sydney.lofthouse@ifs.com, Author at Future of Field Service

Episode 329

In this candid episode of UNSCRIPTED, host Sarah Nicastro and Fortis Fire and Safety CEO Gyner Ozgul dive deep into five uncomfortable truths about service leadership that rarely make it into boardroom discussions. From navigating impossible decisions and AI ambiguity to redefining experience and addressing ongoing discrimination, this conversation offers an unfiltered look at modern leadership challenges. Whether you're wrestling with innovation failures or questioning traditional leadership approaches, this episode provides actionable insights on leading with authenticity while balancing business demands with human elements.

Leadership's impossible decisions and the human cost
AI ambiguity and its potential for workplace toxicity
The evolving value of experience in modern leadership
The gap between innovation rhetoric and failure acceptance
Persistent discrimination in the workplace and practical solutions

What You'll Learn:

How to handle truly impossible business decisions while maintaining humanity and transparency
Why the ambiguity around AI implementation requires honest leadership communication and clear boundaries
The evolving definition of experience in leadership and why traditional metrics no longer apply
How to create a framework for productive failure that drives innovation while setting clear parameters
Why discrimination remains a pressing challenge and how to foster genuine diversity of thought
The importance of moving beyond traditional experience-based leadership to problem-solving capabilities
How to balance maintaining business stability with personal impact during critical decisions

The truths revealed in this discussion highlight the complex balance service leaders must strike between business necessities and human considerations, while emphasizing the importance of honest communication and adaptive leadership in today's rapidly changing business environment.

About the Guest(s)

Gyner Osgul is the CEO of Fortis Fire and Safety, bringing extensive leadership experience from his previous role as President and COO of SmartCare Equipment. A respected voice in field service, Gyner co-hosts the Field Service Excellence podcast and maintains an active presence on LinkedIn, where he regularly shares industry insights. His diverse background in supply chain, operations, and private equity leadership positions him uniquely to discuss the untold truths of service leadership. In this episode, Gyner shares candid perspectives on crucial but often overlooked aspects of service leadership, including navigating impossible decisions, managing AI integration, and fostering genuine diversity in the workplace. His practical experience leading organizations through critical transitions, including during COVID-19, offers valuable insights for service leaders facing similar challenges in today's dynamic business environment.

Follow Along:

[00:00] Intro: Untold Truths of Service Leadership
[02:10] Navigating Impossible Business Decisions
[10:09] Managing AI Ambiguity and Workforce Fears
[19:33] The Evolving Value of Leadership Experience
[29:34] Redefining Failure in Innovation
[37:26] Addressing Discrimination in Modern Business
[47:55] Key Takeaways & Future Discussion

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Also, subscribe to our newsletter right here.

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By Sarah Nicastro, Founder and Editor in Chief, Future of Field Service

The struggles of the talent landscape in field service are well known and fairly universally felt. In an article Stephen Goulbourne, Vice President, Global Program Director of Global Service at Mettler-Toledo, recently shared on LinkedIn, he relayed that 70% of organizations report critical skills gaps and the current global shortage of 2.6 million technicians is expected to worsen through 2025.

As businesses grapple with this reality, most are getting creative about how to attract, hire, and retain the next generation of field technicians, many completely overhauling their approach like leaders from ACCO and Multivac have recently shared with us. But to what extent should leaders also consider the role that AI agents could play within the workforce?

Agentic AI is a Leading Area of Potential

In Gartner’s recently published 2025 Hype Cycle for Artificial Intelligence, AI agents and AI-ready data are the two fastest advancing technologies. Business Wire’s coverage explains that AI agents are autonomous or semiautonomous software entities that use AI techniques to perceive, make decisions, take actions and achieve goals in their digital or physical environments. Using AI practices and techniques such as LLMs, organizations are creating and deploying AI agents to achieve complex tasks.

It also includes some commentary from Gartner that describes a pivot from GenAI to applications such as agents: “With AI investment remaining strong this year, a sharper emphasis is being placed on using AI for operational scalability and real-time intelligence,” quotes Haritha Khandabattu, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner. “This has led to a gradual pivot from generative AI (GenAI) as a central focus, toward the foundational enablers that support sustainable AI delivery, such as AI-ready data and AI agents.”

Khandabattu goes on to explain that it can be quite challenging to determine where within the business AI agents can be valuable: “To reap the benefits of AI agents, organizations need to determine the most relevant business contexts and use cases, which is challenging given no AI agent is the same and every situation is different,” said Khandabattu. “Although AI agents will continue to become more powerful, they can’t be used in every case, so use will largely depend on the requirements of the situation at hand.”

Does the Potential of Agentic AI Apply to Field Service?

So regardless of their place in Gartner’s hype cycle, the question becomes to what extent AI agents can provide lift for field service organizations. The recent acquisition by IFS, known for its service and asset management solutions, of Silicon Valley-headquartered agentic AI specialist theLoops, is a strong indication that the potential is big.

In Forbes coverage of the news, Aly Pinder, Jr., Research Vice President for Aftermarket Service Strategies at IDC shared his opinion: “AI is disrupting our world, but nowhere is the potential impact more pronounced than in the Industrial setting. IFS’s acquisition of theLoops is addressing a huge opportunity for asset-intensive and service-obsessed industries, where agentic decision making will enable organizations to rethink their digital workforce, so they can improve the way they serve their own customers. IFS is well-positioned to lead this shift in each of the industries it serves - bringing intelligent automation that’s not just smart, but situationally aware and operationally impactful.”

To begin envisioning where AI agents could play a role in offloading decision-making or tasks from already overburdened frontline workers, it’s interesting to take a look through CIO.com’s Agentic AI: 9 Promising Use Cases for Business. Reading through this list with field service in mind, the areas that stand out to me are:

Customer support automation. The article states, “Organizations have long used simple chatbots and voice bots to handle simple customer service requests, but AI agents will allow customer service automation to evolve into a more robust service that doesn’t just answer a few frequently asked questions. Instead of a highly curated bot that answers a limited number of questions, AI agents will be able to understand and provide contextual answers for a wide range of customer needs.” In field service, you can imagine the value of agents that can take appropriate action not only in handling some of the simpler customer issues, but to then route to a remote service team or schedule on-site work that’s necessary.
Automating enterprise workflows. The article states, “With vendors embracing AI agents, enterprise workflows will be a sweet spot for the technology, experts say, enabling businesses to streamline processes by automating routine tasks. Organizations deploying IT tools from a large vendor across the business should have an advantage over companies using a variety of solutions that may need to be linked by APIs. It will be important for enterprises to pool all their data and avoid information silos.” Anyone who has ever spent time with a field technician can imagine all of the ways that automation could ease their burden!
Generating reports. The article states, “Writing text and creating images were two of the first popular use cases for gen AI. Now, AI agents can turbocharge the content creation process. AI plus human expertise is a tremendous boost in quality and AI agents aren’t just about optimization use cases. The real value is this expansion of the market, and expansion of revenue opportunities.” We talk all the time about how to improve productivity – having assistance in generating reports and handling time-consuming paperwork is a value that would thrill technicians while allowing them more time to focus on their actual work.

Field Service Organizations Must Continue to Prioritize Human Skills

While I think it is safe to say AI agents will play some role in transforming the talent landscape in service, don’t take your attention away from those creative measures to land the next generation of frontline workers. These agents should be viewed as a way to make the lives of field technicians easier; a digital workforce that can share the burden of the service organization – never a replacement for human skills.

“Service is a people business,” is a quote I hear time and time again – and believe deeply. In his recent article about what’s next for field service in the world of AI, Stephen outlines three of the major reasons humans remain essential in field service:

Complex, Unstructured Environments. Electrical/mechanical repair often involves irregular or unpredictable physical environments, requiring human adaptability, dexterity, and safety judgment. Tasks like diagnosing a faulty circuit under poor lighting in a humid environment, or welding in confined spaces, are far beyond current autonomous robots.
Tacit Knowledge & Physical Experience. Technicians rely on “feel,” sound, and other sensory inputs that are difficult to codify or automate. For example, subtle vibration indicating misalignment in a gearbox or electrical arcing you can smell; AI can’t yet replicate this sensory intuition.
Trust, Accountability & Compliance. Regulated industries, for example medical devices, pharmaceutical and food manufacturing, require signed off human intervention for safety and compliance. Customers and regulators still expect a human to make final judgments and approve fixes.

These are three great examples of where human skills are demanded, but I believe there are many more specific as well as nuanced reasons why the people we hire, enable, and empower will continue to be crucial to any service business’ strategy.

Stephen summarizes this so well in his article, saying, “The future is human-led, AI-enabled. AI tools augment human intelligence and labor, not replace it. This synergy is key to solving the skilled labor gap, scaling training, and achieving better outcomes at lower cost.”

As you consider how best to create the right synergy of human skill and AI within your workforce, be sure to keep in mind the anxiety this topic often causes among workers. Leaders of service organizations who deeply understand the realities of the skills gap often fail to recognize that the incorporation of AI can cause fear on a number of levels, so transparency, reassurance, and consistent communication are essential.

Episode 328

In this episode of UNSCRIPTED, host Sarah Nicastro sits down with Mark Florio, Senior Director of Global Robotics Service and Support at Medtronic's Robotic Surgical Technologies division, to explore 10 success factors for complex global service operations. From centering around customers and building service as a business to managing internal relationships and maintaining team motivation, Mark shares invaluable insights drawn from decades of medical device industry experience. Whether you're leading a global service organization or scaling service operations across regions, this conversation delivers practical strategies for building and maintaining world-class service delivery.

What You'll Learn:

How to build customer-centric service operations while effectively selling service value to stakeholders
The framework for establishing clear roles and responsibilities between global and regional service teams
Why treating service as a business unit drives better outcomes than viewing it as a cost center
How to strike the perfect balance between standardized processes and regional customization
The strategy for building and maintaining strong internal partnerships across global organizations
Why constant communication and positive culture are essential for service excellence in high-stress environments
How to establish effective global service delivery while maintaining consistent quality across regions
The importance of selecting and nurturing service personnel who thrive in first-responder environments
Why proactive leadership and thick skin are crucial for maintaining team morale in service operations
The blueprint for creating standardized systems while allowing for necessary regional variations

About the Guest(s)

Mark Florio is the Senior Director of Global Robotics Service and Support at Medtronic's Robotic Surgical Technologies division, bringing over 35 years of experience in the medical device industry. With a foundation in military service, Mark has been instrumental in developing and launching Medtronic's robotics program since 2014, where he oversees global service strategy, technical training, depot operations, and customer engagement. In this episode, he shares valuable insights on managing complex global service operations, drawing from his experience in scaling Medtronic's robotic surgical platform across diverse international markets. Mark's expertise in building standardized yet locally adaptable service delivery models, while maintaining consistent quality and customer satisfaction across regions, makes this conversation particularly relevant for service leaders managing global operations. His leadership in developing service as a strategic business function, rather than just a support operation, offers valuable lessons for service executives looking to enhance their global service delivery capabilities.

Follow Along:

[00:00] Intro and Welcome
[01:05] Journey into Medical Device Service Leadership
[08:09] Building Customer-Centric Service Strategy
[15:14] Running Service as a Strategic Business Unit
[28:31] Cultivating a High-Performance Service Culture
[32:29] Balancing Global Standards with Regional Needs
[41:21] Navigating Internal Partnerships and Removing Barriers
[45:21] Maintaining Effective Communication Across Teams
[49:32] Leading with Resilience: Staying Positive in Service
[56:17] Key Takeaways: Excellence in Global Service Operations

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Also, subscribe to our newsletter right here.

Watch here:

By Sarah Nicastro, Founder and Editor in Chief, Future of Field Service

How do you ignite transformation in a complex, global service environment? For Clinten van der Merwe, SVP, Head of Service at TOMRA Recycling, step one is defining a bold “North Star” vision. In a recent episode of UNSCRIPTED, Clinten offered an inside look at how he’s using his North Star – 100% remote service by 2035 – as a compass to guide TOMRA’s evolution through the challenges of digital transformation, rapidly shifting customer expectations, and the relentless drive for sustainability.

It’s important to understand that a North Star is more than just an aspirational statement. Clinten believes a North Star is a clear, compelling, long-term vision that shapes not just strategy, but the very identity of a team or organization. “It acts like a compass, pointing to north through complexity, ambiguity, and change,” he explains.

A North Star isn’t a simple technical tweak or incremental improvement. A North Star is needed, and adds value, when what’s underway is more of a paradigm shift. “A bold North Star really captures hearts and minds,” Clinten says. “It energizes the team, aligns leadership, and signals we’re here to build tomorrow — not just tweak yesterday.”

Using Storytelling to Unlock Business-Wide Alignment

A strong North Star also creates a foundation for powerful storytelling that can help build understanding and foster support beyond the service function – a struggle many leaders know well. Like TOMRA’s North Star of 100% remote service by 2035, most bold visions for service transformation are intertwined in broader business transformation. Storytelling is a powerful yet underutilized skill that can help build a business-wide movement, uniting R&D, sales, IT, operations, and even HR.

As Clinten puts it, “Stories inspire and move people to act, especially when bridging the gap between strategy and emotion.” In his first 90 days at TOMRA, he focused on the “why” – framing the vision in terms of emotional resonance, real business risk, and tangible customer value.

Consider this: In some markets, TOMRA already achieves an 80% first-time-fix rate remotely. That means less travel, faster response times, and greater equipment uptime for customers. But Clinten’s storytelling extends further, painting a future where a customer receives a proactive alert, connects instantly with an expert, and has issues resolved before they even know there’s a problem.

The art of storytelling isn’t just about painting a bright future, however; it’s about tailoring the message for every stakeholder. For sales, remote service becomes a differentiator and revenue driver. For engineering, it means spending less time firefighting and more time innovating. For HR, it’s about attracting and empowering the next generation of tech-savvy, customer-centric talent. And for finance, it’s hard numbers: millions in operational efficiency.

From Vision to Action: Building the Strategy to Achieve Your North Star

Of course, ambition and alignment alone aren’t enough; but a North Star sets the stage for building a stepwise strategy to achieve the vision. Clinten explains that TOMRA’s strategy is divided into three horizons.

Horizon 1 is focused on strengthening its digital backbone and expanding remote capabilities. This includes upgrading core platforms (like ERP), integrating AI and machine learning for predictive service, and piloting new models with trusted customers. For Clinten, “Scalability equals speed plus consistency.” Without modern systems, there’s no way to deliver a world-class, global remote service – but systems alone won’t make TOMRA’s vision a reality. “Data is everywhere,” Clinten says, “but insight is everything.” The value lies in knowing what to do with the data — turning it into actions that drive customer trust and business value.

Horizon 2 is centered around accelerating adoption. Over the next three to five years, TOMRA aims to expand remote service to 50–70% of interactions, build trust at scale through data transparency, and shift field teams to hybrid, remote-enabled roles.

Horizon 3 is about transforming for the future. In six to ten years, the goal is 100% remote capability across all product lines, embedding serviceability into product design from the start, and reimagining field engineers as strategic remote advisors. Achieving the North Star vision means TOMRA will need to fundamentally rethink its approach to talent.

Clinten acknowledges that service skillsets are evolving rapidly. “TOMRA isn’t eliminating field roles but elevating them. Tomorrow’s engineers will be part coach, part problem-solver, part data interpreter,” he shares. “Digital transformation expands the talent pool but also increases competition, so TOMRA is focused on making service careers modern, strategic, and customer-impacting.”

Flexible work, enabled by digital tools, appeals to a broader range of talent — inviting in those who want to work from coffee shops, set flexible hours, or contribute remotely from anywhere in the world. Yes, this is a bold vision – but also one that is quite compelling.

Navigating the Practical Realities of Service Transformation

Throughout these horizons of transformation, TOMRA is focused on setting measurable goals and celebrating milestones to keep teams motivated and accountable. The company is leaning into KPIs like customer uptime and digital resolution rates. “The goal is to be aggressive but attainable, inspiring but relatable,” Clinten notes.

As every service leader knows, transformation is never easy or linear. Clinten is candid about the challenges, which include resistance, slow progress, and the sheer weight of ambition. Staying motivated, he says, is about returning to the vision, celebrating small wins, and investing in continuous learning — for both leader and team.

Leadership, as Clinten models, means being present, uplifting teams, and modeling gratitude. “Positive stories are hardly celebrated,” he observes, “but they’re what keep you moving forward.”

For service leaders facing similar tides of change, the idea of creating a service North Star and leveraging storytelling to rally around it are one blueprint for how to guide a business (and its people) to not just adapt to tomorrow’s realities, but to create them.

Episode 327

What if you could transform your service organization with a bold vision that inspires both teams and stakeholders? In this episode of UNSCRIPTED, host Sarah Nicastro sits down with Clinten Vandermer, SVP and Head of Global Service at TOMRA Recycling, to explore how to create and execute an ambitious service North Star. Learn how to develop a compelling vision that drives cross-functional collaboration, rethink talent strategies for the digital age, and build the technical foundation needed for remote service transformation. Whether you're aiming to modernize your service operations or seeking ways to better articulate service's value to your business, this conversation offers practical insights for service leaders looking to shape their organization's future. Tune in to discover how TOMRA is working toward their goal of 100% remote service by 2035 and the strategic steps they're taking to get there.

What You'll Learn:

How to craft a compelling North Star vision that inspires teams and drives organizational alignment
The three-horizon strategy framework for balancing aggressive goals with attainable milestones
Why storytelling is crucial for gaining cross-functional buy-in and support for service transformation
How to build a digital foundation that enables remote service capabilities and data-driven insights
The framework for evolving talent strategy as service roles shift from hands-on fixing to strategic advisory
Why maintaining positive leadership momentum is essential during long-term transformation
The importance of celebrating small wins while working toward ambitious service goals
How to leverage data insights to transition from traditional field service to value-based customer relationships

About the Guest(s)

Clinten Vandermer is the SVP and Head of Global Service and Project Management at TOMRA Recycling, a global leader in sorting technologies for waste recycling and mining industries. With over 20 years of service industry experience, he is driving transformative change in remote service delivery and digital transformation. In his three years at TOMRA, Clinten has established a bold vision for achieving 100% remote service capabilities by 2035, while maintaining the organization's position as a trusted adviser to customers. His expertise in developing service-centric strategies, cross-functional collaboration, and talent development has helped achieve an 80% first-time fix rate through remote support in some regions. As a forward-thinking service leader, Clinten's approach to combining digital innovation with customer value creation makes him a valuable voice for service executives navigating the future of field service operations.

Follow Along:

[00:00] Welcome to the Unscripted Podcast with Sarah Nicastro
[02:42] Defining Your Service North Star Vision
[06:36] The Power of Storytelling in Service Leadership
[11:32] Building a Three-Horizon Strategy for Transformation
[15:29] Cross-Functional Collaboration for Service Success
[19:19] Evolving Talent Strategy for Remote Service
[22:48] Creating a Strong Digital Foundation
[26:09] Turning Service Data into Customer Value
[28:31] Leading Through Transformation: Staying Motivated
[31:16] Key Takeaways: Reflecting on Progress and Celebrating Wins

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Also, subscribe to our newsletter right here.

Watch here:

By Sarah Nicastro, Founder and Editor in Chief, Future of Field Service

As companies like Diebold Nixdorf (DN) strive to move from product-centric models to service-driven enterprises, the keys to success often lie not as much in bold strategies as in navigating the cultural, operational, and philosophical shifts required. Brian Gallipeau, SVP Service, Americas at DN, attributes much of the company’s progress on its journey to how it has harnessed principles of lean methodology to fuel transformation, foster change acceptance, and empower frontline teams across the Americas.

With service accounting for roughly 50% of DN’s workforce and representing a major share of revenue and profit, the stakes for evolving from its legacy as a product-focused company to one that is service-centered are high. An open mindset and willingness to change are foundational elements that DN has working in its favor, which isn’t always the reality in this type of evolution. “In many companies, there’s internal resistance to try something new or that siloed approach of ‘don’t get involved in my business’... there’s really not a lot of that at DN, surprisingly, for how old the company is,” Gallipeau shares. Gallipeau, who previously spent more than 20 years at Canon, oversees 8,000 employees responsible for delivering service at DN.

This openness to change, across new and existing leadership, has laid fertile ground for lean principles to take root at DN. Instead of clinging to the refrain, “That’s the way we’ve always done it,” DN has cultivated a climate where the willingness to try, adapt, and improve prevails.

Applying Lean in Service: The Opportunity and The Challenge

While lean methodologies are often synonymous with manufacturing, Gallipeau feels they could have an even more significant impact on service environments. In manufacturing, processes are controlled within a closed system, like assembly lines and defined workflows. Service, on the other hand, is decentralized and distributed: “We have potentially 500 people solving the exact same problem in different places every single day,” Gallipeau notes. This presents a massive opportunity to standardize best practices for efficiency and consistency across a sprawling field workforce with varying levels of experience.

But the challenge lies in translating lean from the lab to the real world. Anyone familiar with the realities of field work can understand how the traditional approach of engineering “standard work” in pristine environments simply doesn’t translate. Gallipeau shares the example of how, for instance, repairing an ATM in a controlled setting doesn’t account for the complexities technicians face in the field, such as navigating double-door vaults or split-machine access points. Therefore, lean transformation in service must be co-created with frontline employees, to ensure standard processes are both effective and realistic.

Build a Foundation of Trust

“Most of the time when you’re introducing change, it’s really the people who have been here the longest who are the most resistant,” Gallipeau admits. The best way to work through this resistance is to focus on building trust – and this includes understanding that trust must be earned.

DN has worked to build trust by showing the employees the goal isn’t to dictate what they do, but to build best practices around their lived experiences. DN has involved technicians and service leadership in the development of lean processes, empowering them to shape procedures and claim ownership. “If you can give them the small wins... I helped develop this procedure, and this is really the right way to do it... that really permeates throughout the organization,” Galliepau explains.

When respected technicians champion new practices, their influence ripples far beyond what top-down directives could achieve. This was reinforced by communications expert Jason Anthoine, who shared in a recent podcast how internal influencers, though fewer in number, wield disproportionate impact on organizational culture.

Beyond involvement, Gallipeau points to two simple-to-say but harder-to-practice principles that are instrumental in building trust: genuine listening and taking real action on feedback. At DN’s North Canton center, groups of select technicians are regularly invited for lunch with leadership to candidly share field challenges. Leadership listens attentively and, even more importantly, takes action to address the shared challenges. Whether the issue is as simple as providing better screwdrivers or far more complex process fixes, demonstrating follow-through builds trust and signals a new era of responsive leadership.

For this to be effective, however, it must be sincere. Leaders who listen just to give the impression of caring, then fail to deliver, risk doing more harm than good. Moreover, transparency is vital – that means that even when a fix isn’t feasible, setting clear expectations and communicating reasons honestly helps manage morale and maintain credibility.

Lean in Action at DN: Ride-Alongs, Kaizen Events and Real-Time Insights

Gallipeau describes how lean transformation is embodied at DN through tangible practices, such as:

Ride-alongs to illustrate the importance of service. Gallipeau says that while many service organizations only require ride-alongs as a KPI for frontline managers, DN extends this practice to all functions – including HR, procurement, and the C-suite. Experiencing technicians’ day-to-day realities fosters empathy and informs intelligent decision-making. “Even the CEO participates, receiving unfiltered technician feedback,” says Galliepau. “This holistic exposure unites the business around common goals and highlights the importance of service at every level.”
Kaizen events for cross-functional problem solving. Kaizen events create a get-things-done energy at DN. They are not small-scale brainstorming sessions – rather, they convene up to 100 people from different departments for intensive, week-long sprints. These sprints are focused on solving identified field problems and, crucially, both decisions and implementations happen in real time, with all relevant stakeholders present and empowered to act. “The goal is not to leave with a to-do list, but to leave with solutions in place,” notes Gallipeau.
Incorporation of video training & data-driven support. With technicians managing a vast array of products and scenarios, traditional training alone is insufficient. DN has augmented traditional training with video resources and data-driven platforms to provide just-in-time information, diagnostics, and repair instructions. This approach not only minimizes time out of the field but also enhances accuracy and further reinforces lean’s principle of “value where and when it’s needed.”
Leveraging scorecards and continuous Feedback. Transparency is central to DN’s approach to performance management. Weekly-reviewed scorecards and “bowlers” (visual management tools) give technicians real-time insight into their performance relative to peers and expectations, eliminating surprises and creating a culture of accountability and self-improvement.

Lean transformation is not a one-off program or a flavor-of-the-month initiative at DN. “Consistency really is the important piece,” says Gallipeau. “This is a continuous journey.” The willingness to invest and iterate, even after initial failures or skepticism, signals to employees that change is both real and lasting.

As service organizations worldwide aim to keep pace with change, DN’s experience offers a powerful blueprint. By embedding lean principles like inclusion, transparency, real-time action, and persistent communication into its DNA, DN has created a compelling environment where change is embraced, not feared. This breeds confidence that builds momentum. In Gallipeau’s words, “There’s really nothing stopping us from becoming the best in service... not just in ATM or retail, but across industries.”

To hear more from Gallipeau about DN’s journey, listen to the full podcast interview.

Episode 326

In this episode of UNSCRIPTED, host Sarah Nicastro sits down with Brian Gallipeau, Senior Vice President of Service for the Americas at Diebold Nixdorf, to explore how lean methodology is transforming service operations in a global organization. Brian shares practical insights on implementing lean principles through ride-alongs, Kaizen events, and video training, while discussing how to overcome resistance to change and empower frontline teams. Whether you're leading a service transformation or seeking to improve operational efficiency, this conversation offers valuable strategies for evolving from a product-centric to service-centric business model. Tune in to discover how cross-functional collaboration and frontline engagement can drive meaningful organizational change.

What You'll Learn:

How to leverage lean methodology in service operations with greater impact than traditional manufacturing applications
The power of involving frontline technicians in process development to ensure real-world effectiveness
Why cross-functional ride-alongs create organizational alignment and drive service transformation
How to use Kaizen events to solve problems in real-time with multi-disciplinary teams
The strategic shift from Customer Delivery Manager to Customer Success Manager to drive outcome-focused relationships
Why consistent communication and demonstrated follow-through are essential for overcoming change resistance
How to leverage predictive analytics and IoT data to transform from break-fix to proactive service delivery
The importance of measuring technician effectiveness at specific repair types versus general metrics

About the Guest(s)

Brian Gallipeau is the Senior Vice President of Service for the Americas at Diebold Nixdorf, where he oversees a team of 8,000 people delivering critical service solutions. With over 20 years of experience at Canon and previous roles at Xerox and Kodak, Brian brings an engineering mindset to service transformation. In this episode, he shares how lean methodology is revolutionizing service delivery at Diebold Nixdorf, offering practical insights on transitioning from a product-centric to service-oriented business model. His leadership in implementing innovative approaches like cross-functional Kaizen events, strategic ride-alongs, and data-driven customer success management demonstrates how traditional service organizations can embrace change and drive operational excellence. Brian's work in modernizing service delivery and fostering a culture of continuous improvement provides valuable lessons for service leaders looking to transform their organizations.

Follow Along:

[00:00] Intro
[00:47] Brian's Journey from Engineering to Service Leadership
[02:25] Breaking Down Silos: DN's Culture of Collaboration
[06:14] Why Lean Works Better in Service Than Manufacturing
[07:34] Involving Frontline Teams in Lean Implementation
[14:40] Building Trust Through Leadership Lunches
[19:26] Cross-Functional Ride-Alongs Drive Understanding
[23:04] Action-Oriented Kaizen Events Drive Real Change
[25:43] Smart Video Training for Field Service Success
[28:04] Using Scorecards to Drive Performance
[36:13] Evolution to Customer Success Management
[39:09] Leveraging Data for Predictive Service
[41:22] Final Thoughts: Leading Service Transformation

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Also, subscribe to our newsletter right here.

Watch here:

By Sarah Nicastro, Founder and Editor in Chief, Future of Field Service

What if you could cut technician turnover in half while building a more engaged field service team? In last week’s episode of UNSCRIPTED, Dave Sarazen, VP of Customer Service at Multivac, shared how his organization has transformed their approach to recruiting and retention in ways that have massively paid off.

Multivac is a global leader in packaging and processing equipment for the food and pharmaceutical industries. With a background in mechanical engineering and extensive experience in technical service leadership, Dave has successfully led initiatives to reduce technician turnover by more than 50% and achieve the highest employee satisfaction scores across the business.

Tackling today’s complex talent landscape remains the biggest challenge for service leaders and there are many valuable lessons to take from what Dave shared. One important point to keep in mind is that if you’re focused only on recruiting, your strategy is short-sighted – it’s imperative to put effort into the employee experience to retain strong talent for a long-term solution. As Dave says, “It's one thing to be able to hire, the other thing is to be able to retain and keep those, keep that as a as a stable workforce for us in the field.”

If you missed the podcast or want a refresh on the key aspects of how Multivac has achieved its success, here are the core elements of their approach.

#1: Aligning Company Focus & Core Leadership

To gain the support needed for the change and investment necessary to modernize the talent approach, the business must first be clear on the value of doing so. Dave shares that, for Multivac, this starts by having clarity and alignment on the crucial role service plays in the business. “About 45% of our overall revenue this year will come from our aftermarket, our customer service teams [spare parts and field service]. That is such a big contributor to the bottom line for an organization, and, beyond that, we anticipate within the next two to three years it will equal our new equipment sales and then ultimately surpass the new equipment sales,” he says. “So, having that long term vision of investing today for where you're going to be tomorrow is critical. I can only emphasize to folks that you have to make that investment to get there.”

With the understanding of investment in this area being necessary, building a like-minded team dedicated to doing what it will take was the next step. “Building a team of strong service management leaders that were willing to drive change and collectively focused on what we need to do to bring technicians in and improve retention is critical,” says Dave.

#2: Reimagining the Ideal Talent Profile & Sources

Some organizations get very hung up on pivoting from the approach that has “always worked,” but no longer is. Not Multivac. The company knew that the dynamics had changed, and it must too. Born of this was an increased focus on soft skills and far less focus on trying to find seasoned technicians.

“A key piece of the technician’s role is beyond the technical part; it’s really the soft skills and the respect of our customers. The empathy for our customer situations and how to navigate issues professionally and successfully when there’s emotion involved around,” Dave explains. “One of the big culture shifts is that we're not looking for seasoned technicians anymore. We’ve learned that there's potentially a lot of bad behavior that'll come along with a seasoned technician who's been out there for twenty or thirty years in a particular industry. We would much rather get someone fresh from the military, trade school, universities who have the learning capability to learn the machines and the motivation to do that. This gives us the opportunity to train that individual from the beginning on the proper way to service and maintain the equipment.”

While recruiting veterans wasn’t brand new for Mutlivac, it has grown in focus for the company and today about 31% of its workforce is made up of military veterans. “Veterans have been a key part of our strategy,” says Dave. “We engage with a number of military outfits across the country for job fairs and have also had success having existing veteran employees make referrals.”

#3: Building Strong Partnership with HR

Another common stumbling block is knowing within the service function what needs to change, but not communicating that clearly or gaining the full support of HR. Multivac worked to ensure that not only was there clear alignment on the objective and supported by management teams, but that a close cross-functional partnership was formed with HR.

“I've been very well supported throughout this endeavor by not only our management teams in Europe and in the US but also from our HR department, which has been critical. We have a dedicated recruiter within our HR team that focuses on the service department, and we involve them in everything,” says Dave. “They have to truly understand what the role is and what our criteria is and how that’s evolved. They're very good at picking out individuals that have more skills than just what's on a resume or an interest that might dovetail into the role.”

#4: Understanding the Value of Transparency

From the point of initial communication, Multivac is very transparent with candidates about what the role entails and what is expected. While painting a rosy picture may yield more new hires, it would hurt retention if reality doesn’t match expectations.

“We're very transparent as to what the role is and the environments that these individuals will be in. Some of these facilities and plants can be very challenging and we really try to set expectations. If an individual hasn't been on the road, we will sit down with them very clearly and go through a typical schedule from another technician,” explains Dave. “Our interview process involves our regional supervisor teams where we invest to bring the candidate into one of our facilities around the country and do a number of tests with those individuals, both written and practical tests. Transparency is valuable with any role, but I think particularly here, you have to paint the picture for what it is. As a candidate transitions to an employee, there should be no surprises when that now employee begins with a company.”

#5: Offering Growth Potential with Career Path Development

Multivac wants candidates that are seeking a career versus a job. To attract those individuals, the company had to reimagine its options for progression and growth. “We are all about promotion and opportunities today, but when I started eight years ago, if you were a technician in the field and you didn’t want to do that anymore, you had two options – move to headquarters in Kansas City or find another job,” says Dave.

This has completely changed because the company knew that, in order to retain strong talent, it needed to provide far more options. “If they want to remain in the field, there’s a very structured progression from a level one to a level two to a level three. If they want to move more towards management, there are supervisor teams in reach region and from those supervisor teams is where we pull for the next step as manager and then director and so on. We also have options to move into the help desk, giving former technicians the option to work from home. We have specialist roles for certain complex equipment, and they can focus there, which is a progression. We also have options like CSRs, aftermarket sales, and a few others. But the overall goal is that candidates know up front they can build a future here.”

Of course, it would be easier if technicians were happy to stay in that role for the long term, but that isn’t always the reality today. “Retention through the company is the focus, rather than just within the service department,” explains Dave. “Our regional directors have regular one-on-ones to talk with individuals about their desires, next steps, any additional training or exposure to different areas. We want them to be excited about the next step in their career.”

#6: Taking Responsibility for Creating a Talent Pipeline with An Apprenticeship Program

Even for companies who would like to hire experienced talent, there’s a dwindling pool to choose from. Companies must accept that in today’s talent landscape, there’s a real need to farm and nurture a talent pipeline. Multivac has created a two-year apprenticeship program to do just that. “A little over two years ago, we endeavored down the path of creating our apprenticeship program. In our European headquarters in Germany, it’s very typical to have apprenticeship programs so we decided to try that on a smaller scale here,” says Dave.

Multivac brought in six individuals from local trade schools or high schools that were interested in learning about field service for a very thorough two-year program. “The first year they spend entirely within the Kansas City training facility. We have one trainer who was hired specifically to focus on these individuals. They spend this first year splitting time between the training center and our manufacturing shop,” explains Dave. “Year two, we begin to put them into the field and rotate them through about one month per region, circulating twice throughout the different areas of the country. They are paired up with a senior technician who we've identified truly want to mentor and support these younger individuals. At the end of two years, they are able to test to go into the field as a full-fledged technician.”

With tis first class, Multivac wasn’t sure how the program would fare, but all six apprentices tested into full-time technician roles and are now working in different regions around the country. The second class of the program is underway, and a new class begins each year to always keep two in process.

#7: Building Engagement Through Strong Internal Communication

Multivac leadership has identified a crucial aspect of retention: strong employee engagement. The company puts ample focus on creating and maintaining employee engagement, which is done to a large degree through a dedication to effective communication.

“We communicate, communicate, communicate. You can never have too much of it. We do the one-on-ones. We also have a biweekly Teams call with each of the regions and all of the technicians and their leadership join. We go through their situations, their challenges, we review any company updates, and we discuss everything in a very open forum,” explains Dave. “We make every effort to ensure our technicians feel part of the company.”

To evaluate how well its efforts are landing, Multivac includes an employee engagement survey as one of four annual employee surveys. What’s surprising is that the company’s highest level of engagement for the past four years has come from field service – an area that often struggles in these surveys because teams can feel disconnected from the organization. “Overall, our company has high engagement, but we’re especially proud that our highest scores four years and running are from the field service teams,” says Dave. “It’s almost counterintuitive – they’re not in the building; they don’t see each other daily. Oftentimes, our technicians spend most of their time by themselves. So, seeing them feel that engaged and connected to the company is something we’re really proud of.”

Dave is quick to point out that leadership has built trust by making sure that feedback is acknowledged and acted upon. “Any areas that we do see that need some focus, we take that on,” he says. “They see that the information is important to us and that we’ll act on it to address challenges.”

#8: Making Teams Feel Valued with Recognition & Rewards

Another important aspect of Multivac’s success is making it a priority to recognize and reward the efforts of its field service teams. “I personally will recognize any technician as often as I can – I’ll give them a call, send them a note, make sure they know we appreciate what they’re doing,” Dave says. “Sometimes individuals don’t want to be in the spotlight, but they do appreciate knowing that what they’ve done has impacted a customer in a positive way.”

All leaders make an effort to recognize teams’ contributions on a regular basis, but the company also has a reward program called the “spot awards.” This is a company-wide initiative for individuals who are going above and beyond their daily job. “The spot award can be given by a manager from a different department, from anywhere in the business, to call out someone’s effort and success by giving them anywhere from $100 to $600 depending on the impact they’ve had. We want to make sure they know their effort is seen and feel appreciated. Leaders must be appreciative. I tell them all during the interview process, it’s the most important job in the company, hands down. Without their success, the company as a whole can’t be successful.”

#9: Investment in Face-to-Face Time

While this could fall into the point about strong communication, I’m calling it out separately because I think it is uniquely important and likely has had a significant impact on what Multivac has achieved. Many leaders I speak to underscore the importance of investing in face-to-face time and are firm that there is simply no substitute. Multivac, too, has found that spending time with technicians in-person is vital.

“We have our monthly senior management meetings where we get together as a team one day a month. Six of those, one for each region, we will travel out to the region where we have let's say Monday and Tuesday for technician meetings. We bring all the technicians in for their regional meeting for two days and then on the second day the remainder of the management team fly out to have a dinner with all of the technicians in that region,” explains Dave. “We spend time with them and just have a very casual dinner. We encourage them to float around a little bit and get to know leaders from other functions. It’s quite an investment, but they see in that their importance, and they feel connected with the company. That also contributes to the engagement levels we’ve seen.”

#10: Promoting Work-Life Balance Through Schedule Innovation

Multivac takes responsibility for respecting its technicians’ schedules to avoid burnout and protect their work-life balance. The company offers two schedules for technicians to choose from. “We have two options for schedules, work ten days then off four or work three five-day weeks per month and one weekend per month,” says Dave. “But I don’t think there’s anything worse for a technician than to be coming to the end of your schedule, looking forward to your downtime, and then a manager says – sorry, we need you to stay out there. We try to encourage work-life balance, and they have to have a break from their job. They need that time, they need to be able to plan for it and we have to be able to respect that.”

#11: Showing You’ll Stick to Standards by Not Tolerating Poor Behavior

Part of creating a strong culture is knowing what to do when someone is tarnishing it and recognizing the detriment that can be to the team. “When there is an issue with the technician not performing, perhaps, or poor behavior, that region is well aware that they have an individual on their team that doesn't stand up to the rest of them,” explains Dave. “And I've seen companies and I've been with companies in the past that allow that to happen because they don’t have confidence in the HR department to move that individual on quite frankly. You can destroy the morale of a company or a team when you have a poor performer that someone else is going out after every job and cleaning up something unfinished on that job or something that was done incorrectly”

During our discussion, Dave pointed out that many of these success factors don’t have a lot of cost associated with them. But it takes understanding, intention, and commitment. “It has to be intentional, and it’s got to be on a cadence. You have to continuously do what you say you’ll do,” says Dave. “It’s critical and it’s appreciated. We’re constantly learning and constantly supporting each other.”

Episode 325

What if you could cut technician turnover in half while building a more engaged field service team? In this episode of UNSCRIPTED, host Sarah Nicastro sits down with Dave Sarazen, VP of Customer Service at Multivac, to explore how his organization transformed their approach to recruiting and retention. Learn how they've built a successful veteran hiring program, implemented an innovative apprenticeship model, and created structured growth paths that keep technicians engaged. Whether you're struggling with field service turnover or looking to modernize your talent strategy, this conversation offers practical insights into building a sustainable service workforce through intentional leadership, transparent communication, and meaningful recognition.

Reducing technician turnover requires a comprehensive strategy combining thoughtful recruitment, clear career paths, and genuine employee engagement.

In this episode of UNSCRIPTED, host Sarah Nicastro speaks with Dave Sarazen, Vice President of Customer Service at Multivac, about how his organization successfully cut technician turnover in half through strategic initiatives and leadership practices that prioritize both recruitment and retention

What You'll Learn

How to build successful veteran recruitment programs that now comprise 31% of the field service workforce
Why transparency in recruitment leads to better retention by setting clear expectations about work environments and demands
The framework for creating structured growth paths that offer multiple career progression options
How to develop and implement an apprenticeship program that creates a sustainable talent pipeline
Why intentional communication and recognition strategies drive higher employee engagement
The importance of balancing workload and schedules to prevent burnout (52-57 hours sweet spot)
How to build strong partnerships between service leadership and HR to drive recruitment success
Why removing underperforming team members is crucial for maintaining high-performing service teams
The value of regular face-to-face engagement through regional meetings and management dinners

About the Guest(s)

Dave Sarazen is the Vice President of Customer Service at Multivac, a global leader in packaging and processing equipment for the food and pharmaceutical industries. With a background in mechanical engineering and extensive experience in technical service leadership, Dave has successfully led initiatives to transform Multivac's field service operations. Under his leadership, the company has cut technician turnover in half through innovative programs including a structured apprenticeship program and strategic veteran recruitment that now comprises 31% of their field service workforce. In this episode, Dave shares valuable insights on building and retaining a high-performing field service team, managing a 200-person customer service organization, and developing engagement strategies that have resulted in the highest employee satisfaction scores across Multivac. His successful transformation of service operations from a cost center to generating 45% of company revenue makes this conversation essential listening for service leaders focused on talent retention and operational excellence.

Follow Along

[00:00] Intro: Cutting Technician Turnover in Half - A Service Leadership Story
[04:47] Veteran Recruitment Strategy: Building a Sustainable Talent Pipeline
[18:12] Creating Career Paths: From Field Tech to Leadership
[22:53] Innovative Apprenticeship Program: Growing Your Own Talent
[27:50] Engagement Through Intentional Communication
[30:54] Recognition and Rewards: Making Field Teams Feel Valued
[37:34] Work-Life Balance: Schedule Innovation and Respecting Time Off
[39:53] Leadership Lessons and Building High-Performing Service Team

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Also, subscribe to our newsletter right here.

Watch here:

Episode 324

As Technology Democratizes Knowledge, Leadership Must Evolve Beyond Technical Expertise to Focus on Human Connection and Development

In this episode of Unscripted, host Sarah Nicastro speaks with Venkata Reddy Muku, VP of Worldwide Service and Support at Bruker Nanosurfaces and Metrology, about the expanding role of leadership in an AI-driven world. They explore how successful leadership increasingly depends on emotional intelligence, coaching skills, and creating psychological safety as technical knowledge becomes more accessible through technology.

What You'll Learn:

How to shift from problem-solving to empowerment through enhanced listening skills and coaching techniques
Why creating psychological safety is crucial for building trust and fostering innovation in teams
The "Three Levels of Listening" framework for deeper understanding and more effective leadership
How to balance automation with human connection to maintain customer satisfaction and team engagement
Why establishing consistent routines creates stability that enables teams to handle rapid change
The power of small acts of kindness in leadership and their ripple effect throughout organizations
How to approach change management by emphasizing what remains constant rather than only what's changing
Why emotional intelligence and human skills become more critical as AI handles technical tasks

About the Guest(s)

Venkata Reddy Muku is the Vice President for Worldwide Service and Support at Bruker Nanosurfaces and Metrology, where he leads global service operations with a distinctive people-first leadership approach. A certified Professional CoActive Coach from the CoActive Training Institute, Venkata combines over 20 years of service leadership experience with advanced coaching expertise to drive organizational excellence. Named one of Future of Field Service's Standout Leaders of 2024, he is recognized for his innovative approach to leadership development and team empowerment. In this episode, Venkata shares valuable insights on evolving leadership responsibilities in an AI-driven era, emphasizing the importance of human connection, effective listening, and creating psychological safety in teams. His commitment to continuous learning and focus on emotional intelligence in leadership has helped create highly engaged service teams and lasting customer relationships at Bruker, making this conversation essential for service leaders navigating the intersection of technology and human-centered leadership.

Follow along:

[01:47] Why Leadership Must Evolve Beyond Technical Solutions
[06:13] Balancing AI and Human Connection in Service Delivery
[14:51] Creating Competitive Advantage Through People-First Leadership
[17:29] The Three Levels of Listening for Better Leadership
[27:05] Building Stability and Routine Amidst Rapid Change
[35:36] The Art of Effective Communication in Leadership
[40:48] Small Acts of Kindness: Creating Lasting Impact as a Leader
[48:42] Emotional Intelligence: Understanding Mood's Impact on Performance
[52:47] Final Thoughts: Leadership Evolution in the AI Era

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Also, subscribe to our newsletter right here.

Watch on YouTube:

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