The Fike Corporation is in the business of saving lives. As a leading safety manufacturer specializing in protection mechanisms, they have over 75 years of experience ensuring the safety of their clients by providing specialized equipment and expert field service. They specialize in explosion protection, fire protection, and pressure relief through manufacturing and servicing safety components for business-critical machines and processes.
Fike was using a complex web of legacy systems that resulted in expensive technician training, longer response times, and siloed data. Digital transformation was a priority, even before the COVID-19 crisis served as a catalyst for immediate change.
"We've gone through a metamorphosis. We’ve been challenged by our CTO and executive leadership to reinvent everything we do. We see COVID as an opportunity for us to emerge as a completely reformed company."
- Chad Lowman, Director, Corp Business Systems at FikeSelecting the Right Remote Solution
After selecting Salesforce Customer 360 to streamline their quoting processes and connect their data, Fike partnered with SightCall to launch virtual field service. With lives depending on their precise expert support, Fike needed a robust visual assistance solution that could integrate seamlessly with their Salesforce systems and support their processes remotely.
When selecting a visual assistance platform for remote diagnostics and automated service, Fike made sure to include technicians on their selection committee. During a two-month period of rapid prototyping, they used a team of service engineers and technicians to walk through real scenarios and give feedback on what they needed to be successful to the engineers and design team. Giving technicians ownership and a stake in the new solution removed barriers from adopting new processes, and the technicians were enthusiastic about the intuitive features of SightCall and how it enabled them to collect all the data they needed in a quick and efficient way.
Shifting to Virtual Assistance
SightCall for Salesforce was deployed in just forty-eight hours, immediately increasing efficiency, shortening training times, and increasing both customer and technician satisfaction. The solution allows Fike to remotely train technicians onsite and easily walk them through repair processes. With faster virtual processes and seamless data tracking, efficiency has increased across every aspect of the business.
"We’re able to see what the customer sees within minutes of sending that link. They can be our eyes and ears. We can safely look at their processes and critical equipment together, providing the trusted feedback we’re known for by leveraging the expertise of our senior engineers through the visual support."
- Chad Lowman, Director, Corp Business Systems, Fike CorporationBenefits Across the Board
Customer feedback was immediately positive. Previously, when service was required there was a long period of back and forth to schedule a time that worked, plus hours or even days of travel. With SightCall, customers receive a link to a visual support session via text or email and can talk to an expert technician within minutes.
While not everything can be serviced virtually, Fike is able to provide their expert-level feedback almost instantly when it’s needed most. With unnecessary truck rolls eliminated, site visits when needed can be more easily scheduled and problems can be resolved the first time out. Customers also love the access to the data they need.
Onboarding and Training with SightCall
According to a report from The Service Council
Remote field service with SightCall has helped Fike in training and onboarding new technicians, placing them at the innovative edge of avoiding developing skill shortages. Junior technicians can join a session alongside their senior counterparts to see their best-in-class support in action, allowing Fike to onboard and nurture internal talent in real-world settings while providing excellent service to their customers.
Far from seeing this as a temporary shift during the COVID crises, Fike envisions that remote field service will continue to be the norm for many types of jobs. As virtual support continues to evolve, Fike is positioning itself to be at the cutting edge. The accuracy of AR measurements with smartphones and wearables allows for remote precision allows for a great opportunity for quoting new projects without a truck roll.
The Future of Field Service
Fike also sees a lot of potential for IoT integrations that will allow them to help their customers identify and solve potential problems before they happen. By installing assets in the field that feed data into the cloud, their customers can log in and see their entire systems, get notifications of over pressurizations for example, and identify how to correct them immediately with the knowledge that expert technician advice is just a SightCall session away.
