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

We’ve all heard of Throwback Thursday, but how about a Throwback Monday? If you’re reading this the day it was published, that’s exactly what it is!

At Field Service Next West in San Diego earlier this month, there were a handful of themes being discussed that immediately brought to mind some really great former podcast discussions. Whether you attended the event or not, chances are these same themes are at the forefront of your mind – so I thought it would be helpful to share those discussions.

Here are five themes that surfaced at the event and the relevant content those on-site discussions reminded me of. Maybe you missed these the first time – if so, they’re well worth digging into. Maybe you did catch them when they were first shared – even so, you might pick up  new nugget of wisdom on the revisit.

Theme #1: Technology Choice Matters Now More than Ever

In his day one keynote, Brad Haberle of Siemens drove home the importance of a capable, company-wide digital foundation. This sentiment was echoed throughout the week by leaders who underscored how keeping pace with today’s service demands isn’t possible without digital sophistication, how significant the cost of being a digital laggard is, and how AI is crucial to scaling service today and into the future.

Of course, a key aspect of the technology discussion is its impact on the workforce and the criticality of strong change management. All of this brought to mind time and time again one of my early podcast discussions with Greg Lush, where he spoke about the concept of digital reputation. With each technology choice you make, you are either bolstering or tarnishing your digital reputation – and that doesn’t just affect the current project but has a lasting impact. Have a listen here.

As it relates to field service management specifically, this recent conversation with David Alazraki of PWC offers an examination of what’s evolved, why many organizations struggle to navigate today’s landscape, and what leaders should focus on next.

Theme #2: The Potential for Service Growth

Building upon theme #1, leaders discussed what becomes possible in terms of service growth as new digital capabilities are adopted. While everyone agrees there’s no substitute in service for the people that make it special, the expansion of digital abilities allows for proactive and remote layers that enable a scale that’s newly attainable.

Sasha Ilyukin of Tetra Pak was on one panel related to this topic, and he recently joined us to share not only a bit about Tetra Pak’s services growth journey but relate it to the research we conducted with Simon-Kucher. He also mentioned the work Tetra Pak has done with the Advanced Service Group, which reminded me of some great podcast discussions with members of their organization. This episode with Dr. Kawal Kapoor focuses on the state of advanced services and the potential that still exists.

Theme #3: Speed Isn’t Everything

While service leaders universally feel pressure to keep pace with today’s rapid change, on a panel about streamlining service, Jessica Murillo of IBM spoke about the value of slowing down to go fast. Her point was that while there’s a need to move with intention, racing is far different and can cause detriment. Sometimes, it can be advantageous to let the foot off of the gas – or even press pause – rather than barreling ahead.

This discussion immediately reminded me of the episode on this topic with Eduardo Bonefont who, at the time, was with BD. He shared the details of a global transformation where pressing pause had a very positive impact on the overall outcome. Have a listen here.

Theme #4: AI Has Already Disrupted Service Significantly – And There’s More to Come

While disruption can take on a negative connotation, I don’t necessarily mean it to – I mean more so that I feel AI has already altered the trajectory of service. Event MC Sean Albertson spoke in his event kickoff about the fact that “AI hasn’t created a problem, but it’s highlighting where all the weak points are.”

I’m sure to some organizations this feels like a problem, but it’s more of a reckoning – a new reality in which it’s impossible to hide inefficiencies or fake effectiveness. As Sean stated, today’s reality is one where time is compressed, volume has increased, expectations have multiplied, and buffers have disappeared.

In a webinar earlier this year, Roy Dockery of TSIA articulated this shift very well – after listening, I wrote this article with my thoughts, including how Roy emphasizes the need of service organizations to adapt or be left behind. In this article, I expand on how the future of field service hinges on an organization’s ability to distinguish between optimization and amplification.   

Theme #5: The Future of Talent Gets Ample Attention, But Deserves More Action

One of the major throughlines of the event was the looming exodus of workers across industries, with not nearly enough talent coming in to replace them. You’d have to be living under a rock, of course, to be unaware of this reality – and that’s part of the point. The topic gets plenty of airtime but not nearly enough focus in the form of funds, time, and real change.

Megan Schlam of Schneider Electric gave a great keynote on day three about how her company is approaching this reality, with an honest view of what’s working well and what hasn’t. Employer brand consultant Marta Riggins shared some clear, actionable insight alongside a few really compelling, modern-day examples of companies taking the lead.

These discussions reminded me of many a podcast, but the two that bubbled to the surface were this episode featuring David Sarazen of Multivac, who shares how the company has cut technician turnover in half. As well as this episode with Michael Potts, who at the time was with ACCO, who spoke about the strategic big bets the company is taking to put it a step ahead in the quest for talent.

If you missed it last week, you can also listen to my event recap from Field Service Next West in this episode.