15 Hottest Field Service Management Topics of 2014

What the most-viewed MSI field workforce management blog posts of 2014 reveal about this year’s field service concerns and most interesting trends.

Technology advancements have brought new and far-reaching changes to the field service industry. With more talk of cloud deployment and an array of mobile devices to choose from, service organizations have a lot to consider as they transform their field processes from manual to automated. As the economy continues its recovery, service organizations in a variety of industries are figuring out where to invest their resources in order to expand and improve. While improved technology, especially mobile field service software, is an obvious choice, there’s plenty to consider when making a new enterprise software investment.

What Readers Want to Know; Most Popular Service Topics of 2014

It’s clear, considering the themes running through this year’s most popular articles, there are certain overarching concerns permeating throughout the field service industry. Here are the hottest topics contending for your attention.

• Enterprise Software Deployment Strategies

You can't turn to any technology resource these days without seeing something about cloud deployment, or SaaS. That’s because it’s super-hot right now and is going to be around for a while. Cloud eliminates many concerns businesses used to have when considering enterprise-wide software solutions, like upfront expense and security threats.

• Mobile Device and Platform Options

As service businesses determine how they’ll deploy a software solution in the field, choosing the right tech devices is a big concern. Rugged? Consumer? Wearable? BYOD? Each option has its benefits and service orgs are always searching for informational pieces to help them match a device to their business needs. In addition to device selection, organizations need to choose an operating platform to run on. Android? iOS? Windows? Luckily, with a cross-platform app, you have flexibility to experiment with different OS's without the need to switch workforce management apps.

• How Mobile Improves Service Quality

While mobile isn’t a new trend this year, service organizations are still curious about how mobile will improve how they do business and the quality of service they’re able to provide. Advice articles that help service managers run a more effective service organization with mobile are always popular.

• Filling the Skills Gap and Addressing Growing Concerns over Service Technician Careers

As the economy bounces back and the demand for better service and construction organizations continues to grow, the skills gap for talented service technicians also continues to widen. Articles that address the demand for service technicians and how to train, recruit, and retain workers at your organization will continue to be in demand. Generally, these topics outline the most pressing concerns this year and give us all an idea of where the industry’s headed in 2015. Now, without further ado, we present to you….

…The Top 15 Service Management Posts of the Year!

1. The Pros and Cons of Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) for a Mobile Field Workforce Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) lets service organizations off the hook of providing devices for their workforce, but a BYOD policy doesn’t come without risk. We explore whether BYOD is right for your service organization and highlight how the key to success in BYOD for mobile field service is cross-platform app capability. 2. 6 Positive Indicators that HVAC Service Business is About to Heat-Up in 2014 Like many service-based industries, 2014 has been a good year for HVAC businesses. We outline six positive indicators HVAC companies could take advantage of to get ahead in 2014. 3. 4 Ways to Automate Caterpillar Field Service with Service Pro® for CAT Did you know Product support makes up 1/3 to 1/2 of CAT dealer revenue? We outline how CAT dealers, and other manufacturers can take advantage of the huge potential in service with the right automation tools and technology. 4. SaaS vs. On-Premises: Choosing a Field Service Software Deployment Model Software as a Service (SaaS) gives businesses the flexibility to achieve what they need without the burden of paying for and maintaining a server on-premises. We explore the benefits of deploying a SaaS model with a cloud-based field service app. 5. Caterpillar Marries Mobile with Toughness in New Line of Cat Phones In MSI’s exclusive interview with Cat Phones Director of Sales, we go deep into the benefits of using a Cat phone for your business and how deploying rugged mobile devices in the field can take your business to the next level. 6. Help your Field Force Meet These 5 KPIs with a Service Management App Tracking success in any business can be difficult, but it’s especially challenging with a mobile workforce like those in field service organizations. We outline the most important key performance indicators (KPIs) field technicians should be measuring and meeting in order to succeed, and how a service management app helps them do it. 7. Top Field Service Books for Service Managers and Business Owners With so much focus on technology these days, it’s easy to forget about the wealth of information in good old-fashioned books. We outline some of the top field service books to help service organizations refine their strategy, provide remarkable service, and remind their workforce how awesome the skilled trades can be.

8. 7 Reasons to Implement Enterprise Android Deployment for Mobile Field Service

Written by MSI’s VP of Development, we take a look at why you should consider Android deployment for mobile field service and how to arm your Android devices with the best mobile service application features. 9. 5 Wearable Apps to Equip Technicians in the Field We’ve been exploring the possibilities of wearable devices and apps for field service for a while now. Here we feature wearable apps to compliment your enterprise field service mobile solution, what you can expect for the future of wearables, and your next move going forward with the technology. 10. Service Technician Careers Part 2: Industry Leaders Invest in Next Generation of Workers Filling the service technician skills gap is a huge concern for service businesses of all sizes and industries. Through a series of interviews, we feature how companies in need of skilled technicians are supporting training and certification programs to set young technicians on the path to a fulfilling career to fuel the future of field services. 11. How Mobility Simplifies Field Service Quality Management The difference between using paper forms vs. mobile forms to complete field processes can mean the difference between quality and slow, unsatisfying service for customers. We explore how mobile can solve your field service quality tracking challenges and help you achieve consistent and profitable service visits. 12. How Service Organizations Can Improve Technician Recruitment: An Interview with BirdDog Addressing the growing skills gap question, this interview with recruitment and applicant tracking software company, BirdDog, reveals how organizations can attract top talent as the demand for skilled trade workers continues to grow. 13. Service Technician Careers Part 1: Demand for Skilled Technicians on the Rise Service organizations depend on qualified field technicians, but they’re getting harder and harder to find. This article addresses that demand and highlights the rewards of entering the skilled trades, with specific anecdotes from Texas CAT Dealer, Mustang CAT. 14. The iPad Opus: 7 Reasons iPad Rocks for a Service and Repair Mobile Field Workforce Deciding which device and operating system to deploy a mobile field service solution on is a tough decision. While each OS has its specific benefits, this article reveals the capabilities of the iPad for service technicians when equipped with a service management app. 15. 7 Ways Sage 100 ERP Users Can Streamline Field Service Management with Service Pro® Integration capabilities is a huge concern for businesses investigating field service software options. We explore how strong field service software, integrated with Sage 100 ERP, can help field service organizations think outside the confines of the office building.

Conclusion: Be on the Lookout for More in Service Technology News

The field service industry is on the cusp of some serious change thanks to up and coming technology trends like advancements in mobile devices and app technology, expanding cloud capabilities, Machine to Machine (M2M) communication, and the Internet of Things (IoT). How will you stay on top of it all? Stay tuned as we continue to get our hands dirty and report on the industry tech topics you’re dying to know about.

A Buyer’s Guide to Mobile Field Service Software: 9 Tips for Choosing a Mobile Solution

Since our most popular articles of the year are related to mobile field service management, we thought you’d like our Buyer’s Guide to Mobile Field Service…Enjoy! And have a happy and fruitful New Year!