Service Lifecycle Management (SLM) Is a Prerequisite for “Best-in-Class” Field Service - But, How Do You Get Management to “Buy-in”?

Managing today's service enterprise means planning and coordinating service on a global scale. It means delighting your customers - and your shareholders. And it calls for new technologies and business practices designed specifically to solve the service lifecycle management challenge. That is why we believe that a ny organization that strives to provide “best-in-class” field service in support of its customers must first implement a robust Service Lifecycle Management (SLM) solution in order to achieve its objectives.

For the complete story ...............................................................................

Inside the Industry: Khristin Chaplin's candid and exclusive interview with Astea Founder and CEO, Zack Bergreen

What are you observing in the mobile and wireless industries that would be of importance to our readers?
There is much consolidation going on. The market is trying to gravitate toward a few select players who can provide broader solution offerings than what exists now or existed a few months ago. End users are looking for the capability to address a variety of customer needs. There are a lot of technologies in this space, such as GPS, dynamic scheduling, asset optimization/spare parts management, supply chain/reverse supply chain—all of which are integral parts of a successful field force solution.

For the complete story ...............................................................................

Technology Eases Service Tech 'Issues': IT Business Edge's interview with Chairman and CEO of Astea, Zack Bergreen.

What are some of the biggest challenges in managing field technicians?
Bergreen: Technology is changing at a very rapid rate and can get obsolete very quickly, so it's important to keep technicians' skill sets up-to-date for the products that they work on. A technician cannot be efficient without up-to-date skills. If he goes out to a site and can't solve a problem, then you're going to have added cost and a dissatisfied customer as well. Technicians also tend to be somewhat of an abused group. Despite the fact that they do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to customer satisfaction, they are often not adequately compensated and recognized for their contribution. So you have issues with attrition.

For the complete story ...............................................................................

In This Issue