by Courtney Buchanan | Mar 31, 2014 | Field Service Spotlight
You may be knee-deep in a snowstorm or dealing with winter blues, but in Saudi Arabia, the field techs are already thinking about the summer heat that will hit them very soon. What makes summer in Saudi Arabia different from elsewhere? For starters, it’s typical for...
by Derek Korte | Mar 28, 2014 | Field Service Spotlight
Field service pros wear many hats and work in many locations, from major league ballparks to corner ATMs. Here’s a look at a few tales from the field this week, including an all-female cable installation crew in Bermuda and the techs who help MLB umpires make...
by Megan Van Vlack | Mar 27, 2014 | Field Service Spotlight
What’s in a name? If you ask San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency, when it comes to 350-foot long tunnel borers, it’s not only a tradition, it’s a safety precaution. “It’s bad juju to not name tunnel-boring machines....
by Derek Korte | Mar 25, 2014 | Field Service Spotlight
It’s easy to take field service technicians for granted — that is, until an A/C unit breaks during the dog days of summer or a critical piece of manufacturing equipment goes down during production. Otherwise, service technicians often work behind the scenes to...
by Megan Van Vlack | Mar 24, 2014 | Field Service Spotlight
SmartVan’s Field Service Roadshow kicked off stateside last week in Boston as top field service pros discussed trends and issues affecting managers, executives and technicians alike. Productivity and team performance took center stage as the two common themes of the...
by Derek Korte | Mar 21, 2014 | Field Service Spotlight
Field service organizations could learn a few things about customer service from companies in vastly different industries. Take Nordstrom, for example. High-end retail and field service are polar opposites in many respects, but happy customers are the common...
by Derek Korte | Mar 18, 2014 | Field Service Spotlight
A technician is often the sole face-to-face customer interaction point following a sale. So, what happens when a technician shows up for an interview, or to a customer location, with visible tattoos? Is it an assured way to lose credibility, or should a...
by Courtney Buchanan | Mar 17, 2014 | Field Service Spotlight
Field techs are equipped with smartphones, tablets and wearable technology, yet much of their time is spent on the road, when they are legally forbidden to use these devices. At any moment, about 660,000 U.S. drivers are using electronic devices while driving,...
by Derek Korte | Mar 13, 2014 | Field Service Spotlight
Wearable technology is the new darling of the tech world. But beyond the hype, these nascent technologies are full of potential for the field service industry. Here’s a look at some of the real-world field service applications of smart, connected devices, from...
by Megan Van Vlack | Mar 13, 2014 | Field Service Spotlight
Fuel costs are no joke to fleet managers — especially those who oversee large fleets of semitrailers that guzzle diesel at an average of 6 MPG. There’s been a lot of development into more fuel-efficient service vans and trucks, but the 18-wheeler has been...
by Megan Van Vlack | Mar 11, 2014 | Field Service Spotlight
What’s the scourge of every office manager, the marketing department’s nemesis and arguably the most overlooked machine in the office — that is, until it jams, runs out of ink or just stops working? You got it: the office copier. It’s the hub of office...
by Megan Van Vlack | Mar 10, 2014 | Field Service Spotlight
When it comes to scheduling for field service organizations, there’s more than just a method to the madness — as any field service manager can tell you, it’s an art form. From juggling competing service calls and customer priorities to matching the right...