Field Service News & Technology Roundup is our blog series, where we feature the latest interesting field service and technology insights impacting field service organizations.
We’re back in the swing of things after the Holidays and New Year, bringing you all the exciting new developments in field service news. Between December and January, the latest stories centered on preparing for 2019. There were also a few interesting articles for CIO’s, which we always suggest reading if you’re a field service operations manager, because they contain great advice. Below are our list of the must-read articles.
5 Technology Trends to Watch in 2019
Source: Interesting Engineering
Author: Susan Fourtané, Science and Technology Journalist
We love articles that prophesize the future. I recently came across this interesting article from, who else, Interesting Engineering on the 5 Technology Trends to Watch in 2019. Yes, artificial intelligence made the list, but it’s worth reading why before making rash judgements. Technically, the list isn’t groundbreaking, but it does give a different perspective on the why.
It’s a nice read and easily digestible. Plus, the article has a couple embedded videos that are fun to watch.
The Global Warranty Services Market Moving Toward a More Expansive Period of Growth in 2019
Source: PollockOnService
Author: Bill Pollock, services industry research analyst and consultant
If you follow service industry experts or analysts, then you’ve already heard of Bill Pollock. He is a service industry expert and we retweet his content fairly regularly. In December he penned this article based on the results from the State of Warranty Chain Service Management industry survey by Strategies for Growth. The article is not long and mostly contains excerpts from the report. If you don’t have time to read the full survey results, this is a quick way to understand key learnings and how to apply them.
That’s a Wrap! Read the Top Technology Takeaways From CES 2019
Source: McAfee Securing Tomorrow Blog
Author: Gary Davis
Every year, the Consumer Electronics Show, CES for short, brings together the latest technology innovations under one gigantic roof. Drawing massive crowds, it really is one of the highlights of the year for tech nerds who shall remain nameless.
There has been significant hype over 5G for the last few years. Included in Gary Davis’s article is a short section on the future of 5G. It’s worth a read for anyone in the telecom industry or just looking to learn more.
Who doesn’t like reading about the latest happenings in the race for autonomous vehicles? Davis touches on that topic as well. I won’t spoil it by giving away the details, but the blog does end with the role of cybersecurity in technology—something that should not be an afterthought.
Not so much an article as a listing of GIS maps, Esri tweeted about their GIS Map Stories. Since we recently announced our partnership with Esri to integrate ArcGIS within Field Squared, we have been enamored with the powerful visualizations contained within Esri maps. The premise of their series is to demonstrate how maps can be used for more than just analyzing data. In fact, maps tell a complete story.
From avalanches to homelessness, there is a story for every situation. If you’re as interested as we are in drool-worthy GIS maps, you’ll find this very intriguing.
Top 3 Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Effective Geospatial Enterprise Asset Management
Source: Field Squared Blog
Author: Mark Percy, VP of Technology at Field Squared
If you liked the previous recommended news story, you’ll love this one. We are often asked questions about the benefits of geospatial enterprise asset management (EAM). In fact, we created an infographic to help customers quickly learn why it’s so important to include spatial data analysis in their field service operations metrics.
In this blog, our VP of Technology provided answers to the top three questions we are asked. As the opening line states, the GIS-based asset management engine within the Field Squared platform and mobile application is widely used across many different industries, and we consider ourselves experts on the subject.
For anyone wanting to explore the importance and level-up their EAM, this is a must-read article.
The Move to B2B Platforms: Q&A with Manuel Sevilla, Capgemini CDO
Source: Nelson Hall
Author: John Willmott, Interview with CDO at Capgemini
This article isn’t closely related to field service news, but that’s the only reason you read our blog series. No, you read to learn more about how to move your business forward, what technology trends are on the rise and underrated articles plucked from other sources. This is one of those articles.
I know you’re probably done with reading, hearing, thinking about digital transformation, but what about automation? Yes, we talk about it frequently at Field Squared. You know, because we are the industry’s first field service automation platform. However, there is so much one can learn by hearing how other companies automated their business operations or why they even have an automation initiative in the first place.
Here, Capgemini’s Chief Digital Officer (CDO) lays out their 2019 plans, which includes their number one initiative of automation. Reinforcing the catalyst for such innovation, Capgemini provides intimate details around how they will achieve that.
This is a highly recommended read for anyone considering automation of field service operations.
Effective Subcontractor Management For Field Service Delivery
Source: Field Technologies Online
Author: Ivan Moore, COO, Jolt Consulting Group
Have I said how much we love Field Technologies Online? There authors span multiple industries and expertise, which makes for varied opinions or advice about field service.
In one of the first articles for 2019, Ivan Moore of Jolt Consulting Group explored the subject of subcontractor management. A known time-consuming effort among field service companies, Moore focuses on three key challenges and solutions to implement today.
Check it out for actionable insights.
Want to learn more about field service automation?
We recently launched a 90-second explainer video to quickly show you how Field Squared works. Watch it below.