Stepping Up to a “World Class” Service Delivery Model

Many businesses that have historically striven to provide their customers with merely “satisfactory” levels of customer service and support have now begun to move closer to a “world class” service delivery model in order to provide their customers with “total support” beyond merely product acquisition. Today’s customers are looking well beyond the product, and are focusing just as much on other pre- and post-sales support offerings such as implementation and installation; equipment training, field and technical support, Web-enabled self-help; remote diagnostic and predictive support capabilities; professional services, including consulting and application training; services management outsourcing; and a whole variety of other value-added services. More importantly, many are still wondering when their primary suppliers will truly be able to provide them with the levels of “world class” service delivery they now require!

In fact, we believe that now represents a critical time for virtually every business to update, or refine, its strategic plan for moving closer to a “world class” service delivery model. This plan may encompass many components, including:

  • Reassessing the company’s existing customer service and support mission, goals and objectives, capabilities, resources, and infrastructure;
  • Identifying and prioritizing the existing and emerging customer/market demands, needs, requirements, expectations, and preferences for customer service and technical support, across all classifications of the company’s market base; and
  • Developing specific recommendations for action with respect to the engineering/reengineering of the existing services organization and processes in an effort to arm the company with a more competitive – and effective – “world class” service and support portfolio.

In more specific terms, the overall goals and objectives of such a planning effort, simply stated, should be to:

  • Examine, analyze, and assess the company’s service and support mission with respect to its desired ability to ultimately provide customers with a full range of service and support offerings that will position the company as a “world class” product and services provider;
  • Identify, from management’s perspective, what the most important elements of a “world class” service operation would be expected to comprise, and within what framework it would envision such an operation to be created and managed;
  • Determine, from the customers’ perspectives, where the company should direct its primary attention with respect to creating a more customer-focused service and support organization and service delivery infrastructure;
  • Define how the desired service delivery organization should be structured in terms of human resources, roles, responsibilities, and functions; organizational components and structural hierarchy; internal vs.outside components (i.e., in-house vs. outsource); strategic partnering and channel alliances; management and staff training; and other key related areas;
  • Recommend how the optimal service operation should be structured in terms of defining and establishing the appropriate service operations, processes, and procedures; logistics and resource management controls; operating targets and guidelines; management control and performance monitoring parameters; and other key related areas; and
  • Provide specific recommendations for the establishment of a more “flexible” services organization and operational infrastructure that addresses all key elements consistent with the delivery of “world class” service and support to the company’s present and projected marketplace.

The specific areas where the services and support strategic marketing plan should focus include:

  • Identification of customer needs and requirements for “World Class” service – including recommended goals, targets, and desired service parameters based both on input/feedback gathered from existing and potential customers, as well as from an assessment/evaluation of other state-of-the-art service organizations/operations in the general marketplace.
  • Composition of the recommended customer service and support portfolio – including the development and packaging of a “tiered” customer service and support portfolio matched directly against the specific needs and requirements of both existing and prospective customers.
  • Service operation structure and processes – including recommended service and support operations supporting the overall service portfolio, focusing on customer service, call handling, help desk, technical support, on-site support, order entry, call logging, administrative, and other processes (to be determined).
  • Determination of key performance indicators – including identification and recommendations for the selection of the most appropriate industry metrics, and guidelines for measuring and tracking service performance over time.
  • Definition of service organization, functions, and responsibilities – including recommendations for the general structure, roles, and responsibilities of the service organization and infrastructure; inter- and intra-departmental roles and responsibilities; organization functions and activities; updated job descriptions; in-house vs.outsourcing decisions; channel management; etc.
  • Selection of operational tools – including recommendations for the most effective use of information and communications technology (ICT) tools, services management and CRM software, and other segment-specific support tools, etc.
  • Formalization of the implementation plan – In-house: including system selection, investment plan, organization development, training, etc.; and outsourcing: including strategic partner selection criteria, performance measurement/management requirements; and general timeframe and rollout plan.

Providing customers with “world class” customer service and support is generally not achievable without a well thought out and orchestrated “world class” planning effort. Good products don’t sell themselves anymore than they service and support themselves. All of these functions must first be developed and implemented as part of an overall business plan. However, we believe that the most successful – and profitable – businesses are those that have managed to effectively deal with both sides of the issue – that is, they know how to sell, and they are prepared to service and support the “total” needs and requirements of their constituent market base. And, by doing it on a “world class” basis, they can benefit from one of the most effective competitive differentiators.

If your organization still operates primarily as a manufacturing- or product-focused business, if service is managed basically as a cost center, or if it is still using the same service delivery model it has used for as long as you can remember, it may be totally missing the boat! Regardless of what product lines your organization has historically manufactured, sold, or distributed, one thing remains certain – your customers want “world class” service and support, and the only way you will be able to provide them with what they want is to plan for it; implement an effective service delivery strategy; acquire all of the necessary tools,  and get all of its resources and processes in place – and, then, roll it out and reap the benefits!

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Knowing What and How to Cross-Sell and Upsell

Every business has a portfolio of products and services that it markets, promotes, and sells to customers. In fact, most businesses make their product and service portfolio information available through a variety of means, including published product literature and general marketing collateral, service guides, company catalogs or brochures, and various other types of printed matter. In addition, most of the product and service information is also typically accessible viathe Internet through company and/or dealer Websites, trade association or other industry clearinghouse Websites, online commercial buyers guides and/or directories, and others.

However, even your own company’s brochures or Website may not be 100% complete – or completely up-to-date – with respect to the information it provides on its portfolio of products and services. In fact, in a competitive marketplace where new products and services are being introduced on a virtual daily basis, it is more than likely that some product and service information may be missing – and most likely, these will be the newest additions to the overall portfolio. Further, what the company may make available to the general marketplace, may not yet have landed on the desks – or the desktops – of your customers.

You can probably assume that most of your customers do not keep running tallies of the various advances that are being made to the products and services that have been using for some time. Nor do they typically keep brochures or copies of new product and service information in a readily-accessible file folder. Outside of your more sophisticated and organized accounts who monitor such things as the ongoing cost of utilization of their systems and equipment, or expected product life spans and/or life cycles, and build all of this information into their annual planning processes, it is a safe bet that most customers will not begin collecting information on new products or services until their older products stop working, or the existing service level agreements are no longer doing their jobs.

For this reason, your company will be depending largely on its field technicians to make sure that you are always current, up-to-date, and well-informed on the various types of products and services it offers. In fact, if they are doing their jobs properly, they should have a more current, comprehensive, and accurate “read” on the company’s products and services than any other single document, brochure, web site, or other piece of marketing collateral.

After all, the technicians are the ones who are out in the field every day dealing with dozens of customers and all types of equipment – small, large, new, old, and everything in-between. They have probably already attended all of the most relevant training classes, or have seen a demo, for all of the new types of equipment well before the market base has even learned of their existence. They have probably even installed some of the newer products for which your company may not yet have released a formal brochure or product spec through its typical customer, dealer and/or media channels.

As a result, who better than your field technicians to know what products are available, why they may be better in some business applications than some of the company’s historical products, and which of their accounts may benefit from adding some of these new products to their own installed base of equipment? The answer is, of course, nobody else does – certainly, nobody else who deals directly with the company’s customer base on a day-to-day basis.

The bad news is that they may never actually gain access to all of the company’s new product and service information on an automatic basis. There are just too many products and services to keep track of – both new and old, and too many individual sources of information that keep passing across their tablets, through texts, or via e-mail.

The good news, however, is that it should be relatively easy for them to keep their own tabs on what new products and services are becoming available, and immediately see opportunities for where it may be beneficial to make some suggestions to some of their accounts with respect to replacing older equipment, upgrading to higher-volume machines, or generally stepping up to a more efficient business system.

They should also already have a good understanding of what the specific needs and requirements of their customers are with respect to their existing products and services; and by keeping current with the new products and services that are continually being made available, they will find themselves in an excellent position to assist their customers in matching these new products and services to their evolving needs – or basically upselling them to a more efficient operating scenario.

When you think about it, upselling should be a lot easier than making the original sale. The rationale behind this is that in order to make an initial sale you’ve got to take non-customers, and convert them into customers by selling them something for the first time. However, in order to upsell, all you have to do is sell an existing customer an additional one of your company’s products or services. What makes this easier is that once a customer has already been “sold” on your company’s reputation, qualifications and capabilities, it does not have to be “re-sold” on the company before it makes a second, or third – or twentieth – purchase.

By the nature of the word itself, “upselling” is different than “cross-selling”. When you “cross-sell” a customer, you are typically selling them a companion piece of equipment or service to what they already have. For example, if one of your customers already has an extended warranty contract on one piece of installed equipment, but not on another, you may find it relatively easy to “cross-sell” them an extended warranty on the second unit as well. Or, if a customer is already receiving preventive maintenance support on two of their three units, you may be able to sell them a PM contract for their entire installed base. Basically, in these cases, “cross-selling” simply means selling the customer “more of the same”, or more variety for the same base of equipment.

However, upselling is more vertically-focused than cross-selling. By that, we mean that upselling goes beyond simply selling your customers “more of the same”, typically involving the sale of upgraded, enhanced, and/or upscaled products and services. For example, if a customer currently has three older units installed, but you believe that they can actually handle more throughput, at less expense, by upgrading to two of your company’s newer units, this could conceivably lead to an upselling opportunity. In addition, if one of your customers is repeatedly calling for service on a time and materials basis, this may represent a good opportunity to upsell them to an extended warranty service agreement instead.

The best way to decide whether a customer sales opportunity would be better represented as a “cross-sell” or upsell situation is to first determine what the specific customer needs are. In situations where a customer’s business systems and services needs are fairly static, and the existing equipment appears to be meeting most of their requirements on a regular basis, you may still be able to “cross-sell” them additional units, or certain add-on coverages to an existing service level agreement (i.e., more frequent PMs, remote diagnostics, extended hours of coverage, etc.) as a means for making them somewhat more productive in the way they utilize their equipment (and the company’s services).

However, for customers whose businesses are continually growing or expanding, whose needs are becoming much more demanding (i.e., using new technical applications, increasing throughput quotas or expanding the number of daily shifts, etc.), or who are continually outgrowing their existing installed base, perhaps these represent situations where upgrading to an entirely new suite of business systems, or moving to a much more all-inclusive extended warranty agreement, would be a more logical solution.

Sometimes a cross-sell solution is all that is required to keep the customer operating at full efficiency; however, in some cases, it will only be an upsell solution that takes the customer to where it needs to be in order to utilize its equipment at maximum, or optimal, efficiency. The better you understand your customer, the better prepared you will be to determine whether a cross-sell or upsell solution is required.

The Global Warranty Services Community Is Reflecting a Return to Growth – and Profitability!

[The following Blogpost is an edited version of the article originally published in the May 3, 2018 issue of Warranty Week (i.e., accessible at: http://www.warrantyweek.com/archive/ww20180503.html.) For more information on the “The State of Warranty Management in 2018 – and Beyond”, we invite you to register for our upcoming Webcast on Thursday, May 24, 2018. To register, simply click on the following Weblink: http://app.demand.ptc.com/e/es.aspx?s=2826&e=2100908&elqTrackId=c346145430f045a9a4a8ab0ad69df3d1&src=View_Online&elq=ec4b7ad031c5442e85dca16a47774a24&elqaid=29101&elqat=1.]

After conducting its fourth annual Warranty Chain Management Benchmark Survey, Strategies For Growth℠ president and principal consulting analyst, Bill Pollock, has put together a results package consisting of an Analysts Take paper and companion Webcast on the subject of “The Global Warranty Services Community Is Reflecting a Return to Growth – and Profitability”. The Webcast will be hosted by PTC iWarranty on May 24, 2018. PTC will also be making the companion Analysts Take paper available via download at the same time.

According to, Pollock, “The 2018 survey results reveal that nearly three-quarters (71%) of respondents believe effective warranty chain management to be at least ‘very important’ to the overall financial performance of the business, with just under a quarter (22%) believing it to be ‘extremely important.’ The results further reveal that this sense of importance continues to increase substantially, year-over-year, as one-quarter (25%) believe effective warranty chain management to be ‘more important than one year ago,’ compared to only 3% believing it to be ‘less important’ – a ratio of roughly 8:1 citing ‘more important’ over ‘less important’. As such, we know the segment is based on a sound foundation moving forward.”

Managing Extended Warranty Programs

Presently, 85% of respondent organizations manage at least some portions of their extended warranty programs in-house, including 78% that do so entirely. As such, it becomes incumbent to ensure that they have the most effective tools and resources available to maximize the impact that sales of extended warranties can bring to the bottom line. Metrics such as warranty accrual and warranty renewal rates become critical in their respective efforts to maximize projected revenue streams and build a stronger customer account portfolio over time.

The survey results also reveal that, presently, more than a third (36%) of respondent organizations expect their annual warranty budgets to increase over the next 12 months – with 20% expecting increases in excess of 10%! During the same period, only 17% expect decreases, with most (i.e., 14%) being of less than 10%. All told, the ratio of organizations expecting increases in their annual budgets is more than twice that of those expecting declines. 

Warranty Management Organizations Are First and Foremost, Customer-Focused

The respondents to the survey have also once again clearly identified the specific drivers that are pushing them to aspire to the attainment of higher levels of performance. In fact, they have provided responses that solidify that there are three main “clusters” of factors that drive their respective businesses: Customer-focused, Product Quality-focused and Revenue/Profit-focused – and in that order.

For example, among the Customer-focused drivers, post-sale customer satisfaction issues (58% – up from only 42% in 2017!), the desire to improve customer retention (42%) and customer demand for improved warranty services (35%) remain as the top three drivers with respect to optimizing overall service performance. No other drivers are cited by more than just over one-quarter (28%) of respondents.

The next “cluster” of drivers is Product Quality-focused, and is represented solely by dealing with inferior/deficient product quality at 28%. The third “cluster”, Revenue/Profit-focused, is comprised of two closely-related drivers: internal mandate to drive increased service revenues (26%) and internal mandate to improve service profitability (25%). As such, the warranty chain management community has made it clear that it is squarely focused on, first, satisfying – and retaining – its customers; second, dedicated to improving product quality-related issues; and third, mandated to drive increased warranty revenues – and profitability – through improved warranty management services – again, in that specific order.

These results signify a continuation of the relative “normalcy” that has characterized the Warranty Chain Management segment over the past several years – that is, a return to focusing on customers, rather than spending most of their time and resources wrestling with cost reductions and other financial issues. Obviously, while financial considerations are still critically important, the industry focus has shifted back, as it always does, squarely on the customer’s needs, requirements, preferences and expectations.

The Benefits Realized by Improving Warranty Management Activities Are Many

The number one benefit realized by warranty management organizations through the improvement of their respective activities is improved customer satisfaction (62%). No other single factor is cited by more than 38% of respondent organizations. The next greatest benefits cited by respondents include: reduced service and warranty costs (38%), enhanced product and service performance (35%), improved warranty operational efficiencies (33%) and improved customer retention (33%).

Based on the survey results, Pollock suggests that, “the top benefits realized by improving warranty management activities closely align with the key drivers that influence services organizations; namely, that they need to continue to place their principal focus squarely on the customer, with the end goal being to improve customer satisfaction and retention.”

Complacency with Their Current Warranty Management Solution

However, building upon the survey findings from previous years, a majority of warranty management solution users are notas duly impressed with the vendors that are currently providing these solutions. For example, Pollock claims that “only 40% of respondents are presently ‘satisfied’ with the services and solutions provided by their primary warranty management solution vendors – including a stunningly low 2%, or only one-out-of-50, who are ‘extremely satisfied’. These percentages reflect a further downtick from just one year earlier.”

Pollock believes that there are probably a number of reasons for why users are not particularly happy with their current WCM solution vendors: “In talking to a number of warranty chain managers over the past several months as part of our benchmarking program,” Pollock claims, “many have said they are unhappy with their current provider because their needs for this year and beyond are simply no longer being met by their existing warranty management solutions that may have been implemented a number of years earlier. Basically, their needs have raised the bar regarding what they now expect out of their solutions; but, in many cases, their vendors have not raised their own bars in terms of performance delivery.”

Madhu Kunam, director of software development at PTC for the iWarranty product, concurs with Pollock, but adds that, “Even with an implemented warranty management system, the “still manual” processes may make the overall system inefficient or unproductive.” He goes on to say, “Other reasons may include that the features and functions of the existing vendor-supplied solution do not work as advertised, due to a poorly implemented system, or one that has been constantly plagued with bugs.

“It may also be that the vendor-supplied solution simply doesn’t deliver the expected value, or that the vendor is either unable or unwilling to help with consulting or professional services support – or is not able to provide other types of customer-specific support. Then again, it might all just be about cost – although a solution structured for small and medium businesses and sold on a subscription pricing basis can certainly mitigate any problems in this area!”

However, these are only some of the potential problems that he believes PTC’s iWarranty solution can help its customers avoid. For example, Kunam explains that, “PTC’s warranty management approach defines, manages and analyzes all of the organization’s warranty processes from initial product registration through to the end of the standard or extended warranty period. This unique approach to warranty analytics and service lifecycle management focuses on a product-centric data model that allows users to manage warranty information and capture service history in the context of the product itself, thereby allowing this important data to provide feedback to the enterprise for continuous product and service improvement.

“In this way, no matter how high the customer raises the bar, or how customer-specific the solution needs to be, PTC stands ready to support its customers in all facets of their warranty operations. PTC believes that this is one of the key areas that can make a difference between a satisfied customer, and a dissatisfied one.”

On May 24, 2018, PTC will be hosting a complimentary hour-long webinar featuring the executive-level results of this survey, to be presented by Bill Pollock. It will also be making available the companion Analysts Take paper that provides further insights relating to the findings. To register for the Webcast, or to obtain a copy of the companion Analysts Take paper, simply click here: http://app.demand.ptc.com/e/es.aspx?s=2826&e=2100908&elqTrackId=c346145430f045a9a4a8ab0ad69df3d1&src=View_Online&elq=ec4b7ad031c5442e85dca16a47774a24&elqaid=29101&elqat=1.

The IoT Is Changing the Way in Which We Approach Field Service Management (FSM)

The impact of the Internet of Things (IoT) on Field Service Management (FSM) has already been significant – and will continue to grow in magnitude over time. This applies to all services organizations, of all types and sizes, covering all world geographies, and supporting all product-service lines. Yes – it’s that pervasive!

This is especially true for organizations supporting certain vertical industry segments (e.g., aviation/aerospace, energy, factory automation, medical devices, etc.), and is beginning to have a similar impact on all other segments, even going beyond the traditional field service B2B segments, to now include many of the emerging B2C services segments, such as consumer/home medical devices, home security systems, HVAC/electrical and plumbing services, among others.

In fact, the pervasive use of Cloud-based platforms, coupled with the integration of IoT-powered FSM solutions, has expanded the relevant market size to a near-ubiquitous universe encompassing all types and sizes of solution providers, as well.

However, as we sit here and read about IoT-powered FSM solutions, the means with which the IoT is supporting these systems is constantly growing and evolving as well. Even more, if a services organization has not yet embraced and incorporated the IoT into its services operations, they are already a step or two behind the market leaders. For example, for any one of the organizations that are still examining the potential value of incorporating Augmented Reality (AR) into their services operations, there are many others that are already looking to implement Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) – and, increasingly, Blockchain!

The time is now for ramping up on all things IoT, reading IoT thought leadership articles, attending IoT conferences, viewing vendor demos, establishing “long lists” and reducing them to “short lists” for vendor consideration, etc. Gaining management buy-in is also a must – in fact, it is basically a must for all things services management anyway – but, especially with respect to the IoT and the “new” technology it brings to the table.

The most progressive – and aggressive – solution providers have already embarked on the road to an IoT-powered FSM or Service Lifecycle Management (SLM) solution scenario. As such, now is also the time for all other FSM solution providers to do so. Many of your competitors have already done so, and many of your customers (and prospects) are already at least somewhat familiar with what the IoT can ultimately do for them. When the global services management marketplace is more fully transformed (i.e., when the IoT is a ubiquitous factor in every organization’s services operations), your organization will also need to have made the transformation. If the market leaders are already several steps ahead of you, you cannot afford to fall further behind.

Proliferation in the use of Cloud-based and IoT-powered FSM solutions have also led to a major consolidation of the global competitive landscape. The “new” competitive landscape is now comprised of a combination of all types, sizes and categories of solution providers. Most (if not all) of the enterprise services providers are already offering FSM (or SLM) solutions (or, at the very least, “enhanced” Field Service Management solutions). They “get it”, and they’re doing something about it.

Over the past several years, we have also seen many of the large Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) companies (e.g., SAP, Oracle, etc.) acquire their FSM solution capabilities. For example, Oracle acquired TOA Technologies, IFS acquired Metrix, Microsoft acquired FieldOne, and so on. Some larger companies have also elected to go more organically, such as Salesforce by introducing its Field Service Lightning solution based on ClickSoftware technology. ClickSoftware went private again, but still is a strong competitor in the global FSM marketplace, while also licensing some of its software apps to other organizations.

For the most part, the mid-sized services organization market is only a step or two behind the enterprise services providers in terms of embracing and incorporating the IoT into their FSM and SLM solution offerings. Some are already on an equal footing with their larger competitors. However, where the most “confusion” and uncertainty lies is in the landscape populated by start-ups – and what, in some cases, I refer to as “upstarts”!

In addition to the ongoing spate of mergers, acquisitions and alliances, and organic development, there has also been a significant increase in the numbers of “new” entries into the FSM solution marketplace. In fact, probably more of this type of activity has occurred in this segment recently than in the past many years – or decades!

These “new” start-ups can essentially be divided into two main categories: (1) FSM Start-ups, that are trying earnestly to find a way to enter – and successfully penetrate – the FSM market, by leveraging new technologies, experienced leadership, deep (enough) pockets, investment capital and a bit of luck into a services growth segment where they believe they can actually make a difference.

However, it is the FSM Upstarts, that are basically trying to ride the Cloud-based, or SaaS, solution wave into a “new” market opportunity (for them), in order to make a quick buck when all they ultimately plan to do is to be acquired by a larger organization in another year or two. As such, it is truly a “buyer beware” market, as there are a great number of “new” upstart FSM solution providers that will not be around for very long.

Yes – the IoT is definitely changing the FSM marketplace – both rapidly and pervasively. You can blame it on the IoT for this rapid evolution (and disruption); however, you will also need to share some of the blame yourself if your organization is not keeping up with the advances in services management technology!

The Future of Field Service Management (FSM) – What Lies Ahead for an Industry that Is Constantly Evolving and Reinventing Itself

[The following is a first page excerpt from SFG℠‘s Analysts Take paper on “The Future of Field Service Management (FSM)” originally published this past July, 2017. Following the conclusion of our current, updated, survey research on the topics of Field Service, Service Parts Management and Warranty Management, we will be updating this document later in Q2, 2018. In the meantime, to download the entire original document, simply click on the Weblink provided at the bottom of this page.]

The global Field Service Management (FSM) segment has re-invented itself several times over the years, from break/fix, to network services, to software support and such. However, the introduction of the Internet of Things, or IoT, is going to have a much greater and profound impact on the global services community than anything else that has preceded it! In fact, it already is!

For years, services managers have been talking about ways in which to reduce the number of “truck rolls” in order to save money, and repair the customer’s equipment remotely – first, by phone, or assisted self-help; and, now, via remote diagnostics and predictive diagnostics.

Truck rolls are not necessarily a thing of the past; however, they have greatly diminished in frequency as a result of the integration of the predictive diagnostics, remote diagnostics and the IoT into Field Service Management (FSM) systems.

“Improvements in business analytics have also assisted field service managers in their ability to manage their entire business operations – and not just the field service aspects of the business.”

Improvements in business analytics have also assisted field service managers in their ability to manage their entire business operations – and not just the field service aspects of the business. There are more analytical tools available now than ever before, and most managers are actively engaging their dashboards, so they can intelligently manage their field service operations.

Through the use of Augmented Reality (AR) apps, now actively being combined with Virtual Reality (VR) to form a more complex and robust “Mixed Reality” (MR) capability, we are likely to see even more advances in the types of technologies that will ultimately reduce the cost of performing service – for both on-site and remote repairs – over time. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) immediately come to mind.

Also, with technology visionaries like Elon Musk, who started out with his Tesla automobile business, branching into solar panels and, of course, SpaceX, we are likely to see more and more technological advances coming down the pike. For example, Musk’s new venture, Neuralink, has set its goals on attaining the ability to “merge” the power of the human brain with the power of the IoT, in order to upload and download “human thoughts” onto chips, and vice versa.

Imagine the impact that new ventures like this will have on all aspects of business, not just in field services, if successful! All of a sudden, veteran field services technicians will become just as important as the influx of computer-savvy millennials with respect to their experiential value to the Field Service Organization (FSO). The process goes on and on, and field service management will continue to evolve over time, as a result.

[To download the entire Analysts Take paper on “The Future of Field Service Management (FSM)”, simply click on the following Weblink: The Future of FSM (Draft-17-06-29-01).]

Key Takeaways from SFG℠’s 2017 Warranty Chain Management (WCM) Benchmark Survey

[Strategies For Growth℠ (SFG℠) is currently in the process of conducting its 2018 Warranty Chain Management Benchmark Survey Update. The survey will remain “live” until the end of the first week of February; and the topline results will be presented – for the first time – at the 2018 Warranty Chain Management (WCM) Conference to be held, March 6 – 8, 2018, in San Diego, California.

Please feel free to read the key takeaways from our 2017 WCM Benchmark Survey, below. In the meantime, we invite you to take our 2018 WCM Benchmark Survey Update by clicking on the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2018_SFG-WCM]

The key takeaways from SFG℠’s 2017 Warranty Chain Management (WCM) Benchmark Survey are:

  • Roughly half (49%) of the warranty management community has either implemented a new, or upgraded their existing, warranty management solutions in the past three years or less
  • More than three-quarters (77%) of current warranty management processes are at least partially automated; however one-in-six (15%) are still entirely manual
  • Organizations with “new” warranty management implementations have realized significantly greater performance improvements than all other categories of respondents with respect to warranty claims processing time and supplier/vendor recovery (as a percent of total warranty expense)
  • Warranty management organizations are being driven, first, by Customer-focused factors; second, by Product Quality-focused factors; and third, by Cost/Revenue-focused factors
  • The most significant challenges currently faced by warranty services managers are identifying the root causes of product failures, followed by product quality issues and claims processing time and accuracy
  • Currently, as well as in the next 12 months, warranty services managers are focusing primarily on developing and/or improving their KPIs and warranty analytics programs, fostering a closer working collaboration between product design and service, and instituting/enforcing process workflow improvements for supplier cost recovery
  • The top uses of data/information collected from warranty-related events are basically to improve processes (i.e., field service, depot repair, parts returns, etc.), and effect changes (i.e., product design, manufacturing, etc.)
  • Customer satisfaction and warranty management-related costs are the top two categories of KPIs used by warranty services management organizations, followed by warranty costs, per product
  • The 2017 warranty management survey results reflect slight to modest declines in year-over-year performance, except for those organizations that have implemented a “new” (to them) warranty management solution in the last three years or less
  • While the overall survey results seemingly portray a fairly high level of warranty management performance across all respondent segments, there are many – in fact, too many – individual organizations that are not performing anywhere near as well (i.e., 25% to almost 50% of survey respondent organizations)

Historically, the primary factors cited as driving the warranty management community to improve its operational efficiencies and overall performance have essentially been customer-driven; that is, with a focus primarily on meeting – and exceeding – customer expectations for returns processing, claims processing time, replacement units and the like. However, the economic bust of the past decade changed the way warranty management organizations think by also placing increased emphasis on warranty costs and related issues. Still, the number one factor, overall, is to meet their obligations with respect to keeping their customers satisfied.

The bottom line for 2017 and beyond is that organizations that have implemented new (or at least upgraded) warranty management solutions are experiencing significantly better performance ratings for key metrics including warranty claims processing time, cost recovery from suppliers/vendors and, ultimately, both customer satisfaction and their respective financial KPIs.

There is no mistake – if your organization finds itself behind the curve with respect to (1) the automation of its existing warranty management processes (or lack thereof); (2) its ability to meet (if not exceed) its customers’ demands or requirements; (3) its ability to recover costs from its suppliers/vendors; or (4) dealing with the costs associated with running its warranty management operations; this gap will likely only get larger over time – unless it considers implementing a new warranty management solution. The 2017 survey results clearly show the impact that doing so will have on the organization – and its bottom line.

The leading warranty management organizations (i.e., those that have already attained, or are poised to attain best practices status) are doing so mainly by taking steps to:

  • Automate their existing manual or partially automated processes
  • Develop and/or improve the KPIs they use to measure their performance over time
  • Foster closer working collaboration between product design and service
  • Institute/enforce process workflow improvements for supplier recovery
  • Streamline overall operations
  • Streamline parts return processes to improve overall efficiency
  • Restructure for improved warranty management oversight and accountability
  • Purchase and/or upgrade to an fully automated warranty chain management solution

The survey results clearly show that the gains made in performance improvement among those organizations that have implemented a “new” warranty management solution in the past three years or less have been substantial, essentially making the case that the most effective means for driving performance improvements is via the automation and integration of all key warranty management functions, facilitated through the implementation of a state-of-the-art, warranty management solution.

[Don’t forget to take our 2018 Survey! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2018_SFG-WCM]

UK/Europe vs. U.S./Global State of Field Service Management (FSM) Survey Findings Infographic

The attached Infographic presents and compares the key survey findings from Strategies For Growth℠‘s 2017 Field Service Management (FSM) Benchmark Survey for the UK/Europe vs. the U.S./Global FSM markets.

The U.S./Global survey findings were presented on November 8, 2017 in a Webcast hosted by CSDP, the leading service relationship management software developer that commences every client engagement with consulting. Bill Pollock, President & Principal Consulting Analyst at Strategies For Growth℠, was the featured presenter.

The Infographic provides a synopsis of how the UK/Europe FSM market differs from the U.S./Global FSM by comparing key survey findings in an easy-to-follow graphical format. By viewing the Infographic, learn how the UK/Europe FSM market compares to all others for each of the key survey findings.

[Download the Infographic at: UK-Europe vs US Infographic (November, 2017).]