Field service priorities for 2015

While it’s still in the early part of 2015, it feels justified to make predictions on field service trends for the upcoming year. Luckily, I have access to a broad community of professional field service leaders who offer insights into their future field service plans. We recently surveyed 180 individuals who have offered the following observations on their top five focus areas for 2015:

1. Process control and review - We recently published research that found 65% of organisations were consistently reviewing field service processes. However, most reviews were done with a focus on productivity enhancement and cost control. Interestingly, we now see more assessments focusing on revenue improvements and customer satisfaction levels. More so, we are seeing organisations regard their key processes (appointment booking, dispatch, field visit and follow-up) as vital nodes of the field service delivery system and better grasp the interconnected nature of these processes. Simply put, companies are looking for a more linked field service organisation.

2. Talent - Surprisingly, 66% of respondents from our end-of-year survey said they are able to meet workload needs with current resource levels. That said, 55% indicated that the volume of field service work has risen, and there is the looming retirement crisis in the coming years. The biggest areas of focus in the space of talent management will be training and knowledge management. Over the longer term, we see an increased focus in hiring as organisations look to support a changing profile of field service agents.

3. Field service execution - Our definition of field service execution is tied to the delivery of work once it is in the hands of the field agent. To improve a day in the life for these agents, organisations are looking to:

• remove administrative paperwork and move to mobile applications
• build a formalised plan to capture and share service knowledge
• provide increased customer history information in the field
• develop/acquire new training tools and learning platforms

4. IT infrastructure for field service - While the buzz around IT in field service is wearables, we anticipate that most organisations will focus on the tools necessary to enhance field service execution (see point 3). There will be a focus on linking field service functions via automation, mobilising field workers with information and providing means to train workers. We anticipate a greater push towards better business intelligence and predictive analytics in order to reduce the reactive component of field service businesses. Within the wearable sphere, we do see an emerging interest in video to support field service resolutions, so organisations are looking at mobility tools and technology that provide a seamless flow of video between the field and the service back office.

5. Call appointment, dispatch and scheduling - In confirmation of point 1, organisations are much more aware of the impact of poor call management and dispatch on field service performance. Typical call effectiveness metrics (time on call, ease of appointment setting, appointment window, etc) are ineffective if the subsequent field service visit is incomplete due to the wrong technician being scheduled or the lack of required parts. Everything is connected and organisations are recognising this more and more. In fact, in improving their perfect field service visit rate, organisations cite the following as two of the top four strategies:

• More intelligent schedule and dispatch
• Increased triage at call and appointment management

One might say that a prediction list without mention of the Internet of Things (IoT) is incomplete. In the field service space, the IoT is not a new revelation. Most enterprise-level organisations we speak with have already invested in connected machines and are reaping the benefits. Will they continue to evolve their investments? Sure. Connected machines will play a significant role in enhancing the proactive nature of service operations and this continues to be a major focus area for service-focused organisations.