{eBook} The Internet of Things and field service management

Kevin Ashton, a British technology expert, founded the Auto-ID center at MIT. That center did pioneering work with RFID and other identification sensors, and in the process of this work, Ashton also coined the term ‘Internet of Things’ to refer to household, everyday objects having network connectivity and sending data. Because of this, some call Ashton ‘the father’ of the Internet of Things concept.

The father of the idea is saying field service management is the first industry to really be changing because of it -- so clearly, field service management and IoT are deeply intertwined. But how are the changes happening? And how can you benefit from them?

The Internet of Things and field service management

Our new eBook, The Internet of Things and field service management, goes into several areas, including:

• Automation
• Customer service relationships
• Inventory management
• Reduction in check-up calls
• A basic redefinition of what ‘service’ even is
• How to prepare for and prioritize IoT in your field service organization
• Broader takeaways

Presently, about 15 percent of field service organizations are using some form of an IoT program. That’s drastically low, especially when you consider that 37 percent of those organizations are still primarily paper-based. That’s 2.5x times the number operating according to 1970s' principles.

The two major factors that will change field service organizations in the next 10-20 years are, almost unquestionably:

• Mobile solutions
• The Internet of Things

We’ve covered mobile in other posts and will continue to do so. We’ll also continue to blog and write longer-form about the Internet of Things. But it’s important to embrace these two concepts now, as opposed to three years from now -- because in three years, it’s possible your competitors already have, and already have their processes in place, and you’ll be playing from behind.

Learn more by downloading The Internet of Things and field service management eBook now. 

 
Written by Jim Hare