Last week at Field Service East in Orlando, I had the opportunity to lead a roundtable discussion with service leaders from across the equipment landscape. While each organization brought its own unique challenges, one recurring theme was the rising expectations and increasing pressure to tie service performance more directly to business outcomes.
As service organizations mature, many are evolving beyond efficiency metrics and cost containment to take on independent P&L responsibility. That shift opens the door to new opportunities; closer partnerships with finance, stronger investment cases, and greater strategic influence across the enterprise.
But making that leap requires more than ambition. It demands a clearer view of performance, smarter planning, and the ability to balance competing priorities in real time.
Planning in the Dark
Many leaders described the stress of planning for an uncertain future, particularly in light of anticipated tariff changes and ongoing supply chain volatility. Some admitted they’re in “wait and see” mode, not because it’s ideal, but because they lack the visibility and tools to do anything else.
The risk is that this approach can mask the true cost of inaction. Volatility in service parts doesn’t just delay repairs; it ripples across the supply chain, disrupting cost structures, squeezing margins, and eroding profitability. And because the aftermarket has historically been blessed with healthy margins, leaders often underestimate how quickly those advantages can be eroded when disruption strikes. In reality, waiting may be far more costly than acting.
AI Fatigue and the Search for Real Value
Unsurprisingly, AI came up in nearly every conversation. But alongside the interest was a clear undercurrent of fatigue. Most leaders are tired of vague claims and vendor hype. They’re not chasing innovation for innovation’s sake. What they want is clarity: what specific business problems will this solve, and how does that translate into financial outcomes?
That framing matters because the ability to translate value into financial terms is what earns credibility with the CFO. Service leaders who can demonstrate how AI-driven improvements affect margins, revenue growth, and customer retention are far more likely to secure investment and strategic influence. Without that financial lens, service risks being positioned as a cost center that’s constantly pushed to “do more with less,” rather than as a revenue driver that can help the business grow, even in turbulent times.
Data: The Problem Everyone Agrees On, but Few Are Solving
If there was one unanimous view in the room, it was that data is the biggest barrier to progress. Nearly every leader said that if they could magically solve just one problem, data quality and clarity would be it. But few were actively tackling it.
That disconnect stems from the fact that traditional tools demand too much cleanup and configuration to be usable. Teams are left stuck, knowing what’s broken, but unsure how to fix it without taking on more manual work.
Beyond the Immediate Challenges
Beyond the immediate concerns of tariffs, AI fatigue, and data quality, there’s a bigger question for service leaders around how to balance all those competing priorities. Availability, service levels, customer satisfaction, and margins are all deeply interconnected, yet many organizations still optimize each one in a silo.
Recognizing and managing those trade-offs holistically is key to unlocking the full strategic potential of service. Leaders who can step back and see the bigger picture, understanding not just the metrics themselves but how they influence one another, are far better positioned to make decisions that drive both performance and profitability.
The Bottom Line
Field Service East made one thing clear: service leaders are under pressure to perform—not just on efficiency, but on profitability, agility, and strategic contribution. There’s no shortage of tools promising transformation. But what leaders really want is clarity.
They want to know:
- What levers they can pull today
- What outcomes they can realistically expect
- And how to prove value to the business
The conversation may have started with hype and uncertainty — but it ended with a shared desire for substance.
And that’s where the real opportunity lies.