The Top 5 Trends in Aftersales Service in 2023
Stagnant supply chains, rising energy costs and inflation - 2022 was a challenging year for consumers and industry. At least there is one constant: service remains a stable pillar for the economic success of machine and plant manufacturers. Those who have already set the course for digitization in service during the pandemic are equipped for the trends in aftersales service.
Trend 1: Sustainability
Without a doubt, one topic that cannot be missing from any trend list is sustainability. In 2023, the task for machine builders will be both to improve their own sustainability and to create more sustainability through service.
One important sustainability lever is digitalization. According to a survey by the digital association Bitkom, it offers great opportunities for climate protection - 81% of the companies surveyed are convinced of this.
The use of digital twins alone to simulate and optimize products or processes could save 33 million tons of CO2 by 2030. In addition, 31 million tons could be avoided through further automation measures in production, as digital technologies reduce manual interventions and the use of materials.
Service levers for greater sustainability
One way in which machine builders contribute to climate protection with their service is by extending the life cycle of their products: Predictive and intelligent maintenance can extend the service life of equipment. For customers, this has the positive effect that they can use their machines longer and save costs.
Trend 2: Knowledge
Knowledge is power - but demographic change means that more and more know-how is disappearing from companies and retiring with employees. Machine and plant builders must therefore use internal knowledge more efficiently and digitize it as far as possible. This task will also play an important role in 2023.
The customers of machine and plant builders face the same challenge. If you make service-relevant information from your machines available not only to internal employees but also to your customers' employees, you create a basis for new business models.
The use of interactive spare parts catalogs, service information systems and digital twins creates a knowledge platform with which your company can meet the challenges of demographic change and the shortage of skilled workers, while at the same time making valuable knowledge available to your customers.
Trend 3: Customer experience
Good products are no longer enough today. Both the service and the entire customer journey from the first contact to the spare parts order must trigger enthusiasm. This is the only way to build and strengthen long-term customer relationships.
Customer demands are increasing and posing major challenges for aftersales services. With these skills, your support staff will inspire customers:
- high technical competence
- communicative skills
- in-depth knowledge of products
You support your service team by providing them with a digital service platform. There, customer service and aftersales can find the information they need to solve problems quickly and efficiently, whether in the office or on-site at the customer's facility.
Extensive search options and linked information make it easier for service technicians to access the information they are looking for. The goal is to create a "360° service view" of all machines and systems. This results in holistic service that not only satisfies customers but inspires them.
Trend 4: Servitization
If you have not yet upgraded your service to Service 4.0, you still have the chance to do so in 2023. Because servitization - the networking and digitization of service processes - remains one of the most important trend topics in the industry.
The focus in mechanical engineering is shifting from supply-oriented new machine business to meeting customer needs. And for customers today, the performance of their plant is more important than simply owning a machine.
Trend 5: Industrial metaverse
The term "metaverse" sounds like it came straight from a science fiction novel. It refers to a universe that exists apart from the real world and extends it through a digital space.
According to a survey commissioned by TeamViewer, 28% of Germans believe that the metaverse will play an important role in industry in the future. However, around 70% of respondents still lack a concrete idea of exactly what the Metaverse is.
Even if the concept still seems unreal to many, the trend has arrived at Hannover Messe in 2022. The first industrial companies are thinking about what an industrial metaverse might look like and what benefits it could bring to production halls and plants.
Key technologies in the metaverse are
- digital twins,
- augmented reality and
- artificial intelligence.
The three technologies are already playing a role in service. And so, the path from Service 4.0 to the Metaverse does not seem far, at least in theory. Now it is time to find concrete use cases and test out the possibilities of the metaverse. The following example shows what a use case in service might look like.
Maintenance in the Metaverse
If a machine in the customer's plant is defective, the customer's technician and the machine manufacturer's service technician can meet in the Metaverse. Using a digital twin of the machine, which is fed from real-time data of its real role model, the service technician performs the necessary maintenance steps.
The customer's technician follows the steps interactively. Thanks to the immersive representation of the machine in the virtual environment, he is able to grasp the maintenance procedures more easily and carry them out independently on the real machine. Plant downtimes can thus be better planned and reduced, as can maintenance costs and the travel times of service technicians.
The role of the Digital Information Twin
Companies can already lay the foundation for immersive maintenance processes today and thus be fully in line with the trend: Service-relevant information of a machine can be virtually mapped in a Digital Information Twin (DIT) from its first use.
This creates a comprehensive, digital understanding of the lifecycle of individual products, machines, and systems, which provides valuable information for maintenance and servicing measures.
The DIT synchronizes the service information of product components from different systems in one platform and makes it available to all user groups that need it for their work. The data is presented virtually in the DIT and prepared in such a way that it offers users added value.
Conclusion: Digitization will remain the trend driver for the service of the future in 2023
Investments in new machinery and equipment will probably remain cautious in the coming year. The relevance of future-proof service processes, on the other hand, will remain unbroken.
Those who want to master future crises with confidence and stay one step ahead of the competition are already focusing on trends such as the Digital Information Twin and using this as an integrated platform for existing service information and new business models for stable sales.
Our new modular cloud solution Quanos InfoTwin supports you in this. Easy to use, Quanos InfoTwin networks all information relevant for the aftersales & service process into a Digital Information Twin, creating the basis for new business models and smart services.
Do you need a partner to finally turn your vision of digitalized aftersales service into reality in 2023? Our experts are at your side with their deep industry and process knowledge.
