Field Services & Connected Field Services – Operational Difference

Field services and connected field services sound similar; but, they are quite different in operations. Optimizing your field service operations is one of the key responsibilities and essentially an important part of your day-to-day business. Coming next is the connected field service operations. Now let us take a glimpse of the connected field service or field service automation and let us find out how it is different from field service software.

Connected Field Service:-

Powered by IoT (Internet of Things) and the Cloud to your existing field service operations, connected field service indicate adding connected devices.  Field Service Automation software like Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Field Service, offers perfect capability to send information directly to service providers about condition of equipment besides the likely need for repair when necessitated. This notion of being connected primarily unifies the service and manufacturing industry. With proactive maintenance a probability, the need for customer, client or failed equipment initiation has been discarded. With the previous field service processes, this element was considered fundamental to the service relationship.

Fundamental difference between connected field service and field service

Previously field service organizations and manufacturing companies have followed a traditional path process of installation, check-up maintenance and break-fix or repair appointments. As this process is reactive and there are no sensors, the customer, in a way, is compelled to pick up the phone when something breaks to log the ticket.

However, with Connected Field Service, the above cited issues are significantly reduced or even eliminated altogether and you eventually move to proactive service by getting connected IoT devices.

By connecting to IoT devices, the ability of the organization experiences a momentous improvement to respond quickly customer related issues etc. The biggest difference between Connected Field Service and traditional Field Service is not the addition of the IoT devices per se, but the shift in revenue model. As a matter of fact, in some cases, they are able to resolve the issue much before the customer even gets to know about it. This is done by providing remote troubleshooting capabilities by sending device commands to repair or reset. By any chance, if the system can repair the equipment remotely, without the need of sending a technician/professional, a lot of time and money gets saved. Things happen without human intervention.

Key benefits of Connected Field Service:-

Connected field service, generally can provide many advantages at any level.

• Reduce stoppage or idle time with proactive alerts from connected devices
• Speed up repair times by guaranteeing service technicians are fully equipped to deliver solution
• Provide remote troubleshooting capabilities by transmitting device commands to repair/reset
• Reduced maintenance costs by dispatching specialist only when needed
• Advantage of superior visibility into products, services, company, performance and customer satisfaction
• Instantly, address issues by monitoring devices remotely and keeping customers, managers and the concerned department in the loop for information
• Maximize upselling and cross-selling opportunities with deeper insights into customer usage and trends