Editor’s note: It’s difficult to stay on top of every field service news story. We get it. To help keep you up to speed, we’re recapping the month’s must-read stories in our “In Case You Missed It” series. Keep reading for June’s top stories on Field Service Digital.

Caterpillar’s Big Data Play

The 90-year-old industrial equipment giant has 3 million (or more) machines in the field on any given day. Soon, those heavy-duty machines — backhoes, bulldozers, excavators, among others — could be connected to the Internet. Here’s what happens when earth movers move mountains of data, not just dirt. More.

Drones: The Newest Oil & Gas Techs

Offshore oil fields are drones’ latest playing (and working) field. Oil & gas companies are tapping the flying roughnecks to handle dangerous inspection work that’s difficult for human technicians to manage. More.

Meet the New Drone Doctors

As drones swoop into field service, companies need techs with the skills to keep the unmanned aircraft airborne. As a result, drone repair degree programs are popping up at American colleges to train next-gen “drone doctors”. Their task? Keep field service’s favorite flying technicians airborne. More.

Why Coaching is Great Management Training

In the first installment of our newest series, “The Driver’s Seat,” Tyco Integrated Security’s Dan Cattron explains how he managed a multi-year field service technology rollout — and the valuable management lessons he learned coaching competitive softball. More.

The Trouble with Merit-Based Pay

Incentive programs can be a great lever to improve employee performance. But, done incorrectly, merit-based incentives can cause confusions, and worse: resentment. A veteran Xerox technician offers three tips to avoid the pitfalls. More.