{"id":569,"date":"2015-09-04T14:41:55","date_gmt":"2015-09-04T12:41:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.synchroteam.com\/blog\/?p=569"},"modified":"2016-12-22T19:22:06","modified_gmt":"2016-12-22T18:22:06","slug":"solve-field-service-automation-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.synchroteam.com\/blog\/?p=569","title":{"rendered":"When good automation goes bad&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8211; or how not to let your field service automation problems bite you in the butt!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re big fans of automation here at Synchroteam. Just as well really, since Synchroteam is a field service automation solution (and you can try it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.synchroteam.com\/free-trial.php\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>!). But fans as we are, even we have to admit that automation needs to be handled with care.<\/p>\n<p><strong>First things first. Always remember:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Automation\u2019s not a cure all &#8211; it\u2019s a tool<\/li>\n<li>Automation\u2019s not the end goal &#8211; it\u2019s part of the process<\/li>\n<li>Automation\u2019s not designed to replace the human touch &#8211; it\u2019s designed to enhance it<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>As automation gains ground in almost all areas of business, people have begun to notice what happens when they\u00a0take their eye off the end goal, and <strong>let automation run wild<\/strong>. No, no, not in the &#8220;giant robots taking over the world&#8221; kind of wild (although that has been mentioned), just the automation doing what it does &#8211; automatically &#8211; without the more human side\u00a0&#8211; intuition, interpersonal skills and planning. Let me explain.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.synchroteam.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/godzilla.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-575\" src=\"https:\/\/www.synchroteam.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/godzilla-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Automation running amok!\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.synchroteam.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/godzilla.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.synchroteam.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/godzilla-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.synchroteam.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/godzilla-900x600.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Basic automation problems<\/h2>\n<p>There are several issues that people run into with\u00a0field service automation. It\u2019s the way things are going, so sooner or later, your organisation will have to deal with these issues too. That means it\u2019s best to consider them BEFORE you buy a solution. In broad strokes:<\/p>\n<p>Automated solutions can be confusing for human techs, and they can really annoy the heck out of them if the solutions aren\u2019t introduced gradually and with care.<\/p>\n<p>Automated solutions aren\u2019t going to single-handedly make millions or execute your IPO. There are limits to automation\u2019s effectiveness.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a real risk of overusing automation &#8211; only try it if the task(s) you want to automate are well-defined.<\/p>\n<p>Remember the golden rule &#8211; your goal isn\u2019t automation itself, but streamlining of the process. <strong>Does the automation help, speed or ease? If not, don\u2019t do it!<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Learn from others&#8217; mistakes<\/h2>\n<p>By remembering these points when you introduce an automated dispatch solution, you should be able to keep problems to a minimum. Luckily for you, automation outside field service has been big news for a while, so plenty of others have made mistakes &#8211; hopefully so you don\u2019t have to repeat them. Like what? Let\u2019s see:<\/p>\n<p>A detailed article from Vox illustrating why <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vox.com\/2015\/7\/27\/9038829\/automation-myth\" target=\"_blank\">computers won\u2019t be stealing our jobs anytime soon<\/a>. <strong>The takeaway? <\/strong>The perfect reading for a tech &#8211; or a manager &#8211; who&#8217;s afraid that automation is the beginning of the end. Spoiler! It&#8217;s not&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Suzie from Get App points out what can go wrong when you thoughtlessly automate social media, with a few fail-tastic examples. <strong>The takeaway?<\/strong> Social media is a great stepping stone into the world of automation, and some experience can help prepare you for automating bigger, more complex systems. No matter what you\u2019re automating, however, never forget that humans can react to almost anything, but automation can only react to what it\u2019s been programmed for. Let automation take care of the job, but make sure a human eye is never too far from the action.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.synchroteam.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/legobeast-attrib.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-581\" src=\"https:\/\/www.synchroteam.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/legobeast-attrib-1024x399.jpg\" alt=\"Don't let your automation go rogue!\" width=\"640\" height=\"249\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.synchroteam.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/legobeast-attrib.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.synchroteam.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/legobeast-attrib-300x117.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.synchroteam.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/legobeast-attrib-900x351.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The guys over at BellaFSM have written specifically about <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bellafsm.com\/dont-let-these-deadly-pitfalls-kill-your-fsm-implementation\/\" target=\"_blank\">field service automation problems<\/a>. <strong>The takeaway?<\/strong> 5 pitfalls to guard against, including #3 &#8211; an excellent list of things other than features to consider when assessing an automated field service system. You&#8217;ll only be able to judge the impact of these features once you&#8217;ve been using the solution for a while, but are all aspects that will significantly impact on long-term success.<\/p>\n<p>This Entrepreneur article <a href=\"http:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/article\/247236\" target=\"_blank\">focusses on marketing automation, but I\u2019d argue that it&#8217;s great for field service too<\/a>. <strong>The takeaway?<\/strong> Stop things going wrong by avoiding the 7 deadly sins of automation, all of which can be applied to dispatch software. Numbers 1 and 4, planning and process, are of special relevance.<\/p>\n<p>This Hootsuite blog post <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.hootsuite.com\/human-engagement-in-the-age-of-robots\/\" target=\"_blank\">focusses on social media too<\/a>, as well as outing writer Alexandra Samuel as a sort of Robin Hood of cheerfulness! <strong>The takeaway?<\/strong> Handy tips to make sure you keep the \u201csocial\u201d in social media, and an overall message to remember that underlining any automated system is people, and people like a human touch.<\/p>\n<p>This article about automation \u201chorror stories\u201d says that <a href=\"http:\/\/www.zdnet.com\/article\/humans-often-to-blame-for-automation-horror-stories\/\" target=\"_blank\">most issues are the result of \u201cpoor planning, creating an overly complicated process, failing to involve the right stakeholders, or a host of other mistakes\u201d<\/a>. <strong>The takeaway?<\/strong> Even when automation goes bad, it\u2019s usually your own fault. Once more, the human link is the weakest one, complete with a real case study that shows how easy it is to mix automation and poor planning, and end up with a hot mess.<\/p>\n<p>This detailed case study from McKinsey is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/insights\/operations\/a_better_way_to_automate_service_operations\" target=\"_blank\">a great start for people in managerial positions considering automated scheduling software<\/a>. <strong>The takeaway?<\/strong> Planning your automation is essential groundwork before purchasing a solution. There\u2019s some solid reading, handy checklists and a clear message: plan well, or reap the consequences.<\/p>\n<p>I hope that instead of scaring you, this article has given you food for thought, and emphasised the one factor that governs all field service automation success: careful planning. Introducing automation to a flawed process or on the basis of incorrect assumptions is the equivalent of building a house on a fault line. It might take a while for the cracks to show, but when it goes off &#8211; and it will &#8211; the results could be catastrophic!<\/p>\n<h2>Have you had any field service automation problems? Let us know over at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/synchroteam\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a>!<\/h2>\n<p><em>Images of Godzilla thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/clry2\/\" target=\"_blank\">clry2<\/a>,\u00a0Frankenstein thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/clement127\/\" target=\"_blank\">Clement127<\/a>\u00a0and the Lego, um,\u00a0Snoogdorgh, thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/apocalust\/\">Cade Roster<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8211; or how not to let your field service automation problems bite you in the butt! We\u2019re big fans of automation here at Synchroteam. Just as well really, since Synchroteam is a field service automation solution (and you can try it here!). But fans as we are, even we have to admit that automation needs [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":573,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[44,43,40,6,27],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Learn from others - nail your automation problems<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When dispatch software automation goes wrong, it can cause serious problems. 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