There’s been a lot of talking about how to enhance field service to accomplish better customer service.
The problem-solving skills and spontaneous approach of the on-field staff would be the main driving force behind a great customer experience as the customers will determine the value of your business on the basis of your representatives, which is none other than the field service executives.
Examples of such resources are cable technicians, drivers, network engineers and so on.
When you have a team on the field, the following are the things that you must ensure-
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Optimum utilization of the resources
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Safety of the resources
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Best customer service delivered through them
Hence, employee training is vital to expanding their knowledge base and skills. Moreover, a good flow of communication with the staff members brings clarity of goals and boosts the morale of the staff members.
To improve communication between the company and its on-field resources, many companies have adopted Field Service Management or FSM systems. The technology is designed to manage and coordinate with staff members operating in the field.
Further, companies are efficiently using workforce management and implementing mobile field service software. Perhaps, there’s one tool that is being underutilized: video.
Increasing global work culture has resulted in a rise of virtual workplaces and the way people work.
The comprehensive technology focuses on cost cut, more productivity in employees, shrinking cycle time and eventually boosting the bottom line. Smart managers look forward to leverage technology like augmented reality or augmented reality glasses to stay ahead in the competition by driving productivity and saving money as there are much-augmented reality uses.
As managers discover new ways of supporting resources working in remote areas, they should adopt technology that matches the business process and the company culture.
So, let us first understand how video collaborations have become a mainstream method of communication than just a large enterprise thing –
Video collaboration is a two-way communication conducted through a technical medium that allows two or more people to visually connect and interact with each other. A high video call quality offers all the benefits that could be availed from face-to-face communication.
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As it shortens the gap between the employer and employees, team collaboration is enhanced.
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With a proper remote IT support, there is also an improvement seen in the work relationships, productivity and decision-making of the organization.
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Moreover, interacting from the same place, without the need to travel saves a lot of time and cost.
Now, you might be thinking about what is the role and benefit of Video Collaboration in the company’s success.
So, let us understand it with the help of a Cisco case study.
As we know, Cisco is a worldwide leader in IT and networking. The employees of Cisco work around the world.
PROBLEM
Their qualified teams are dispersed in different locations of the world.
Due to which, the cost of their travel, increased effort and the need to juggle many tasks simultaneously is a concern. It goes without saying that every enterprise is constantly on the lookout of technology that improves employee productivity whilst saving cost.
Similarly, Cisco Systems was also in the search of cost-effective and efficient ways that assist in team productivity.
So, they focused on the Cisco IP/VC to enhance audio-visual communications.
Now, let us get into some technical aspect of the case study-
FACTS
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Based on the network connectivity protocol, Cisco provides many IP/VS solutions. Presently, Cisco uses the H.323 protocol suite to provide accurate audio-visual communications sessions. A multiparty IP/VC is similar to a multiparty video conference call.
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Remote access to the technology was used by three groups located at conference rooms of San Jose, Israel, and Ottawa respectively.
RESULTS and BENEFITS
The benefits of using visual references instead of only the audio medium amplified the reference clarity and improved communication among the participants of video collaboration.
Here is what the participants had to say about their experiences with the video-enabled technology-
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Participants were able to learn 200 percent more in face-to-face video communication compared to the audio meeting alone.
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Higher absorption of information was observed, i.e up to 40 percent faster compared to audio meetings.
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Content retention was also on the higher side. Attendees of the video collaboration were able to retain 38 percent more information in comparison to audio meetings.
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Video collaboration also increased the power of persuasion by 43 percent. The impact of persuasion is greater when it includes facial expressions and body language. Hence, video references yielded 55 percent more impact against only 38 percent from vocal inflection.
And that’s not all! Users of the video-enabled technology also learned the multiple usages of the technology through remote access. Here it is-
After using the video conferencing technology for many years, AI Navas, the Operations Manager, Cisco Carrier-Class Multiple Services Business Unit claims that video collaboration is effective in various ways. Following are its features that are highly beneficial to the organization –
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Effective internal communication tool – Video collaboration connects people at multiple locations and hence is useful as an internal communications tool and effective for remote IT support.
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Executive-level acceptance: If executives support and use video conferencing, it is more likely that it will be adopted across the organization.
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Real-time support: The unique feature of video conferencing is that you can support someone located in a remote area and who is facing a problem and problem that requires an immediate response.
Considering all these benefits, companies can implement video collaborations to enhance field service and achieve success in company projects.
Companies must remember that video collaboration systems should be easy to set up and operate.
After going through this case study, it is clear that video conferencing as a medium of exchange has enabled better communications to the company with its employees present at remote areas and amongst the employees as well. It’s a must-have tool for field service management.
Communication between teams that are geographically dispersed has also improved. As a result, their interactions have become worthwhile which has improved the overall productivity.
Besides, the Human Resources person of the company can reach to anyone at any time, regardless of where they are located. HR can also undertake video collaborations to conduct online training and keep the employees updated on the required skills.
Because of its reliability, security, and ease of usage, video collaboration can be used by employees on field service to address and resolve the problems they are facing on-site or at the client’s location.
Conclusion
It’s relatively very easy to put everything together on a call and address the issues. Both parties get to know each other. Thus, it personalizes the communication and builds strong relationships.
From reduced costs of travel, faster completion of projects to improved communications among members of a team, video conferencing can be a boon for any business or organization.
Besides, video and chat features support field service executives to deliver constant customer support and earn customer satisfaction.
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