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September 28, 2020 | 4 Mins Read

Weighing the Decision of Disruption

September 28, 2020 | 4 Mins Read

Weighing the Decision of Disruption

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By Sarah Nicastro, Creator, Future of Field Service

A few weeks ago I welcomed Sae Kwon, VP of Customer Experience at Cisco, to the Future of Field Service podcast to discuss some of the trends he’s navigating in the word of CX. We had a great discussion around his 24-year tenure at Cisco, how Cisco is tackling CX, and how he leads – but one of the points that came up during our conversation was related to weighing the decision to disrupt. Sae relays a fairly recent story of Cisco realizing that between its professional services and technical services teams sat a gap in customer need – the customers had help getting their systems up and running, and technical help if they needed it once established, but they were feeling the pain of not having ample help really managing the change and use of the solutions and promoting adoption. To fill this gap, Cisco created what it calls customer success, a function that assists customers with these needs.

However, as Sae explains, what was challenging about making this decision is that both the professional and technical services businesses, which operated separately, were very successful. “A big part of the decision was timing, because we had professional services and technical services and they were both very successful businesses on their own. It was a separate organization, but very successful businesses, but we could see in the longer term that we needed that customer success function as well and we needed to bring the teams together,” he says. “It was a very difficult decision, but we couldn't afford to wait until these businesses started to slow down. When you have three successful large businesses, it's hard to make that decision to disrupt, because you're disrupting a lot of people, a lot of organizations. I think I once described it as, we put everything into a box, shook it, turned it upside down and then put it down and then we started from there – it sort of felt that way at the time.”

Sae’s point struck me, because often when we talk about the need to disrupt it is in relation to changing the “status quo” – and the connotation of status quo is often stale, outdated, less-than-innovative. But what about when your status quo is working incredibly well? That makes the decision of disruption far harder, because you have the weigh the risk of shaking up those well-performing businesses. “I think that having that courage to disrupt early on is really important. It can be very risky and scary, but if you do that, you open more room for growth. Rather than allowing a really strong business to sort of slow down or plateau, if you make that transformation at the right time, then you can go through that growth curve again. So, the timing is so important, and having the courage to disrupt earlier is really important.”

Defining Your Disruption

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of disruption is the act or process of disrupting something: a break or interruption in the normal course or continuation of some activity, process, etc. In Cisco’s case, disruption was a combination of creating a new business to address the needs of customers and making changes to the organizational structure of its existing business to fit this new function. It’s important to consider the different types of disruption that exist: it can be innovative disruption, like brining a new offering to market or fundamentally changing how you serve your customers. It could be operational disruption, where you restructure how your business works in some way (perfect example in today’s quest for Servitization is changing fundamentally how, and by whom, service is sold). Or it could be technological disruption, where you decide it is time to modernize an area of the business to take advantage of today’s digital tools. Each of these types of disruption can be incredibly valuable, and to Sae’s point – having the courage to act early can be very advantageous.

However, disruption is a major undertaking and you need to work smart. It takes alignment, cohesive strategy, and a major focus on people and change management. Most important of all, I believe your disruption should be customer-led. You shouldn’t be introducing a new product or service or taking your company in a new direction unless you are confident it is what your customers want or need. If you’re disrupting operationally, it should be driven by a need to evolve your business to better serve your customers’ needs. And if you’re disrupting technologically, you should do so in a way that brings greater value to your customer, better insights to your business, or makes the lives of your frontline workers easier.

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September 25, 2020 | 6 Mins Read

Understanding Optimization Through Super Mario

September 25, 2020 | 6 Mins Read

Understanding Optimization Through Super Mario

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By Tom Paquin

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the most famous video game hero: Super Mario. I’ve discussed video games a few times here before, and I think there’s a lot to learn about service from the simulated, self-contained worlds contained within the cascading ones and zeroes of the digital world. This is true of AI, operations, and certainly true of parts and resource management. Video games, especially simulations, like my beloved Civilization 6, provide a complex microcosm with which to test theories of resource management, optimization, and scenario forecasting. But what about Mario?

Mario, and his games, are slightly different, both in terms of the character of Mario, as well as the game mechanics themselves. Characteristically, Mario is the rare video game character with a stated career, and it happens to be in the home services space. Mario is famously a Plumber. Yes, he apparently went to Med school at some point but we’re not getting into that. In a video game landscapes full of knights, mercenaries, soldiers, and theoretical physicists, it’s somewhat refreshing to see a blue-collar guy stand as the official mascot for video gaming, and it offers a great deal of avenues for exploring Mario’s character here.

Of course, I can’t actually think of any instances in which Mario does any plumbing in any of his games, unless you count traveling through pipes, which I rarely have seen actual plumbers do. For that reason, the service angle looks fairly tenuous from a character perspective, so let’s look at the mechanics.

Mechanically, although Mario has been featured in kart racers, fighting games, puzzle games, sports games, roleplaying games, mobile games, and others I’m certainly forgetting, the core Mario experience has been the simple platformer: a game in which a small character moves, usually from left to right, jumping onto various—you guessed it—platforms in order to complete a series of levels. From his debut as “jumpman”, taking down Donkey Kong in arcades, through his meteoric rise on the Nintendo Entertainment System, Mario’s primary action has been to jump, and to navigate simple maps. Simple as it may be, let’s take a look at this through the lens of service.

Now, while the original Super Mario Bros. remains the quintessential Mario experience, my favorite game has always been Super Mario Bros. 3. I also feel, with its complex world maps and many secrets, it’s a perfect template for service technology solutions, specifically optimization. The game world is made up of eight sequential boards. Here is World 1:

Courtesy of mariouniverse.com

Each of the numbered squares here are levels, that, upon completion, are “resolved”. Yes—just like service appointments. Now the player, as they’re going through the game, will be setting their own “agreements” for how they want to “resolve” each of the items on the eight world boards. Usually, for the player, it’ll fall into one of three categories: Experience, Completionism, or Efficiency. “Experience” players execute on their own whims, going from level to level as they see fit. It’s like a technician setting their own schedule based on appointment needs. “Completionists”, try to finish everything, every job, every item grab, even if it prolongs the experience or needlessly prioritizes the wrong tasks. Think of this as a planning leader with poor optimization. “Efficiency” players are looking to resolve higher-level conflicts as quickly as possible, while leaving some of the lower-level conflicts to other technicians (Luigi, perhaps?) or for a later date in favor of more pressing/profitable options. We’re going to focus on optimizing for efficiency.

Typically, “efficiency” players become what they are by playing and learning the game. The more you play a Mario game, the more you understand the world layout. Remember—these early games existed before you had the ability to save on a cartridge, so each time you turn your console on, you start back at Level 1. This allowed players to get good and learn secrets through repetition.

This is great if there’s time and capabilities in place to do so. When you’re relaxing with a video game, it’s fine. When you have 500 technicians to manage and 3,000 jobs to complete, you don’t have the luxury of trial and error. To illustrate this, here is level 1-3 (you can click on the picture to enlarge):

A novice player would likely take some variation of the following path to complete the level:

And that’s fine, but an efficiency-minded player should know that there’s a secret item hidden in this level that would permit them to skip ahead several worlds, thus decreasing the amount of time needed to complete the most pressing objective: Beating the game and saving the princess. Imagine, then, that a novice player had a technology tool that directed them to take this path instead:

This would allow the player to collect the warp whistle, which lets them skip ahead, more efficiently completing their task.

This knowledge, which, on its face may seem counterintuitive, perhaps even take more time in the immediate, is the crux of what AI-powered optimization offers in service, as well. As Mike Gosling from Cubic mentioned on our podcast late last year, technicians, when handed a list of jobs, often build plans that seem on paper to be the most efficient. But a smart system understands the underlying complexities, can be calibrated to prioritize specific outcomes (uptime, jobs completed, estimated job value, etc) and make decisions that at first blush may not seem like the most logical ones, but can often present the most viable path through a complex world. Is this as fun as playing through all the levels you're skipping? Not necessarily, but we're not going for fun, we're going for efficiency.

That’s optimization from a purely scheduling and routing perspective, but let’s take that a step further and look at the full picture of optimization. To do that, let’s look at another level.

Thinking about Mario as a service technician, and levels as service jobs, it’s clear that this job is fraught with certain challenges. For instance, there is no ground. If Mario misses a jump he will lose a life. This would imply that an optimization system would do one of two things. One scenario: It’d make sure the right service person was available with the right skills. Luigi canonically has a longer and more precise jump than Mario’s, so he might be a better fit for this job. If this is Luigi’s day off, the alternative would be ensuring Mario has the right tools for the job. In Super Mario Bros. 3, Mario can wear something called the Tanooki suit, which gives him the ability to fly. By ensuring access to the right parts, optimization systems can make sure that the job is completed the first time…no lost lives.

Surprisingly like Mario levels, service needs and appointments are increasing in complexity. It’s great when seasoned technicians, like seasoned players, know what each encounter will require, know the most optimized routes, and can make the right decisions. But in an industry with high workforce turnover, that’s not always an option.

In gaming, the technology to optimize systems, provide the best routes, and arm you with the items you need to do jobs right the first time would be what’s called a cheat—cheating the system the designers intended to make the game easier. In service, good optimization might be exactly the cheat code you need to take your business to the next level.

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September 21, 2020 | 6 Mins Read

Women in Service: Leading the Industry Through Change

September 21, 2020 | 6 Mins Read

Women in Service: Leading the Industry Through Change

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By Sarah Nicastro, Creator, Future of Field Service

Last week I had the good fortune to moderate a panel discussion for the Service Council’s Virtual Smarter Service Symposium that featured the perspective of amazing women in service – Cindy  Etherington, Vice President, Dell EMC Education Services at Dell; Linda Tucci, Senior Global Director, Technical Solutions Center at Ortho Clinical Diagnostics; Dr. Marlene Kolodziej, Vice President of Centralized Services at RICOH USA; Sonya Lacore, Vice President of Inflight Operations at Southwest Airlines; and Sophia Williams, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Telecom and Technology Business Unit at NCR Corporation. Those of you that have follow me for any amount of time know how very much I love moderating event sessions and facilitating insightful conversations – I must say, this was one of my favorites. These women are all so strong and accomplished yet were open, honest, vulnerable and really engaged with one another. I am going to discuss some of the highlights that I took away from the session and I’m also going to share the panel’s responses to a question we ran out of time for but you should be sure to watch the full session as well.

One of the points I took from the conversation is to embrace who you are – find confidence in your strengths and hone your skills. This point was made as two of the women described their quite different characteristics, and we discussed the fact that there are many “right” ways to be a strong leader. I shared that I’ve often wished away some of my own characteristics, wanting instead to be “softer” in ways. The conversation reminded me how important it is to focus energy on being your best self instead of wishing you were someone different – and it was also a great illustration of how women from different backgrounds, with different personalities, and having different leadership styles can all be significantly effective and successful.

Another point I loved is that good leaders know they don’t have to have it all figured out. In fact, good leaders know it isn’t a leader’s job to know everything – holding on to the fear of admitting when you don’t have an answer or need to call on a different skill set than your own shows a level of insecurity in your own strengths. A strong leader draws on the strengths of their entire team and knows that the sum of the team’s parts is far stronger together than any one is alone.

Finally, I loved the discussion we had around the importance of vulnerability – especially given this year’s challenges. Hearing some of the stories shared on how to lead by example when it comes to being vulnerable were enlightening around the power that comes from opening up and being human. I think there’s a misconception that if you’re vulnerable you will be mistaken for being weak, but as this conversation highlighted, I think that vulnerability is a critical strength in leadership.

Advice to Your 20-Year Old Self

I could have talked to these women for hours! I hope I’ll have the chance to do so again soon. We ran out of time before I was able to get to my last question – “what advice would you give your 20-year old self?” I asked the ladies if they’d be willing to send me their answers so that I could share them with you all here (and also because I was too interested in their responses to miss out myself!).

From Sonya Lacore, Vice President of Inflight Operations at Southwest Airlines:

  • Don’t be so overly ambitious to make “getting there” or promoting your primary goal. Instead, the goal should be to love what you do, do it to the best of your ability and promotions will be the natural progression of your hard work and determination. Maya Angelou says, “Pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.”
  • You can have it all – you may just not be able to have it all “right now.” There are seasons in your life – so be careful not to miss them. As a parent, spouse, sibling or friend, there will be seasons that your desire or focus will require heavier engagement for periods of time and that’s okay. Just enjoy those moments and don’t overlook the value of those. Remember, at the end of your life, no one ever says they wish they had worked more or had more promotions – it’s always about family and friends instead. It’s a marathon, not a race and there is always plenty of time to achieve your goals. Timing is everything. Pauses are okay.
  • Never measure your success to the success of others. Everyone is different – take time to discover who you are and then use those talents and strengths to make a difference, not only in your work or family, but in society in general. That is true success.
  • Listen more and talk less. You rarely learn by talking!

From Dr. Marlene Kolodziej, Vice President of Centralized Services at RICOH USA:  

  • Don’t expect to always “know” what you are doing or how to do it. It’s okay to ASK for help.
  • DO spend time to understand “office politics.” Not necessarily play the game, but be cognizant of the environment and the players, and participate wisely, if you choose. It’s not a waste of time, but a way to navigate the environment to get work done.
  • Develop relationships outside of your immediate organization, and not only with peers, superiors, subordinates. Be sure to make time cultivating relationships throughout the company and business and use that information to be a partner in their success (and in turn, yours).
  • Don’t equate the number of hours you work with your level of success or effort. Be sure you have a social life and room for family and friends. Respect the concept that time is money.
  • Seek mentors and provide mentorship. Be sure to learn everything you can from those who came before you and be sure to pass along your knowledge to those who follow.
  • While you don’t want to worry too much about what others “think” about you, be sure you know your brand and the perception of your corporate value.
  • Be sure you and your work are respected. This is not a popularity contest so don’t be too concerned with being “liked” or being “nice.” If you are respectful, kind, considerate, operate with integrity, and your work is valued, solid, and needed, you will be more than “liked” or considered “nice” and adequately rewarded.
  • Speaking of rewarded…KNOW your value to the company and to the people you work with and expect to be compensated appropriately.

From Linda Tucci, Senior Global Director, Technical Solutions Center at Ortho Clinical Diagnostics:

  • Stop saying you’re sorry!
  • Stay true to your core values. Live with conviction and don’t compromise!
  • Stop thinking so much – get out of your head and live from the heart.
  • Travel more for fun not just work, spend more time with family.
  • Surround yourself with positive, like-minded people who will help you grow.
  • Sometimes the best lessons are learned through our failures so take the time to learn from each experience.

From Sophia Williams, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Telecom and Technology Business Unit at NCR Corporation:

  • Find a career that lets you do what you love. Life is too precious to do anything else with the majority of your waking hours. Time is the one resource you can’t replace – once it’s gone, it’s gone. So, make sure your time is well spent on something worthy of this investment.
  • Don’t sweat the small stuff. And, remember that just about everything, in the overall scheme of things, is truly small stuff.
  • Be fearless – but not reckless or arrogant. Know your stuff better than anyone else. Then move forward and execute with confidence.
  • Don’t take yourself too seriously. Have fun!

From Cindy Etherington, Vice President, Dell EMC Education Services at Dell:

  • Be deliberate about cultivating your professional and personal network.
  • Continuously identify and build relationships with people who inspire you and who you aspire to emulate.
  • Balance your network with coaches, mentors and sponsors. Developing a treasured and valuable network takes time and effort. Dedicate time every month and hold yourself accountable to specific actions to sustain a healthy network.

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Back to Basics: The Building Blocks of Customer Experience Excellence

September 18, 2020 | 3 Mins Read

Back to Basics: The Building Blocks of Customer Experience Excellence

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By Tom Paquin

This is part of an ongoing series on the state and standards of service management software in 2020. Here are the previous articles in the series:

We’ve spent the last two articles discussing the general service delivery capabilities, as well as the underpinnings of operations that define excellent service. What’s left is the back office—the glue that holds your field operations together—and how those functions are defined, utilized, and changing.

Frankly, this is not a topic we talk about a lot on Future of Field Service. We remain so fixated on the field operations (some of us have claimed that dispatch activities may cease to exist in a few years) that it’s easy to overlook the importance of centralized operations. But discounting the importance of this area of your service business is not a winnable strategy.

So as we have done previously, let’s make a short list of the key capabilities that make up customer experience systems:

Before we dig into this list in any detail, let’s think of the contact center in the low-fi world before digital systems: You need an appointment, you call an office, a worker schedules an appointment. Or some variant of this. Many businesses still work this way in some part. Were I to call up my oil company, I’d talk to the one receptionist who would dispatch one of their half-dozen trucks.

But that’s not all that they do. I’m on an automatic refill plan, which means I’m in their system. Which means when I call, and my number appears, they have a delivery history for me, and my payment info on file. Which saves me having to read my credit information over the phone, or them having to deliver me an invoice, and helps to mitigate negligent payments. Plus, with their customer service CRM, I can log on and see all my delivery history and usage information.

This is a simple example, but it shows the way that extremely low-impact customer experience utilities can provide utilities and service changes that really move the needle for customers. This was a comparatively light lift—some telephone enhancements (“Ok Mr. X, I see you had work completed on your boiler in December of last year…”), and a solid customer management system, and it goes a long way.

For a small shop like in the above example, there might not be the need to employ chatbots, or remote assistance, but for enterprise organizations, B2B, and servicers of large machinery, these tools can really make the difference.

As has been our refrain throughout this series, not all capabilities are created equally. The biggest issue that I see with customer experience utilities, because shovelware is a dime a dozen, in service is when organizations employ boilerplate solutions that don’t actually understand service operations. When that happens, a huge amount of customization needs to go into the product to get it where it needs to be. And if it’s not specific enough, not only does it not provide any value, it is easy for staff to overlook or ignore.

There are certainly some subtopics worth delving into in the CX space, and I’d expect to see more content coming down the pipeline on that in the weeks and months ahead. Next in this series, though, we’re going to take a step back from the key capabilities of service management and look at the stages of service software implementation, starting with a fresh installation of a brand new utility.

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September 14, 2020 | 3 Mins Read

Is Parts Management the Missing Ingredient in Your Recipe for Service Optimization Success?

September 14, 2020 | 3 Mins Read

Is Parts Management the Missing Ingredient in Your Recipe for Service Optimization Success?

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By Sarah Nicastro, Creator, Future of Field Service

I have a confession: I don’t write about parts management much because it isn’t exciting to me. I was a Psychology major in college and I just incline for many reasons to the “people” stuff. Leadership effectiveness, change management, sales and service strategy, innovation and transformation? Love it. Parts management? Meh. Why am I telling you this? Because it’s a shortcoming I’m owning up to – and also because it isn’t just me that is underdiscussing this topic. In a webinar I hosted recently we talked about how parts management is one of the most underemphasized aspects of service delivery. Everyone tends to think worrying about parts is “someone else’s job” and therefore it can get overlooked and underprioritized which inevitably unravels a company’s progress when it comes to all of the topics I listed that I do love discussing.

Further, we are entering a time where parts management will become more critical than ever. As recovery from COVID-19 ramps up and demand increases, the pressure that puts on service organizations will be infinitely amplified if there isn’t visibility into inventory and appropriate allocation of parts. If your organization is still in a lull from the impact of the pandemic, now – right now – is the time to get a handle on this to ease your transition to the next normal.

Ineffective Parts Management Will Ruin Your CX Efforts

Most organizations today are heavily focusing on the customer experience. When you think CX, parts management might not be the first topic that comes to mind. But the reality is, ineffective parts management processes are detrimental to your CX efforts. You may have the best strategy for selling service, the most personable and consultative technicians, and the latest in mobile technology to help them on site – but if you haven’t tackled parts management and they show up without what they need to get the job done, none of it matters much. It’s an imperative area to incorporate into your overall digital transformation journey around service optimization. Parts management is most impactful when it is not siloed from service but integrated into the service and scheduling systems. I have heard the phrase “right person with the right skills with the right parts and the right time” no fewer than 10,000 times in my career, but that is the case because it is true – underprioritizing any variable in that equation leads to missing the mark.

The Future of Service Requires a Holistic Approach

Ineffective parts management is also costly to your organization. Repeat trips and aging inventory are detracting from your bottom line. Moreover, the idea of any function being overlooked or operating in a silo is outdated and will not hold up to the demands of today’s service businesses. The future of service, if you really boil it down, is in maximizing your ability to manage complexity so that you’re offering the utmost in simplicity to your customers. Seizing the opportunity of Servitization or outcomes-based service requires a holistic approach to service delivery – the elimination of silos and the creation of an aligned, digitally-enabled, cohesive operation that can take on the burden of complexity to deliver what appears to be a simple solution to your customers’ greatest challenges. For this to happen, parts management can’t be handled in a silo – operationally or technologically – and either should any other function. The silos need to be broken down and, in their place, rebuild an open-concept culture where communication, collaboration, and interconnectedness are the norm. This means integration of operations and alignment across service, logistics, supply chain and procurement teams – as well as investment in a technology stack that can synergize insights of parts inventory into the service management and scheduling mix.

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September 11, 2020 | 3 Mins Read

Was Our Shift to a Service Economy a Mistake?

September 11, 2020 | 3 Mins Read

Was Our Shift to a Service Economy a Mistake?

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By Tom Paquin

150 years ago, New Bedford, Massachusetts was the richest town per capita in the world. New Bedford was a port city, a particularly well-positioned one for the burgeoning whaling industry. Whale oil was a hot commodity as a fuel for lamps, among other commercial uses, and that helped drive the economic prosperity of this small city in southern Massachusetts.

I’d like to say that an ethical enlightenment towards the treatment of whales led to the death of whaling, but in reality, whale oil smelled terrible when burned, and by the late 19th century, the wide availability of the much cheaper and less gruesome kerosene rendered the industry—and in many ways New Bedford—obsolete.

Money and innovation drove another sharp product shift, and it’s one that we’ve seen dozens of times since. More recently, manufacturing remains roiled by automation upgrades and shorter product lifecycle windows, which has created its own cycle of boom and bust among product-oriented businesses. This has led to a reshuffling of the economies of the developed world away from product-oriented businesses towards service-oriented businesses, and it’s why 2/3 of the GDP of countries like the United States are in services.

For most of this time, the move to services seemed like both good business and solid economic theory: As manufacturing work eroded due in large part to automation, the services sector offered a burgeoning opportunity for high-margin work that kept skilled jobs plentiful. As services themselves evolved, buffeted by technology advancements, outcomes-based offerings helped solidify service as the way forward for many companies.

This of course was all before 2020, when a once-in-a-century pandemic rips across the globe and shatters social interactions for the better half of a year (So far).

In its wake, service-oriented work is negatively impacted across the board—from food services shuttering to home repairs being postponed. In the wake of Covid, then, are we on the brink of a shift away from service-oriented work, back towards product-oriented business? Will the pendulum swing back the other way?

The obvious answer is no, but there’s a few layers that need to be unpacked, of course. For starters, the cascading effects of global shutdowns had a strong impact on a variety of industries simultaneously. Because of this, there’s no straight line between service specifically and covid. Service providers have made similar adjustments and concessions to straight product manufacturers, retail, hospitality, and so on. Those mandates will persevere for months or years and reshape the regulatory environment and types of interactions in these industries, but that does not make service any less viable or lucrative.

Moreover, businesses have, in many ways, taken the crisis as an opportunity to servitize themselves. Take, for instance, restaurant suppliers sitting on increased stock, who have shifted their model to offer subscription delivery services directly to consumers, or supermarkets’ increased capacity for at-home delivery. I’ve spoken at length, as well, about how retailers at Best Buy are now shuttering physical locations to the public, reimagining them as ecommerce hubs. These changes all speak to the exact inverse of the collapse of service under the weight of Covid-19. These speak to the flourishing of new service opportunities.

You will likely have noticed that these advancements generally have a few things in common: They are reliant on technology and connectivity, and they represent broad, disruptive changes to the go-to-market infrastructure. Imagine the logistical challenge for a restaurant supplier as they transition from delivering to 100 locations in a region to 1,000. Because of that, as always, a thoughtful logistics a plan remains the key to success.

It’s safe to say that traditional service businesses will not emerge from this crisis looking the same. It’s up to individual businesses, given where we are, if they emerge from this crisis stronger than before.

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ANDRITZ Realizes the Path to Service Growth Through Digital Transformation

September 7, 2020 | 5 Mins Read

ANDRITZ Realizes the Path to Service Growth Through Digital Transformation

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By Sarah Nicastro, Creator, Future of Field Service

ANDRITZ, headquartered in Graz, Austria, is an international technology group providing plants, systems, equipment, and services for various industries. The company is one of the global market leaders in the hydropower business, the pulp and paper industry, the metal working and steel industries, and in solid/liquid separation in the municipal and industrial segments. With almost 170 years of experience, approximately 27,800 employees, including 750 internal field technicians, and more than 280 locations in over 40 countries worldwide, ANDRITZ is committed to helping its customers to achieve their corporate and sustainability goals.

As we’re seeing across industries, ANDRITZ has recognized changes in what those customers’ needs and expectations are – as well as has taken note of the evolution of technology that can help spur the company forth in meeting those new and different needs. As such, ANDRITZ has created and begun executing on a Digital Transformation roadmap to equip the company to seize the opportunities of creating advanced and new services to meet today’s – and tomorrow’s – customer demands.

Evolving Customer Demands Equal Massive Opportunity

Klaus Glatz, Chief Digital Officer at ANDRITZ summarizes customers as “wanting more and more knowledge and assistance than they ever have before and being open to new solutions.” Klaus explains that ANDRITZ customers historically would employ talent that was experts in the equipment themselves, but as that talent ages out and becomes harder to replace, those same customers are seeking more guidance, insights, and advising from ANDRITZ.

“Our guidance and ability to help customers optimize their facilities is increasing in demand and so is the transition to guaranteed outcomes and more predictive service,” says Klaus. While ANDRITZ currently serves customers that span the gamut from those who do still have internal expertise to those seeking greater guidance and advisement to those looking for guaranteed outcomes, Klaus is clear about the future of what ANDRITZ seeks to offer. “The idea is that, at some point, we can offer our customers fully autonomous machines,” he says. “This will completely alleviate their need to hire and retain talent to manage our equipment.”

The growing needs of ANDRITZ customers for closer partnerships and more assistance presents the company with a significant opportunity when it comes to expanding its service offerings. “Service is a huge focus area for ANDRITZ,” says Klaus. “Across all businesses service generates the highest margins, and if we can keep innovating to meet these expanding customer needs it presents a lot of potential for our business.”

Digital Transformation is The Great Enabler

Klaus recognizes the fact that this ultimate vision cannot be achieved without ANDRITZ fully embracing Digital Transformation. In fact, the entire migration from the historical ways of engaging customers to this new world of acting as business partners and guaranteeing outcomes has been enabled by Digital Transformation. “Digitalization is key to our ability to meet the growing needs of our customer base and to expand our ability to serve them,” notes Klaus. “The insights demanded, and information needed, the ability to minimize downtime, the transition to predictive service – none of it is possible without digitalization.”

ANDRITZ has a number of projects underway in its Digital Transformation efforts – the company has worked to create more autonomous equipment, has introduced IoT to glean insights from its equipment, and is working to further use AI and ML to bring the concept of full autonomous machines to life. But another major focus area for the company has been the introduction of IFS Field Service Management to replace local homegrown service management systems not up to the tall order of how the business is changing. “Field service is key in our mission to expand and build upon our service offerings,” says Klaus. “Downtime wreaks havoc on our customers, and better managing our service operations is critical in minimizing and preventing that downtime. Furthermore, equipping our frontline workforce with more sophisticated technology allows them to take on more services responsibility, create greater trust among customers, and act as a business advisor.”

For ANDRITZ, two of the main attractions to IFS FSM 6 were the mobile interface, which would take the place of the use of a laptop for technicians and the dispatching functionality that would replace Excel-based methods. “IFS FSM 6 gives us much faster access to data, a simple integration into our back-office systems which allows us to accelerate closing and improve working capital, and has tremendously improved the access field technicians have to important knowledge on site,” says Klaus. “Moving to a mobile solution versus a laptop has dramatically simplified the life of our field technicians. And with the solution being deployed globally, it is driving process optimization and standardization which results in a far more harmonized experience for our customers.”

By introducing IFS FSM 6, ANDRITZ has greatly reduced the time the technicians need to prepare for a job and eliminated the administrative work that existed for technicians following a job. This not only enables field technicians to get to more jobs, but to focus on the customer experience rather than administrative tasks. Klaus estimates that when IFS FSM 6 is fully deployed, ANDRITZ will see an improvement in efficiency of approximately 30 percent.

It’s important to note, though, that this is only the beginning. With the foundational service management system in place, Klaus states that there is a lot potential in expanding functionality to derive further optimization and greater customer impact. For instance, ANDRITZ plans to introduce a customer portal that will easily present all the data and insights a customer is interested in finding. The company is also focusing on self-service, the incorporation of augmented reality, and has digitized all of its spare parts processes. These are all steps on the ultimate vision of fully autonomous equipment, and Klaus’ ethos is “think big, act small.” He says doing so enables you to start in small steps and prove what’s working, then build upon your success.

Klaus suggests that as you navigate your own Digital Transformation journey you keep two things in mind – first, that data is key. “Not only is data key, correct data is key,” he says. “You have to ensure you are putting clean data in to get the outcome you are working toward.” Second, the value of process harmonization can’t be overemphasized. “The more process variance you have, the greater complexity you have,” Klaus states. “Not everyone needs to do things exactly the same, but the more you can streamline and harmonize, the simpler things will be.”

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September 4, 2020 | 3 Mins Read

Back to Basics: The Operational Capabilities of Service

September 4, 2020 | 3 Mins Read

Back to Basics: The Operational Capabilities of Service

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By Tom Paquin

This is part of an ongoing series on the state and standards of service management software in 2020. Here are the previous articles in the series:

Last time, we went through the specifics of service management software while looking specifically at the delivery of service. Now we’re going to take that a step further and discuss the operational underpinnings of service.

While the capabilities that we’ll discuss are of equal or outsized importance to service delivery as a whole, it’s easy to overlook some of these elements when thinking about service delivery in a purely binary sense. Many companies focus on the delivery of service just in terms of SLAs and appointments, not the broader operational infrastructure that your business functions in. Perhaps they have other systems to govern those, but it’s imperative that all these pieces fit together to create a comprehensive service technology web.

I have a tendency to spend an outsized amount of time talking about operational capabilities—specifically within the context of planning and scheduling—but we’re going to go broader today. Here’s a partial list of important utilities to consider when talking about operations:

Rather than focus on the act of service delivery directly, each of these tools do something more fundamental: They enable and ease the act of service delivery. Operational technologies serve an invaluable purpose: Take the burden of repetitive tasks off of the technician, the manager, the back office worker.

With that in mind, and as we said last week, these tools can vary dramatically from provider to provider in a number of different ways. Let’s use our favorite example: Planning and scheduling optimization. There’s a huge chasm of depth that can be plumbed within these solutions. The best optimization systems, as we often say, use artificial intelligence to quickly reroute technicians based on appointment, workforce, and external changes. Within most of the tools listed above, including optimization, there are a few common points of inflection that impact depth:

Scale: How many technicians/appointments can be managed in a single computation by your service software? While a cap of 500 technicians might seem like no big deal, you can run separate batches, the reality is that if a single technician passes from one batch to another, the whole system beaks down. There are literally thousands of different ways to run into issues if you’re forced to compromise on how you manage your service technology. Being able to manage the entire scope of your field staff in one instance in a service solution, with the ability to subdivide down to the branch level, provide a huge advantage in delivering accurate service. This is equally true about parts and depot management.

Speed: This one is pretty simple—if you can’t adjust schedules in the amount of time it takes to complete a simple service appointment, then the tool loses usefulness. The bets tools can handle scheduling, parts allocation, depot estimates, and everything else as quickly as possible.

Configurability: It’s important with any tool, really, to be able to subdivide based on types of appointments unique to your business. A teclo provider may have a huge number of consumer appointments and a relatively small number of commercial appointments, such as working on towers or satellite arrays. Can your parts systems appropriately manage, subdivide, and action on both? Are you able to manage technicians from different organizations in a single application? Your business is nuanced, you need to be able to reflect those nuances in your operational software.

Connectivity: Another simple one—everything needs to speak the same language. Not all of your tools need to come from the same place, but they need to be able to share datapoints. This is an incredibly low bar to clear, but I know a lot of enterprises that have a jumble of tools that exist in a vacuum. If that’s the case, how do you identify bottlenecks?

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The Psychology of Field Service Excellence

August 31, 2020 | 4 Mins Read

The Psychology of Field Service Excellence

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By Sarah Nicastro, Creator, Future of Field Service

With the industry awash in a sea of change, we often discuss the foundational imperatives of success: a strong pulse on customer demands, a cohesive business strategy, streamlining operations, incorporation of enabling technology, and ample change management. I’d argue that the latter is where the vast majority of companies go awry – we often fail to recognize that, at the end of the day, the ability to execute on the opportunity that service presents to an organization lies largely in the hands of your field service teams.

As such, I think it crucial to consider the psychology of field service excellence. Yes, each of the foundational elements I mentioned above are important. But as you strategize and plan and innovate, you cannot become so narrowly focused on execution that you overlook the emotional investment in your workforce that will make the difference from their compliance with the change to their championing your mission – which is ultimately the difference in your moderate success to your transformative evolution.

If you’ve mastered the art of evaluating the customer journey and taking the time to hear the voice of the customer, the process with your frontline workforce is largely the same. Considering the psychology of field service excellence means putting yourself in the shoes of your field technicians and thinking about what matters most to them – how will the change you’re introducing help them, and how can you make them feel they are as integral a part of your company’s success as they really are. Here are a few points for consideration:

  • Do your frontline workers feel valued? As companies work to seize the opportunity of service, it becomes clear the important role field technicians play as the face of the brand. What steps are you taking to ensure your workforce knows how important a part they are of the company’s mission? Paying your workforce well is no longer enough – today’s workers want to feel valued and appreciated. Accomplishing this is critical in having your employees invested in the company’s mission versus simply “playing along.”
  • Are you giving your employees a voice? No one wants to feel like change is happening to them; they want to feel they are a part of the change. Giving your employees a voice in your company’s strategy and initiatives is important not only in creating buy-in but because these workers often carry valuable insight that will help your project’s success. Remember, much of your opportunity to innovate – particularly when it comes to the customer experience – comes from the frontline. Ensuring you give these workers a voice to provide insight, feedback, and ideas helps them and you.
  • Do your frontline workers feel empowered? Chances are, if you have highly experienced field technicians, they do not need you to micromanage them. On the flip side, if you have newer technicians, they do not want you to micromanage them. Hiring good employees and then trusting them to do the job you’ve hired them to do is important. Employees that feel empowered to make decisions and work with a bit of their own creativity and personality are happier, more engaged employees – and happier, more engaged employees are more supportive of the company’s mission.
  • Are you setting clear expectations for your frontline workforce and aligning proper incentives? Employees thrive in an environment where they know what is expected of them. This doesn’t mean you need to be prescriptive in how they deliver on these expectations (see previous point) but it does mean that your service objectives, and their responsibility for delivering on them, are clear. Top-down clarity is essential and 1-1 support when needed is important. Your workforce should have KPIs they are consistently measured on, they should have clear communication from top leadership down to their line management, and they should be fairly incentivized to meet the expectations you’ve set. KPIs, both team and individual, should be reviewed often and celebrated when achieved.
  • Do you show appreciation beyond compensation? Of course, financial incentives are important to your workers, but so is being recognized and appreciated for their contributions. This can be as simple as a short conversation or a bigger gesture like a gift card for a special dinner or something like that. It should feel personal, and it can be private or public. The point is just to consider whether you’re taking steps to show you appreciate your workforce’s contribution.
  • Are you offering career development/advancement opportunities? If a worker is happy doing the same job for twenty years and that is in line with your objectives, that is great. But especially today, you will find many workers will become disengaged if there isn’t a path of progression for them within a company. If you haven’t already, you should be considering a more formalized progression plan for those workers who feel motivated by their own continual growth and improvement. This will keep employees engaged and give them a home within your organization instead of them looking for these opportunities elsewhere.
  • Do your employees feel they are a part of something bigger? It’s human nature to want to feel you have a purpose and are making a difference. Is your work environment a collaborative one? Do you encourage teamwork and connection? Are you illustrating for your employees the impact they have on the customer, and therefore the impact they have on the business? Building a culture of connectedness can significantly improve employee satisfaction and protect field technicians, who often work alone, from feeling isolated or becoming disconnected.

What would you add to this list? I’d love to hear!

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Will Covid-19 Lead a Low-Code Revolution?

August 28, 2020 | 3 Mins Read

Will Covid-19 Lead a Low-Code Revolution?

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By Tom Paquin

We have a pretty good idea now that, especially among some change-resistant businesses, Covid-19 has dramatically accelerated digital transformation. There are questions about how quickly it’s accelerated it, but the general consensus is that we’re probably about five years further along than we would have been had things remained on their pre-Covid track. We’re seeing this play out as retail stores like Best Buy take their brick and mortar footprints and turn them into fulfillment centers. The shift to hybrid commerce has taken a huge leap in six months, and that’s true of service as well, with more companies approaching truck rolls with hesitation and building service models around augmented reality and connected assets.

So the drive to digitize is upon us, but often the means to do that effectively, and more importantly quickly, sometimes fall short of our expectations. Lengthy and complex implementations is often unavoidable, but customization of that software to fit your specific set of business rules doesn’t necessary need to be lengthy and complex.

We’ve talked about low-code before with respect to DevOps, and it’s something I talked about quite lot in my previous role at Aberdeen. There’s really no substitute to involving practitioners in the actual development of tools: It not only gives them a sense of agency, but it also allows you to conform the tools more closely to the day-to-day of your staff. We know what actually getting your technicians to push the buttons is often the biggest challenge of successfully implementing new service tools, and employing low-code solutions to set up elements of your software can go a long way to mitigate that.

On top of simply increasing the demand for technology across the board, Covid also acts as a bludgeon for implementing low-code platforms as well. Business rules have been changing quickly, restrictions pop up, staff levels fluctuate, and order volume takes a hit as well. Having the ability to adjust systematic rules quickly and without coding experience is a net gain for businesses across the spectrum, even more in service where fast resolution and appointment-making are the keys to success.

In order to think about low-code functionality, it’s key to get the concept of customization out of your vocabulary. Your service software should not be custom. Custom software draws a direct line to integration problems. Service software excels when, rather than custom, it’s configurable. Configuration is a fundamentally different concept, but as we move forward, we should be thinking about low-code along that axis instead. We’re not writing programs in low-code for service, they would be far too primitive. We’re configuring programs to the external factors of your business.

I do want to preface that configurations are not something that a novice will simply be able to pick up and excel at immediately. Even low-code engagements require a complex understand of the if-then framework at the heart of coding languages, and because of this, you are going to need a certain aptitude to get through the door. For that reason (and this is not a particularly revolutionary concept) it’s useful to have a technical Sherpa there to guide any new explorers up the mountain of development.

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