. Now we do none. The fact that there’s no wastage has made Cryptex much greener.”

 

"Our printing and postage costs are zero. And being in the security industry, we used to have to do huge amounts of shredding. Now we do none."

 

The elimination of paperwork also enabled Cryptex to swap an administrative staff member for a new engineer. “Thanks to Tesseract, we no longer needed a junior administrator doing filing, printing, posting etc. This meant we could employ another field engineer in their place. And engineers are our bread and butter. The work they do is our business. So having an extra engineer on our books is enabling us to do more work and bring in additional revenue.”

 

The power to scale up

Tesseract has given Cryptex the power to grow, something that its old, manual, paper-driven service management system would have made too difficult. It’s partly because the efficiency gains that come with Tesseract cut out a lot of administrative red tape when taking on new customers, contracts and workers. It’s also because of how easy it is to input new data and users into the Tesseract system.

“In May 2018, we purchased a local competitor, Henry Gates Security Services,” says Ian. “Tesseract gave us the power to make this acquisition, because of how easy it was to input data and users and get visibility of the new company straight away. We were able to take on nearly 700 new contracts instantly. The integration process was a breeze.”

 

A more enjoyable work life

Since implementing Tesseract, the most exciting change for Ian personally is that he’s moved abroad and performs all his management responsibilities remotely.

“My favourite thing about working with Asolvi is that they’ve helped me emigrate!” he says. “It was always a dream of mine to move to Israel. Now I can be in the office without physically being in the office. The fact that our data is in the cloud, our processes are automated and everyone’s connected via a central point has made that possible.”

 

"Now each person is at his or her desk driving the business forwards with a few clicks of the mouse..."

 

The rest of the people at Cryptex are also experiencing radically improved working conditions. Ian explains, “Our staff no longer have to get up and walk to a cabinet, check a file, find that something’s missing and have to look for it, wait for things to print, deal with printer jams, stick things in the post, lick envelopes. Now each person is at his or her desk driving the business forwards with a few clicks of the mouse. And our engineers are happier too. They loathed paperwork and having to lug around files. Now they have everything they need on their phones and it means we’re not chasing them for forms and timesheets.”

Ian continues, “The way Tesseract has changed our service operation is nothing short of the digital transformation that everyone in the industry is talking about. The automation, the mobility and the seamless lines of communication between us all — it’s exactly what digital transformation is all about.”

 

Automated scheduling for customers

A new development at Cryptex is about to make its people’s lives even easier. The company will soon adopt the Tesseract customer service portal, which gives customers direct access to the Tesseract system. They will be able to log incidents, monitor progress and escalation, and run reports. They will also be able to use Tesseract’s automated scheduling functionality to book appointments directly through the portal. This is a new feature and something that many field service management software providers don’t offer.

Ian explains, “Now that we’ve got the bug for automation and making everything run faster and slicker, we wanted to foster a culture of customers booking their own service visits. At the moment we have to tell customers when maintenance is due and book the visits ourselves. With the new functionality, when maintenances become due, customers will receive an automated email telling them to book their appointment through the portal or call the office, in that order. This will save even more time for our office staff and give customers more control over their service needs.”

 

Forward-thinking development

Asolvi is committed to strengthening and adding to its solutions in an effort to make field service operations, particularly those of SMEs, faster and smarter. Ian says, “What I like about working with Asolvi is that they’re looking to drive their business forwards and continually refine what they offer. This can only be a good thing for customers.”

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As part of an excellent analysts paper commissioned by ServicePower, Bill Pollock has provided an in-depth look at the service requirements for the security sector, here we take a look at an excerpt from that paper...

There are now more security systems players than ever, bringing refined ways of doing business and new efficiencies to the marketplace. In addition, there has been a complete transformation of the security installer/service technician into an “everything as a service” professional, supported by service delivery models that embrace Cloud technology, interactive services, predictive diagnostics and customer self-service.

The most successful companies will ultimately differentiate themselves with unique and seemingly indispensable services and solutions that make it easier for a consumer (or business) to be smarter, safer, and more cost-effective.

For those organizations that install, monitor, and maintain commercial or residential security systems, ServicePower enables faster, smarter service, so they can deliver on today’s consumer service preferences and expectations, while also reducing operational costs and driving new and more predictable revenue streams.

The five primary factors to focus on when evaluating alternative Field Service Management (FSM) and Warranty Management (WM) solutions for the security services segment are critical to the success of the vendor/solution evaluation and selection processes.

They include:

• Customer Engagement – by offering a customized, self-service portal to enable customers to log in with their account number and report issues or order add-on security services, schedule the appointment, watch their installer/ service technician en route, and communicate with him or her, if needed; also to suggest relevant new cross-sell and/or upsell services during this key interaction opportunity.
• Smart Scheduling – the ability to pair parameters such as skills, certifications, and geography with the latest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for real-time scheduling to ensure that the best installer/service technician is assigned, at the least cost; and provide the opportunity to re-optimize schedules and routes in real-time to accommodate intra-day changes, increase on-time arrival and completed jobs per day, and decrease travel costs.
• Mobile Tech Enablement – to ensure that the installer/service technicians arrive with everything they need to get the job done the first time, driving consistent quality service delivery, improved productivity, and increased completion rates; also to provide a value-based experience by personalizing the customer’s experience via fully configurable mobile functionality which also improves schedule compliance and first-time installation/ fix rates, and proactively offer additional value-added security solutions while onsite to increase revenue.
• Contractor Management – to facilitate better management of outsourced or supplementary third-party contractor staff to quickly expand geographic reach or support changing demand; the ability to dynamically choose a contractor based on rank scores, credentials, crowd-sourced Better Business Bureau (BBB) info, and dynamic rules configuration; and confidently being able to book an appointment based on available time-slots, coupled with the ability to view the current job status and track overall progress.
• Reporting & Analytics – the ability to use real-time Business Intelligence (BI) to measure performance metrics, fine-tune future operations, and enhance the customer experience; along with the ability to access Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), scorecards and reports in real-time, from either mobile devices or the desktop, and share them both inside and outside the organization, as warranted.

The best FSM and WM solutions will also be those that include additional functionalities, such as:

• Claims Management
• Work Order Management
• Inventory, Asset and Contract Management
• Outsourced Managed Services

The main benefits that can be realized through the implementation and use of a Field Service Management (FSM) and Warranty Management (WM) solution designed specifically for the security services segment are many, and quite compelling, as follows:

• Improve management control over service provisioning
• Reduce manual processes to create and manage field schedule routes, thereby reducing travel times
• Increase appointments, per day
• Less time spent on-site
• Enable improvements in overtime, travel, skills, and spares
• Grow revenue
• Increase customer engagement
• Serve customers more efficiently with convenient scheduling, increased first-time installation/ fix rates, and improved service levels
• Use Business Intelligence (BI) to better measure and improve service operations KPIs
• Research has shown that for a typical Fortune 1000 company, just a 10% increase in data accessibility will result in more than US$65 million additional net income, according to Forbes.com.

These benefits, albeit on a smaller scale, can also be realized by small-to-medium-sized security services organizations as well.

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TIS are an East Midlands based Fire, Security & Communications Specialist providing system integration, repair and maintenance services to a broad range of clients across the UK.

Following several months of planning and development, in a project led by Andy Kearns of Phoenix Corporate Solutions, TIS successfully launched their new Service system (Service Centre by Tesseract) on the 3rd January.

Phoenix support businesses through a range of commercial projects and have specific expertise in implementing Service Management systems in businesses employing large Field Engineering fleets.

This major implementation, impacting upon the daily working lives of 80+ staff at Total Integrated Solutions, went very smoothly, having no negative impact whatsoever on the company's service delivery throughout the launch period….. 2 months later and the system is fully bedded in, having quickly become the new “normal”.

Their new system undoubtedly elevates the efficiency and professionalism of what was already a highly professional outfit.

• Service and Repair Jobs are now allocated and updated electronically and in real time creating a seamless flow of information between Engineer, Office and Client.
• Working on a combination of iPads and Android phones, TIS engineers capture detailed job information from site, creating full visibility of job progress for office and client staff (… the latter via the Remote Customer Access functionality within Service Centre).
• “On-System” Job pricing is straight forward and accurate, speeding up the financial back end processes once jobs have been completed.
• Tailored client reporting is now easy to produce and Management Information coming out of the system is both highly relevant and readily available. Good data vital to any growing business, allowing the management team to make considered decisions based on real information.

Further developments to the system are planned, however the TIS management team (led by Managing Director James Twigg) have taken a sensible and pragmatic approach to implementation in phases, thereby not overburdening (with change) their front-Line team responsible for delivering property and life critical services to their UK-wide client base.

Rolling out systems so effortlessly can only be achieved in an environment of commitment, cooperation and proactivity, all qualities which TIS possess in spades. These same qualities underpin the whole TIS operation and help to explain why they are fast becoming one of the best Security and Fire System integrators in the country.

 

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For further information about this successful project or any of the other services undertaken by TIS or Phoenix Corporate Solutions, please contact Andy Kearns at Phoenix directly (andy@phoenixcs.biz).”

 

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Security integration specialist Scottish Communications Group (SCG) has cut thousands of pounds from its annual fuel bill following the introduction of Fleetmatics’ fleet and vehicle tracking technology. The firm, a leading supplier of integrated security systems including CCTV, access control and digital radio communications, installed the Fleetmatics system and has reaped the rewards of reduced overheads and improved customer service over the past three years.

Scottish Communications Group was seeking real-time insight into the movements of its 10 field-based engineers, who serve commercial customers throughout Scotland and as far afield as the South East of England.

Liam Mowat, technical director of Scottish Communications Group, said: “We primarily decided to use a tracking solution so we could identify and assign support call-outs to the nearest available engineer, due to the fact that we cover such a large geographic customer base. Response times are very important in upholding the level of service that our customers expect, and the system has enabled our service desk to respond even more quickly and efficiently.”

An additional benefit of the system has been a significant reduction in fuel costs, which adds up to thousands of pounds over the course of a full year. “By utilising the nearest available engineer and ensuring they follow the optimal route to a customer site, we have reduced travel costs, which has been very significant at a time when we are growing as a company,” said Mr Mowat.

Further efficiencies have been secured by using the timesheet feature and fuel card integration module to save on administrative time and accurately correlate costs. “The system has enabled us to determine exactly how much fuel has been used on a particular job, how much time was spent and how efficiently we are operating, all of which had to be figured out manually before,” added Mr Mowat. “There’s absolutely no question that the system has more than paid for itself and I would highly recommend it.”

From a health and safety perspective, Scottish Communications Group is also using the Fleetmatics system to confirm that legal speed limits are always adhered to. The company also has the ability to provide evidence in any case where a complaint is made about driver performance, although this is not an issue that the company has encountered to date.

Scottish Communications Group, founded in 1979, has built such a reputation for outstanding customer service that it was awarded the coveted Royal Warrant for the supply of communications equipment to Her Majesty the Queen. In addition. The company has achieved the highest industry standard, NACOSS Gold, as well as holding many other industry accreditations.

 

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As we head full steam into 2015 predictions of industry trends that will shape the field service industries come thick and fast. Here we look at what our regular columnist's John Cameron of Trimble Field Service Management's will be important in the following twelve months... 

With so many advanced tools now available to fine-tune operations, field service organisations have reached an unprecedented transformative stage. By leveraging technology trends such as the Internet of Things, advanced analytics and smartphone and tablet integration, leading field service businesses are reinventing themselves as predictive, rather than reactive, operations. This may mean better-equipping technicians with intelligent apps that deliver real-time data and deploy analytics capabilities to make strategic decisions, or enhancing security and IT infrastructure.

Here are eight trends that may impact how you make those changes:

 

1. Robust and Flexible Platforms

Companies are looking to solution providers to deliver platforms globally as the foundation for innovation. Providers have to be ready to add, extend and integrate technologies as needed, giving them the agility to adapt and innovate. These platforms need to be cloud-based and flexible, allowing them to configure and manipulate modules and functionality as they see fit. Customers want a single provider to deliver all the functionality and modularity they require. They want to focus on empowering field workers and driving service excellence. To achieve that, they need robust, flexible platforms backed by a reliable provider.

2. Increased Focus on Security

The increase in cybercrime, such as the recent breach against Sony Pictures, is a critical reminder of how important it is to secure company data. As more organisations add everything from switches to entire power grids to the Internet of Things, we’ll see a greater demand for

advanced security applications and a corresponding increase in financial commitment to protect against future attacks. Security involves not only protecting and safeguarding network entry but also ensuring that every mobile device is fortified. That means equipping every tablet, smartphone and laptop with the pertinent, updated tools and protocols, and educating users on the importance of adhering to security policies.

 

3. Embedded Analytics

The ability to analyse and act on the vast amount of data collected from the field continues to trend in the evolution of field services technology. Deploying workforce management solutions with sophisticated analytics tools will enable managers to improve operations with real-time visibility into their operations. Data gathered from smarter mobile apps and equipment sensors will provide insights on performance, tasks, service quality, and new products that will enable field service managers to not only keep up with the competition but to step ahead.

4. Greater Integration

As telematics and workforce management solutions become more integrated with mobile devices, the opportunities to increase efficiency and productivity are growing exponentially. Field service managers can make real-time decisions remotely by accessing vehicle tracking, scheduling and routing on their mobile devices, allowing them to mitigate reckless driving incidents, control vehicle wear and tear and

decrease maintenance costs, all from a handheld. Mobile apps will continue to provide critical information such as daily tasks, customer histories, billing, and the locations of nearby teammates on demand for field service technicians. This access to real-time information empowers the technician to make strategic decisions, recruit help from teammates, and complete jobs on-time the first time, resulting in lower operational costs and higher customer satisfaction.

 

5. The Internet of Everything

By 2020, Gartner, Inc. predicts 26-billion devices other than smartphones, tablets and computers to be connected via the Internet of Things. For field service organisations, connecting equipment with technicians’ mobile devices and the back office in real time is a necessity. Information captured in the field provides diagnostics and performance metrics that mitigate certain issues as well as tracks patterns and trends for long-range planning. The goal is to ensure an intelligent and preventive—not reactive—approach.

6. Enhanced Network Reliability

The daily accumulation of data from internal files, mobile solutions, cloud-based apps and email can strain networks and storage systems. As organisations invest in mobile and management solutions to optimise operations, they no longer can ignore the underlying infrastructure. Hybrid clouds, virtualised servers and scalable, high-capacity storage give e networks the agility they need to stay flexible, efficient and productive. Neglecting these areas can impact performance, impede productivity and escalate IT costs.

7. An Evolving Workforce

As the field service  industry evolves a major trend has been the emergence of young, tech-savvy and collaborative workers.  According to Aberdeen Group, approximately one-fifth of the current workforce is under 30. This new pool of workers has grown up fully connected and will enable service 

  to continue their evolution in mobility and help them transform service and the relationship with customers. 62 per cent of top performing field service organisations have incorporated a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) strategy as a result of a more tech-savvy workforce and 43 per cent are more likely to give technicians access to social media and collaborative tools to facilitate knowledge transfer.

 

8) Mobility as a Game-changer

Mobility will continue as a key enabler in addressing the competitive issues faced by field service organisations today.  The right mobile architecture can solve many of the tactical challenges of these organisations:  latent customer needs, increased competition, unmitigated churn and worker productivity. However, simply investing in mobile technology does not ensure improvement in key performance. To be successful with any deployment, organisations must choose the best field service solution and adopt the implementation best suited for their operation.

 

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