There’s a perfect storm raging around some aspects of customer and field service management. The world has undergone two-plus years of pandemic-related economic and supply chain issues, followed by a faster return to normal for many nations in terms of consumer demand and customer expectations. Combine those trends with the Great Resignation, or Great Reshuffle, as workers continue to reevaluate their careers, and Baby Boomers retire in greater numbers than companies can find replacements from younger generations. That means:
- There’s great demand for high-quality products and services
- Production and supply chain issues make it difficult to guarantee quality products and services, including availability
- Worker shortages mean that companies are facing a net loss in personnel, as well as continuing loss of expertise and ‘tribal knowledge’
What can companies do not only to weather this storm, but also prepare to deliver a next-level service experience for both employees and customers? As with many issues, the right technology properly applied can be a lifesaver. Let’s examine how a new technology collaboration between CareAR and Lenovo in which extended reality (XR) tech, such as augmented reality (AR), can advance your service experience, make expertise available, and build skills across your organization.
Better Together
As part of the collaboration, CareAR has integrated its service experience management (SXM) platform with Lenovo’s ThinkReality A3 smart glasses, a 5G capable mobile head worn solution, to deliver multi-view and multi-party handsfree experiences for frontline workers to take advantage of the full potential of SLAM (Simultaneous, Localization and Mapping) which makes it possible for AR applications to recognize 3D objects and states with overlay augmentations.
Additionally, CareAR’s SXM platform leverages a rich integration with ServiceNow. So, a field technician wearing Lenovo smart glasses can connect with a remote expert directly from their ServiceNow workflow to see exactly what the technician is seeing and provide live visual assistance.
Make Expertise Accessible
To create the best service experiences, today’s technicians and agents need access to expertise and answers anytime, anywhere. Consider this scenario:
A novice field technician responds to an onsite customer request. She encounters a high-level issue unfamiliar to her. In olden times, another technician would then have to respond to the request, meaning two truck rolls. Instead of this, the novice technician simply puts on a pair of Lenovo ThinkReality A3 smart glasses and initiates a session with an expert back in the office who, through the CareAR technology, can see exactly what the technician is seeing. The expert then offers easy, step-by-step instructions that the field tech can follow along from within the smart glasses’ field of view. It’s faster, simpler, and more cost-effective. And the customer gets back to work quicker, too.
AR puts the power of visual, interactive remote and self-solve in the hands of your agents, field service technicians, and even customers. Using any web-capable device with a camera, you can conduct a live session for support and service with anyone, anywhere.
As of Q3 2022, Statista estimates that 6.64 billion people use smartphones worldwide. That’s a lot of power in the pocket, and a lot of ways to engage with employees and customers to share knowledge and solve issues in record time.
Immersive AR technology works wonders for field service management, customer service management, and IT services management. And if you use a ServiceNow workflow, the best AR platforms integrate seamlessly, so a technician can initiate an interactive session directly from a ServiceNow ticket.
In creating an elevated service experience, a symbiotic technology collaboration could be what is needed. The right AR platform is not only a provider, but also an affiliate with you every step of the way, from implementation to enablement to business outcomes. CareAR’s collaboration with technology leader Lenovo will bolster the power of our SXM platform. It’s the ideal combination of experiential service/support and wearable tech that allows technicians to work effectively, efficiently, and hands-free.
Wherever you are on the AR/XR customer experience journey, the CareAR platform could be right for you. You can discover more on our website or, if you’re ready to see AR in action, watch a recorded demo or sign up for a no cost trial tailored to your use case.
