Employee operational planning in times of digital transformation
Heikendorf – CeBIT 2016 starts on March 14 in Hannover with the top theme „d!conomy: join – create – succeed“. Thereby, the role of people as framer of the digital transformation is particularly the focus of the event.
On the joint stand of the state of Schleswig Holstein, FLS presents at this year’s CeBIT how the possibilities of digitalization can be used efficiently and above all realistically, especially for field service-operational planning.
Digital Transformation in Service and Sales
Especially companies that offer services are increasingly challenged to supply quick solutions to their customers. It is less and less about how, decisive are the prompt completion and comprehensible, transparent cost structures. New business models are needed. Digitalization is the engine for that but it can also increase the customer demands ever faster. Anyone who does not reconsider their service concept in such a way, falls behind quickly.
Real time data for fully automatic planning
„We are convinced that in the field of scheduling and route planning for the field service, a big optimization potential can still be raised through the digital transformation,“ states Thomas Brechtel, founder and managing director of FLS GmbH. „Here, real time data and their use for fully automatic processes play a big role.“ FLS is pioneer in the area of real time software for more than ten years through the development of the PowerOpt algorithm. The algorithm was developed for the planning tool FLS VISITOUR. PowerOpt processes continuous changes of the initial situation and enables a fully automatic response within seconds – that is without manual intervention by a dispatcher – to changes by means of a route optimization. It can respond immediately to fault messages from customers and downtimes due to employee illness.
Customer Appointment Portal
The planning intelligence of FLS VISITOUR can be extended to the complete service process via the Internet to the customer’s benefit. Hence, the end customer can use a web-based appointment portal to arrange an appointment with his service provider in which customer-friendly timeframes are provided for which a possible route optimization, and thereby the incurred costs, were already calculated in the background. When the customer confirms a slot, the route planning is changed immediately to that effect. The service provider always has the costs per appointment in mind; the client gets service in real time through reliable and short timeframes.
Mobile Solutions
The communication between field service and back office has been extensively digitalized by the use of smartphones and tablets in the meantime. The employee can be supplied extensively with knowledge about the appointment on-site. In addition to a considerable reduced workload, the end customer profits mainly from these slim, paperless processes. With FLS MOBILE, FLS offers a solution that supports both information exchange and the planning optimization in FLS VISITOUR.
Predictive Maintenance
Currently FLS is partner in the research project STEP (smart technician assignment planning). Here, a new technology and a business model for the mid-sized sector should be developed which considers the integration from M2M for Predictive Maintenance and a fully automatic operational planning.
Thomas Brechtel looks ahead optimistically: „The software from FLS offers the prerequisites for a consistent digitalization of services. Through the collaboration of service companies, old business models can be upgraded to the Industry 4.0 generation.“
CeBIT Stand: Joint stand Schleswig Holstein, Hall 5, Stand D34
FLS GmbH with headquarters in Heikendorf near Kiel contributes to the optimization of all field service and service processes in companies with its solutions for more than 20 years; from the scheduling and route planning over the workflow-based task control right up to the mobile solution. The product portfolio of FLS VISITOUR and FLS MOBILE is based on the worldwide unique PowerOpt algorithm that impresses by its precision and speed itself in extremely high order volumes and highly complex tasks with optimal planning results in real time. Well known customers like IBM, Jungheinrich and Sky profit from maximum resource utilization, cost savings of over 20% and a significant increase in service quality. FLS’s products are used worldwide. International locations can be found in England, the Netherlands and Denmark.
Firmenkontakt
FLS GmbH
Britta Blömke
Schlosskoppelweg 8
24226 Heikendorf
+49(0)431 – 23971-0
+49(0)431 – 23971-13
info@fastleansmart.com
http://www.fastleansmart.com
Pressekontakt
FLS GmbH
Britta Blömke
Schlosskoppelweg 8
24226 Heikendorf
+49(0)431 – 23971-30
britta.bloemke@fastleansmart.com
http://www.fastleansmart.com