Breakthrough Productivity for Field Service

Transcription

1 SOLUTION BLUEPRINT Mobile Field Service Our field service operation has improved customer service ratings by three percent and increased productivity by 16 percent. We originally planned for a return on investment within three years, but recouped the cash outlay in one year. - Darryl Miller, General Manager, GE Factory Service Breakthrough Productivity for Field Service Improving Responsiveness, Quality, Efficiency, and Profitability Industry Consumer durables Business Challenge Streamline the delivery of cost-effective, nationwide field service, increasing productivity while improving customer satisfaction Technology Solution ServicePower ServiceMobility* solution that integrates artificial intelligence (AI) scheduling and dispatch software, Panasonic ToughBook* laptop computers, General Electric (GE Security) automatic vehicle location (AVL) system*, and wireless communications technologies SOLUTION ARCHITECTS Enterprise Hardware Platform Ruggedized Intel based laptop computers with Intel Centrino mobile technology This solution blueprint is meant for educational purpose and should not be relied upon without further inquiry and analysis of your business. Results may vary based on many variables including: type of business, geography, supporting software, operations, and management.

2 Solution Blueprint: Breakthrough Productivity for Field Service Solution Provider: ServicePower Panasonic MEETING NEW MARKET DEMANDS The ServiceMobility* solution from ServicePower is a complete, end-to-end fleet management system for efficiently dispatching, scheduling, and communicating with operatives to boost efficiency and flexibility in delivering field services. The solution includes dispatch center and service team management software, fleet management tools, and an automatic vehicle location (AVL) system that uses global positioning system (GPS), navigation, and mapping components. Field service operatives are equipped with rugged and reliable Panasonic ToughBook* laptop computers, designed to withstand the rigors of mobile computing in the field. ToughBook laptops are based on Intel Centrino mobile technology, which delivers the computing performance and wireless connectivity that enables innovative and flexible field service management. THE BUSINESS CHALLENGE General Electric Consumer and Industrial s (GECI) Appliances division manufactures, sells, and services home appliances, including refrigerators, freezers, ranges, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, microwave ovens, speed cooking ovens, room air conditioners, and water filtration, softening and heating systems. GE Consumer Home Services (GECHS) organization within GECI repairs appliances in residences, apartment complex, hotels, motels, and retails stores across the United States. Encompassing over 1,200 technicians who cover 110 zones in two regions, GECHS used six call centers and 40 dispatch centers to coordinate technicians and repair locations. The organization cares deeply about delivering quality service and uses Six Sigma as a quality measurement technique, a proven, disciplined approach for improving measurable results for any organization, to regularly assess the care that GECHS customers receive and to minimize operating costs such as those incurred when truck drivers get lost or are dispatched to a series of locations that require more driving than optimal. The goal is to ensure that GECHS delivers world-class service at the lowest level of operating cost. Aging legacy systems and a dispersed service team that required time-intensive management by multiple service centers across the country made it difficult for GECHS to improve service performance and efficiency. This greatly troubled an executive team determined to deliver excellent customer service and maintain its reputation as a well run and efficient business. At a time when its competitors were leaving the service business, GECHS felt certain that the right combination of technologies could improve dispatch center productivity and overall cost efficiency. It wanted to further optimize the service delivery business and make improvements in customer service by maximizing technician and dispatcher productivity. To improve customer service, GECHS wanted to offer its customers: More convenient scheduling of appointments for customers, so they can receive service when they want it Faster, more responsive scheduling of service appointments Better on-time delivery of services Improved communication between field service technicians and dispatchers to reduce the need for more than one visit to repair appliances or units 2 To improve profitability, GECHS wanted to: Increase field productivity. Consolidate dispatch and call center operations. Improve management control and visibility. Reduce costs and overhead on multiple calls and repairs.

3 To meet its goals, GECHS sought cutting-edge technology that was cost-effective, easy to install, and could be deployed across the entire fleet. Although GECHS originally thought it might be able to use an off-the-shelf solution, it eventually turned to Annapolis, Maryland-based ServicePower, a global developer and supplier of workforce optimization software for the customer relationship management (CRM) market. Case Studies/Proof Points For case studies, visit: THE SOLUTION OVERVIEW The ServiceMobility solution from ServicePower provides an integrated solution for efficiently managing and communicating with field service operatives to boost the efficiency and flexibility of field service. Today GECIHS uses four call centers and has reduced the number of dispatch centers by 95 percent, thanks to increased productivity. The solution includes: Dispatch center management Service team management Dispatch and routing software Fleet management tools Vehicle location GPS software Navigation and mapping components Using this solution, each service vehicle is equipped with a Panasonic ToughBook CF-29* laptop computer based on Intel Centrino mobile technology, which is ideal for demanding, multitasking applications and can run multiple applications simultaneously while conserving battery power. This allows the scheduling components to operate reliably in the background, keeping call center and field personnel in constant contact, even as other computing functions are being performed. The Panasonic ToughBook CF-29 provides wireless local area network (WLAN) and wireless wide area network (WWAN) capabilities. A WWAN is a wireless computer data network that may extend over a large geographical area and extends wireless coverage beyond high-speed WLAN connections associated with wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi*)/IEEE standards. WLAN and WWAN connection options provide field service technicians with the ability to respond from more places while on the go. The Panasonic ToughBook configuration includes: Embedded Wi-Fi capability WWAN Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) card Bluetooth* capability to enable a portable printer with credit card reader 3

4 With this equipment onboard, technicians can: Receive job assignments in real time, eliminating time spent uploading and downloading work orders and parts requests at the beginning and end of each day. Look up repair instructions and view repair manuals, diagrams, and three-dimensional views of parts. Research legacy appliances online. Download software updates. Log service reports electronically. Print receipts in real time at the customer site. Choose an integrated voice response (IVR) and use the laptop with a touch of the keyboard to place phone calls to let the customers know they are on the way or delayed. Using the ServiceMobility solution, GECHS dispatch centers can: Instantly locate vehicles, allowing them to efficiently send technicians to jobs, instead of relying on an older, less efficient zip-code-based method of sending jobs to the technicians. Assess equipment supplies and needs. Update technician appointment schedules and vehicle routes. Provide directions and maps in real time, while the service team is at work in the field. With the new, sophisticated system in place, GECHS consolidated dispatch centers and reduced the number of centers by 95 percent, improved customer service ratings by three percent and increased productivity by 16 percent. GECHS originally planned for a return on its investment within three years, but recouped its cash outlay in one year. With the ServiceMobility solution, GECHS was also able to: Route the most appropriately skilled technician to jobs. Plan territory coverage while providing intelligent appointment booking and continually optimizing the service schedule. Managers can view a live display of the schedule, the status and types of all jobs assigned to technicians, and the travel time between jobs, plus they can manually override assignments when conflicts arise. Improve first-time repair rates to 90 percent 1. Increase productivity from the field as measured by the number of jobs per day per technician. Reduce the number of exception handlers by 30 percent. Greatly improve communication between the order takers, dispatchers, and field technicians. Provide managers with real-time visibility into the performance of the service organization. After spending six months investigating options, GECHS deployed this laptop-based solution for its 1,200 technicians over the course of a year. Field service technicians used CD-ROM-based training and field management one-on-one training to learn to use the new software. 4 Since the enterprise rollout, GECHS and ServicePower are moving to develop and use a contractor scheduling system built on the ServiceMobility solution technology. The contractor scheduling system will help authorized but independent service workers to achieve productivity gains similar to those achieved by GECHS staff.

5 TECHNOLOGY The key components integrated in this solution include: Field and call center application software. ServicePower, an application software supplier and system integrator, and other value chain partners provided dispatch center management, service team management, dispatch and routing support, fleet management tools, vehicle location GPS software, and navigation and mapping solutions. Security. Built on a robust and proven central station monitoring management core, GECHS Security enhances this solution by offering an AVL software solution for field service fleets. The GPS-based application provides comprehensive reporting on the use of GECHS s assets. Vehicle location and tracking technology. CalAmP LMU-4000* is a GPS-based AVL device that uses the Kyocera 200 Module* to enable real-time code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless data communications to monitor, track, and manage service vehicles in the field. Rugged, reliable, high-performance mobile computers. Panasonic ToughBook CF-29 laptops with embedded WWAN technology provide wireless communications and are used in all fleet vehicles. Intel Centrino mobile technology with WWAN provides convenience and increased flexibility for more ubiquitous wireless connections, by bringing connectivity to areas where Wi-Fi coverage does not reach or is not typically available. Intel Centrino mobile technology. With mobile applications becoming more complex and demanding faster, more efficient computing performance, Intel Centrino mobile technology is designed to meet the demands of mobile field service applications and support with technology that offers faster instruction execution at lower power. In addition to powering the Panasonic ToughBook and delivering the computing horsepower to support multiple simultaneous applications, Intel Centrino mobile technology provides ubiquitous wireless communication options while at the same time using battery power sparingly. This allows field workers to work longer without being tethered to the truck or recharging. Intel Centrino mobile technology features fully integrated WLAN capabilities and delivers excellent mobile performance while enabling great battery life in lighter, easier-to-carry notebook PCs. Intel Centrino mobile technology includes the following components: Intel Pentium M processor Mobile Intel 915 Express Chipset Family An embedded Intel PRO/Wireless Network Connection, which allows users access to WLANs Reliable, wireless connectivity. The Intel Centrino mobile technology-enabled laptop computer provides exceptional wireless connectivity in most places with its embedded Intel PRO/Wireless chipset. To further extend coverage areas, these laptops were coupled with WWAN access solutions from wireless carriers and service providers. WHO THE SOLUTION WILL BENEFIT This solution is ideal for workforces with dedicated field service technicians delivering goods or services or performing product installations. Specifically, the solution is designed to benefit organizations that assign two or more activities, such as jobs and deliveries, per employee per day. The solution is scalable from five to over 20,000 field technicians. Depending on requirements, the ServiceMobility solution can be hosted by the customer or in the ServicePower data center. 5

6 The solution has been used in a broad range of industries. Examples include: Insurance. Insurers can use this solution to manage insurance appraisers who need to travel to body shops or to policy owners homes to evaluate damage. Security industry. Companies installing fire and burglar alarms can use this solution to efficiently manage appointments with homeowners for security assessments or to repair damaged equipment. Telecommunications. Telecommunications organizations can use this solution to help ensure that clients receive rapid responses to telephone switch failures and dispatch an appropriately trained technician as soon as possible with the right part to quickly fix mission-critical faults. Installation. Suppliers of satellite TV market services can use the ServiceMobility solution to manage schedules for dish installations at viewers homes. Office equipment. Office equipment suppliers can use the ServiceMobility solution to ensure that critical office personal computers, printers, networks, and so on, are performing to the service level commitment level. Delivery. The ServiceMobility solution can be used to schedule the delivery and collection of vending machines. SOLUTION BENEFITS GECHS s ServiceMobility implementation delivered the following benefits: Allowed GECHS to provide faster service to more customers and increase its ability to provide service when customers want it. Improved technician by 16 percent as measured by customer service by day per technician. 1 Improved first-time repair rates by 3 percent, meaning far fewer returned trips. Provided field managers with real-time service operation data, leading to improved service consistency across the country. Delivered more flexibility to customers in scheduling appointments, allowing customers to schedule service when they want it. Recouped cash investment (planned over three years) within one year. Increased occurrences of an appropriately skilled technician arriving on-time. Improved communication between call takers, dispatchers, and field technicians. Provided a platform for continuous improvement. Reduced human dispatchers needed to create and maintain a schedule: Consolidated dispatch resulting 95 percent fewer centers. Reduced the number of productivity specialists by 30 percent. 1 FUNCTIONAL BUSINESS CONCEPT GECHS customers have the ability to schedule a service call using one of three methods. Customers can schedule a call: By going to on the Web. By talking directly to a call center agent. By using an automated phone system with integrated voice response (IVR) capability. 6

7 JOB BOOKING METHODS Tech input screen Parts lookup IVR - running late/call ahead Web Service management systems Middleware Middleware Tech laptop Call Center Integrated voice response (IVR) Reporting tools GPS device Dispacher AVL tracking When customers attempt to schedule a call, the ServicePower route optimization software offers an appointment that is optimized based on GECHS s current staff availability and customer load. Ultimately, customers have the ability to select an appointment that best fits their schedules. When the call time is committed to a customer, GECHS s service management system captures the job and customer information. The service management system is integrated with ServicePower s dispatcher screen to allow GECHS s productivity specialists to manage call assignment in a graphical user interface. Any changes the dispatcher makes are then sent directly to technician s laptop using WWAN wireless networks. Middleware provided by a third party is used to handle the communication between the service management system and the technician s laptop. With the job details on the laptop, the technician can: Update the real-time job information sent to the service management system and the dispatcher. Access parts catalogs, service bulletins, and other technical information that provide the technician with tools to better service the appliance. Send IVR messages that let customers know they are next to receive service or that the technician is running late. When the technician is ready to drive to the next job, the GPS system provides real-time, turn-by-turn directions to the next call. From a management perspective, supervisors have the ability to track technician activity using the AVL GPS solution. 7

8 USER EXPERIENCE Figure 1 shows a typical service call as shown on a technician's laptop. This example shows this technician has two open calls. The GE technician will interact with this screen to order parts, launch driving directions, close service tickets, and perform many other functions. Figure 2 shows the geographic knowledge for a single technician, within the Baltimore area. The colored areas show where he has very good to poor local knowledge to help the dispatcher make intelligent decisions about which jobs can be allocated to him. 8

9 Figure 3 shows the schedule for two groups of field technicians in the Washington DC and Baltimore areas. Figure 4 This figure shows the Panasonic Toughbook 29 with in-vehicle mount and docking station that allows field technicians easy access to driving directions, schedules, and routes. 9

10 SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE USER COMMUNITY TPTP - internally developed Job Management Software Client management INTERACTION LAYER Web application on server APPLICATION LAYER Client management Authentication security management/ldap BACK END INTEGRATION Legacy systems Local parts catalog software Middleware Microsoft Outlook* client Middleware server exchange* Driving direction software: integrated using Visual Basic* Internet Explorer* ServicePower route optimization and dispatch center management tools Data Store epublications internal training & reference documentation TPTP Platform Internally Developed Integrated voice response (IVR) Microsoft Office 2003: viewer only Field inspector* field diagnostic software Wireless wide area networks Part search/ordering Credit card processing Stock control ANCILLARY APPLICATIONS Network operation and systems management Reporting and analytics GECHS field service technicians use laptops that run an internally developed service event management software called TPTP*. Technician spends most of their time using TPTP software as they get new jobs, update jobs, and close jobs. Technicians can also send and receive with a Microsoft Outlook* client. In addition, they have driving direction software, Internet access with Microsoft Internet Explorer*, a local electronic copy of the GECHS parts catalog, and a GECHS-developed field diagnostic tool, Field Inspector*. In the interaction layer, the TPTP data goes through a Web application server, and the data is transmitted over wireless wide area networks. The client uses middleware software, that is sourced from a third-party vendor. In the application layer, all data transmission is secure, and those needed to interact with the TPTP platform are passed through middleware software, also sourced from a thirdparty vendor. The TPTP platform has the ability to launch IVRs, look up parts, process credit cards, and manage inventory. Third-party vendors also provide some of the components of the TPTP platform. ServicePower provides route optimization software and dispatcher interface applications. A product is used to assist in managing the software in the GECHS user community. The software in the application layer is integrated with internally developed legacy systems such as call center management. The business data is stored in an database. GECHS uses internally developed and sourced tools to run reports and analytics. 10

11 SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE GECHS uses TPTP, hosted behind GECHS s firewall, to manage call details for the mobile workforce. In addition to TPTP, GE uses the standard corporate Outlook infrastructure. To communicate with TPTP, GECHS uses software from third-party middleware providers to exchange information between TPTP, systems, and Web servers. The Web servers are wirelessly connected with field service technicians using wireless wide area networks. Technicians have laptops that allow them to manage jobs, check , check parts availability, get driving directions, and access other tools needed to serve the customers. In addition to the laptop tools, GECHS has a GPS tracking system to provide visibility into the activities of the field workforce. Web server Cellular carrier area of coverage TPTP application Third-party communications middleware Track the truck GPS Standard corporate Laptop with GPS/ inventory dispatch/ standard 11

12 SUMMARY ServiceMobility from ServicePower delivers an end-to-end solution for efficiently connecting a wide network of field service technicians with call centers and dispatchers. Dispatchers can communicate with technicians in real-time, no matter where the technician is, which boosts the efficiency and flexibility of field service delivery. By equipping technicians with rugged and reliable Panasonic ToughBook laptop computers, technicians stay in constant contact while responding to new customer needs in the field. Intel Centrino mobile technology powers the laptops and delivers the responsive computing performance, wireless capability, and efficient use of power that this solution relies upon. In addition, as applications become more complex and demand faster, more efficient computing performance, Intel Centrino Duo mobile technology and new Core 2 Duo will enable these solutions to meet the demands of future field service applications with technology that offers faster instruction execution at lower power. LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INNOVATIVE SOLUTION For general information about the products described in this solution blueprint, visit: If you have specific questions about implementing this solution within your organization, contact your Intel representative or us at: solutionblueprints@intel.com 1 GE Consumer and Industrial internal data System performance, battery life, high-definition quality and functionality, and wireless performance and functionality will vary depending on your specific operating system, hardware and software configurations. References to enhanced performance as measured by SySMark* 2004, PCMark* 2005 and 3DMark* 2005 refer to comparisons with previous generation Intel Centrino mobile technology platforms. References to improved battery life as measured by MobileMark* 2005, if applicable, refer to previous generation Intel Centrino mobile technology platforms. Wireless connectivity and some features may require you to purchase additional software, services, or external hardware. Availability of public WLAN access points is limited, wireless functionality may vary by country, and some hotspots may not support Linux* based Intel Centrino mobile technology systems. See for more information. Copyright 2006 ServicePower. All Rights Reserved. Intel, the Intel logo, Pentium, and Centrino are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Copyright 2006 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. *Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of their respective owners. Some features and security solutions may not be supported by your PC s operating system and may require additional software and/or certain hardware as well as WLAN infrastructure support. Check with your PC manufacturer for details.? Wireless connectivity and some features may require you to purchase additional software, services or external hardware. Availability of public WLAN access points is limited, wireless functionality may vary by country, and some hotspots may not support Linux based Intel Centrino mobile technology systems. Availability of public wireless WAN access points is limited and wireless functionality may vary by country. 0906/FP/MESH/PDF US