‘Tis the season for reflection and gratitude. So, before you look ahead to the resolutions for your business in the new year, take a moment to relive last year’s top service industry news.

Below are the most popular stories on Field Service Digital (plus a few of our editors’ favorites) from 2018. Thanks for reading, and happy holidays!

New Technologies Enter the Fray

Service leaders are savvier than ever at using data at their disposal to ensure their employees and equipment operate at peak performance. But IoT-enabled equipment and data weren’t the only storylines in service. From augmented reality applications in the field to fringe technologies like blockchain, service leaders took a giant leap forward with technology in 2018.

Avitas Systems deploys drones and a slew of other technologies to make dangerous inspection work safer, cheaper and more accurate. Image: Avitas Systems

These Service Leaders Are up to the Challenge

Whether juggling new priorities or rethinking what it means to deliver great service, these visionaries just can’t accept the status quo.

“Reactive maintenance doesn’t work when you have trucks turning up with hundreds of bins of fruit to be processed,” says Darrell Smithsohn, vice president of global services at Compac. Image: Compac

Great Service Hinges on Great People 

Service leaders have a lot on their minds. But keeping their service team staffed with passionate, qualified and engaged technicians is among their most important — and challenging — jobs.

Seemingly small workplace perks, such as the quality of the coffee in the breakroom, can have an outsized effect on employee happiness, says Shep Hyken. Image: Pexels

Customer Service Dos and Don’ts

There’s no recipe for providing perfect customer service. But when you get it right, it’s oh so rewarding.

Your customers will thank you for a frictionless experience. Image: Pexels

Techs Keep the World Running 

Lastly, part of our job at Field Service Digital is celebrating the important, challenging (and sometimes downright strange) work that service technicians do every day. Without them, our planes wouldn’t fly, our lights wouldn’t turn on and our hospitals wouldn’t operate. So, thanks!

A DHC-6 Twin Otter in Harbour Air’s fleet. Image: Nevin Thompson