"Our Take" - Field Service

(Past Editions by: Date, Title, Topic)

 
About "Our Take" 
"Our Take" is a collection of daily vignettes covering a wide range of CRM topics. It's an attempt to add our own spin to the world of CRM. We will use the column to share our perspectives, opinions, epiphanies, web nuggets, or quite frankly anything that moves us. Get ready to expect the unexpected. And, don't be shy about sharing your thoughts.
 
 
9/22/06 - Field Service Gains Momentum
When most of us think of CRM, we conveniently divide the world into three pieces - sales force automation (SFA), service/support (call centers), and marketing automation. Three-legged stools are fine, but four-legged stools are sturdier. What's missing? Field Service.
 
I was pleased to see more attention being paid to field service at the Gartner CRM conference this year. I saw it in the presentations as well as renewed interest on the part of attendees. I believe this interest is growing for a number of reasons. Not surprisingly, these reasons can all trace their origin to the potential to improve the bottom line.
 
Field service typically involves face-to-face contact with customers rather than just a phone call or self service. It typically involves large purchases and service contracts. It often involves "truck rolls." In short, it represents great opportunity. Opportunity to stay engaged with the customer in a more intimate way. It involves the ability to find new sales opportunities or, at a minimum, cross selling and up selling. For many companies, it represents higher than average profit margins. Next week, we'll talk more about why you should pay more attention to field service.
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
 
9/25/06 - CRM Excellence In Action
Last week I mentioned that 20% of the Gartner conference was dedicated to best practices and case studies. One presentation featured Gartner's CRM Excellence Award winner and what they did to win the award. The company is General Binding Corporation (GBC). The application is field service and the vendor is Vertical Solutions (VSI).
 
GBC's 175 field technicians manage more than 30,000 service contracts. The company deployed VSI's PowerHelp CRM Field Service solution in the fall of 2005 and the technology enabled the company to capture additional data to extend customer support and improve product design and manufacturing quality (Read More)
 
I find the selection of GBC and VSI interesting for a few reasons. First, the focus on field service. This segment of CRM tends to be overshadowed by sales force automation and call centers but the truth is field service can have a big impact on the bottom line. Second, the award went to a company that utilized a vendor not named Oracle, SAP or Microsoft.
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
 
9/26/06 - What’s Special About Field Service?
It seems many of you agree that field service has been a CRM stepchild. In addition, many of you agree that now, more than ever, we need to view field service as a strategic asset rather than a sinkhole for expenses.
 
So what makes field service different from the rest of CRM? Here are a few: 1) The need to schedule appointments sometimes referred to as "truck rolls;" 2) The need to communicate with a mobile workforce - wireless is a common medium; 3) The need to manage service contracts; 4) The need to integrate with internal systems as it relates to inventory.
 
These four attributes are not exhaustive. I'd like to hear what makes field service unique for you. Please share your field service requirements and I'll add to this list in a future edition of the column.
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
 
9/27/06 - What’s Special about Field Service?
Not much, according to one reader. While most people that have responded to my column this week believe field service is unique, some feel field service is merely an extension of the traditional three pronged definition of CRM - sales, service and marketing.
 
One reader wrote, "I disagree with you that field service should be considered a fourth leg of the CRM stool. Field service is part of the service and support leg, just as mobile sales is part of SFA. Yes, field service has some specialized needs, but there is overlap with other service subcomponents."
 
For the next few days, I'll share more about how people view field service. So, let me know what you think makes field service special and unique. Or do you feel field service is merely an extension of service and support?
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
 
9/28/06 - Another View of Field Service
We have overwhelming concurrence from a wide range of readers that field service is unique. However, not everyone agrees that it is separate from sales, service, and marketing deserving of a CRM segment of its own.
 
One person wrote, "We have field support reporting up through one part of the organization, the sales group in another, and the contact centers report to possibly a third part of the company. Then we sit back and wonder why the customer gets inconsistent experiences, has differing answers to the same questions, and in the end looks at the company in frustration, because they think of us as a single entity. Nobody wants to create a bad customer experience; it is our processes, lack of knowledge and tools that create this negative experience."
 
I like readers that not express a problem statement but possible solutions. This one went on to say, "We can start by structuring the organization with the customer experience as the heart of the business by creating tools that all customer contact people have access to and knowledge of how to use them." In short, it is the "you need to be customer centric" mantra. Easy to say, hard to do. But it's worth the effort. Do you agree?
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
 
9/29/06 - Why Field Service is Unique
Next week, I will share an extended list of capabilities and features that are unique to field service. Thank you in advance to all those that have shared their thoughts.
 
For those of you who have yet to weigh in, this is your last chance. Tell me what makes field service different from sales and service.
 
I also extend a special invitation to those vendors that have specialized on field service solutions. What features in your product make it a better fit than simply using a call center and/or sales for automation tool?
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
 
10/2/06 - Making the Case for Field Service
Although I have implied as much in this column, I've never specifically stated that field service is more important in some industries than others. One common denominator tends to traditionally be large equipment manufacturers as well as utilities. Another common denominator deals with businesses that sell a product at cost or at a loss in hopes of making profit on the subsequent services.
 
One vendor wrote, "Field service is important for customers purchasing a 2-Ton HVAC unit for a building from York/Johnson Controls or the consumer buying a set top box from DirecTV. Both purchases have an added component of service implied in the purchase of the asset, and the quality of that service delivery will likely dictate the duration and continuation of the relationship."
 
This person went on to quote a Gartner study by noting “for more than 80 percent of organizations in asset-intensive industries, revenue gains from aftermarket business from established customers will exceed sales to new customers.” Thus, field service talks directly to customer loyalty and retention.
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
 
10/3/06 - If Field Service Ran Like a Call Center
One reader wrote a somewhat humorous, but pointed, example of why field service is different from a call center. Consider this:
 
"Think of a giant call center with 1500 agents but each agent can only handle a narrow slice of the calls (geographic limitations). Each 'call' can take 1-4 hours and it is not reasonable to work on multiple calls in parallel - you need to finish before you go to the next one. Now, you need to tell each caller how long they will wait for someone to start working their call."
 
That would be one of the most complex call centers and that's what we're dealing with in a field environment. The combination of variable travel times, unknown scope of service times, and the inability to help multiple clients in parallel add a level of complexity that gives businesses fits. Do you agree?
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
 
10/4/06 - The Supply Chain Makes Field Service Unique
Many of our readers have written about the challenges associated with parts, test equipment, replacement product, and other tangibles needed in field service. They contend that the complexities associated with the "stuff in the back of the truck” make field service unique.
 
One reader wrote, "Hardware support is uniquely different because you're dealing with a state change in the item being supported. That is, things wear out and break. The parts logistics element makes field service different and more challenging -- you need a service delivery network."
 
The past few days, we've talked about the complexities of getting the right people to the right customers at the right time. Now we complicate that service model more by adding, "getting the right parts with the right people to the right customers at the right time."
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
 
10/5/06 - Getting Field Service Right
One way to describe the field service challenge is "getting the right parts with the right people to the right customers at the right time." The complexity of aligning these resources properly for each instance of service overwhelms many if not most organizations at one time or another.
 
If only service workloads were predictable. Reality says that is most often not the case. All sorts of internal and external factors contribute to the possibility of an imbalance between workloads and workforces. Enter the art and science of work force management.
 
Workforce management is a familiar concept in the call center and it certainly applies in field service. Service scheduling is also a key component to a successful field service strategy. Depending on where you sit in your organization’s hierarchy, planning horizons can be measured in months/years for executives or minutes/seconds for the front line. Is one planning horizon easier than the other?
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)