Augmented Reality in Field Service

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What is the role of augmented reality in field service?


Field service providers are under pressure to deliver an optimal service experience, and their customers expect one. But a widening skills gap and increasing product complexity can create efficiency challenges. AR is giving technicians the information they need at their fingertips, transforming paper-based materials into in-context digital instructions, and enabling knowledge sharing.

What are the challenges in field service?

Increased complexity and skills gap

Products and processes are more complex than ever before, challenging technicians to interpret complicated, paper-based instructions to complete a repair or maintenance correctly and efficiently. Paired with the widening skills gap in manufacturing, both new hires and experts alike are struggling to meet service-level agreements (SLAs) and provide the best possible service experience.

Meeting customer SLAs

Meeting customer SLAs requires technicians to solve problems quickly the first time—but that can be a difficult task without the right tools. Repeat service visits can lengthen downtime, impact SLAs, increase truck rolls, and reduce efficiency overall. Failure to meet strict SLAs can result in costly penalties for the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), so it’s more important than ever in today’s competitive market to keep customers happy—or they will look elsewhere for a quality service experience.

High customer demand

While manufacturers face increasing complexity and a growing skills gap, customers are also demanding more from the service experience. As digital solutions make their way into every aspect of our lives, customers expect to see those same innovations in service. To meet these demands and keep up with their competitors, field service organizations must explore technology that improves service efficiency and quality.

How is augmented reality transforming field service?

Augmented reality is transforming field service by equipping technicians with 3D work instructions in the context of their physical environment, enabling remote assistance from anywhere, transforming training and onboarding, and improving inspections with AI. By using AR for field service, organizations can significantly reduce service costs and improve customer satisfaction.

3D work instructions

Connect with remote experts

Training and onboarding

AI-enhanced service inspections

How does augmented reality benefit field service?

In addition to empowering the workforce, organizations implementing augmented reality in field service achieve several business benefits from accelerating service visits or eliminating them altogether. And most importantly, AR helps to ensure happier customers.

In addition to empowering the workforce, organizations implementing augmented reality in field service achieve several business benefits from accelerating service visits or eliminating them altogether. And most importantly, AR helps to ensure happier customers.

Increase uptime

Field technicians can complete repairs faster and more accurately with AR instructions, increasing machine uptime and improving long-term customer satisfaction.

Field technicians can complete repairs faster and more accurately with AR instructions, increasing machine uptime and improving long-term customer satisfaction.

Reduce travel and truck rolls

By helping field technicians to complete repairs correctly, AR can reduce the need for repeated service visits. Customers can also leverage AR remote assistance for self-service, eliminating the need for a truck roll altogether.

By helping field technicians to complete repairs correctly, AR can reduce the need for repeated service visits. Customers can also leverage AR remote assistance for self-service, eliminating the need for a truck roll altogether.

Improve first-time fix rate

Rather than relying on paper-based manuals to complete complex service, field technicians benefit from AR’s in-context instructions and visual guidance to finish repairs correctly the first time. Reducing truck rolls also saves travel costs.

Rather than relying on paper-based manuals to complete complex service, field technicians benefit from AR’s in-context instructions and visual guidance to finish repairs correctly the first time. Reducing truck rolls also saves travel costs.

Eliminate SLA penalties

Accelerating service speed and improving service quality has a major impact on customer satisfaction and trust. AR in field service helps technicians avoid SLA penalties and maintain hard-earned customer relationships.

Accelerating service speed and improving service quality has a major impact on customer satisfaction and trust. AR in field service helps technicians avoid SLA penalties and maintain hard-earned customer relationships.

Increase access to experts

Even while in the field, technicians can access an expert (or multiple experts) for real-time guidance and collaboration.

Even while in the field, technicians can access an expert (or multiple experts) for real-time guidance and collaboration.

Case studies

Howden
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Rockwell
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Howden

Howden Creates Mixed Reality Solutions to Enhance Customer Experience Read Case Study

Henkel

Henkel facilitates seamless knowledge transfer across their manufacturing production teams using Vuforia Chalk Read Case Study

Toyota Motor Corp

Toyota enables improved communication across teams with Vuforia's remote assistance tool Read Case Study

BID Group

BID Group streamlines service operations and improves customer experiences with Vuforia Chalk Read Case Study

Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation keeps customer’s production schedule moving during critical time using Vuforia Chalk Read Case Study

Peterbilt

Peterbilt’s technicians are empowered to improve service quality and efficiency with augmented reality. Read Case Study

Augmented reality field service products

Vuforia Studio is a flexible, user-friendly AR authoring solution that can use existing product data to build 3D AR experiences.

Vuforia Expert Capture enables service providers to capture knowledge, scale work instructions, and complete AI-enhanced inspections.

Vuforia Chalk enables AR remote assistance for real-time problem solving and collaboration with experts.

Improve field service productivity with connected technologies  

Augmented reality provides field technicians with the in-context work instructions they need to get the job done—but there are even more opportunities for improvement when it’s combined with other technologies. By leveraging AR with IoT and service management solutions, organizations can enable remote diagnostics, ensure service parts are on hand, and provide real-time information overlaid on machines. Discover how combining PTC technologies can help improve your field service productivity.

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Upskill service technicians with AR training

To ensure service technicians are trained and up to date on complex product portfolios, many organizations have begun supplementing traditional training with new innovative methods of onboarding and upskilling employees.

This video explores how an industrial leader, Atlas Copco, supplemented traditional training with augmented 3D visualizations of equipment and exploded depictions of components to provide technicians with a deeper understanding of their machines. By leveraging AR, their technicians were trained faster, retained more, and got personalized hands-on training without an instructor present.

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