Every industry needs a high profile occasion in its annual calendar and ours has a firmly established event in the form of Service Management Expo, bringing the leading suppliers and industry personnel together to provide another event that presents visitors with a wealth of opportunities. Leading events have to survive on their merits by delivering a unique offering that visitors are unable to match by any other means. Exhibitors, of course, play a vital role. Using the event to launch new product, announce developments and impart vital information to existing and potential customers, their efforts are essential in encouraging attendance from service managers. The ongoing issues affecting the service industry - including ever more stringent SLAs and the need for increased efficiency in all areas - makes the event even more relevant. Mobile communications, scheduling, tracking and logistical systems will be on show, presented by the industry’s leading suppliers. Many of these are regular attendees, but new exhibitors are a feature of every event and this year is no exception. Seminar programme As this issue of Service Management went to press, the speaker seminar programme was also being finalised. The 2008 programme will include presentations from a wide variety of field service managers employed in industries such as utilities, facilities maintenance, IT and print. The topics discussed at the event will be equally diverse and cover subjects that have relevance for all areas of the service industry. Fleet management is one example of this and a detailed overview of the savings achieved by United Fleet Distribution through more effective organisation of its fleet will be of interest to any field operation. With fuel prices predicted to remain high for the foreseeable future, more effective use of transport is one of the industry’s current ‘hot topics’ and something that many have to address in the near future. Mobile communications continues to be another dominant subject and a number of presentations will explore this in various ways, highlighting both the benefits achievable and pitfalls to avoid. Further to this, Steve Downton will cover the latest findings from Service Management’s exclusive Mobile Communications Survey, which provided further proof that the mobile topic remains prominent. Benefiting from ongoing advances in technology and improved communication networks, this looks set to be the case for many years to come. The seminar programme will again feature twin seminar theatres to allow both strategic and operational presentations to be delivered throughout each of the exhibition’s two days. Within the show Many previous visitors to SME can trace the moment they transformed their business from the information gained at the show. Many exhibitors have technical advisors on the stand who are able to provide detailed demonstrations and answer questions on the many and varied products, systems and solutions on display. By examining the latest developments, companies are also able to keep abreast of the various advances. Special promotional advances are also offered by some exhibitors at the event, providing another practical reason for attendance. For those unable to make a purchasing decision at the show, planning for the future and making informed decisions can be considerably assisted by the wealth of information on hand. New exhibitors at SME 2008 will include Advanced Field Solutions, Box Technologies, Cybit, Samsung Electronics UK and Xperience Group. These will join the list of existing and other first time exhibitors within the overall total of more than 100 companies. Additional events Visitors to SME 2008 are able to gain even more benefits from attendance this year, following the co-location of the show with Call Centre Expo and Customer Management Expo. These will be held in Hall 9, alongside the SME show, and visitors will be able to use a single badge to gain access to all three. Both the additional events are long-established, leading exhibitions for their sectors and will provide highly valuable information on a variety of subjects. Each has a number of complementary aspects for those in the service industry. In short, this year’s SME 2008, in conjunction with Call Centre Expo and Customer Management Expo, provides visitors with an unmissable event. They are able to access an unprecedented level of information and do not even have to pay for the privilege. Visitor registration can be completed quickly and simply by visiting www.servicemanagement.co.uk and further information on the event can be obtained by emailing kpearce@cmpi.biz EXHIBITOR INFORMATION Launch of appointment booking 360 Scheduling will be showcasing its Dynamic Scheduling Engine (DSE), a web-based scheduling solution that uses web services to integrate quickly and cost effectively with all leading enterprise, service management and mobile data systems. Of particular interest will be a new appointment booking demonstration. With the 360 Dynamic Scheduling Engine, appointment booking is linked directly with the schedule-generating algorithm enabling a service centre to use the system in either of two simple ways. The first looks at engineer availability, enabling a number of different slots to be offered to customers when they call in. The second takes customer preferences and matches these to engineer availability. The 360 Dynamic Scheduling Engine will offer tight appointments based on the available resource. When supplied as a service (SaaS) the appointment booking functionality can be accessed through a self-service web portal, further reducing the pressure on service centre volumes. Quicker implementation for mobile working There is no longer a need for bespoke software applications to be developed for the PDA, says Aeromark. At SME 2008 it will be showing Workflow DynMX, its new technology that enables any organisation to design and deploy a sophisticated mobile worker PDA application in a fraction of the time of traditional mobile solutions and at a significantly reduced cost.
Workflow DynMX can either be used as a standalone product or as part of Aeromark’s Optimatics Technology Suite which combines scheduling, vehicle tracking and automated KPI measurement to deliver far higher return on investment ratios than standard vehicle tracking systems. Whilst traditional Telematics solutions are typically generating ROI of 200%, Optimatics is already enabling organisations to more than double this. Customers are reporting savings of £300 per employee per month.
20/20 vision for managing services AirVersent will be demonstrating how to ensure long-term customer loyalty using its globally-distributed solutions for mobile workers: ServiceNet and 20/20 Delivery. ServiceNet is AirVersent’s field service management solution that provides the link between back-office customer service systems and a mobile field force. It provides real-time, up-to-the-minute management and control of field operations, with fully optimised and integrated dynamic work scheduling. 20/20 Delivery from AirVersent is designed to provide a complete workflow management solution for proof-of-delivery and collection to help reduce invoicing cycles, DSO and inventory shrinkage, improve response times, and control costs - providing an rapid return on investment. Improved integration between systems Armstrong Consultants will be showing the latest version of Service Manager Editions (sme) on its stand. The company explains that sme is an affordable, scalable service management solution, for businesses large and small. In April 2008, the company was acquired by Access Technology Group. Armstrong Consultants and Access Accounting are now sister companies, which means there will be even tighter integration between Service Manager Editions and the back-end core finance system Access Dimensions. This show will see a number of new software features aimed at enhancing the user experience, including: - Integration with digital pen technology - Enhanced workshop functionality to cater for larger workshop sites - Revamp of statistical reporting - A new contract management screen - Estimate readings for meter-billed customers - Further integration with FocalPoint purchase requests - Enhanced fault code selection to allow enhanced reporting capability - Introduction of 'quarter dates' for contract renewals. Maximising investment in systems and data Aspective states that it believes in offering a more intelligent approach to improving service performance by enabling clients to make the most of their investment in systems and data. Focused on its customers’ success, it delivers impartial and pragmatic advice and remains committed to recommending the most appropriate technologies and implementation models. To address the growing requirement for cost-effective automated scheduling, Aspective has partnered with ClickSoftware to introduce a comprehensive field service management solution, ClickIMRS. This new offering is optimised to address the needs of mid-sized service organisations wishing to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, whilst sustaining growth and profitability. Visitors will be able to hear how Aspective is bringing together technologies from industry-leading vendors including Microsoft, Oracle, ClickSoftware, Dexterra and ViryaNet to help a growing number of leading field service organisations - such as Global Draw, Innserve, Bristol Water, Corgi Group and many others - deliver exceptional levels of service to increasingly demanding marketplaces. Adaptable combination of services promoted Formed in 1982, Belgravium designs and manufactures innovative data capture systems and rugged mobile computer equipment. It has extensive experience in providing bespoke and standard solutions for field service automation, service management, route accounting and the logistics industries. Combining hardware, software and consulting skills, the company reports that it takes the components needed to build a total and logical solution to fit individual business requirements. Supply chain platform ByBox states that it realises field service supply chains will be under increasing pressure over the next 12-24 months. A challenging economy and an unrelenting drive for increased service will demand that organisations think differently about how they work together, the company says.
It is responding to this sector challenge by making its Thinventory supply chain platform available to like-minded partners. It has invested over £3m in developing the Thinventory software solution, but realises that adopting a closed-minded software model is the wrong approach if it is to help its customers deliver market-winning solutions in the next generation field service market.
Collaboration will be the key to success, says ByBox, and has designed Thinventory to provide a powerful framework for customers and partners to harness their collaborative efforts.
Promoting ‘get real’ message ‘How can you tell if a vendor is only "talking the talk" or is really capable of helping you transition into a world-class real-time service enterprise?’ asks ClickSoftware, and provides the following advice: Get real: Make smart decisions in real time, converting real-time location, real-time traffic updates, and real-time data into actionable, optimised decisions. Get real: Service management is not only about instant response to real-time events, but also about planning into the future. What will your workload look like next week or next quarter? Is your existing capacity just right for that workload, across regions and skill sets? What will be the impact of changing oil prices, business restructuring and other events? Get real: Ask us about real-life, proven deployments - what works, what doesn’t, discover amongst our large customer community companies that share the same field force size, industry and business goals that are already reaping the benefits of service optimisation. Mobile workforce solutions Cognito will be further endorsing its expertise in fully managed mobile workforce management solutions, with nearly 20 years experience, over 150 business-critical implementations and 20,000 users.
The company’s solutions are built around an architecture that captures the business process and enables the exchange of information between all customer IT systems, whether in the back office or the field. Its end-to-end approach to systems design, delivery and support provides a platform for innovation, both in new applications as well as working methods.
Cognito staff will be demonstrating its state-of-the-art mobile workforce management solution components, as well as discussing the consultative steps necessary for a fully successful implementation. Its customers will also be in attendance to share practical deployment knowledge.
Improving productivity and reducing carbon footprint Destiny will be endorsing its digital pen and paper based on Anoto technology, designed to help organisations with mobile workforces transform operational efficiency and productivity and advance carbon-neutral performance - with little or no capital outlay or significant change to working practices.
Its solutions encompass digital pens, digitised forms, mobile devices and web-based tools for the efficient collection and management of data from the field, effective job push and allocation, resource management, intelligent scheduling and asset tracking. Destiny solutions are used extensively for applications in the public sector, healthcare, service, sales, maintenance, inspection and construction.
This has enabled the company and its customers to win a string of prestigious awards, including the 2007 Growing Business Awards Technology in Business, Microsoft’s People Moving Business, Quality in Construction for Excellence in ICT and the Information Age Effective IT Award.
Don’t panic! Envision will be launching its advanced Panic button feature, which has the facility to alert either response centres or a managed services, complying with HR policies and offering an unrivalled level of protection. Envision by Rapid Innovations is a workforce tracking solution utilising GPS-enabled mobile devices, providing understanding of mobile workers’ location in real time. This provides protection in lone worker environments, aid compliance with the working time directive and offers a level of defence against the corporate manslaughter act. Envision works with Windows Mobile PDAs, Smartphone, Blackberry and Symbian Phones, breaking the requirement for an in vehicle installation. Following a simple deployment, Envision automatically keeps itself current, freeing IT departments from time consuming updates and installations. Envision also uses the latest technologies approved by Microsoft to provide peace of mind to users and is designed to show current active jobs on the same map as the workforce via existing field service management solutions. New systems alongside established product EPiX Systems will be launching Web Based Maintenance Lite and Asset Maintenance Lite at the show. These products are based its established WBM2 product. The key features include job control, mobile working, electronic surveys and sales order processing, which will be demonstrated on the stand. An introductory rate from of £4,950 for a five engineer system will be offered at the show. Addition operatives and modules are also available. The company will also be showing its existing Call Centre and Diagnostics, Job Control and Operative Management, Mobile Worker 3, Purchase Order Processing and Integrated Stock Control software. European-wide supply of all-inclusive solutions
SME 2008 will see telematics specialist GlobalLive Ltd showcase end-to-end solutions for fleet and job management, ranging from back office systems through to invoicing and all points in between.
It now offers a single solution for optimum functionality and performance, providing users with any or all of a comprehensive selection of bespoke solutions, including back office systems, vehicle tracking and fleet management, routing and scheduling, PDA solutions (job despatch, in-cab messaging, satellite navigation, signature capture, photographs and bar code scanning) - all available on a single, scalable and future proof platform.
The company will also be demonstrating a range of new products, addressing vital issues including fuel conservation and environmental impact. End to end solutions are the way forward for telematics, says GlobalLive, and states it is committed to providing best in class solutions across the European market.
Improving efficiencies during the credit crunch Providing mobile workers access to vital business information on the move is even more critical during the credit crunch, says Integral Mobile Data, Worldwide Solutions. Worldwide Solutions is co-hosting a ‘one stop shop’ for all mobility hardware or software requirements on its stand at this year’s exhibition. It will show its latest software updates and will pre-launch an innovative lone worker software solution, together with the latest in hand held technologies. IMD’s core product, the Integral mForms suite, an ‘out of the box software solution for mobile workforces, can be completed on a handheld or mobile device and allows users to record, send and receive information at any time, from any location. Clients consist of organisations including Tesco, Jarvis, Tyne and Wear Fire & Rescue Service, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and North Lanarkshire Council. Improved global mapping launched MapMechanics will showcase its latest advances in route planning, field force optimisation and territory management on its stand. Core technologies will include GeoConcept GIS software, including the latest options for desktop, internet, intranet and PDA deployment. OptiSite integrated with GeoConcept for network planning and automated territory management will also be on show. The company will also demonstrate Frequency Scheduler, specifically designed to maintain and schedule different visit frequencies to suit customers’ individual requirements. Field force optimisation with MapMechanics Mobile is designed to manage mobile staff, including job allocation, routing and scheduling, real-time navigation and vehicle tracking. | 
