Now is the Time to Maximize Product Uptime: Field Service USA 2018

The Syncron team is here at Field Service USA 2018 live blogging some of the keynotes, panels, and breakout sessions throughout the event, and today Gary Brooks, Syncron’s CMO, and trailblazer for the improvement of after-sales service operations, is taking the big stage to deliver a passionate keynote to the event’s field service professionals, after-sales innovators, and solution vendors.

The motivation behind his passion? Time. There has never been a more important time in field service to maximize uptime. The world is changing at a fast rate, if you don’t innovate the way big industry leaders are today, you’ll get left in the dust. And with the theme for this year’s conference being “Advancing Service Together,” it’s even more fitting that we’re about to witness one of the most significant transformations in the history of field service.

Time is the Only Constant

We’re at the precipice of a “big bang” type revolution caused by the intersection of increasing customer expectations and emerging technology. This big bang is going to enable us to advance service together by launching us forward into an evolution that will take product uptime to levels we could only dream of a decade ago.

But, back to “time.” It’s a topic that’s very important to all of us – one that’s highly valuable, perishable, finite, short in supply, can’t be stored and has no substitute. Think about it: Jim Croce wanted to bottle it, Styx had too much of it on their hands, Cher wanted to turn it back and the Rolling Stones clearly put things into perspective with their song titled Time Waits for No One. It’s the world’s most valuable commodity that most of us never seem to have enough of, frequently wish for more of, but always seem to find ways of wasting.

It’s said that time can be a great healer. Some things get better with time, like whiskey, wine, and cast iron skillets. But it’s also been said that time can be a cruel mistress. In its relentless march forward, it robs each of us of many things from our looks and 20/20 vision, to loved ones and opportunities. And when it comes to after-sales service, time can be that cruel mistress. When service tickets aren’t resolved quickly, it can result in costly product downtime. That downtime often causes your customer to lose revenue and profits, causing your company to lose customer loyalty, revenue and, ultimately, market share.

What’s Your Story?

Think back to Field Service USA 2017, where we talked about how the world was changing at an accelerated pace: It’s hard to believe 2017 is now part of history and, with a blink of an eye, we’re 106 days in into 2018. This is a shocking reminder that remainder of 2018 will rapidly unfold right in front of our eyes. Before we know it, summer will come and go, the days will get shorter, Christmas gifts will be purchased, 2018 will come to a close, and many of us will be sitting back in this same room at Field Service 2019 wondering what happened to 2018.

So, when you sit in this room again in the Spring of 2019 and reflect back on 2018, what type of a story will it tell? Is it a story of how you and your team clung to the past, adhered to the status quo and squandered a major opportunity to truly use service as a competitive differentiator? Or, will it be a story of how you and your teams rallied together to make big decisions and take the action needed to truly advance your service organization? Will you embrace emerging technology to maximize the product uptime of the solutions your companies have to offer?

The speed at which 2018 unfolds is beyond our control – But, the story that will be told by your decisions, actions, and ability to innovate and execute is up to you. What do you want your story to be? Now is the time to maximize product uptime. Now is your time.

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Because we know time is the most valuable tender for every single organization on the planet, we decided to collaborate with Worldwide Business Research, WBR, to conduct primary research on the topic of product uptime. The final uptime research and white paper will be available to all Field Service attendees later this season. Stay tuned for more information in the forthcoming weeks!