INTELLIGENT SOFTWARE BUSINESS that are integrated with field service management. Now more than ever, your service management software must not only be created using agile development processes, but it must also enable business process agility.
We are not just talking about integration with systems for invoicing and accounting, or even asset lifecycle management but a way to use data to change the way you deliver service across the entire supply or value chain.
An integrated plan means everyone has to trust and work to one plan. The benefit is the organisation is working to one common goal and the delivery performance at all levels will improve. In order to gauge the agility of a software vendor, put them and their software through its paces. Evaluating vendor agility upfront will help uncover which software best supports your continuously evolving service business.
Vendor test # 1 It is difficult to differentiate between scheduling optimisation engines. One approach that works, and one you should try when evaluating scheduling optimisation engines is to give them a week of historical data and have them schedule. Evaluate the speed of the engine’ s capability to optimise the schedule’ s travel time, jobs per tech per day, others. Create various changes to reflect real time incidents and re-run simulations to see how it the software copes.
Vendor test # 2 In this digital age, a great mobile application is critical to success and user experience is one of the most important selection criteria and also the least analysed. Being a cloud-leader is not enough. You should expect vendors to demonstrate on mobile devices using all platforms- iPhone, Android, and Windows. Then ask the vendors to change the mobile user interface for you, something basic like adding a new field,
One interesting repercussion is increased importance of software agility and service efficiency with solutions that are integrated with field service management
changing the workflow or color scheme, on the fly.
Vendor test # 3 Business intelligence dashboards and analytics are important, but all vendors have something to show and will happily demonstrate the bells-and-whistles to you. Stir things up by asking them to show you how to create a new chart, with key performance indicators, or summary table, right then and there. Next, have them prove it is rolespecific by asking them to log into the application as a different user.
Vendor test # 4 In the very near future, a host of new technologies like enterprise operational intelligence, 3D Printing, wearable devices and the Internet of Things will also boost efficiency even further. New assets will be smarter and more reliable than those seen before. With IoT, many will communicate directly back to their original manufacturers or designers and a collaborative approach to service will be required.
While it may be premature to expect vendors to demo an IoT scenario or any of the future technologies end-to-end during the selection process, it does not hurt to ask. IoT is definitely on the horizon for the Smart City initiatives. As a minimum, vendors should be able to clearly articulate their IoT strategy, explain the processes and basic components, and highlight successful customer projects.
Now that Microsoft Azure and Amazon AWS have built massive infrastructures to support the next wave of IoT standardisation, beware of proprietary IoT frameworks being offered and mentioned.
The fewer systems and databases you have, the more effectively you can analyse service operations and act on business intelligence. Ideally, you want all information about people, finances and assets, both yours and the ones you service, to be in the one place. A single source of truth to change the way you deliver service.
Luis Ortega is Managing Director for Middle East, Africa and South Asia at IFS
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