by Jessica Stillman | Jan 31, 2012 | Field Service Spotlight
The gear-heads among us may fantasize about speedy sports cars or high-performance luxury SUVs, but sometimes you just need your vehicle to be a workhorse. Sometimes you need a van. But beware: not all vans are created equal. So to help all you field service pros and...
by Patrick Peterson | Jan 30, 2012 | Customer Experience
We’ve written before at the SmartVan about the field service industry’s graying problem. Today, Patrick Peterson, author of the ZenHVAC blog, offers his call to action for business owners to get more proactive about replenishing their workforce and...
by Derek Korte | Jan 27, 2012 | Strategy & Leadership
Earlier this week we sized up the value of reviews on Yelp.com, the review site where actual customers (theoretically, anyway) rate local businesses, and its importance for smaller field service firms. But Yelp is hardly alone in the business of publishing and...
by The Editors | Jan 26, 2012 | Field Service Spotlight
Who says all those hours you spent playing Super Mario Brothers growing up were a waste? (Besides your mom, I mean.) Well, in this week’s installment of the SmartVan Job of the Week feature, we’re highlighting, among others, a position where you can put all...
by Darren Weiss | Jan 25, 2012 | Customer Experience
Two thousand companies, representing 30 countries, and 50,000 visitors descended on the International Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Expo (AHR) in Chicago this week to hawk, ogle, and pitch their wares. The AHR Expo is billed as the largest and most...
by Ian Stewart | Jan 24, 2012 | Strategy & Leadership
Last week my cell phone broke – or, rather, I stepped on it. The screen was cracked and the phone wouldn’t power up. Being of a decidedly old-school nature, I decided to get it repaired, rather than just buy a new one. A day later, the electronic repair shop emailed...
by Ian Stewart | Jan 23, 2012 | Strategy & Leadership
A few days before Christmas — the height of the gift delivery season — a pretty mind-blowing (and, OK, funny) video hit the Web. In it, a FedEx deliveryman is seen hurling a new computer monitor over the would-be recipient’s front fence, landing with a thud....
by Field Technologies Online | Jan 23, 2012 | Mobile & Tech
For today’s post, we’re going to turn things over to Field Technologes Online editor Sarah Howland, who has put together some thoughts about the common mistakes businesses make during a technological transition. Field service firms should take note....
by Derek Korte | Jan 20, 2012 | Field Service Spotlight
The Super Bowl. There’s no bigger venue for corporate executives and other high-rollers to woo, impress, and schmooze. What started as an experiment in 1967 that didn’t even sell out has morphed into a corporate gala to which admittance requires deep pockets or the...
by The Editors | Jan 19, 2012 | Field Service Spotlight
Do you remember those games where, for 25 cents (or whatever they cost now), you’d try to guide a mechanical claw toward that plush toy you’d had your eye on? Only, at the crucial moment when you’d press the button to pinch the claw, the toy would...
by Meghan Bender | Jan 18, 2012 | Field Service Spotlight
The North American International Auto Show, which is wrapping up Jan. 22, has certainly taken on a green tint, as automakers are proudly featuring their concept hybrid and electric vehicles. We know green tech is important to most fleet vehicle owners, so we rounded...
by Darren Weiss | Jan 18, 2012 | Field Service Spotlight
When Comcast announced plans last June to halve its infamous four-hour installation window, it registered as big news — especially for a company long plagued by customer complaints about long wait times and suspect field service. After all, the company has been named...
