Field service managers have made their case for mobile technologies in the field, and now there’s even more reason for cloud computing to be added to an organization’s arsenal. The C-suite gets it too — with cloud technology, their companies can innovate faster and scale the business.
“This is not just making business ‘mobile for mobile’s sake’ (for example, being able to submit expenses on the go) but instead the nexus of mobile and cloud computing completely transforming entire business functions in some amazing ways, from construction to field service,” David Yarnold, CEO of ServiceMax, writes on VentureBeat.
Nearly 90 percent of companies that support cloud technologies report greater opportunities for innovation as a result of their cloud investment, according to a Forbes study, Collaborating in the Cloud. One cloud technology that many organizations turn to is Software as a Service (SaaS), because it allows for rapid innovation and new value propositions. In fact, 66 percent of leading companies have increased company-wide innovation as a result of SaaS, according to IBM’s “Champion of Software as a Service” study.
Beyond transforming the overall business, let’s dive into three specific ways that the cloud touches different parts of a business:
- Increase collaboration and harness knowledge. Three out of five leading organizations say that cloud technology has made it easier to locate and leverage the expertise of their employees, according to IBM’s “Under Cloud Cover” study. While employees are in the field, cloud computing works in conjunction with mobile technology to improve communication among teams. The mobile cloud helps organizations tear down organizational silos, integrate mobile apps and increase efficiency.
- “Collaboration tools help these teams function more effectively, and cloud provides the ubiquitous platform all can share,” Joe McKendrick, author and researcher of innovation and disruption, writes on Forbes.
- Make smarter, data-based decisions. With cloud-based analytics, organizations can bring disparate datasets to one place and harness the insights with all relevant information at their fingertips. Sixty-five percent of leading companies use cloud technology to make data-driven decisions, according to the IBM study.
- Reinvent customer relationships. Better data insights and more collaborative teams allow field techs to deliver an experience that is aligned with what customers are looking for and to better serve customers through in-person and digital interactions.
The cloud promises to boost business performance by impacting every area of operation at field service organizations. Initially, executives invested in cloud technology for its productivity promise, but now they’re loving how it drives R&D efforts — and ultimately the bottom line.
“From a technology that was initially adopted for efficiency and cost savings, the cloud has emerged into a powerhouse of innovation throughout organizations,” Robert LeBlanc, senior vice president of software and cloud solutions for IBM, writes on Forbes.
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