How to Choose a Next-Generation Field Mobility Platform · How to Choose a Next-Generation Field Mobility Platform 6 "Servitization” is going to change the world. Servitization

How to Choose a Next-Generation Field Mobility Platform

By Bastiaan Pierhagen


Challenges

Herein, we identify some of the challenges facing field service organizations, including: • Adaptability• Internet of Things and Big Data for Decisions• Vision as the New Interface and Wearable Internet• Servitization• Generation Gap

Considerations

A field mobility platform should equip field service organizations with the tools and technology to overcome these challenges. In this paper, we provide guidance for selecting a next-generation field mobility platform that will transport field service operations to success over the next decade.

• Adaptability − Configuration is Key − Multi-Device Support

• InternetofThingsandBigDataforDecisions − Connecting Information

• VisionastheNewInterfaceandWearableInternet − Augmented Reality• GenerationGap − Remote Support• Servitization − Role of Field Worker − Role of Customer

2

Executive Summary

The rapid pace of change expected during the next ten years will present field service organizations with several challenges. To stay ahead of their competitors – indeed, to stay in business – they will need tools and technology to equip them for success.


When Charles Darwin wrote those words in 1859, he recognized that the world around us is continuously changing. Today, we all recognize that truth. Most of us also recognize that organizations must outpace the rate of change –or at least keep up with it– to survive. In this guide to choosing a next-generation field mobility platform, we discuss the challenges that organizations will face in the coming decade and, more specifically, address how these challenges will affect field service organizations. Additionally, we present a number of considerations for choosing a field mobility platform and describe the characteristics that a next-generation platform must include to ensure peak performance in the field.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives,

nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one

that is most adaptable to change.”

3

Introduction


During the next ten years, “servitization” is going to change the world at a rapid pace. Life expectancy continues to increase, which will cause a widening generation gap – a challenge unto itself. And consider a recent report by the World Economic Forum, which shows that the rapid rise of new technologies – such as the Internet Of and For Things, Big Data for Decisions, Vision as the New Interface, and Wearable Internet – will transform global society¹. To survive, organizations should understand the impact those changes might have on their field operations. Once they are familiar with predicted changes, they can begin adapting.

Adaptability

The adaptability of an organization is directly related to its ability to change. When we consider this from a software point of view, we are reminded of Gartner Inc.’s definition of three application strategies: Systems of Record, Systems of Differentiation and Systems of Innovation.

• ASystemofRecord contains the corporate data of an organization, such as financial data and customer records (also known as back-office systems).

• ASystemofDifferentiation allows work processes to be easily adjusted and modified to satisfy an organization’s unique needs.

• ASystemofInnovation allows experimentation of new technology. (It should be noted that when an organization starts building a System of Innovation, the vision of what they ultimately want to achieve is not yet totally clear.)

A mobile platform is at its core a System of Differentiation, because it relies on flexibility and adaptability. Unlike Systems of Record (back-office data required to run the business) and Systems of Innovation (experimental technology to address future requirements), Systems of Differentiation (such as mobile platforms) allow processes and data to be designed and modified to suit an organization’s industry -or process-specific needs.

Every software system can be classified in one of these categories, each of which has its own strengths and weaknesses. It is nearly impossible to choose a single software system which supports all the data and processes of an organization. For example, choosing a back-office system which also supports mobile can result in compromised flexibility.

To survive, organizations should understand the impact that

technological changes might have on their field operations.

4

Challenges

How to Choose a Next-Generation Field Mobility Platform 5

Internet of Things and Big Data for Decisions will transform

the way field service organizations operate.

InternetofThingsandBigDataforDecisions

Internet of Things and Big Data for Decisions will transform the way field service organizations operate. The Internet of Things gives real-time insight into the current status of the serviced product, by making sensor-measured data available for analysis. By analyzing the available data, organizations are able to define a healthy operating range. Monitoring the data will provide service triggers to act upon, allowing organizations to shift from an ad hoc failure-planning system to a prediction-based, maintenance-planning system. Eventually this results in higher uptime and less unscheduled maintenance – while extending the economic lifetime of assets, increasing profit margins, and boosting customer satisfaction levels.

VisionastheNewInterfaceandWearableInternet

Google Glass was one of the first devices which ignited the Vision as New Interface trend. The device allows eyes and vision to be the link to other connected devices. This wearable device can connect to the internet and can be controlled by using gestures and eye movements.

And consider the Smart Helmet, developed by DAQRI, that enables field workers to enter the world of augmented reality.

Such developments change the way field workers operate. For example, these devices can warn the field worker in case the device registers a sudden increase in temperature in the working environment. It can also be used to access drawings, schematics and instructions, while the field worker can still use tools because his hands are free. Envision the higher productivity rates realized when a senior engineer can support several junior field workers using remote assistance to get the job done right, and on time.

Consumer devices with this technology also enable field service organization to offer self-service options to their customers, without having to refer to the more traditional printed manuals. Consider easy tasks, like filling the boiler up to the minimum water level. These tasks can be recorded once in an augmented reality platform, where specific instructions can be added, and customers can execute them when they need to, with virtual on-site instructions. Should such initiatives be considered a threat to the profitability of a field service organization? Read on for the answer.


"Servitization” is going to change the world.

Servitization and future trends for the wholesale channel, Prof. Carlo Alberto Carnevale Maffè

Servitization

Over the last few decades, we have seen a shift in the field service industry. Organizations have changed from merely selling a product to selling service contracts, as illustrated in the picture below. During this transition, several field service organizations shifted from a paper to a digital field service process. A dispatcher could assign work orders to field workers using semi-automated scheduling. This way, a field worker could access information which was available in the back-office via a mobile device. Information registered on the mobile device was immediately available at the office.

We are now seeing a shift to an outcomes-based service model. Let us first discuss the service part of the model – also known as servitization. Numerous articles have been written about the success of Uber and Airbnb. They are excellent examples of companies that define the meaning of servitization. These companies actually do not sell their own physical products. Similarly, your customers typically do not mind whether your organization actually produces the equipment you are selling; they care about the whole package. Everything should be arranged to perfection. They are buying the entire package, not merely the product.

To illustrate the outcomes-based part of the model, we use the example of a large factory buying a compressor for its production process. What the factory actually requires is pressurized air to run equipment, not the compressor itself. If the pressurized air – the outcome – is not delivered, the factory does not pay. Instead, the contract will probably set forth a financial penalty for failure to deliver. (This could also have been part of a more traditional SLA.) However, the outcome is not only based on the actual outcome of a product, but also measured based on the satisfaction of the customer. The ultimate goal is to excel at delivering value to the customer, which will result in retaining more satisfied customers.

GenerationGap

Life expectancy continues to rise and the retirement age is increasing. This results in an increased age variation in an organization’s workforce. Senior workers are more familiar with traditional technology, where employees at the beginning of their careers possess knowledge about state-of-the-art technology. The challenge is to share the knowledge between several generations to get the job done.


Intheprevioussection,weidentifiedthefollowingchallenges:• Adaptability• InternetofThingsandBigDataforDecisions• VisionastheNewInterfaceandWearable

Internet• Servitization• GenerationGap

A new field mobility platform should be able to cope with these challenges. When searching for a field mobile platform, organizations should consider the following:

Adaptability:ConfigurationisKey

There are many paths to a successful implementation of a field service platform – ranging from in-house or custom development to fully configured to customer satisfaction. Regarding in-house or custom development, the question is whether these systems can keep up with the fast pace of the challenges described earlier. Companies change their work processes more frequently than

they used to; when changing the work processes involves coding by a development team, this drastically increases the time to go live. As we have discussed, adaptability is a key survival instrument. Therefore, the time to go live should be taken into account. This is one of the reasons many customers prefer a mobile platform which supports configuring work processes instead of coding them.

Field service organizations have learned to adapt to customer demand. Software companies have done the same with their software – adapting it to be configured on the fly and providing flexibility to the user. Software companies developing a field mobility platform have a keen understanding of mobility topics and constantly invest in enriching the platform with new technologies. This results in a single mobility platform combining the expertise of several field service organizations. When a field service organization invests in such a platform, it not only invests in a solution for current

challenges, but it also invests to ensure future flexibility and growth.

Information available in a mobile platform differs from information available in a back-office environment. Some back-office information should be exchanged with the mobile platform via a bi-directional integration. A mobile platform must offer the possibility to capture additional information, without the need for additional coding. The mobile platform should support the introduction of additional entities via configuration. This ensures the required flexibility for the changing needs for information.

Considerations

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Adaptability:Multi-DeviceSupport

Technology developments follow each other rapidly, and the development and availability of mobile devices also follows this trend. A mobile platform should support devices ranging from phones, tablets and laptops to wearables such as helmets, glasses and watches. All these devices run on several operating systems. A mobile platform targeting only a single device or operating system limits a field service organization’s ability to perform.

In addition to multi-device considerations, field service organizations should also consider multi-device support when working with subcontractors. For example, to adjust to seasonal fluctuations in workforce demand and output, the organization should decide if it wants to equip all those new users with a device. Subcontractors typically have their own mobile devices; if they can simply download an app from the store and log in with the provided credentials, they can start working. The mobile platform should support this bring-your-own-device (BYOD) strategy.

InternetofThingsandBigDataforDecisions–ConnectingInformation

The format of data exchanged over the Internet of Things is not yet standardized. Should a Mobile Platform provide integration for all Internet of Things platforms? This would be quite an expensive and (most likely) impossible task. A mobile platform should definitely provide the ability to connect to several information sources. To that end, the platform should be able to access data from web services via configurable connectors. Once the Internet of Things becomes more standardized, mobile platforms will require functionality to support such connections and configurations.

The Internet of Things results in huge amounts of Big Data. In its raw form, it is useless to end users. To use Big Data, it should be presented visually. A mobile platform should enable users to populate real-time, dynamic dashboards with information derived from the continuous-stream data. These visualizations will enable users to make manual decisions. The mobile platform should also provide support for automated decisions, since manual decisions are more time-consuming and more error-prone. Since the information for these decisions is very versatile, the business logic behind it should be configuration based. This way, mobile platform users can define these automated decisions based on their business insights, providing the required flexibility.

Big Data should be

presented visually and

enable users to make

manual decisions.


VisionastheNewInterfaceandWearableInternet-AugmentedRealityA next-generation mobile platform should include augmented reality features. Traditionally, field workers have had to refer to large manuals or sets of instructions if they required additional information about an asset. A shift to videos instead of written manuals or instructions is occurring. With augmented reality, an additional visual layer is put on top of the physical world. While a video can be paused, it is not interactive. The video recording is not aware where you are in your process as a field worker, nor does it represent the actual situation, viewing angle, or environment a worker is in. These drawbacks are overcome with augmented reality. When applying this technology on serviced assets, the instructions can be given step by step, since the augmented reality engine can detect if a certain step is finished. The asset is displayed in the actual environment at the angle you are currently viewing it. This will make instructions much easier to understand and help increase first-time fix rates.

Augmented reality can be used on devices such as laptops, phones and tablets. However, these devices do not make full use of the capabilities of augmented reality; field workers still have to

use their hands to control the devices. Enabling a field worker to use his hands to service an asset and, at the same time, control the device, requires a mobile platform to support instructions via speech, gestures, or eye movements. This requires a mobile platform to support wearable devices such as smart helmets, glasses and watches, enabling a field worker to switch from physically touching a device to alternative ways of operating the mobile platform.

GenerationGap–RemoteSupport

The generation gap requires that knowledge be spread over a range of product families. To share knowledge between field workers, a mobile platform should contain functionality for remote support. When field workers gain more experience in their line of work, they are expected to transfer their knowledge to junior field workers. On the other hand, junior workers are educated in the latest technology, which they have to share with their more senior co-workers. In a traditional scenario, this would result in one-to-one pairing of mobile workers. By applying remote support in this scenario, knowledge can be shared easily, without the need for colleagues being at the same physical location. This will increase the learning curve of field workers and also increase the number of billable jobs that can be accomplished per day.


Servitization-RoleofFieldWorker

From a servitization perspective, the level of customer satisfaction is extremely important. Technicians are your primary contact with the customer, which could be an advantage or a disadvantage.² Do not consider a service organization only as a cost center. Service organizations should exploit their frequent customer contact to increase sales and brand awareness. A mobility platform should provide the field worker with tools to reach a high level of customer satisfaction. For example, it should offer field workers the ability to register customer feedback for future reference and enable them to sell additional products and services to the customer.

Servitization-RoleofCustomer

A mobile platform should support a field service organization in its efforts to partner up with a customer and deliver valuable insights, increasing the likelihood of developing a long-term relationship with the customer.³ Therefore, it is important that a mobile platform enables the service organization to share insights about customer processes, such as reporting on how the customer’s equipment and systems are running, compared with other customers in the same industry.

A mobility platform should provide the field worker with

tools to reach a high level of customer satisfaction.

¹ Deep Shift 21 Ways Software Will Transform Global Society, World Economic Forum, November 2015

² Techs Drive Value, Service Excellence Delivers Profits, Aberdeen Group, May 2016

³ Evolution of the Field Service Business: Optimizing the Field Service Chain, Aberdeen Group, July 2015


Conclusions

Providing the best experience to your customers and reacting to changing market conditions is not easy. Customers become more demanding by the day. Everyone expects your field service operations to be completely integrated into all your company processes; similarly, customers expect your technicians to be aware of all the latest information, at all times. In order to meet these expectations and maintain your lead, you have to continuously improve the way you work by integrating new technologies into your overall company process.

Choose a mobile platform supplier with the technology and the vision to meet the challenges described herein. An innovative next-generation field mobility platform provider with the proper roadmap will help transport you to success.

AboutGomochaGomocha provides your company with the ability to initiate change and take the competitive

lead, by making the most of your field service operations via mobile technology. We help

you implement these changes with ease and ensure that you can use the latest technologies

without having to turn your digital landscape upside-down. Using FMP360, you will be able to

offer best-in-class service experiences to all of your customers, every day of the week.

www.gomocha.com

An innovative next-generation

field mobility platform will help

you to success.

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How to Choose a Next-Generation Field Mobility Platform · How to Choose a Next-Generation Field Mobility Platform 6 "Servitization” is going to change the world. Servitization