Reducing Workload on Field Service Engineers with IoT
As discussed in an exclusive Field Service News white paper “How IoT Will Solve the Ageing Workforce Crisis”, the most pressing issue facing field service organizations worldwide today is the diminishing pool of field service engineers and technicians…
As we’ve stated at length now, the answer lies within a simple and familiar yet incredibly challenging equation: We need to establish a means of doing more with less.
We must rethink many tried and tested mechanisms employed within field service delivery to achieve this.
The good news is that by embracing digital transformation and placing IoT in tandem with multiple other technologies, there is a means of achieving that.
It is not just a loss of numbers but a loss of experience
The stark reality is that field service organizations in all regions, and industry verticals are grappling with the ripple effects of an aging workforce. The inevitable tide of retirements is creating not only limited numbers of field service engineers but also a vacuum of seasoned expertise.
Indeed, the departure of many veteran field engineers and technicians will carry with them years of irreplaceable hands-on experience and a nuanced understanding of complex systems. Overcoming a loss of headcount across the industry will be hard enough. Still, the all-too-familiar loss of institutional or tribal knowledge and technical understanding within a business can deal a critical blow.
Even if this issue could be overcome, and technologies such as advanced knowledge management and remote service delivery tools are mitigating some of the impacts of that loss of intelligence, there are still significant barriers to replenishing the ranks of field service workers as the sector struggles to attract and retain new talent.
The field service sector, which is often perceived as less glamorous than some other adjacent sectors, is in fierce competition for fresh engineers who can adapt to the evolving technological landscape and customer service expectations.
The face of tomorrow’s engineer has changed significantly from yesterday’s. Major requirements for a mixed skill set are increasingly sought out. A skillset that balances traditional technical skills with softer interpersonal skills is in high demand.
Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content Peach Group who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this briefing report.
This content is available for FSN PRO members and also for a limited period for FSN FREE members. Please make sure you are logged in to access this content.
Not yet subscribed? Instantly unlock this content and more on our forever-free subscription tier FSN FREE
"Potentially, the IoT can serve as a crucial bridge between the physical and digital realms. This will, in turn, allow for far greater streamlining of field service operations than ever before..."
So simultaneously, we need to streamline the workflows, make the role of the field service engineer attractive to a new generation, and centralize our subject matter expertise. Fortunately, all of this and more is possible as we begin to understand the true power of IoT and the connected field service operation.
Potentially, the IoT can serve as a crucial bridge between the physical and digital realms. This will, in turn, allow for far greater streamlining of field service operations than ever before.
By connecting equipment to the IoT, field service organizations can collect data in real-time, ultimately allowing them to leverage that data for immediate, actionable insights. This enhanced visibility and control over operations allows a shift towards truly proactive maintenance, reducing downtime and facilitating better service delivery methods for the customer, the engineer, and the service organization alike.
With IoT, the constant stream of data provided by sensors captures a detailed performance profile for each piece of equipment – from the component level to the entire install base. This information is the cornerstone for predictive maintenance and can and should feed improved decision-making processes to both fine-tune operations and drive efficiency.
Yet, we’ve heard about the promise of IoT before, many, many times – but still, we are not seeing the bigger picture in how the shift to preventative and practice maintenance will have far wider ramifications on our future success.
For example, real-time data integration into field service management systems empowers technicians with up-to-date intel. This enables the field service tech to address the right issue faster and more effectively.
In turn, this allows the field service tech to complete more work, in a less stressful environment. Of course, this is just a simple outline of the wider impact of IoT on field service organizations.
However, as we shall see in the next section of this paper, whether directly or in a more indirect, less tangible, but equally powerful way, effective use of the IoT and a suite of tools built upon this can play a major role in overcoming the aging workforce crisis.
Do you want to know more?
If you want to read more from this paper then you can access it instantly on the button below if you have a sufficient membership. If you don’t have the right membership privileges then you can register on the button below for instant access.
This content is available for FSN PRO members and also for a limited period for FSN FREE members. Please make sure you are logged in to access this content.
Not yet subscribed? Instantly unlock this content and more on our forever-free subscription tier FSN FREE
Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content Peach Group who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this briefing report.
