The purpose of industry jargon often seems to be - making things sound more complex than they really are. So instead of a coffee mug, it becomes a HBCS (Heated Beverage Containment System).
The continuing spread of jargon, acronyms and buzzwords is something that affects all areas of business and that includes the field services sector. To be fair, a lot of these terms are simply attempts to describe new ways of working.
The arrival of digital technology means we’re having to find terminology for processes and systems that haven’t previously existed. What adds to the confusion is that, because this is all relatively new, there’s often no agreed industry standards.
Instead, there’s likely to be multiple of different ways to say exactly the same thing. It can make searching for information on mobile working tools and systems, a frustrating and confusing experience.
So if the likes of IoT, BYOD and SaaS leave you wondering… WTF, here’s a guide:
Sometimes referred to as ‘machine learning’, this is the ability of digital systems to get smarter over time. An example is the way speech recognition software, such as Google Assistant, becomes more accurate as it records more user samples. In field services, AI can be seen in areas like GPS navigation and adaptive job scheduling.
This is used to describe the mass of information that’s now generated and stored by digital systems such as workforce management set-ups. When properly managed, this data can be used to better manage workers and to shine a light on organisational problems that would otherwise remain hidden.
An acronym that’s used to describe the common practice within the field services sector of allowing employees to use personal devices for work purposes. A typical example would be a mobile worker who uses their own smartphone to access a business app while on-the-road.
Here are some of the pros and cons of a BYOD approach.
Anything referring to the cloud typically just means that it’s done online - via the Internet. Rather than information and software having to be physically stored on a device, it’s stored on an external server. The ability to access work related information and tools, from wherever an employee is, has been a game changer for mobile working.
Here's everything you need to know about cloud security.
This refers to any business strategy designed to better manage any interactions with customers or clients. It’s an area where technology is playing an increasing role with systems able to automate the process - collecting customer data, improve engagement and identify opportunities for growth.
A general term for the various ways that ‘big data’ can be used by organisations to identify trends and improve insights. For a field service business, these processes allow the raw data that’s collected to be turned into meaningful performance feedback.
The use of digital technology to manage mobile workers. It replaces the old approach, which relied on paperwork, spreadsheets and manual shuffling of information while boosting mobile workforce productivity. It’s commonly also referred to as Mobile Workforce Management (MWM).
A term to describe the various way that mobile working tasks are automated, typically with information collected via a smartphone or handheld device. A typical example would be the way that invoices can be automatically generated based on the data collected during a job.
This is used to describe the way that more of our everyday objects are able to connect to the Internet, as well as to each other. It looks at how this interconnectivity can help to create smarter and more efficient ways of working. A real-world example is the way that traffic cones can now include integrated safety monitors.
Here's some more Internet of Things examples.
This means identifying the vital information that’s required to effectively track the performance of your business. With so much data available, KPIs are a way to filter out all the ‘noise’ and lets a company focus on just those stats that matter. An alternative term is KSI (Key Success Indicators).
Here are the KPIs for operation's management that you should be tracking.
An acronym that covers any kind of scheduled maintenance tasks and routine checks, with the emphasis on prevention rather than cure. For mobile workers, this could be scheduled servicing of machinery or carrying out a routine site maintenance checks.
This is the ability to remotely control handheld/mobile devices that are being used by employees. This is often used by mobile working companies to control what apps are loaded onto a business device. It’s particularly useful with lost work phones as it allows head office to remotely wipe data on a worker’s phone.
Employees who work in more than one place and/or travel as part of their job. It’s also commonly referred to as ‘field working’ and just to add a bit more confusion, sometimes ‘mobile field working’.
This is a commonly used term to describe any digital tasks in which the outcome is instant. So a conversation via an instant messenger service is described as taking place in real-time. In mobile working, a real-time management system is one in which employee updates are instantly available - there’s no paperwork lag.
Read about the benefits of managing mobile workers in real-time.
This is the digital equivalent of buying a gym membership rather than having to purchase all of the exercise equipment. So it’s a way to subscribe to digital services which are accessed online. It’s sometimes also known as ‘on-demand software’.