In the age of Industry 4.0, many companies have focused on networking machines and automating process flows. The human factor has sometimes receded into the background. But only a holistic approach to digitization will make the decisive difference in global competition. Our experts have compiled a guide for you that takes a close look at the trends and challenges in the service sector and the role of FSM solutions.
What is servitization?
Have you heard of servitization? Servitization describes the transformation from the sale of industrial products to services. Machine as a Service is on the advance and enables companies to rent cost-intensive assets and machines instead of buying them. This not only affects the cost structure of the customer and the supplier. It also contributes to new expectations in maintenance and repair. A fixed lump sum already covers this large cost factor in the recurring payments.
With predictive maintenance, industrial companies can monitor machine performance and proactively schedule necessary service calls. Customers are thus spared downtimes that could impair their business. However, if unplanned technical faults occur, it is up to the professional service technician to ensure customer satisfaction. Servitization makes the service organization strategically more important.
Service technician as a success factor
The following simplified scenario is an expression of an outdated technical field service: The service technician comes to the customer and has hardly any information about the actual machine failure. An initial inspection reveals more questions than answers. The telephone call with the coordinator helps to start necessary processes, such as internal or external ordering of spare parts. But the disappointing result is a renewed service call instead of immediate problem solving.
Service technicians who are equipped with a mobile FSM solution approach their customer assignments differently. They have access to customer and machine information at any time via a tablet. They can prepare themselves for the service case before their appointment and take the appropriate tools with them. They can independently look up important information directly on site. With the help of the knowledge database, they can carry out repair procedures that they were previously unaware of. Modern service technicians take the opportunity to inspect the machine at the customer’s premises and document the damage in detail.
Against labour shortages and new job profiles
With the use of FSM solutions, the technical field service changes significantly. The problem of the continuing lack of manpower cannot be solved with the software. However, the solution helps to ensure that employees can be deployed more flexibly through digital knowledge transfer.
Time and again there is talk of service employees also having indirect sales responsibility. With FSM, employees can finally be encouraged to ask certain questions, present services and perceive a sales-promoting customer interaction as part of the service assignment.
Your FSM guide to excellent service
Do you recognize the need for action in your service organization? Our guideline includes the most important measures for successful change management and all relevant information on technical framework conditions for the effective implementation of FSM software. Application examples and checklists help you to prepare your own project planning in a structured way. Interested? – Then contact us now!