Enhancing field‐service delivery: the role of information

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how the availability of information on the equipment to be serviced affects field‐service delivery performance.Design/methodology/approach – The research was performed as a case study with a capital goods manufacturer and its service network. The analysis is based on interviews, a survey of companies in the service network, and warranty records.Findings – In the case setting, it was found that 40 percent of failed service visits were caused by a lack of information. In addition, almost one third of the service visit's duration was used to inquire for detailed information on the equipment in order to be able to diagnose the problem. Preparation of the on‐site visit is identified as a critical information enabled step for high performance field‐service delivery. In the studied case setting, access to reliable information would significantly improve the service call success ratio and shorten duration of on‐site service operations.Research limitations/implicat...

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