Why should you be aware of these trends?

As the head of a field service company, your primary objective is to provide customers with fast, efficient, and effective repairs, but there’s a lot that needs to be accomplished behind the scenes in order for that to happen. Schedules need to be made, contracts need to be drawn up, field technicians need to be trained and dispatched in accordance to their skill level—and so on, and so forth.

Modern field service industry trends are shifting focus – they not only highlight how to make processes more efficient, but also how to shift field service from a cost center to a profit generating operation.

Take a look at these field service trends for the years to come to get an idea of what best practices and technologies you should consider implementing to reposition field service as a profit-generating venture. We will be posting one to two trends per week.

 

Read back on Trend # 1: Back End Automation

Read back on Trend # 2: Field Service Mobility

Read back on Trend # 3 : Predictive Maintenance

Read back on Trend # 4 : More Engaging Trainings

5. Consider VR and AR Technology

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) deployments in field service are giving business real-time insights on equipment and operations that allows for quicker responses and better service.

A technician can use AR and VR-based applications and tools to access information about an equipment or product he/she’s been sent to fix, including repair history and diagnostics – all without having to take it apart. This remote access is made possible through integration between AR/VR applications, field service software, and/or customer relationship management software. Certain AR software even offers step-by-step repair instructions when imposed over the image of a device, making it possible for customers to perform minor fixes on their own equipment.

AR and VR can save your business time and money with remote assistance. Rather than perform repairs on-site, technicians can use wearables such as smart glasses to see what the customer sees and provide live customer service remotely. This technology is also useful in situations when a technician has been dispatched but runs into issues or requires a second opinion—rather than dispatch a second team, your company can use augmented glasses to connect the first technician with a secondary team operating at a central location.

The thought of investing in AR and VR technology for field service might seem ambitious, far flung, and expensive but will help your company greatly in the long run.

The Conclusion on these trends…

Field service is no longer reactive – it’s proactive. If your goal is to empower technicians, increase customer engagement, and transform field service into a profit generating arm of your business, learning about these growing field industry trends can only take you part of the way. The next step is to look into a comprehensive solution that can leverage the capabilities necessary to put these trends into action.

URDesigns’ Field Service Solutions is a holistic management solution that includes an extensive feature set to improve every aspect of field service operations, including customer asset, work order management, predictive maintenance, and more. If you’d like to learn more about these and other field service trends or how your business can gain from this type of implementation, don’t hesitate to contact the qualified experts at URDesigns today.