M2M delivering real field service benefits

Machine-to-machine (M2M) has been around for years, but you might not know that considering the buzz it is getting today. Perhaps this is because M2M - fuelled by the Internet of Things - is experiencing a massive increase in the worldwide connectivity of devices. It is estimated that anywhere between 20 billion and 50 billion devices will be connected by 2020, which will streamline communication and drive multiple operational efficiencies. Field service vendors are hopping on the M2M bandwagon, hoping to capitalise on the benefits that integrated M2M and field service management can provide service organisations.

M2M isn’t anything new, it’s been around for decades, but it is really coming into its own thanks to universal connectivity these days. From a consumer perspective, you see M2M a lot in the telecom and auto industries (OnStar for example), as well as in the home with smart appliances and security systems. Home automation systems can notify you via your mobile device in regards to power usage levels, and provide other notifications that allow you to better utilise energy consumption, or even secure your home from a distance.

From a field service industry perspective, sensors on assets allow service organisations to transform from a reactive model (always reacting to failures that are occurring in the field) to a proactive model where dispatch and field technicians can be notified on their device before a problem occurs and before there is any downtime. The technicians can go and fix these issues in the field before it ever becomes an acknowledged issue, therefore significantly improving customer satisfaction.

Therefore, M2M in field service allows service organisations to:

• reduce downtime (often fixing an issue before the asset actually breaks);
• improve first-time fix rates with better diagnostics (sensors communicate with technician devices, pinpointing the actual error or issue);
• reduce inventory/stock issues (if technicians have accurate diagnoses before they reach an asset they will come to the site prepared);
• reduce travel costs (fewer trips to a customer site, or restocking warehouse).

Another area where M2M has really taken off in the past couple of years is smart metering. Five years ago, almost all metering was done by sending technicians or engineers to customer sites or to homes to look at energy consumption meters. Now, smart meters themselves can provide that information to organisations without having to send anyone out into the field.

Smart metering is benefiting service organisations by:

• reducing head count (not as many engineers needed in the field);
• reducing travel costs (significantly cutting down trips to customer sites);
• reducing PM visits (smart meters can analyse their performance).

From a software perspective, the key is that field service management software easily integrates with M2M solutions. Using an open platform for integration based on common standards like XML makes it easy to work with any device or system related to M2M. Right now, there is no universal standard for how all devices should communicate with other systems. The industry is obviously moving in that direction, but until those standards are put in place, we think it is important to be flexible in how information is received and flexible in how the system is configured to react to the receipt of that information. For instance, if IFS Field Service Management gets a notification from a printer out in the field that is low on toner, it can react by automatically scheduling a job and allocating the inventory so that when a field technician arrives on site they have the parts they need.

M2M is definitely going to change the way we approach field service. The benefits from a cost and customer satisfaction perspective are enormous. Having the visibility in the field where devices can tell us when they need service and what type of service they need and, just as importantly, when they don’t need service is going to save service organisations millions of dollars. It will also allow them to reduce resources while still improving customer satisfaction. The lack of failure in the field will drive customer satisfaction rates higher and higher.

The next big leap forward now will be establishing industry standards. When communication protocols and methods are finally standardised, M2M will become mainstream in field service, whether you are a refrigerator repair organisation or a computer-chip manufacturing organisation, or anything in between.

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