Field service personnel are no strangers to tablet computers — in fact they’ve revolutionized many aspects of the industry. But there’s still a “wow” factor at play, and such is the case with Japanese company Aero Sensing, Inc., which is using  Continue reading

Is a smartphone really the right tool for a dirty job?
That’s the big question that emerged from a LinkedIn group discussion on the use of rugged versus regular mobile devices in field service. Smartphones and rugged devices are certainly buzz words in  Continue reading

As much as the holidays coincide with a business slowdown for many field service companies, for some they present an great opportunity to reconnect with customers and employees. Earl King, founder of Texas-based King Productions International, a commercial HVAC contracting  Continue reading

HubSpot reported that 92 percent of online users first turn to Web search engines to look up services and products. How, then, can service organizations capitalize on those inbound web leads and convert them into real business?
Joe Crisara, a sales  Continue reading

Superstorm Sandy brought millions of business operations to a halt. Not FedEx however, which stayed up and running through the storm, largely by outlining a contingency plan, anticipating infrastructure outages and planning for the worst.  Quartz interviewed FedEx spokesman Scott Fiedler, who  Continue reading

Can giveaways, discounts, and other creative tactics turn one-time buyers into a loyal, repeat customers? Service managers and others in related fields on LinkedIn swapped opinions and ideas around that question recently.  Here are the three smart perspectives that got our attention:
Do  Continue reading

Our recent post on best practices for evaluating field service technicians sparked so much discussion in a handful of LinkedIn groups that we culled together some of the highlights from a few folks around the industry:

On-the-Job Evaluations
Philip Blakemore,  Continue reading

Asplundh Tree Expert Co., a nationwide clearance-services company, manages over 16,000 fleet trucks but has no permanent garages — relying entirely on overnight parking lots near job sites. So how does it keep track of its nationwide fleet and ensure trucks  Continue reading

Tablets have quickly turned from personal media consumption tools to business workhorses, with stronger computing power and more and better business-related apps. Just how is the field service industry benefitting form the tablet revolution? Here’s a look:
• Cost Cutting and Convenience: Carrying  Continue reading

Nobody likes paperwork, but contracts are the backbone of any service organization: They lock in customer relationships beyond the point of sale and drive consistent revenue. How do you craft agreements that maximize return and minimize the fine print? Here’s  Continue reading

Cloud storage, virtualized automation, and a little creative thinking were all it took for McKinley Equipment, a company that specializes in elevator and hydraulic lift installation and repair, to save its customers potentially hundreds of dollars a month.
The California Division of Occupational  Continue reading

4G, or fourth-generation, networks offer companies — particularly those managing a team of mobile workers, like field techs — a way to tap into super-high-speed networks. But what exactly does that mean for enterprises, and how can it be utilized  Continue reading

Everyone loves getting a few extra dollars in tips — and certainly field service workers are no different. But despite the nice little boost a tip provides — both monetarily and in recognition of great customer service — it seems  Continue reading

With nothing more than the wave of a smartphone, consumers are starting to paying for everyday items like coffee or the morning newspaper, without pulling out any cash.
And while the days of green-backs and credit cards certainly aren’t over,  Continue reading