Field Service News & Technology Roundup is our blog series, where we feature the latest interesting field service and technology insights impacting field service organizations.
There was no shortage of field service news over October. From asset management to enterprise cloud computing, it was a great month to catch-up on the latest field service news and technology insights. Be sure to read the past issues of our Field Service News and Technology Roundup blog series.
State of Enterprise Cloud Computing, 2018
Source: Forbes
Author: Louis Columbus, Contributor
Enterprise organizations across every industry and geography look to cloud solutions to increase operational efficiency. It’s no surprise that an estimated $3.5M will be spent on cloud apps, platforms and services this year, according to the 2018 IDG Cloud Computing Study featured in Forbes’ State of Enterprise Cloud Computing, 2018. Specifically, the Study pinpoints three industries that could see a significant positive change via cloud services: manufacturing, high-tech and telecommunications or utilities.
For field service organizations that still lag behind the times using paper-based processes, it’s a wake-up call to adopt the necessary solutions to reap the benefits brought about by the cloud. The Study has a number of screenshot charts and reports that make it a quick, highly valuable read for any field service organization.
Asset Performance Management And Field Service Management: The Best-in-Class’ One-Two Punch
Source: Field Technologies Online
Author: Tom Paquin, research analyst, service management, Aberdeen
Research analyst and field service expert Tom Paquin makes the case that field service management and asset management go hand-in-hand. Want proof? According to their research, 69% of Best-in-Class organizations link their field service management to their asset management solutions. He talks in detail about challenges, benefits as well as the end goal of better service and servicing by technicians.
It’s an interesting read, so don’t miss it.
Here at Field Squared, we agree asset management should be a primary part of an effective field service management strategy. That’s why we have a native geospatial information system (GIS) to our asset management and visibility capabilities.
For Ingram Micro, digital transformation is about improving the customer experience
Source: CIO Online
Author: Martha Heller
Digital transformation stories are everywhere these days. CIO has some of the best digital transformation stories out there. This story centers on IT and supply chain solution provider, Ingram Micro. So their story goes, Ingram brought on a new CIO/CDO (that’s chief digital officer) to turn around the brand’s customer (and partner) experience.
There are a few key takeaways for field service organizations peppered throughout the article, including a relentless focus on the customer. No, you do not need to be a CIO or in IT to see how this applies. I know you’ve heard it’s the Age of the Customer, so this is a real-world story about how one company made it work.
5 Ways to Avoid Losing Time in the Field
Source: Field Squared Blog
Author: Mark Percy, VP of Technology at Field Squared
Increasing operational efficiency is one of the leading reasons field service organizations adopt digital field service management software technology, and for good reason. The sheer volume of paper-based processes or lack of visibility into a technician’s work order activities, as well as their current/past location, presents unique challenges.
That’s why we recently released a blog post detailing 5 Ways to Avoid Losing Time in the Field. Filled with insightful tips, this is a must-read before heading into 2019.
Driverless Cars 101: The Good, The Bad and The Tech
Source: Field Service Management Expo
Author: Jenna Kamal
A fun read to end this month’s Field Service News and Technology Roundup comes out of Field Service Management Expo. The article begins with a fascinating excerpt about a “ghost car” in the Milwaukee Sentinel Newspaper… from 1926. I would be remiss to say read the article just for that, but you can and that would be okay.
In any case, Jenna presents current driverless car figures, followed by future projections and then provides an overview of how the technology works as well as a discussion on the controversy as it relates to risks. She ends by asking and answering the question, “are we ready,” where I’ll let you derive your own conclusions.
Image Source: Unsplash by Keith Misner