Automation is a powerful lure for businesses investing in the Internet of Things (IoT). Smart devices feeding real-time data to algorithms can find hidden problems, identify efficiencies and circumvent human error. In short, smart automation can save companies a lot of money. But the IoT conversation shouldn’t focus exclusively on automation.
Overlooking the human element of IoT can leave money on the table. Empowering employees with effective access to intelligence can improve customer service and differentiate a company from its competitors.
Case Study: Advancing Smart Manufacturing Operations Value with Industry 4.0 Platform
For Phanibhushan Sistu, good service intelligence relies on a robust data infrastructure for employees. Sistu is AVP of engineering and IOT solutions at Cognizant. He says that while many companies have already invested in connected devices, “not all of that information is available to the person who is going to a location from the service point of view.”
To illustrate his point, Sistu uses a telecommunications provider as an example of what’s possible.
This type of business often relies on a fleet of full-time and contracted service technicians who prioritize a daily list of house calls. A pre-IoT business may provide these technicians with a description of a problem as called-in by the customer, but little else. Diagnosis doesn’t really start until the truck pulls up, and anyone who’s heard “I don’t have the right part for this” knows the flaws in this system.
“Their front-end employees cover multiple locations, which comes with a cost,” Sistu says.
“Somebody goes in to fix a problem or install something, then doesn’t learn until they arrive that they don’t have the right equipment or that a problem was misdiagnosed.”
[Download]: Real Estate Manager Goes Digital
A modern telco with properly managed data can track how customers are using their hardware, index common complaints and analyze how its different hardware products perform. Put into the hands of front-line staff, this becomes a competitive advantage.
A connected employee can “dynamically manage situations as they change,” Sistu says. Smart data can tell service techs whether other customers in an area have had similar complaints or how a customer’s usage might have affected the product. Even seeing other technicians nearby through real-time tracking can make getting parts easier. By bringing the right diagnostic tools and replacement components, service calls can be resolved faster and more effectively.
[Download]: A New Approach to PLM
And accessible data infrastructure can do more than save costs, Susti says. It can also be a revenue generator.
“Maybe as an enterprise, I have different levels of services I provide — diamond, gold, platinum or whatever. On the fly, I may decide to redirect my technician to attend to a diamond customer because my [service-level agreement] for them is more rigorous. It’s about dynamic planning, dynamic optimization.”
Of course, Sistu says these principles extend to a wide range of business sectors that have front-line staff dealing with customers post-purchase — from manufacturing to medicine.
Now that IoT has extended customer success management further beyond the date of purchase, companies must ask how customers are experiencing a product’s “life service.” With proper data infrastructure, long-term service agreements can shift from cost centres to selling points.
“I believe this kind of experience always commands some premium,” Sistu says. “People probably don’t mind paying a few extra pennies or dollars for a better experience.”
