White Paper

Automating
Field Service Projects

Coresystems AG
www.coresystems.net
 White Paper: Automating Field Service Projects

Content
Introduction 3

Field Service Automation Software 4

1. Planning Products and Services 4
2. Taking Orders, Scheduling and Preparing 5
3. Delivering Services 5
4. Reporting and Invoicing 6
5. Product Research 6
6. Security 7

Summary 7

www.coresystems.net 2
 White Paper: Automating Field Service Projects

Automating Field Service Projects

Advanced Software Automation to Run Service Projects More
Efficiently

For the Field Service Executive, COO and CMO of larger organizations providing
customer service field visits

Introduction
Most manufacturers deliver post-sales services in order to commission, maintain and
upgrade their equipment on-site. The larger the equipment, the more complex of a
task it is to manage those services. For example, in power stations or hospitals it
might take dozens of engineers many weeks to complete routine annual maintenance
on the expensive equipment. The overhead costs of planning and ensuring quality
standards on such projects is significant. The impact of extended downtime on your
customer’s business also reflects on you.
Since many companies have traditionally seen field service as a cost center, investing
in specialist software has not been a priority. Even in more modern companies where
field service is profitable, planning projects inefficiently still costs time and money.
There can also be indirect costs. Delays in invoicing can lead to cash flow issues and
out-of-date instructions can result in work having to be redone.
Field service has to modernize. When tasked with growing revenue and finding new
streams of revenue, there is a pressing need to guarantee efficiency and quality, and
push for service standardization and modularization. Introducing software to help
make this happen is an obvious next step, but what should your expectations be?
In this white paper, we will explain how field service software can provide improve-
ments across the company for both you and your customer.

www.coresystems.net 3
 White Paper: Automating Field Service Projects

Field Service Automation Software

The field service software you use must create calm, efficient, and delighted custom-
ers. With some careful upfront planning and instant access to information on-site,
even if offline, field engineers will be able to complete their work faster and to a high-
er standard using the software.
Introducing field service automation software will help you define your services and
provide a structured framework for the staff to use. Field service software will be-
come the central source of information for service definitions, resources, procedures,
customer sites, service histories and customer reports. When all of this information
is instantly accessible, true efficiencies appear, sometimes with staggering cost sav-
ings. Seeing savings of 30% to 40% is not uncommon.
There are several phases in the process of delivering field service. When field service
software is introduced, the biggest impact is on project preparation and execution.
However there are also benefits in other areas, such as future product research.
The Wider Field Service Process
1. Planning Products & Services
2. Taking Orders, Scheduling & Preparing
3. Delivering Services
4. Reporting and Invoicing
5. Product Research
6. Security

1. Planning Products and Services

Example for creating a
The first step of a successful implementation is to define your products and services
hierarchy:
in a manner that can be understood by the field service solution and your employees.
Servicing a car might
The software should allow you to:
include checking the
brakes. The task for − describe the products and services in a detailed manner;
checking the brakes
− modularize services, which will stimulate more efficient service delivery, better
can be assigned to that
definitions for customers, competitive pricing and simpler management;
component in the car’s
hierarchy. − group products into a hierarchy of subcomponents and parts, which allows for
specific tasks to be assigned to those parts;
− assign tasks a skill level (or levels, if many engineers and team leaders are need-
ed) along with tools and consumables (e.g. brake fluid). This allows the soft-
ware to schedule and allocate the correct resources.
− Put tasks in a checklist: a step-by-step guide for the engineer to follow, which
also becomes a dynamic report of the work done, as the engineer uses it to re-
cord measurements and other data.

Tip: Setting up the products and tasks correctly is very important. When stream-
lining processes, the greatest efficiencies can be achieved if they are planned
properly. Take the time for careful planning at this stage to deliver your project
faster.

www.coresystems.net 4

When scheduling
technicians, these are
the top four outcomes
the organization is
looking to attain:
(percentage of manufacturing
organizations)
“Ever since I’ve been work-
ing with the mobile solution
from Coresystems, a lot has
changed for me. I am much
faster at creating service
orders or finding spare
parts. I can see at a glance
what my colleague did
during his last visit, what
work he carried out on the
machine, and what the
problem was.”
Daniel Reichert, Service Tech-
nician at Cald’oro GmbH
White Paper: Automating Field Service Projects
2. Taking Orders, Scheduling and Preparing
When an order is placed, either through a call center, direct sales or online, a custom-
er specific project plan is generated for the field visit. This is created from a pre-exist-
ing, generic project plan for that product. Information must be pulled together from
many sources to create a set of instructions for an engineer and so the right resources
can be scheduled.
78% Increase customer satisfaction
66% Improve response time
44% Improve resolution time
38% Reduce costs/repeat visits
Source: Aberdeen Group, 2014
Since all this information has been recorded in the software’s structure, it can be au-
tomatically processed and a made-to-order project plan can be created quickly. The
appropriate tasks (in the correct language) will be assembled for the product and ser-
vice required. This in turn specifies the resources required, which can then be allocat-
ed. Checklists, manuals, and site details are collected digitally and automatically at-
tached to the project.
All of this can happen very quickly, even while the customer is still on the phone plac-
ing the order. An acceptable completion date can be agreed upon immediately. Simi-
larly, the online order system can suggest dates to the customer. Once the customer
agrees on a date, the necessary tasks are downloaded to the allocated engineers, who
will see all of the information they need for the job on their mobile devices.
This is much faster in comparison to the hours, days or even weeks needed to sched-
ule and prepare for site visits when using a manual or semi-manual system.
3. Delivering Services
In order to do their jobs quickly and accurately, engineers need up-to-date informa-
tion on the tasks to be carried out, along with any special site requirements.
With field service software implemented in the office, engineers can carry mobile
devices that automatically download the information they need for each visit. This
means that even if they are not able to connect to the cloud on-site, they are still able
to do their work offline. If there are many engineers on one project, each will have the
specific information needed for their tasks.
When the order is placed, the software generates a checklist, which will be included
in the download. The checklist is pre-filled with information about the customer or
equipment, which the engineer can confirm on-site. By asking for data to be entered
during the process, the checklist will guide the engineer through the work required
for each product and component. This can include a wide variety of data such as:
− Measurements
− Temperatures
− Voltages
− Before-and-after photos
− Consumables
− Expenses
− Working Hours
www.coresystems.net 5

Example for predictive
maintenance: The
checklist might track a
production counter, so
service intervals can be
calculated from real
usage data rather than
calculated based on
hours or days.
“We have already success-
fully reduced the time be-
tween servicing and invoic-
ing from several weeks to
an average of six days on
more than 50% of our cus-
tomer service calls.”
Andreas Heinz, Head of IT at
Kardex Remstar
White Paper: Automating Field Service Projects
This data can go in the customer report. After many visits, these readings can also
show trends that might indicate when further maintenance is required.
If the engineer needs more information, the latest product manual pages can also be
included for reference in the download. Online access is available for more details.
Giving engineers access to all this information on-site in the right order and at the
right time, improves productivity and work quality, reduces the need to redo work,
and means less downtime for the customer.
4. Reporting and Invoicing
Using the checklist on their mobile devices, engineers can collect all the information
needed to produce customer reports on site. The reports can then be generated elec-
tronically in the correct format, so the customer can sign on the mobile device for
instant approval. The report is then emailed straight to the customer’s inbox in PDF
format.
There are usually two types of reports:
− Service report (commercial): includes details such as hours worked, materials
used, expenses, etc.
− Checklist report (technical): contains more detailed information about the
work completed and the status of the equipment including measurements, data
and even photographs.
Once the service report is approved, the data is synced with the Coresystems cloud as
soon as the device is back online. The data is then securely synced with the back of-
fice ERP financial system so an invoice can be generated. After checking for excep-
tions, discounts, and other customer related information, the customer will typically
receive the invoice within two or three days of the work being completed. This faster
invoicing speed can create huge improvements to cash flow and help you hit sales tar-
gets.
More than 80% of IT pros list reporting/analytics, customer self-service, and con-
tract/SLA management as important features of FSA software.
5. Product Research
The checklist can also be used to gather information that can be useful for product
designers. Accurate measurements taken over many visits and installations will show
how parts behave and reveal wear and tear in real life environments. This information
can be used to improve product reliability and performance.
www.coresystems.net 6
 White Paper: Automating Field Service Projects

6. Security
Security is a major concern, whether cyber or physical, especially for large customers
that have industrial or sensitive equipment. Field service software will only allow
employees to access information according to their role. The ability to create, read,
update or delete any information depends on the permissions assigned to each user
group. Very detailed levels of access control are possible covering all of the software’s
functions, which enable a very powerful regime of user access regulation.
All data on mobile devices is well-protected by encryption and password access con-
trols. Mobile access can be restricted to staff on-site, using a company-provided de-
vice. Data in the Coresystems cloud is protected by continuously monitored security
systems and is replicated to multiple sites to ensure business continuity in case of
local service interruption.

Summary
Implementing a field service software solution can be a large task, but done properly,
it will introduce efficiencies for both you and your customers. Faster resolution times,
less production downtime, and higher quality work will help create a deeper and more
trusting relationship with the customer.

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 7