Did our field service predictions come true?
As the 2024 calendar year comes to its end and organizations wrap up annual budgets and initiatives, many managers also take the time to reflect on the year’s accomplishments. Year-end provides a chance to compare goals with achievements. Did the year go as planned? Or did unforeseen complications interfere? At ServicePower, we used this time to look back at our predictions for 2024 to see how many of our forecasts were on target – or if we missed the mark.
Year-end is also a good time for you to review your current technology and make assessments. Did your software help you obtain goals or hold you back? Were you able to perform at optimal levels or did you simply muddle along?
Is your software keeping pace with trends?
Keeping your IT systems aligned with trends and innovations isn’t easy, especially for an industry like field service that is so heavily dependent on pleasing customers. Customers are fickle. First, rapid response is the top priority. Then, sustainability is more important. Then value. Keeping pace with these evolving expectations requires vigilance. Companies today must be agile and adapt to changing trends.
Something new is always on the horizon. But you need to be alert to opportunities and willing to embrace change.
We predicted artificial intelligence (AI), Generative AI (Gen AI), and machine learning (ML) would be at the top of the hot topic list for 2024, and we were right.
The hype around these technologies has been overwhelming as managers scrambled to educate themselves on the latest applications. Curiosity was the driving factor behind much of the research, with many organizations wondering “how can this help me now?” and looking for practical use cases.
While Gen AI provoked worries about deepfakes, lawsuits over theft of intellectual property, and fears over bias and hallucinations, the more risk-averse organizations opted for a “wait-and-see” stance. Others were eager to be first adopters and get an edge over the competition.
Today, being competitive requires AI.
Customer service can be looked at in a variety of ways. Largely, it comes down to empathizing with what a customer is experiencing. A program should emphasize three points: Be on time and ready, be engaged, and communicate. The key to success is to identify how to improve and how to track that improvement.
Looking back, understanding how AI specifically applies to the field service industry wasn’t always clear. For many types of solutions, including field service management software, much of the AI functionality operates behind the scenes, embedded in routine functions without huge fanfare, flashing lights, bells, and whistles. For example, ServicePower’s scheduling optimization capabilities have long used AI functionality, rules-based decision processes, and algorithms that evaluate countless variables at once to create a dispatch schedule that is efficient, logical, and balances customer expectations with company priorities. It makes scheduling a piece of cake.
AI is part of our daily lives and business infrastructure. It certainly moved up in the Trends to Watch list for 2024 and will likely stay there through 2025.
Other topics, too, were on our predictions list and proved to be hot topics, like:
- Intelligent automation. We were right when we predicted this topic would be important in 2024. Streamlining tedious processes with automation has been recognized as one of the most effective ways to boost productivity and give employees a positive work experience. With automation, workflows are condensed, eliminating redundancies and opportunities for errors. Modern field service solutions employ automation in tasks such as parts inventory, claims processing, and finding sources for replacement parts.
- Predictive analytics. We knew this would be a hot topic and we were right. Using AI insights with analytics to predict likely outcomes has proven to be a valuable innovation. It improves forecasting and helps organizations predict workforce demands. Predictive analytics have also proven helpful in anticipating problems and flagging anomalies, such as potential billing errors. Any time software can anticipate and predict an outcome, it provides a valuable heads-up.
- Customer self-service. Right again. Portals for self-service allow customers to enter service requests and confirm the technician’s projected arrival window among other features. They have proven to be popular with customers who see them as time savers and preferred over chatbots or waiting on hold for a call center agent.
- The blended workforce. Employee experience. Knowledge management. These were each separate points in our predictions for 2024. Today, they seem more interconnected as companies have had to become creative about how they deal with the shortage of skilled workers, tap into the tribal knowledge of the veteran technicians, and share a knowledge base of best practices.
- Service as a differentiator. Of course, we were right on this one — an obvious priority for companies involved in field service. The level of service, from the on-time arrival of the technician to the speedy resolution of the service call, is critical for field service organizations. It’s a no-brainer that service organizations would double down on service quality as a differentiator.
- Analytics for strategic insights. This topic received considerable attention as inflation spiked and companies needed to make strategic plans about cash flow and cost savings. Advanced analytics can help provide a window into the future, helping managers take strategic steps.
- For this one we’ll give ourselves half credit. Yes, sustainability has been a topic of interest in 2024, but it has not driven substantial action among all field service companies. Some organizations are concerned about saving fuel and reducing the drive-time of technicians. It’s uncertain if that is more about the high costs of fuel rather than reducing the carbon footprint. Perhaps 2025 will be the year when recycling old appliances, electric fleet vehicles, reducing unnecessary drive time, and other sustainable topics get more attention. We’re still watching this one.
Now is the time to review—and look ahead
Year-end is the ideal time to review your service management systems. Make notes of shortcomings and disappointments. Where did you have gaps in technician support, roadblocks to efficient scheduling, or challenges with meeting customer expectations? It may be time for a change. Just as year-end is a time for review—it’s also a time for looking forward and setting 2025 budgets. Perhaps it’s time to set aside funds for modern solutions.
ServicePower : October 29, 2019
ServicePower