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On a surface level, field services can mean a large number of different things and happening all at the same time. It's about putting resources in place to guarantee better, more preventative, and more predictive maintenance for your customers. It's about assisting them with installation and commissioning wherever possible. It's about business consultation, performing an invaluable critical analysis of one's business needs and demands so that you can help people better align their technology with their own long-term goals.

But more than anything, it's also about creating a true experience for your customers — one that allows them to dwell less on their own problems so they can focus more on the solutions they're trying to create for themselves. As is true with so many others these days, it is also an industry in the brink of transformation. In fact, there are five key trends in particular that are emerging in the field services space right now that you need to be aware of moving forward.

Field Services is Experiencing a Tremendous Amount of Growth

Maybe the biggest trend in field services today is also the most important.  The industry itself is growing exponentially, and showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. In fact, one recent study predicts that by 2022, field services alone will be worth a massive $4.45 billion. To break things down a bit, a lot of this growth will come by way of two main elements: scheduling and dispatch. Based on that, it's clear that these are the parts of your own field services that you should be focusing on today to get ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

 

Field Services is More Mobile Than Ever

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Along the same lines, it should come as no surprise that field services is getting increasingly mobile with each passing day. A lot of this is propelled by the impending onslaught of the Internet of Things (IoT) — an idea that describes a situation where nearly every device is no

t only connected to the Internet and creating data, but sharing that data with other devices. Wearable technology like smart-watches also plays a big role in this.

But even smartphones alone are making a significant impact in this area. Another study estimates that over 75% of all field services providers with more than 50 users will rely heavily on mobile apps by the end of 2020.

Field Services is Becoming More Automated

The human side of field services will always be critical. However, another recent trend has also seen the industry itself become more automated on a regular basis. Businesses that rely on automation in their field services unlock a host of different benefits and all at the same time. For starters, automation is an excellent way to reduce costs across the board.

It's also a way to empower workers, generating gains in productivity and creating more accurate and consistent experiences as well. But most importantly, automation is a perfect opportunity to free up valuable time from your employees so that they can devote their attention to more pressing, forward-thinking ventures.

Field Services is Embracing AR and VR

If you had to make a list of all the industries that have been impacted by the arrival of both augmented reality and virtual reality, field services would be right at the top. As this technology becomes both more affordable and more powerful on a regular basis, companies are making use of it in a lot of unique ways.

It's a great way to give field services employees a tangible, hands-on experience with certain environments and sites, for example, even if they never actually leave your office. This alone is a perfect opportunity to guarantee that they have the experience they need when they get into the field to ensure first-time fixes as often as possible.

Field Services is Getting Smarter

Finally, as is true with so many other industries these days, the current state of field services is absolutely empowered by smart technology and all of the benefits that it brings with it. Gone are the days where field services employees could get by with a reactive approach to their job because there will be no more situations where you can wait for something to break and then fix it.

Smart technology has allowed people to be incredibly proactive especially when it comes to the key assets they're tasked to maintain in the first place. Not only does modern technology enable better, more organic, and more predictive maintenance but the use of big data can also help with everything from resource allocation to improving the return on investment of one's own clients. 

This, in turn, has created a situation where field services as a concept may be even more important to your own customers today than it was a decade ago. It's also created a perfect opportunity to help your own field services department become the true profit center that it was always meant to be.

 

Lanrex: Your Partner in Field Services

In so many ways, a lot of your success in terms of field services depends on your ability to stay ahead of the game. The world around us is changing all the time and you need to remain agile enough to change with it or get left behind.

At Lanrex, we're in an ideal position to help you leverage the full power of Dynamics 365 along with other aspects of your digital transformation to guarantee that your team is always at its best all day and every day — no exceptions.

If you'd like to find out more information about the emerging trends in field services, or if you have any additional questions that you'd like us to answer, contact Lanrex today.

 

Images courtesy of:

Microsoft
ServiceMax



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