Service Intel

In today's episode, Ryan Makely, Senior Director of Service Enablement at Waters Corporation, joins Sidney Lara to discuss how Waters is using AI to transform service operations. Ryan shares insights on Waters’ internal AI Council, the "buy vs. build" debate, and how tools like Aquant’s Service CoPilot are improving efficiency and reducing costs. 

Today's episode is a special cross promotion from Aquant’s Service Leaders Summer Camp. In this episode, Anthony Billups, a seasoned leader with over 17 years of experience in HVAC, plumbing, and electrical industries, joins Sidney to discuss the human side of AI integration.

Anthony shares practical strategies for overcoming workforce challenges, upskilling technicians, and addressing misconceptions about AI, like fears of job loss and complexity. He also emphasizes the importance of building trust and driving internal adoption to ensure successful AI implementation.

In this special cross promotional episode, Aquant's Edwin Pahk joins Matthew Demello on the AI in Business podcast to discuss how AI can help retain and leverage "tribal knowledge" to address workforce turnover and expertise gaps. He also highlights the role of personalization in B2B workflows and how AI tools can enhance the work-life experiences of subject matter experts. 

On today’s episode, we’re diving into the key findings of the 2024 Voice of Field Service report with Gerardo Pelayo, VP of Research and Advisory at the Service Council. Gerardo joins Sidney Lara to explore topics like technician retention, generational differences, and the impact of technology and AI on productivity and mental health. It’s a conversation packed with insights for service leaders. 

On today’s episode, Sara Smith, Service AI Program Owner at Waters Corporation, joins Sidney Lara to speak about effective change management strategies in enterprise service organizations. Sara explains the ADKAR method and its five components: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement. 

Ron Zielinski, former Global Customer Service Leader at Coherent, joins Sidney Lara to discuss the vital role of core values in guiding decision-making, shaping company culture, and influencing customer service standards. In this episode, Ron reflects on his journey up the ladder at Coherent and the impact core values have had on his career.

Poorly defined or inconsistently upheld values can lead to misalignment within teams and negatively affect customer interactions. Ron shares insights into the process of establishing core values at Coherent and the company’s commitment to ensuring these values remain relevant and upheld over time.

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Sarah Nicastro, Vice President of Customer Engagement at IFS and Host of the Unscripted podcast, joins Sidney Lara on Aquant’s Service Intel Podcast to share key insights from her recent conversations at industry events. In this episode, Sarah discusses the top five service trends shaping the future of the industry.

Sarah emphasizes the urgency for change leadership in today’s fast-evolving service landscape. “In today’s service landscape, there's no room for complacency. To succeed in the coming years, we must anticipate necessary transformations and proactively lead them. This is why change leadership and fostering a culture comfortable with change are crucial. Change won't always be seamless—resistance and hurdles are part of human nature,” she notes.

Deniz Mullis, Global Technical Operations Leader at Cytiva, joins Sidney Lara to explore the critical role of seamless handoffs between contact centers and field technicians. In this episode, Deniz discusses how technology integration and clear communication channels can improve these transitions.

Poorly executed handoffs leave engineers unprepared, leading to unnecessary site visits, increased costs, and customer dissatisfaction. Deniz shares how Cytiva prioritizes capturing comprehensive information during the initial customer call, ensuring field engineers arrive equipped with the right tools and parts—ultimately reducing repeat visits and elevating the customer experience.

This episode was originally a webinar so the participants may reference visuals. If you would like to watch this episode, you can do so here: 

In today's episode of Service Intel, Sidney Lara is joined by Joe Lang, VP of Service at Comfort Systems, to discuss the insights from Aquant's recent field service benchmark report. 

This comprehensive analysis covers over 24 million work orders, 6.6 million assets, and the practices of nearly 582,000 technicians. They discuss a wide range of topics, from bridging the skills gap and leveraging data and AI, to enhancing an organization's service delivery. Joe Lang shares his personal experiences in tackling service challenges and underscores the importance of initiating an organization's AI strategy sooner rather than later. Enjoy the episode!

In this week's episode of Service Intel, we're diving into the world of AI with special guests Tas Hirani from Aquant and John Carrol, President of the Service Council. They discuss critical strategies for effectively deploying AI within enterprise organizations. Tas sheds light on common obstacles encountered during AI implementation, based on examples from pilot programs with Aquant’s customers, and shares actionable insights for service organizations aiming for success. This is a great episode for any leader looking to implement an AI strategy.