Year after year we have witnessed growing developments to the technologies available on the market, for not only the Field Service Industry, but the entire mobile workforce industry. Having the ability to completely mobilise your workforce and automate your processes has never been so desirable and this is set to continue throughout 2019.
We have summarised the top trends you can expect to see in 2019 below;
1) Open Data
As we collect increasing amounts of data via technology, we will start to see a shift from asset focused business to information focused business. More and more companies will become data and insight driven and as a result, we will see an increase in open data and data sharing.
Capturing data on technology which has the ability to connect to open data service providers will be a valuable requirement as it permits unrestricted manipulation of data using dashboards to display visually appealing and easy to read graphs.
In addition to this, more data service providers are using Machine Learning and AI to create new trends in data that we may never have thought about creating a graph for ourselves – this new informed business strategy has already been adopted by many companies who have seen a significant improvement within their KPIs.
2) Increasing AI and Machine Learning Developments
In 2018, we saw a hype around AI and Machine Learning which is going to continue throughout 2019 as there is still so much more to be discovered within this new and emerging transition within technology and field service.
We can expect to see AI highlighting potential problems through trends in data way in advance of the human brain and in a much more cost-effective approach as a team of analysts will no longer be required to do the same job.
Recognising certain patterns in data and possible failures could save companies thousands in preventing issues and planning for them in advance and so this trend goes hand in hand with open data.
3) Better Connectivity
With the previous two trends on the rise, better connectivity is also expected within technology developments to support accessibility, data sharing, continuous improvement and streamlined processes.
Software that has the ability to instantly connect to major cloud services through built in connectors as well as generic web connectors will allow connections without the need for technical resources saving companies time, resource and money.
4) The Rise of Mobilisation
This is by no means a new trend but its certainly one that shows no signs of slowing down over the next five years. The global workforce population will reach a staggering 1.88 billion in 2023 according to ‘The Global Mobile Workforce Forecast update 2017 – 2023’. But interestingly, the report states that only 8.3% of the current global mobile workforce are using line-of-business applications showing a significant opportunity to further digitalise and transform business operations.
If we take a look back over the years, applications were historically built around the desk-based worker and therefore did not meet the growing needs of a mobile worker. However, over the last few years this has rapidly changed and this year, we can expect to see an increase in the uptake of workforce management applications that are built upon modern architecture and with the mobile worker in mind.
Mobile apps that work on all devices and work offline will have a clear advantage in the competitive mobile workforce software market. As well as this, companies will need to take into account an easy and smooth ‘roll out’ and therefore mobile apps that are available for free from major app stores and apps that can be automatically updated without disruptions to the working day are a few of the many essential requirements from companies looking to mobilise their workforce.
5) Less technical resource and more flexibility
In 2019, we will see a clear shift in the dependence on technical resources from field service companies for simpler tasks such as custom forms, workflow changes and more, as software will move towards a more ‘self-service’ approach where the solution has in-built tools to assist in the creation and/or changes within the application. Meaning, no more waiting around for development time for simple changes. The ability to ‘DIY’ within an application will be a much more cost-effective approach and will make changes to internal processes much quicker.
Choose a modern field service software such as Solarvista LIVE, which has the ability to react quickly to new business demands as you can make changes within the system yourself and publish these instantly to your mobile users.
Solarvista is the UK’s leading independent provider of cloud-based field service software and mobile apps. We develop all the products required to enable you to get the right person to the right customer at the right time. Our products are in use by some of the UK’s best-known brands as well as many lesser known but leaders in their industry. All our products are available as cloud-based software-as-a-service with simple monthly fees.
Paul Adams : Mar 15, 2016 10:30:00 AM
Emma James : Apr 5, 2023 3:10:46 PM
