How is AI Revolutionizing Field Service Management

CIO Review Europe | Thursday, April 08, 2021

AI assistants are now emerging to assist field service technicians and specialists in finding the solutions they need from the company knowledge base. These assistants may take the technician's voice commands, such as ordering pieces, rescheduling a service call, or ensuring that the next customer is at home.

FREMONT, CA: What is artificial intelligence's function in field service? Field service organizations must meet the growing demands for shorter wait times, faster resolutions, and a better overall customer experience in today's customer-centric and highly competitive marketplace. Field service management will now make all of this a possibility, thanks to Artificial Intelligence (AI). Below are three examples of AI in field service that are both practical and revolutionary.

AI-Driven Scheduling for Field Service Management

Field service organizations' human schedulers must keep track of various technicians, evaluating their availability and skillsets for each task. Human error, such as double booking and misassignment, as well as work overruns and cancellations, are all too common. By automatically assigning jobs to the right technicians based on their history, expertise, position, equipment, availability, and work priority, AI technology overcomes the challenges faced by manual dispatchers. It not only leads to higher success rates but also frees up human capital for strategic activities.

AI-Powered Knowledge Base for Field Service Technicians

Many businesses have made significant investments in their knowledge bases to enable technicians to self-help, particularly when remote supervisors are overburdened with assistance requests. However, often technicians or specialists are unable to locate the information they need promptly. Using Natural language Processing (NLP), next-generation AI assistants are now emerging to assist field service technicians and specialists in finding the solutions they need from the company knowledge base. These assistants may take the technician's voice commands, such as ordering pieces, rescheduling a service call, or ensuring that the next customer is at home.

Remote Experts Use AI to Perform Visual Analysis

For specific aspects of the job, such as confirmation, remote guidance, quality control, and protection, technicians often depend on remote experts. The expert only has one pair of eyes, which often leads to process bottlenecks and job completion delays. Thanks to Computer Vision AI, which allows the remote expert to see the technician's issue or the customer's problem, automating these processes with visual analysis software can be a game-changer, driving efficiencies in the resolution phase. In self-service/self-help mode, Computer Vision AI helps the field service technician perform many tasks.