Interactive Instructions for more Efficiency in Technical Services
Quanos InfoTwin offers users a digital service assistant via the “Service Activities” function set, which ensures reliable operation of the machines and systems delivered. The interactive step-by-step instructions help to significantly improve efficiency, accuracy and quality in the technical servicing of machines.
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Challenges in Technical Service
The technical service departments of many industrial companies are currently facing major challenges such as digitalization, a shortage of skilled workers, and new customer requirements. To ensure that processes run smoothly, service employees must react quickly, work efficiently and make the right decisions when commissioning, maintaining and repairing the machine or system.
The availability of relevant information and an efficient flow of information in the service department are crucial to the successful completion of these tasks. The consequences of inadequate access to relevant information are being felt by more and more service teams: a lack of digital, centralized documentation of past service activities, outdated information distributed across multiple systems, a lack of remote access, delays in identifying spare parts, knowledge gaps and dwindling expertise among service technicians. The lengthy search for information wastes valuable service time and can not only affect productivity and efficiency in technical service but also lead to additional costs, employee frustration and customer dissatisfaction.
To counteract these consequences, improve the first-time fix rate (FTFR) and increase customer satisfaction in service, Quanos is committed to professional information and knowledge management. In the Quanos InfoTwin cloud solution, all of the relevant information from technical documentation, spare parts management and other data sources (ERP, CAD, ECAD, CMS) is available centrally around the clock to ensure that technical service processes run efficiently and smoothly. In addition to two other function sets for increasing productivity in service (Documentation & Knowledge and Spare Parts), the interactive step-by-step instructions “Service Activities” are available as a new function set in the cloud solution.
Service Activities: A digital assistant for more efficiency
Thanks to the functionality for service activities, it is now possible to create detailed interactive instructions based on the spare parts information and technical documentation in order to standardize the processes of a service call and thus ensure a high and uniform level of technical service. With Service Activities, the existing instructions can be automatically extracted from the documentation and made available in the form of a digital step-by-step assistant. This allows service technicians to optimally prepare for their assignments and ensure that they have the required wear parts and tools with them. This increases the first-time fix rate and ensures satisfied customers.
“Until now, the commissioning, repair and maintenance of machines and systems have been mapped in the technical documentation using traditional documents. The Service Activities function now makes this content available in Quanos InfoTwin in a semantic and interactive form called ‘activities’,” says Daniel Binder, Product Manager InfoTwin at Quanos.
The activities link documentation, spare and wear parts and tools to provide all of the relevant information for carrying out an efficient service job. When the user starts a specific task, they receive detailed information about the upcoming job, including all the required spare parts and tools. On the basis of instructions, such as warnings or requests for action, the user is guided through the process step by step. Certain warnings or intermediate results must be confirmed (e.g. by clicking a button) in order to proceed to the subsequent steps within the wizard.
Smart networking with third-party systems
In order to use data and information from the various data sources for the service activities and forward them to third-party systems, there are various networking options. One of these is the connectors, which enable bidirectional data exchange between Quanos InfoTwin and other systems.
The XML data required for the service activities is available via the export of the documented format from a Component Content Management System (CCMS) or from a Field Service Management (FSM) system. Users who use the SCHEMA ST4 technical content management system can transfer the XML data from SCHEMA ST4 to Quanos InfoTwin completely automatically via the ST4 InfoTwin Connector. This significantly reduces the effort involved in creating and publishing technical documents and linking them to service information.
Once a service activity has been completed, the data can be forwarded to an FSM system or a maintenance management system by triggering an event in order to automatically generate a service report, thereby enabling better planning of maintenance work and maximizing the service life of machines.
Benefits for service engineers and technical writers
The interactive step-by-step instructions offer numerous benefits for both users and the company itself. With Quanos InfoTwin, technical writers can communicate complex technical information quickly and efficiently by offering service professionals digital technical documentation that is intelligently networked with all service information (Connected Content Delivery). They can also make bundled adjustments to the documentation and automatically distribute the updates to all machine locations.
Service engineers and maintenance technicians have 24/7 access to all service-relevant information via an intuitive user interface. The Quanos service assistant guides them through all the necessary steps of the job and enables service assignments with high accuracy and quality thanks to
- clear presentation of all important information about a service job, including filter function (metadata, tools, spare parts).
- better preparation for upcoming jobs thanks to more information about the machine.
- optimal execution of jobs thanks to instructions and warnings.
- access to digital, centralized documentation of past service activities in the service history.
- greater transparency in task management due to ticking off tasks that have already been completed.
- comprehensive additional information about spare parts, tools or wear parts.
Benefits for machine manufacturers
Machine manufacturers want to enable their customers to use their machines reliably and at the same time make their own service processes more efficient. Linking product-related documentation with service and spare parts management is crucial for this. Comprehensive technical information that is available and prepared in a user-friendly way is the most important tool for a service call. With the service assistant, sluggish service processes are optimized and replaced by fast workflows, so that
- the First-Time Fix Rate (FTFR) of the service team and customer satisfaction increase.
- companies become more competitive by creating customer-centric offers based on clear service information.
- an integrated information and knowledge management system is created that helps service technicians to be more productive.
Summary: more efficient service operations in the future
In order to further improve the user experience and efficiency in technical service, further innovative functionalities are planned as part of the InfoTwin Service Activities. These include
- Linking of related activities: Related activities will be combined in sequences in the future, enabling even more efficient planning and execution of service work and making the best use of time and resources.
- Adding pictures and notes: Photos and notes can be attached by service technicians during the execution of an activity in order to provide valuable feedback.
The key to higher productivity in technical service lies in networked, clear and up-to-date information. With the help of smart processes and transparent information, machine manufacturers' service staff can improve response times, shorten processing times and reduce machine downtimes. The structured and comprehensive information in the form of interactive step-by-step instructions in Quanos InfoTwin provides service teams with the support they need to plan, prepare and carry out successful service operations — regardless of when and where the service technicians are working.
