Industrial Manufacturing & Equipment
Using Field Service Management to Adapt to Changes in the Industry
The Industrial Manufacturing & Equipment industry requires machines and equipment that can operate 24/7 to sustain business operations. Servitization has become more critical due to the increased demand for regular maintenance to maintain productivity and high performance.
SAP Field Service Management provides IoT-powered connectivity to manage inventory, real-time repairs, measure progress, and empower field service technicians.
7 Challenges in Field Service of Industrial Manufacturing & Equipment Industry
1. Meeting customer demands
Expectations for machine performance have increased, resulting in stricter SLAs that prioritize longer uptimes and better outcomes for customers.
2. Providing customer self-service
Customer self-service tools have become crucial in driving customer satisfaction as more customers prefer a hands-on approach to service, wanting to understand their problems and help implement potential solutions.
3. Increasing the profit margin
Manufacturers are relying on their service operations to generate profits due to reduced machinery sales, with service profit sometimes surpassing machine sales. The service organization is under pressure to increase efficiency and productivity while reducing costs, and automation and crowdsourcing are two solutions to achieve this.
4. High demand for efficiency
To maintain and increase productivity levels, businesses no longer rely on unskilled employees for menial tasks. Instead, they automate time-consuming and laborious processes to enable employees to supply high-quality services efficiently.
5. Customer retention
As industrial manufacturers rely more on repairs than replacements, the increasing number of affordable service providers has become a real source of competition for equipment and machine manufacturers. Those who do not offer affordable field services risk losing valuable customer contacts.
6. Safe working environment
Manufacturers must comply with regulations that ensure safe working conditions for technicians, including documenting workplace incidents and injuries to determine how to improve processes and procedures to guarantee maximum safety.
7. Talent gap
The industrial sector is experiencing a critical decline in skilled labor, with companies over 30-40 years old losing a significant number of service technicians to retirement. The next generation of workers, immersed in digital solutions, is looking for employment that offers the flexibility and freedom that mobile solutions provide.