Removing barriers surrounding analyzing and executing field service data points.
Believe it or not, technicians are becoming the linchpin of collecting important, money-making data and information from the field.
They’re achieving this status by utilizing technician-focused apps on the jobsite. Techs who use technology to assist in their process are simultaneously collecting essential data about equipment, the lifecycle of the job, and employee statistics while doing the work they were hired to do. With no extra work on the tech’s part to collect data, it’s a seamless function of their existing job.
In practice, a technician arrives at a jobsite, pulls up an app on their phone, and takes a photo of the dataplate on a unit to begin their work. This photo automatically indexes the dataplate, and saves critical information about the unit (age, make, model, serial) in the organization’s data library. From there, details about the work a technician performs on the unit are saved within workflow steps in the app. Simply put, that is the “action” of collecting data from a jobsite.
Collecting that information is a great starting point. So, what comes next? Job data can be used as a 1:1 reference for a particular customer. Anyone within the technician’s organization can find that data in the shared digital ecosystem. The dataset can be used as a great tool to CYA for customer disputes. Helpful, for sure, but it’s a small picture use case.
Big picture: Data flows freely within your organization’s digital ecosystem (bringing it back around to that dam(n) blog title.) Data doesn’t begin and end as a 1:1 reference, but is automatically aggregated, alongside data from every job your technicians perform, and transformed into charts, graphs, figures and numbers that give meaning and process to the entire ecosystem of equipment your techs are servicing.
What happens when you ask AI to generate an image of a “river of data.”
Learning how to interpret data should not be a function of a technician, nor should it be a manager or business owner’s job. Again with the dam(n) pun — stopping to analyze thousands of data points is a disruption to the flow of a business. When you’re looking for a digital business tool that promises a wealth of data, it’s important that the tool provides tangible, actionable insights. A best-in-class tool will be able to automatically interpret the patterns within your data, and make recommendations for actions you can take to improve the overall financial health of your business.
So, what can you actually accomplish with all of this data? The XOi platform provides some great examples:
End of Life Equipment Status.
Data Point: XOi auto-analyzes all of the equipment your business works on to create a list of units that are nearing end of life status.
Action: Your technicians, or a back office employee can look at this list and proactively reach out to customers to schedule critical maintenance before the equipment fails. Proactively scheduling maintenance means you can better plan expenses for the job — how many techs will you need to complete the work? Do you need heavy equipment to access the units?
Tech Resume.
Data Point: Each technician that uses XOi keeps track of the jobs they have performed within the XOi app. XOi analyzes which brands of equipment the technician works on most often.
Action: Dispatchers and decision makers now know which technicians are experts on specific pieces of equipment. They can use this information to make site visits more efficient and recognize gaps and deficiencies in technician expertise. Training can now be personalized and meaningful.
Preventative Maintenance.
Data Point: XOi syncs the photos taken of dataplates with their serial numbers, automatically pulling in bulletins related to equipment.
Action: Knowing there are more “fixes” to be done than what was originally planned, you can secure more revenue from preventative maintenance contracts.
Want to better understand how much value XOi can bring to your business? Use our value calculator to calculate your potential cost savings and increases in revenue you’ll gain with our technician-focused software.
