Top 7 reasons why AR Smart Glasses is best for Field Services

A growing number of field service organizations are incorporating augmented reality into their operations after proving its value in the field.

Wearing smart glasses will facilitate safety on the job, improve productivity, reduce travel costs, and better satisfy customers and employees while accelerating repair times and upskilling individuals.

As a practical AR implementation leader, the field service industry is among the market leaders. In the field, augmented reality solutions are available in a variety of forms, so how can a field service organization determine which is best for them?

The implementation of new technologies involves many challenges. Aside from the initial investment to purchase the technology, there are costs associated with installation, configuration, testing, and training. An incompetent project management team and lack of leadership backing can lead to delays, missed deadlines, and even project abandonment after a great deal of absorption costing.

An organization must understand the value and risks of deploying new technology before it embarks on the project. Augmented reality (AR) for field service, a method of providing on-site and remote issues, is no different.?

We discuss five of the major advantages of AR for field services, both for the provider and for the customer.

Top 7 of the major advantages of AR for field services

AR Smart Glasses (head-mounted devices):

This smart glasses technology uses augmented reality to allow users to interact with the world without having to use their hands. They enable technicians to observe and interact with video and digital content while also adding computer-generated information to their perspective while wearing them like eyeglasses.

AR Mobile Phone

Mobile phone or tablet users can view AR field service solutions with interactive video and digital content overlaid on top of a physical reality image. Programs like these make use of the components on a conventional mobile device, such as the camera, GPS, and touch screen, to enhance the user's experience.

Reduce customer Visit

One of the most expensive aspects of providing product support is sending everyone to a customer's location to diagnose and fix equipment. Visits to customers are accompanied by travel costs, fuel costs, and time spent. Also included are the costs of purchasing, maintaining, and carrying equipment and vehicles. Companies often swallow a substantial portion of their profits to cover these costs.

By using remote expert AR smart glasses, these costs can be reduced. In most cases, field service technicians remain in the office to conduct their visits, viewing the equipment via a video feed from a mobile device and guiding the customer through the process and that too on a real-time basis.

Technology Services Industry Association estimates augmented reality for field service can reduce site visits by as much as 71%

?A reduction in training time and cost

Virtual service calls can be recorded using AR systems, providing valuable visual training information for the next generation of technicians based on the knowledge of the experienced techs.

In addition to providing visual support for fieldwork, these systems can also be used for collaboration. To make repairs at a customer's site, a newly trained technician can be guided by more experienced technicians back home. An AR system allows both technicians to work on the same problem simultaneously, and it is cost-effective than sending both technicians to the site.

Retiring Workforce

As more and more older professionals retire, they take their years of experience and knowledge with them. As a result of the workforce gap, younger generations have to quickly catch up to productivity.

The Service Council(1) found that 70% of field service organizations are worried that their workers will retire.?

The use of augmented reality (AR) can help transfer knowledge. The use of AR can enable senior technicians to document and record proper procedures, which can then be utilized by younger technicians for training.?

?A field worker can utilize augmented reality smart glasses to experience the world through his/her live point of view (POV) and to receive live/audio instructions from a remote expert while they are on site. Through the overlay of precise and real-time data overlaid on the technical picture, troubleshooting can be greatly sped up, while the remote expert can see and direct workers as they progress through the process.

A higher rate of first-time fixes

With the help of AR technology, field workers are able to improve the number of first-time fixes. As a result, customer satisfaction and profitability improve. Referrals and renewals are closely tied to first-time fix rates.?

It allows workers to manage their workflows and schedules more effectively while completing more tasks faster. Aberdeen Group research shows that companies with a first-time fix rate of over 70% experienced an 86% customer retention rate, and those at the upper end of the first-time fix rate scale saw an 8% growth in revenue."

Approximately 19% of service companies have already implemented outcome-based agreements, and another 26% expect to do so within the next 12 months, according to Gartner.?

The implementation of outcome-based service has been made possible through remote AR assistance. On-site technicians can then perform simple or complex repairs under the guidance of remote experts after early detection of issues is achieved.?

The AR glasses allow field technicians to handle complex tasks in a simplified manner, perform routine maintenance, and reference critical documents, visuals, and checklists. Due to the hands-free nature of the technology, technicians can document processes and procedures on the job even as they close out work orders from home.

Machine uptime and travel cost

Recently, the pandemic prompted the field service industry to assess how much of it can be done remotely. Even though AR cannot eliminate the need for service visits, it can enable diagnoses and resolutions to be done remotely. Travel delays associated with physical visits to customer sites have been eliminated, and customers are provided with visual instructions for making repairs, which has been shown to significantly reduce the turnaround time from the first call to fully restored service. Some outages can be resolved in just a few minutes, even when they are considered to be few day outages.?

Technology such as augmented reality, IoT diagnostics, and video enhance remote support, enabling more use cases and improving return on investment (ROI).

For more information about calculating the ROI of implementing AR technology field services, please contact me for an ROI calculator that directly compares employee travel expenses to those of AR smart glasses.

Even though AR technology is emerging, field service organizations require evaluating the ROI and developing a plan of action, especially as early evidence suggests AR can help improve KPIs, reduce travel costs, increase first-time fix rates, and streamline the training process.

Conclusion

Adding augmented reality to field service operations has radically changed how services are delivered, enabling organizations to increase productivity while also reducing costs. With smart glasses that support augmented reality and mobile devices that facilitate AR, technicians are more capable of performing repair and service tasks more efficiently and more quickly.

The new systems are set to revolutionize field service teams' training and play a key role in equipment maintenance. In deciding which kind of AR device to implement, an organization's needs and requirements should be taken into account and will depend on many factors.

Get a closer look at how assisted reality wearable solutions can change business for the better. Multiple use cases and best practises can be shared and if you find it interesting, do. Follow my hashtag - #digitalwithjayant on LinkedIn or DM me.