OPTIMIZING FIELD SERVICE OPERATIONSWITH VUZIX SMART GLASSES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION: STATE OF THE FIELD SERVICE INDUSTRY Disrupting Factors in Field Service Organizations Mobility in the Field Today

2. The Next Generation of Mobility in Field Services: Vuzix M-Series Smart Glasses Out in the Field

Augmenting Field Workers with Vuzix M-Series Smart Glasses Applications for Vuzix M300XL in the Field

3. Use Cases with Vuzix M-Series Smart Glasses: The New Standard in Field Service

4. Learn More: The Future of M300XL in the Field and Beyond

1 Introduction:State of the Field Service Industry

With 20 million technicians around the world and a projected global market size of $4.45 billion by 2022, the field service industry is giant, indispensable, and currently experiencing major technological and workforce upheavals.¹ There are 3 major areas of change that are causing service organizations to evolve and each one has its own significance. One, the historically experienced baby boomer generation is retiring. Two, the machines needing servicing are becoming more complex. Three, “customer experience” in many situations is replacing price to become the main customer differentiator in service-based operations.

GKN Car Components Factory Floor, 1950s.

At its height, the Ford "Rouge" employed more than 100,000 people. Ford cars were completely assembled from the chassis up on a moving conveyor, and then driven off the line under their own power.

1 Reuters

1 Reuters

A. Disrupting Factors in Warehousing and Logistics

TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE

Technicians today are responsible for servicing a large range of products of increasing complexity. At the same time, technology is advancing so fast that available specialist technicians who are up to date are disappearing. It’s simply impossible for modern technicians to train for every scenario they might encounter in the field; what is now often needed is a generalist technician that is agile and capable of working on many different things (with the aid of technology). Moreover, the need for this new class of trainable tech-savvy flexible workers has sharply risen. Skilled people are needed on site to service these growing number of complex machines in order to support on-going automation and digitization efforts.

AGING WORKFORCE

It’s estimated that 60% of the field service workforce will soon retire and need replacing. This impending loss of top-level tribal knowledge is a critical challenge for organizations that are already struggling to fill open field service positions. Millennials are now the largest talent hiring pool and they aren’t exactly lining up to enter the trades. The costs of recruiting and especially training new skilled trades workers is also substantial in today's world.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) & THE INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT)

Sensor-equipped machines capable of transmitting real-time status updates for remote monitoring are becoming the norm (IoT). Their benefit is that IoT technologies are expected to take over the initial diagnostic responsibilities. IoT technology will ultimately be used (if not already) in combination with AI to take over the skilled human dispatch process; actual fixes still require human technicians. The above scenario is where the future is foreseeably going; in current times however, most service workers often don’t have mobile access to their company’s knowledge base.

AGE OF THE CUSTOMER

Today’s consumers wield considerable power via online reviews and social media. With veteran techs leaving the workforce in droves, service organizations now have to worry about losing their longtime employee to customer relationships while simultaneously keeping their first-time fix rates high with these inevitably new employees in order to maintain their industry reputations.

B. Mobility in the Field Today

52% of field service organizations still coordinate and perform tasks manually, while less than half that number use any form of mobile rugged handheld devices.² It’s no wonder workers complain about slow tools and a lack of information like service records, equipment specifications, how-to content and other knowledge from a field service management system (FSMS) in the field. Many field technicians today still consult paper manuals, fill out service forms, tap touch screens, go through dispatchers for assistance, and train in unrealistic sandbox environments.

Although every field service provider strives for a high first-time fix rate, 25% of service calls today require a follow-up visit due to lack of experience or an incorrect diagnosis.³ There are signs of progress, however: more companies are starting to digitize their paper resources; field service management software will soon be sector-wide; and AI systems will be able to efficiently dispatch technicians according to skill, availability and location. The best interface between this digital content and the technician in the field is augmented reality (AR), ideally in the form of hands-free AR smart glasses that will utterly transform how technicians approach service.

Smart augmented reality glasses are disrupting enterprise mobility, allowing users to work heads-up and hands-free and remain contextually aware at all times. Smart glasses are simple to operate, hands free and highly accessible tools for receiving task-based information, recording data, and more. They provide optimum mobility and hands-free access for the wearer, and as the user interface can include even basic AR with overlays they can deliver better real-time capabilities and information than earlier mobile devices.

Smart glasses promise a much-improved user experience over bulky operator manuals and handheld devices in the field. The innovation lies in taking information out of workers’ hands and putting it right in their line of vision when they need it. Smart glasses enable:

• Hands-free access to information (an organization’s FSMS or other systems of record, step-by-step instructions, diagrams, videos, etc.)

• Real-time, see-what-I-see communication (for remote collaboration and support from an expert technician or supervisor)

• Hands-free, point-of-view documentation (audio and visual)

• AR overlays for remote support and communications (primarily contextual visuals based on the work or actions to be done)

• Object and image recognition (for scanning codes, text, number reading, step verification, etc.)

These capabilities are essential for delivering the benefits of advanced sensor technology, field management software, and AI to skilled service technicians out in the field.

2 The Next Generation of Mobility in Field Service: Vuzix M-Series Smart Glasses Out in the Field

Product variation, inadequate training methods, and work instructions that slow down employees are common issues plaguing manufacturing operations today.

With a form factor that compliments the on-the-go nature of field work combined with a user experience that enhances speed and performance, Vuzix smart glasses promise to help field service organizations improve first-time-fix rates and ultimately help increase customer satisfaction. When it comes to navigating the increasingly crowded enterprise hardware market two things stand-out, wearability and ruggedness. In this respect, there is no more ergonomically versatile device with a better track record than Vuzix M-Series Smart Glasses.

Purpose-built and field tested for enterprise, the Vuzix M300XL is the most wearable and secure smart glasses on the market today. Multiple mounting options and a catalogue of ingenious industrial accessories make the device universal: Left or right eye dominant? Wear safety eyewear on the job? Vuzix M-Series frames can be adjusted for left or right eye use, mounted onto a hard hat or headband, and worn with prescription lenses or no lenses at all.

Years of feedback from Fortune 1000 went into the M-Series’ supremely ergonomic, rugged and flexible design. Vuzix is continuously offering the most advanced technology, from M100 to M300XL and soon the new M400.The results are devices that reliably delivers the ROI you seek, that can be used by teams of varying needs, and that can be quickly deployed in any working environment with a platform of essential applications or the help of a Vuzix VIP Partner.

Vuzix offers the widest portfolio of accessories for the professional market, including safety glasses and helmets as well as external battery power banks:

A. Augmenting Field Workers with Vuzix M-Series Smart Glasses

Vuzix M300XL Smart Glasses: Connecting the worker to the smart factory

FAST SPECS OF THE FEATURE-PACKED VUZIX M300XL:

• Main: Intel Atom Dual Core processor • Android 6.0.1 OS • large internal storage (2GB RAM, 64GB flash memory) • full-color monocular display

• Advanced optics: 640x360 display resolution • 16:9 aspect ratio • FOV equivalent to a 5-in. mobile device screen seen at 17 in. • >2000 nits (brightness) • 24-bit color

• Customizable controls: Voice (multilingual), touchpad, standard buttons, and gesture

• Unprecedented situational awareness: Outward-facing proximity sensors • head tracking • 3-axis gyroscope, accelerometer, and magnetometer • ambient light

• HD Camera: 10 Megapixel, 1080p camera records, stores and plays back still pictures and video, and can be used for text and image recognition • auto-focus, image stabilization & flash • telephoto lens add-on for faster scanning of distant objects

• Powerful audio: Integrated speaker • dual noise-canceling microphones • Bluetooth headset support

• Robust connectivity: Bluetooth and Wi-Fi; can pair with Android or iOS devices or connect wirelessly to the Internet

• Durable: Ruggedized against water, dirt and dust • mounting options for increased rugged performance in industrial environments

• Battery: 2-12 hours of operation depending on choice of external battery

• Flexible ergonomics: Supports left or right eye use • multiple adjustable (industrial) mounting and lens options (PPE compatible)

• Accessory line: Lens-less, prescription-ready and/or safety frames, hardhat and headband mounts, and other accessories expand functionality to suit any work environment

Compare all Vuzix products here: www.vuzix.com/products/compare-vuzix-smart-glasses

Touchpad

Reset

BackNavigation Buttons

Mounting Rail

Outer Sensor Window(Mic, Ambient light, Proximity, Indicator LED)

Inner Sensor Window(Mic, Proximity)

Display

Camera

Flash/Flashlight

Recording LED

Center Front

Power ButtonCharge Status

Mounting Rail

Wi-Fi Adapter and Port

Vuzix M300XL Smart Glasses: Connecting the worker to the smart factory

M-SERIES ARE STRONG, STABLE AND RUGGEDIZED DEVICES READY FOR THE ENTERPRISE MARKET

WATERPROOF

IP63 - Protect against contact dust tight and level 3: spraying water

IEC 60529

EN 60529

DUST TIGHT

IP63 - Protect against contact dust tight and level 3: spraying water

IEC 60529

EN 60529

DROP PROOF

Resistant to 2-meter drops onto concrete from any angle

TEMPERATURE TESTED

-40°C to 50°C

Weight:

M300: 104 gr.

M300XL: 120 gr.

THE BEST USER INTERFACE FOR FIELD TECHNICIANS IN ANY SITUATION

Voice Navigation

3 Android Buttons, Programable

Gesture Navigation

Mousepad

• Standard USB Connections

• Faster Auto-Focus

• Longer Battery Life

• Improved Power Management

• 16-Megapixel Camera Sensor

• External Wi-Fi USB Option

• Power LED Display

• Supports all M-Series Smart Glasses Mounting Options & Accessories

VUZIX M300XL includes new features including:

• Standard USB Connector

• Faster Auto-Focus

• Longer Battery Life

• Improved Power Management

• 16-Megapixel Camera Sensor

• External Wi-Fi USB Option

• Power LED Display

• Supports all M-Series Smart Glasses Mounting Options & Accessories

• Compatible with M300 OS

Recent findings indicate that field service organizations rated best-in-class are 72% more likely to use visual collaboration and remote support tools like smart glasses.4

B. Applications for Vuzix M300XL in the Field

HEADS-UP, HANDS-FREE INFORMATION

The next best thing to sending the most qualified technician to every job is fool-proofing standard field service procedures for newer workers. Integrated with an FSMS, Vuzix M300XL does just this, allowing junior techs in the field to diagnose and resolve problems with unfamiliar equipment by following step-by-step instructions and 3D illustrations in their field of view. If the junior tech still runs into trouble they can always stream their smart-glass audio/video back to an expert for live help; all while being hands free so they can act on that expert advice instantly. For green and seasoned field service workers alike, Vuzix M-Series Smart Glasses provide instant, hands-free access to troubleshooting and repair procedures, step-by-step installation guides, equipment schematics, even training videos right in front of one’s eyes, superimposed on the machine being serviced.

The M300XL can interface with IoT sensors to deliver contextual information to dispatched technicians, alerting them to nearby assets in need of servicing and allowing them to review service history, machine diagnostics, and inventory levels on the go. Real-time information and the ability to check an FSMS in the glasses’ display empower technicians to make better decisions, work more confidently, provide faster service to customers, and take more service calls in a day.

DOCUMENTATION AND VERIFICATION

Field techs normally perform inspections manually, recording their observations on paper or via manual computer entry. Vuzix M300XL makes this process easier, allowing technicians to safely look inside a machine without even physically interacting with it. Two features of the device make it possible to eliminate time-consuming administrative tasks and opportunities for human error: The built-in HD camera and image recognition technology. Wearing M300XL during inspection, technicians take hands-free photos and video by looking through the glasses’ camera and issuing simple voice commands and record voice notes. The Smart Glasses with the appropriate filed service applications can automatically verify parts, capture measurements, scan critical failure points, and can generates a precise report that’s uploaded to the FSMS. Add a rich overlay of historical and real-time data and you have a recipe for faster diagnoses with fewer errors.

REMOTE SUPPORT

Vuzix M-Series-powered remote support facilitates on-the-job learning without jeopardizing customer service and enables skilled experts to cover more ground. Field service managers better trust that any technician armed with the M300XL, no matter his level of experience, will be able to deliver a first-time fix. Remote support is also taking place between offsite technicians and customers themselves, with field service organizations beginning to offer Vuzix M-Series Smart Glasses as a value-added service to clients who want to perform minor repairs and service calls without a field tech.

When a technician wearing Vuzix M300XL in the field runs into a problem they cannot solve, a centrally located expert is able to share their view and guide them through the task in real time. The offsite expert or senior technician sees exactly what the onsite tech sees through her smart glasses and uses voice and AR overlays to direct them, augmenting their field of view with visual annotations and other rich media. In this way, experts can also perform remote inspections, which reduces travel costs, minimizes disruption to the customer’s operations, and extends the careers of the industry’s most experienced workers.

TRAINING AND KNOWLEDGE CAPTURE

40% of field service workers don’t receive adequate training, making them more likely to quit their jobs within a year.5 Employers are finding a solution to this problem in Vuzix M-Series Smart Glasses, which, through augmented information and remote guidance, accelerate knowledge transfer between junior and senior technicians at 20-50% less cost than current methods.6 The technology helps ease new hires into working with new equipment and minimizes risk of injury and follow-up visits due to inexperience. Onboarding takes place in the field and technicians of all skill levels can be fluent in repairs across different machines by simply looking at an asset’s QR code to tailor instructions in their display to the equipment model under service.

As most people are visual learners, delivering live training in the field via Vuzix M300XL is more effective than traditional on-the-job training in which a new technician shadows a more experienced one. Smart Glasses and AR glasses are becoming users’ preferred method of learning over written manuals and contained training modules and a new means of creating, capturing and sharing knowledge across the organization. To preserve their practical knowledge for the next generation of workers, industry veterans are now wearing the M300XL to record best practices; and recordings of remote support sessions are providing even further training material.

4 Aberdeen Group5 Forbes6 Atheer

Leading companies like Verizon and Daikin recognize that in the field itself lies the greatest opportunity to boost first-time fix rates, improve customer service, and increase profitability through digital transformation. This is why they’re actively testing and employing Vuzix M-Series Smart Glasses in the field.

VERIZON

At Verizon, field technicians inspect and service equipment and wiring, oftentimes standing on poles at great heights, and train using iPads in classroom settings. Seeking a turnkey solution that would improve safety, improve response time, reduce errors and cut down on classroom training time, the telecom giant turned to Vuzix M-Series Smart Glasses powered by Ubimax software. For the pilot, 50 Verizon reps across the U.S., including copper and fiber technicians, indoor reps and outdoor reps, and employees in the central office, were equipped with Vuzix smart glasses to enable remote support. With an initial focus on service and maintenance, Verizon was able to check off every box on its wish list:

• Instead of two workers, a single worker wearing Vuzix M300XL was able to do the job more quickly and with higher accuracy thanks to the supervision of a remote expert.

• Employees in various environments, including those working up high, felt safer and more confident working heads-up and hands-free.

• Onboarding and training improved: Newer employees were able to learn on the job more easily. Senior workers documented best practices and standard procedures with the smart glasses to mentor junior techs.

• Productivity gains from all of the above plus reduced travel time.

DAIKIN

Daikin is a global manufacturer of HVAC products and systems that prides itself on its personal service, commitment to quality, and use of state-of-the-art technology like Vuzix M-Series Smart Glasses which support Daikin’s service staff.

Problem: HVAC maintenance and repair requires detailed knowledge of the equipment being serviced. Encountering many different devices of varying complexity, Daikin’s field engineers – often working on the roofs of large buildings – were losing a lot of time just searching for information like error data and maintenance instructions on a tablet and contacting the help desk by phone for technical support. With an average of only two visits per day per worker, a scarcity of talent and long staff onboarding times, Daikin knew it had to intervene with newer technology to give time back to its workers.

Solution: Daikin uses Vuzix Smart Glasses with software by Gemvision for remote support, on-site database searches, and job documentation on machine servicing calls. Employees don’t need to look away from their work or play with the angle of the tablet to see it while working on the roofs of large buildings; instead, instructions are in their field of view.

Results: It used to take years for a new employee to get to know Daikin’s products enough to work autonomously on calls. With Vuzix Smart Glasses supporting Daikin’s on-site engineers, all workers have heads-up, hands-free access to a huge amount of technical information, databases, error codes, and videoconferencing with remote experts around the world. Newer technicians are able to train live and spend less time at customers' sites. All data captured with the smart glasses is automatically saved and the engineer’s workbook automatically filled-in. As technicians make up the greatest group of employees in a service organization like Daikin and have the most interaction with customers, improving their performance is the most direct way to raise customer satisfaction.

3 Use Cases with Vuzix M-Series Smart Glasses: The New Standard in Field Service

HELLA GUTMANN

Workshops and garages utilize AR smart glasses to repair vehicles faster.

Formed as a merger between Gutmann Messtechnik and the family business HELLA in 2008, Hella Gutmann Solutions GmbH is a joint venture with over 400 employees providing garage equipment and diagnostic solutions, calibration tools, spare parts and technical services to bring success to over 40,000 workshops in 24 countries.

With a wide range of diagnostics and service units, Hella Gutmann offer everything workshops and garages need for the maintenance of a range of modern vehicle electronics: Vehicle diagnostics systems and beam setters. With technical precision and simple operation, Hella Gutmann supports workshops and service garages with premium-class technology to get vehicles in and out of the workshops and on the road a efficiently as possible.

Hella Gutmann Solutions turned to Vuzix Smart glasses together with the RE’FLEKT software solution to further increase the efficiency of services offered to their workshop customers. Before implementing this solution, workshop technicians relied on email and telephone calls to communicate diagnostic and repair issues to Hella Gutmann when additional support was needed. For Hella Gutmann, it was often challenging to understand the issues faced in the workshop resulting in their specialists being sent out to inspect and assess on site.

Now with Vuzix smart glasses and REFLEKT Remote, Hella Gutmann specialists can remotely see what the workshop technician sees through the Vuzix smart glasses or smartphone application. They can clearly instruct how to solve the issue and save days worth of time to get workshop vehicles back on the road.

VSEE

Vuzix has partnered with telemedicine provider VSee to create a telemedicine solution for Vuzix Smart Glasses.

VSee provides a HIPAA-compliant video telehealth and telemedicine video conferencing solution that is used by more than 1,000 telemedicine companies operating all over the globe, including MDLIVE, Walgreens, McKesson, International SOS and DaVita, as well as numerous A-list healthcare systems such as Ascension, HealthPartners, Sutter, Trinity and Sentara.

Smart glasses have a variety of uses in telemedicine and can not only reduce or eliminate travel time, but also help to bring healthcare to rural and remote regions. Uses for smart glasses in medicine include training to give students a uniquely personal perspective. This may include streaming video of surgery to multiple locations and displays at the same time.

Nurse practitioners or physician assistants can use smart glasses to care for patients and instantly connect to a doctor that is onsite or located at an offsite location. Smart glasses can also connect to monitoring devices via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, allowing doctors to perform an ultrasound or monitor a patient without the need for an on-site physician. The data can simply be relayed to the display of the smart glasses.

For first responders, using smart glasses connected to a network would enable them to immediately access hospital triage experts to help save lives with a simple click to initiate a video phone call. The mounted camera offers a unique first-person perspective and the glasses are more convenient and portable than cumbersome video equipment. With the potential to live-stream a video feed wirelessly, the glasses have already proved useful for a variety of applications.

The majority of field service organizations are expected to implement augmented reality in the next three years.7 One reason for this is the need to develop a “liquid workforce” as hard skills vanish from the service sector.8 Another is the arrival of IoT – increasing connectivity and advancements in machine learning – the insights of which are delivered to human change agents in the field via smart glasses.

80% of the global workforce doesn’t sit at a desk. That’s 2.7 billion deskless workers who need their hands free to do their jobs better, faster, and safer. Field service technicians are classic examples of deskless workers but so are warehouse workers, construction workers, even home nurses. Beyond the field, Vuzix M-Series Smart Glasses are connecting human workers with smart machines, critical information sources, and one another; replacing paper documents and hand-held devices on the assembly line, in the factory, and even in hospitals.

It cannot be overstated just how revolutionary a heads-up, hands-free form factor is for modern workers. Within the crowded enterprise hardware sector, Vuzix M-Series Smart Glasses stand out thanks to their ergonomic design, long track record, and range of capabilities made possible by key software partnerships and device accessories. Today, the Vuzix M300XL is one of the most widely deployed devices of its kind across the globe, digitally transforming businesses in the widest variety of use cases for any single wearable device. To learn more about improving existing workflows and opening new opportunities for your business with Vuzix M-Series Smart Glasses, visit: www.vuzix.com

4 Learn More: The Future of Vuzix M-series Smart Glasses in the Field and Beyond

7 Accenture8 Capgemini

www.vuzix.com

©2018 Vuzix Corporation, Vuzix, the Vuzix logo, M100, M300, Vuzix Blade and iWear are trademarks of Vuzix Corporation and these products are protected by various Vuzix Corporation Patents and patents pending. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners

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