by Tiffany Kaiser | Jul 19, 2012 | Field Service Spotlight
The future of the Geek Squad has been uncertain as of late. The field service sector of the big-box electronics shop Best Buy rapidly went from the potential savior to suffering over 600 layoffs in just a few weeks. But things could be turning around yet again for...
by Ian Stewart | Jul 19, 2012 | Field Service Spotlight
Ever wonder why that pothole on your block still isn’t fixed? Or why the streetlight that’s been out for weeks still isn’t working? Why haven’t the city’s maintenance staff taken care of it yet? A very new — and very cool — program is...
by Darren Weiss | Jul 18, 2012 | Strategy & Leadership
In a down economy you’d figure companies would be doing any- and everything to cut costs in an effort to save every penny. But according to a recent study of U.K.-based field service managers, a few other issues actually top cost-cutting as business’ top...
by Tiffany Kaiser | Jul 18, 2012 | Strategy & Leadership
Anyone who’s ever used a portable toilet knows how unpleasant they are. Between the stench and the general lack of hygiene, the port-a-john is usually a last resort — and a pretty disgusting one. But if you think that’s bad, imagine being the person...
by Tiffany Kaiser | Jul 17, 2012 | Mobile & Tech
Field service technicians — and Average Joes, too — are continuing to warm up to tablet computers, in many cases ditching their old laptops in favor of the mobile-friendly device. And while Apple’s iPad has generally dominated the young tablet market, a few...
by Ian Stewart | Jul 17, 2012 | Field Service Spotlight
We’ve already got refrigerators that can tell the repairman what’s wrong — which is pretty incredible. The next step, though, is the one that could really re-shape field service: the refrigerator that sends an alert to the repairman when it’s about...
by Tiffany Kaiser | Jul 16, 2012 | Mobile & Tech
Digital maps have become a vital part of most smartphone users’ lives, and an invaluable resource for field techs. The jury’s still out, however, on the utility of indoor mapping, but the kickoff of Google’s new indoor mapping service is a great...
by Ian Stewart | Jul 16, 2012 | Mobile & Tech
The following post first appeared in Mobile Enterprise, and is excerpted here with permission. When the infamous shark from the original Jaws first made its appearance, the town in which the shark appeared was unable to comprehend what exactly the town was up against....
by Ian Stewart | Jul 13, 2012 | Field Service Spotlight
For most city dwellers, parking’s an issue. In larger cities, essentially, your options boil down to either coughing up $25 for a garage, or you’re left circling the block again and again in hopes you’ll catch someone leaving a metered spot....
by Ian Stewart | Jul 13, 2012 | Customer Experience
How do customers get in touch with your company these days? Do they call on the phone, or do they e-mail? Both? Web chat? Social media? Snail mail? The mechanics of customer service have changed pretty dramatically over the past 20 years, to the point where companies...
by Derek Korte | Jul 12, 2012 | Field Service Spotlight
Field service techs work in nearly every location imaginable, from people’s homes to … um … crime scenes. It’s all part of the job. But what happens when the mercury soars and routine service calls about the faulty A/C unit just can’t wait? The SmartVan...
by The Editors | Jul 12, 2012 | Mobile & Tech
More and more, businesspeople — and particularly mobile ones like field service technicians — have warmed to the idea of carrying an iPad for work. However, despite some really impressive recent gains for Apple in the enterprise, the fact is that the iPad is far from...
