by Derek Korte | Apr 16, 2012 | Mobile & Tech
So, like countless other field service managers, you’ve invested in a brand-new smartphone or tablet to help give your service organization a boost … if only you could find it. iPhones, Android, and other smartphones are great, but they’re also expensive to...
by The Editors | Apr 13, 2012 | Strategy & Leadership
This post is sponsored by the Smarter Services Executive Symposium, an annual conference organized around a combination of workshops, roundtable discussions and and presentations aimed at creating an experiential learning environment. Carl DeCoste, vice president of...
by Darren Weiss | Apr 12, 2012 | Mobile & Tech
With all the iPhones, iPads, and other smartphones field service techs are carrying out into the field, is there still any need for stand-alone GPS systems? Since almost every smartphone comes equipped with GPS capabilities — most offer spoken turn-by-turn directions,...
by Ian Stewart | Apr 11, 2012 | Field Service Spotlight
Before we even get into the main thesis here, there’s a WHOLE lot of couching to do, so let’s just get it out of the way right up front. First, they’re only a prototype; the Internet is ripping them to shreds; they look pretty dorky anyway;...
by Ian Stewart | Apr 10, 2012 | Field Service Spotlight
When a product you own breaks or just stops working right, what’s your first move? For some things, that’s easy. I don’t know anything about car repair, for instance. So when my car breaks down, I’ve got to call up the garage. But with other...
by Ian Stewart | Apr 9, 2012 | Strategy & Leadership
My cable box crapped out the other day. It would start up, but it wouldn’t load the channel menu or access any of my recorded shows. So I went online to find the customer support phone number. After clicking around for a while, I got ahold of a service rep....
by Ian Stewart | Apr 6, 2012 | Mobile & Tech
The first time I saw someone use the FaceTime application on an iPhone to make a video call, I was pretty floored. Even though I’d been aware of the technology that makes it possible for several years now, there was still something kind of George Jetson about...
by Darren Weiss | Apr 5, 2012 | Field Service Spotlight
We know how tough field service workers can be on their vans. But how about New York City taxi drivers? Come 2014, the Nissan NV200, a van we’ve written about extensively and that field service techs have started flocking to, will replace those iconic Crown Vics as...
by Derek Korte | Apr 4, 2012 | Field Service Spotlight
In SmartVan’s “Cool Tool” contest last year, we asked readers to send photos of their favorite on-the-job tool, with a brief explanation about why that sledgehammer or Maglite or giant wrench was so crucial to getting work done. The SmartVan grand...
by Ian Stewart | Apr 3, 2012 | Field Service Spotlight
When it comes to managing fleet vehicles, finding ways to save a few dollars here and there can go a long way. Case in point: Aperia Technologies, a San Francisco start-up, offers the Halo Automatic Tire Inflator, which, by offering a number of incremental...
by The Editors | Apr 2, 2012 | Strategy & Leadership
This post is sponsored by the Smarter Services Executive Symposium, a conference organized around a combination of workshops, roundtable discussions and presentations, creating an experiential learning environment and emphasizing a case study-driven approach. The...
