Software provider CLEVR has unveiled its new Field Services Manager (FSM) solution for companies, which delivers end-to-end services to homes, offices and stores. The solution includes a back-end application, portals, and mobile software, and will soon add a Remote Augmented Reality Assistance feature for smart home service providers to deliver support through two-way video calls. The feature will utilize augmented reality (AR) technology to help customers resolve minor issues, allowing them to identify and point at objects in the real world in real time.
The FSM platform was developed to address staffing challenges for field service operations when dispatching technicians to customer sites. FSM offers digital assistance for the entire field service process, including installation, maintenance and repair. This means it can facilitate procedures such as job intake, preparation, planning, route optimization, execution payment, as well as archiving under a single application.
The lightweight FSM solution is built on low-code architecture, allowing users to easily customize it according to customer and installation demands. The Remote Augmented Reality Assistance component is currently being developed in collaboration with e-home technology developer Econic, which is expecting on-site inspections for new installations to decrease by 25 percent thanks to this new feature.
“A single inspection costs $148, so with the projected number, we estimate saving $7.1 million annually as well. In addition, remote assistance will significantly reduce the need to drive to on-site locations by 1 million kilometers, which roughly translates to reducing CO2 emissions by 170,000 kilograms,” shared Vincent Damen, product manager at Econic.
Econic is currently aiming to accelerate the transition of 1 million homes into self-powered e-homes. E-homes typically contain various sustainable energy technologies such as solar panels, heat pumps, meters and batteries. Ensuring a positive customer experience while deploying millions of installations will require both a scalable and streamlined approach. The company is already expecting 200,000 annual new installations by 2023.
According to CLEVR, the integration of digital technologies to the area of field service operations is expected to make way for more efficient and optimized workflow processes. This is particularly ideal for companies and start-ups that want access to affordable “highly digitalized offerings.” Similarly, it is expected to help organizations reduce their carbon emissions for installations and on-site inspections.
“Field services is an area crying out for new, digitalized, efficient processes,” said Kay Lankheet, squad lead for CLEVR’s Field Service Manager business unit. “Our off-the-shelf solution is easy to use and offers a significantly shorter go-to-market time: just a couple of weeks. CLEVR Field Service Manager enables incumbents and start-ups alike to offer highly digitalized offerings leading to significant cost reductions amounting to millions, an improved customer experience, and perhaps most importantly of all, reduced carbon footprint of installation companies by up to 25 percent.”
CLEVR is already planning to expand the Field Service Manager’s capabilities to accommodate markets such as home security, home appliance installation, waste management, energy and utilities, telecommunications, and IT infrastructure installation and maintenance.