White Paper

Field Service Solutions

Foster Sustainability and
Save Money

Coresystems AG
www.coresystems.net
 White Paper: Field Service Solutions Foster Sustainability and Save Money

Content
Executive Summary 3

1: Go Paperless to Drastically Reduce Greenhouse Emissions,

Save Trees, and Save Money 4

2: Reduce Ink Use and Cut Costs 5

3: Cut Emissions and Reduce Fuel Costs 5

4: Reduce Energy Consumption 6

Conclusion 6

www.coresystems.net 2
 White Paper: Field Service Solutions Foster Sustainability and Save Money

Field Service Solutions Foster Sustainability

and Save Money

Executive Summary
When companies begin to explore mobilizing their field service operations, they
quickly understand the benefits that a field service solution can deliver including effi-
ciency, cost savings, and deep analytics. However, another benefit is that mobile field
service supports a company’s sustainable business practices and ultimately helps save
money and increase sales.
Consumer attitudes toward sustainability are evolving fast. Concern for a company’s
environmental impact extends beyond the eco-conscious consumer. According to
research consultancy Nielsen, the “sustainable mainstream” is here; 55% of global
online consumers across 60 countries say they are willing to pay more for products
and services provided by companies that are committed to positive social and envi-
ronmental impact1 .

1: http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/press-room/2014/global-consumers-are-willing-to-put-their-money-
where-their-heart-is.html

www.coresystems.net 3
 White Paper: Field Service Solutions Foster Sustainability and Save Money

But sustainability is not just about “doing good” for the environment. It has emerged
55% as an important economic performance metric in and of itself. Companies that are
committed to sustainability have shown that they are also increasingly resource-effi-
cient.
of global online con-
These companies use fewer resources and create less waste to generate a unit of reve-
sumers across 60
nue and have been found to produce higher returns on investment than less efficient
countries say they are
companies. Sustainability data has shown that leading resource-efficient companies
willing to pay more for
like UPS, BMW, Boeing, and L’Oreal are enjoying substantial savings compared to
products and services
their respective industry peers.
provided by compa-
nies that are commit- As for sales, Nielsen’s results from a March 2014 year-over-year analysis show an av-
ted to positive social erage annual sales increase of two percent for products with sustainability claims on
and environmental im- the packaging and a lift of five percent for products that promoted sustainability ac-
pact. tions through marketing programs.
Source: Nielson 2014 Field service operations can easily embrace a more sustainable, resource-efficient way
of working by automating their processes. Here are the top four ways field service
software can help create a more resource-efficient, sustainable company:

Cost Savings 1: Go Paperless to Drastically Reduce Greenhouse Emissions,

$ 75,000 Save Trees, and Save Money
Paper production and consumption has a significant impact on the environment. The
per year in paper costs
production of paper is the third most energy-intensive of all manufacturing indus-
for a company with 200
tries, and accounts for 40% of the world’s logging. Paper use in the U.S. alone produc-
field workers
es over 5.26 billion tons of paper waste annually. When paper breaks down in landfills
(where it accounts for 16% of the solid waste), it emits methane gases.
$ 100,000 The use of paper in offices also takes a toll on efficiency and labor costs. Being paper-
per year in postage less is one of the immediate benefits of installing a field service solution. Quotes and
costs for sending out work orders can be created electronically, either at the head office or in the field. On a
reports and invoicing job, field technicians can capture images and notes on mobile devices attaching them
to compiled job reports. Customers can electronically sign off on job reports that can
$ 120 be sent immediately to the back office for invoicing. Invoicing, too, can be automati-
cally sent electronically through email. Moreover, unlike paper records that can be
in lost labor for a lost or damaged, field service automation systems capture and store all the details of
misfiled document a job in files that can be recalled at any time.
The savings of going paperless can be substantial to a company (see left).

www.coresystems.net 4

375 M
empty ink and toner
cartridges are thrown
away with most ending
up in landfills or in incin-
erators.
Source: Greener Refill 2015
White Paper: Field Service Solutions Foster Sustainability and Save Money
2: Reduce Ink Use and Cut Costs
Going paperless not only eliminates paper waste, but also ink. Ink waste comes in two
forms: the plastic casing that stores the ink and the ink itself.
According to Greener Refill, some 375 million empty ink and toner cartridges are
thrown away, with most ending up in landfills or in incinerators. For cartridges that
end up in the landfill, it can take 450 to 1000 years to break down, depending on the
materials used to make the cartridge. Moreover, leftover ink can leach out of the car-
tridges and into the surrounding environment.
Printer cartridges are also expensive, reportedly costing more per ounce than caviar.
The average cost of a laser printed page is $.25 while an inkjet printed page costs $.15
in ink. For field service operations that print reports, work orders, inventory lists and
more, the savings in ink alone are substantial.
But there’s another important benefit. By using a field service solution, technicians
have all the necessary customer history, job details, and inventory levels they need to
access to get a job done. Forgetting paper-based work orders or company histories is
no longer an issue and trips back to the office are eliminated.
3: Cut Emissions and Reduce Fuel Costs
High fuel costs in recent years have challenged companies to rethink how they can
reduce their fuel bills. At the same time, there is a higher awareness that the levels of
emissions from service vehicles have a major impact on air quality, especially in cities.
More companies, large and small, including Walmart and Verizon are investing in
vehicles that run on alternative fuels, including electrical power. For example, this has
helped Verizon save 207,653 gallons of fuel from reduced idling time, cutting both
emissions and fuel costs.
Rather than relying on cheaper energy costs, one of the most effective ways of reduc-
ing fuel costs is to ensure field service technicians are efficiently dispatched and have
all the information, tools, and parts they need to complete a job the first time. A field
service solution like Coresystems can help by:
Optimizing technician scheduling and rerouting on the fly: Field service soft-
ware can help companies assign or reroute technicians to physically close jobs. In-
stead of sending a technician across town, the one closest to the job is identified and
sent.
Optimizing technician’s routes: Field service software can help technicians find
the optimal route to their jobs, avoiding fuel-burning traffic jams and cutting down
on travel times.
Increasing first-time fix rates: Arming technicians with the information they need
at all times on a mobile device and ensuring that the right parts are available will help
boost first-time fix rates, and eliminate additional trips to customers to resolve prob-
lems.
www.coresystems.net 5
 White Paper: Field Service Solutions Foster Sustainability and Save Money

4: Reduce Energy Consumption

Reducing energy consumption is another way that companies can become more re-
source-efficient. For field service companies that invest in their own servers, turning
to cloud-based field service software can help them realize significant energy savings.
Companies who use a cloud-based solution use exactly the storage they need rather
than what they think they need to run their operations. The vast majority of compa-
nies who install their own servers tend to overestimate how much server capacity
they actually need. On average, ABB found that 10 percent of all servers are underuti-
lized 2 . Moreover, 25 percent of a company’s IT budget is allocated to their data center
operation.
By using a cloud-based solution, the carbon emissions savings could be substantial.
Here are some estimates from Microsoft:

Carbon Emissions Savings

90%
savings for small deploy-
ments of about 100 users
60-90%
savings for medium-sized
30-60%
savings for large deploy-
deployments of 100 users ments of 10,000 users

Aside from eliminating the need to install servers, moving to a cloud-based solution
also reduces storage and network infrastructure investment costs.

Conclusion
Sustainability is no longer a “nice to do” goal for companies. Consumers have shown
they are more likely to buy or use the services of a company that supports sustainabil-
ity. Moreover, sustainability is about being resource-efficient. As more industry lead-
ers learn to generate units of profit with less waste and less resources, all companies
will need to re-examine their own operations.
Automating field service can help companies boost their sustainability efforts as well
as save money. A cloud-based mobile field service solution can help companies save on
everything from electricity, hardware, paper, ink, and fuel costs. But more important-
ly, efficiency can help companies improve their customer service and ultimately grow
their business by allowing them to focus on new opportunities.

2: http://www04.abb.com/global/seitp/seitp202.nsf/0/7d3fc81ec63e658dc12578940027daea/$file/ABB_Da-
taCenter_infographic_v0.9.pdf

About Coresystems
Coresystems is a leading provider of mobile and cloud-based field service and
workforce management software for mid-sized and large enterprises’ field service
organizations. Since Coresystems’ founding in 2006, more than 190,000 users
across the world have utilized Coresystems’ innovative, real-time field service
management software to improve their business and field service processes. Core-
Coresystems systems has also pioneered “crowd service” – which allows customers to leverage
CH: +41 56 500 22 44 an Uber-like platform to find available field service technicians in real-time. Core-
DE: +49 761 887 95 777 systems is headquartered in Switzerland with international offices in San Francis-
USA: +1 (415) 887-1944 co, Miami, Berlin, Freiburg, Shanghai, São Paulo and London.
www.coresystems.net

www.coresystems.net 6