By Sarah Nicastro, Founder and Editor in Chief, Future of Field Service
Last week I was in Baltimore for IFS’s PSO (Planning & Scheduling Optimization) Day. The event was graciously hosted by Exelon and brought together companies from a variety of industries that are currently using PSO, in the process of rolling out PSO, or are considering PSO. It was my first time in Baltimore and while it was a very brief introduction, the morning view from my hotel room left a positive impression.
At the event, Daniel Basile, VP of Field Services at TOMRA North America spoke about his company’s journey with IFS as a whole and with PSO specifically. TOMRA has been an IFS customer for over a decade and is on the latest version of IFS Cloud. Daniel referred to PSO his presentation as “AI before AI was cool.” This made me chuckle as I’ve also spoken with other users who have called PSO “the OG AI.”
PSO is a dynamic scheduling engine that uses an AI-driven algorithm to continuously optimize technicians. The tool takes into consideration a number of factors which companies set based on their priorities, including capacity, geography, work types, SLAs, travel time, and various other rules (skills, certifications, customer preferences, etc.). Making micro adjustments every second, PSO works on a constant and automated basis to improve SLA compliance, reduce travel, and maximize utilization.
27% Improvement in Operational Efficiency, Anyone?
The impact of dynamic scheduling is typically quite impressive. At TOMRA, for instance, its initial implementation of PSO helped the company improve first-time fix rates to 97% and increase operational efficiency by 27%. So, while dynamic scheduling – this “OG” AI – might not have as shiny a buzz as GenAI or agentic AI, it’s a well-proven application that drives business value.
As I listened to the various companies in attendance share about where they are in their service transformations and what role PSO is or may play, a few things stood out in my mind:
- Dynamic scheduling delivers value many companies haven’t yet realized. There were numerous companies in the room that are still using quite manual scheduling processes or outdated homegrown solutions. One shared that they aren’t currently able to offer customers any timeframe for technician arrival. Another spoke about the lack of visibility into what’s happening in the field. Many shared about the need to improve customer experience as well as efficiency. And these stories aren’t unique – many companies have yet to take advantage of the benefits dynamic scheduling offers. With all of the talk about where to start with AI and how to get business value from the technology, this seems like a no-brainer.
- A focus on continual innovation, paired with new AI capabilities, offers ongoing potential. For those in the room, like TOMRA, who have already experienced the initial ROI of PSO, the work isn’t done. Daniel spoke about how TOMRA is working within IFS’s Pioneer Program to help develop the next generation of service-centric AI use cases. He cautioned others, “don’t be married to your current ways of working – stay open to what’s becoming possible.” Kevin Miller, CTO for North America at IFS, shared with attendees the further PSO capabilities, such as WISE (What-If Scenario Explorer) and agentic AI dispatcher and appointment booking agents. There was conversation around how companies looking to get the most of their technology investments must adapt their ways of working to be geared toward continual innovation rather than the traditional “deploy and leave be” for 5+ years mentality.
- Change management will always be the biggest hurdle to overcome. And, yes, there was plenty of discussion around change management. While always needed, tools like dynamic scheduling that take some “control” away from individuals often warrant greater focus. Further, it was noted that companies must acknowledge the fear AI is causing among employees about job loss and factor that into communications strategies. While it’s crucial not to minimize the challenge that managing change presents, I’ve seen companies allow this hurdle to keep them stagnant – and this is a risky choice.