Research with Results: a blog from the Aberdeen Group » Service Management

Making Waves in the North American Service Market: IFS Acquires Metrix

Sumair Dutta — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:42:15 +0000

On May 23 2012, IFS announced that it had acquired Metrix LLC (Metrix), positioning it as a ‘player to watch’ in the field service and service management automation space.This push into the North American market began with IFS’s acquisition of 360 Scheduling in 2010, providing IFS with a key player in the dynamic scheduling automation [...]

Early Thoughts from 2012 Mobile Field Service Research

Sumair Dutta — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:24:49 +0000

Mobility, tied to applications, devices and workflows, continues to be a key topic of discussion in the field service universe.In Aberdeen’s “Field Service 2012: The Right Technician” research report, 63% of leading organizations highlighted that the investment in mobile tools was a top strategy being deployed to improve field service performance. To add color to [...]

High Tech Return and Repair: A Preview of Research to Come

Aly Pinder — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:33:00 +0000

I have a friend that recently began to lose key functionality on his “smart” phone. This friend, not to be named, tried to figure out the problem on his own via Google-search and other self-help techniques. But to no avail, he was forced to go to the manufacturer’s store and ask for help. This is [...]

Are You Ready for Some…Service!

Aly Pinder — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:17:03 +0000

We are nearing the halfway point of the year already, and I feel like just yesterday I rang in the New Year. Time flies when you are working hard, I guess.And the Service Management team at Aberdeen has been working hard through the first 4+ months of this year. But not to stop with a [...]

Can BlackBerry Regain Relevance in Field Service?

Sumair Dutta — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:10:27 +0000

Coming off BlackBerry World 2012, the relevancy question seems to be one on everyone’s mind and one that is applicable to a whole line of business functions. RIM has struggled tremendously in terms of device shipments and profitability and is beginning to lag behind its competitors in terms of market share, whether viewed from a [...]

Service Continues to Drive Business Goals and the Customer Experience

Aly Pinder — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:38:14 +0000

What was your last good customer service experience? Ok, now what was your last bad service experience? Without being able to hear/read your response to these questions, I imagine you more vividly remember your bad experience as opposed to the good one. Despite that un-scientific study, I think you get my point. But if you [...]

Recall Management: Data, The Customer and Turning a Negative into a (more) Positive Experience

Aly Pinder — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:33:17 +0000

A single ‘bad’ experience can ruin a customer relationship for good. But what happens when one ‘bad’ experience is multiplied by 100, or 1,000, or worse yet a million cases?In my recent “Best Practices in Return, Refurbishment and Repair 2012” report (April 2012), organizations sampled recalled over 8,800 parts / products annually. This number is [...]

Are European Service Organizations Along for the Revenue Ride?

Sumair Dutta — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:45:24 +0000

In 2012, Aberdeen is taking steps to expand its research presence in Europe with more EU-specific, and eventually country-specific, content tied to all our research practices. In the Service Management group, we have a very active European survey respondent baseand have even developed a European Research Advisory Council (RAC). This Council, comprised of 20 service [...]

What is the Science of Service? Two Ways to Find Out.

Sumair Dutta — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:12:24 +0000

A little over a month ago we officially announced the ‘Science of Service’ as the theme of our 2012 Chief Service Officer (CSO) Summit (Oct 16-17, 2012). When we created the concept we were essentially looking to providea foundation for CSOs to discuss the importance of data in driving their businesses forward. To confirm, we’re not [...]

Top Three Takeaways from WCM 2012: Warranty Management and the Customer

Aly Pinder — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:17:55 +0000

On March 6-8 I attended and presented at the Warranty Chain Management 2012 Conference in Orlando, FL. During the day and a half I was on site, I heard numerous examples that highlight the value of an efficiently managed warranty chain. These examples also aligned with data that I have collected, and was further validated in almost [...]