The top stories from the field this week.

App Gives Customers 30-Minute Arrival Alert

Cable is the most-hated industry in the U.S., and companies like Comcast haven’t done much recently to help their cause. Remember Comcast’s embarrassing customer service fail earlier this year? Eager to get back into customers’ good graces, Comcast is testing a mobile app feature that will allow customers to track the technician’s location, receive an alert when the tech is 30 minutes away and rate their work. The goal? Fewer missed appointments and more accountability if an installer shows up with the wrong equipment — or tracks mud through the living room. (via Multichannel News)

Report: Mobility Reigns as Field Service Initiative

Customers, however, aren’t the only ones using mobile for a better service experience. A new Aberdeen report finds that more than 80 percent of service organizations view mobility as a strategic investment. Top service companies are arming techs with mobile devices and apps to ensure they have the information they need to provide great customer service. (via Field Technologies Online)

Field Service at Center of Connected Technology

No matter what you call the emerging connected technology trend — the Industrial Internet and the Internet of Things are common terms — field service will play a prominent role. The data these soon-to-be-connected devices generate will bring service organizations closer to their customers. “Those of us in service think this is going to be more of an Industrial Internet of Engagement,” writes Kris Brannock, executive vice president of Vertical Solutions. (via MSDynamicsWorld)

NFL Team Asks Fans to Join Grounds Crew

The Buffalo Bills are scheduled to host the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon. The team is hiring fans to help dig out from a record snowfall that dumped an estimated 440 million pounds of snow on the stadium. And there’s more snow on the way. Snow shovelers will receive $10 per hour plus game tickets, and the operation will run 24 hours per day until the field and stadium are clear. (via BuzzFeed)