IFS, the global enterprise applications company, announces the availability of IFS Remote Assistance™, a state-of-the-art merged reality (MR) solution that enables field technicians, engineers or customers to share real-life situational context with remote product experts so that hands-on service and repair instructions can be visually demonstrated and acted upon. The solution enables companies to rethink how skills and resources are delivered in the field in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness—a need exacerbated by the movement restrictions currently being implemented by governments around the world.
IFS Remote Assistance is a collaborative MR software solution that blends two real-time video streams into an interactive environment for handheld mobile devices. This enables companies to have remote product experts interact with field technicians, engineers or customers in real-time to solve problems that would previously have been solved by one or more service calls. Using cutting-edge video overlays, staff have instant access to the expertise needed to hit their first-time fix rate targets fulfil their service-level agreements.
The feature-rich app also includes telestration, document sharing, three-party calls, screen capture, recording, call tagging, and satisfaction surveys.
Long-standing IFS customer Munters, a global leader in energy efficient and sustainable air treatment and climate solutions, was looking for a robust remote assistance tool to help the company move towards a fully servitized, outcome-based business model. The current enforced travel restrictions provided additional impetus for Munters to implement a solution that could ensure ways of sharing expertise in a manner that is safe for customers and employees.
Based on the results of the pilot project at Munters, IFS Remote Assistance has delivered the following benefits:
Rapid time to value—from initial inquiry to fully deployed solution took only six days
Intuitive ease of use—staff was trained and ready to use the solution in under two hours
Major efficiency gains—Munters expects significant efficiency gains
“The health and safety of our employees and customers is our number one concern, making our search for a feature-rich and user-friendly tool for remote assistance a priority,” Munters Director of Global Customer Service, Roel Rentmeesters, said. “We see enormous potential in connecting our back-office product experts to field technicians and even directly to our customers. As we are currently launching a new production line in our manufacturing facility in Czech Republic, we are also looking into how we can provide expert support to the local team remotely using handheld devices and MR headsets.”
IFS Chief Product Officer Christian Pedersen added, “These are exceptionally challenging times and I am immensely proud of the people and teams at IFS leaning in to do amazing things for our customers. IFS Remote Assistance has been brought to market in record time to help our customers operate safely and efficiently. By partnering with Munters, we have achieved some remarkable results that will deliver positive effects far beyond the current situation. To all our customers, I would like to say that IFS is ready and able to help you reimagine how you address challenges and boost efficiencies in the short and long term.”
