Author: Michael Pistone, Business Analyst

Next week I’m off to Chicago to present on Mobility Analytics. These are metrics that are generated from mobile devices. For examples, if a field resource reports a late finish on their mobile devices for airport jobs, this subsequently creates a late arrival on the following job. We can use this data to surmise that passing through security may be elongating the job duration of the airport job. From this data, we can alter the planned duration of that work type (airport jobs) and prevent the late arrivals, increasing customer satisfaction.

Author: Katelyn Burrill, Product Marketing Manager

Clicksoftware has just released ServiceOptimization 8.1.9. and the question immediately arises; just how much better can the leading mobile workforce management solution get?

Author: Efrat Ravid, VP Global Marketing

We are excited to share the news of our new collaboration with salesforce.com on a cloud-based mobile workforce solution that will empower the services industry to deliver on the promise of an exceptional customer experience while running an efficient operation. We have signed the agreement and will soon be launching ClickWorkforce on the AppExchange, which is fully integrated with salesforce.com to provide users a single view of the entire customer snapshot—from preferences and sales orders to work tickets.

Author: Michael Pistone, Business Analyst

At the end of our last discussion, we saw that some of our metrics were affected as a result of the metrics we were trying to change (reduced travel time equated to better productivity) and I used the term “related metrics.”

Author: Mark Walls

It's SAPPHIRE eve and attendees are busy building agendas and finalizing schedules for the week.  I’m using a combination of Outlook and event agenda builder system to sorted and optimize my show schedule.  It’s a static scheduling system – with desktop and mobile access.

Essentially, I’m acting as my own dispatcher & mobile worker in one -- controlling my schedule that involves where to be and when so I can: staff the booth, attend sessions, grab a Starbucks, attend pre-scheduled meetings and determine which topics to discuss and when. 

So how could I improve on this?  A couple ways:

• Gain visibility into other calendars or agendas
• Have alternative meetings suggested if someone cancelled
• It’s big conference, believe me, route planning would help
• Plug-in meeting agendas and corresponding tasks

These features can be found in SAP Workforce Scheduling and Optimization by ClickSoftware (SAP WSO) which offers dynamic scheduling and optimization solutions.  By simply leveraging mobile, maximizing backend systems like Hana, HCM, and Outlook, and using GPS data my personal SAPPHIRE ROI would be very high. 

As technology rapidly evolves, Communications Service Providers (CSPs) are struggling to keep pace with the change. They face multiple challenges, including high consumer demand, new network deployments, and more competition.

Today, ClickSoftware introduced a new offering to empower CSPs to drive their business forward by creating a more agile business environment. ClickSoftware’s real-time mobile service solutionenables CSPs to achieve success by:

• Delivering a better customer experience
• Minimizing customer wait time
• Improving first-time fix rates
• Reducing engineer and customer no-shows
• Simplifying and promoting the upsell process

Mobile cloud service subscriptions are set to experience rapid growth over the next few years, indicating that mobile cloud computing is gaining momentum.

Author: Michael Pistone, Business Analyst

Last week I talked about manually rearranging schedules to cut down on administrative tasks and lost time. Did it work? It sure did. After dividing Manhattan in sectors and removing all of the administrative work from the technicians, it took about three quarters of the year to get rid of the 700 call backlog. We were down to a one day backlog with no additional resources hired. We had increased our productivity by roughly 40%. I had solved my director’s problems (metrics), which were productivity (jobs worked per day) and backlog (outstanding jobs older than one day). These metrics were tied to my bonus.

Author: Avi Mileguir

More small and medium size companies are seeking field service management solutions, often for the first time. Why now? This shift is the outcome of three main factors in the market:

• Adoption of software as a service (SaaS) solutions
• Greater use of mobile technology and smartphones for field techs
• Deeper understanding that exceptional service is a key competitive differentiator

How can cloud-based solutions impact your service organization? I explain in the short video.