The Web Wave Large organizations everywhere are exploring the Web as a delivery medium for field service functions. That's where the industry is going. In the past, says Menconi, many companies relied on homegrown systems or simple spreadsheets to manage field service operations. But despite the Web's promise to dramatically improve the way service is delivered, few large organizations have been able to exploit it for field service. Reasons include existing infrastructure investments, the limitations of the Web to provide persistent connections to workers in the field and the immaturity of Web-based field service automation products.
Field lets staffers continue to work on current orders when they move out of range of the truck.
It then automatically synchronizes data and receives new orders when they move back into range. Like most businesses providing customer care, field service organizations are trying to off-load calls by letting customers log service requests and resolve simple problems themselves. The cost savings of customer self-service deployments are significant. Nevertheless, analysts predict that large organizations with established field service practices will continue to rely heavily on their call centers to handle customer requests. In facilities management, you've got guys requesting service from the boiler room, and they're not into logging requests.