5 Trends in Field Service for 2020 and beyond

Field service is evolving enormously, just like technology and customer expectations are advancing quickly too. Forward-thinking service providers are continuously innovating to better serve their customers. There are plenty of ways to guide the maintenance and service industry to the next decade, like training the next generation of mobile workers, the usage of Industry 4.0 technology and offline mobility. We believe there are about 5 trends to watch in field service.

1. Smart devices and more data

Smart devices generate more and more data. The most important and influential trend in the maintenance and service industry is that of devices that generate large amounts of data and which then link to systems to support the service process. Connected technology (IoT) is empowering field service providers to stop reacting and become proactive.

2. Servitization continues: from product to service

More and more sectors are switching from delivering products to services, on a subscription basis or metered usage (pay-per-use). This makes the quality of service the most important success factor for a company. This evolution is also related to the technological and digital transformation that is started, including cloud computing and business (offline) mobility.

3. Service becomes sales

The service department becomes a commercial department. A trend that we absolutely welcome is that of “lead generation & soft skills”. By that we mean that your team of service employees must be well-trained to see and seize commercial opportunities. Bear in mind that every technician is also a pre-sales.

4. Operational excellence or customer intimacy?

We also observe a more general trend. Previously, companies chose a strategy based on operational excellence (best operations) or based on customer intimacy (customer-centricity). Now, more and more companies want both, and preferably at a leading level.

5. Ageing Workforce

One of the biggest challenges facing the field service industry right now is the ageing workforce. Baby boomers are now reaching retirement age, and there is a severe shortage of young people choosing field service as a career path. Millennials and the older end of Gen Z tend towards technology- and service-based jobs such as digital marketing or application development. The challenge is figuring out how to attract these youngsters to the field service industry.

Learn more about Field Service…

Looking for more concrete use cases, real-life demos and typical mobile workers’ scenarios, join our breakfast session “A day in the life of a field service engineer” on Thursday morning 26 March 2020.

Register now if you want to be sure of your seat!