IIoT for a Better Customer Experience and Brand Protection

During the “Service Performance Management by OEMs with Industrial IoT” session at the ARC Industry Forum in February , we saw a case study presentation for improved field service by OEMs. Emerging technologies – especially IIoT and analytics – have opened an opportunity for brand protection and revenue growth.

Ingersoll Rand “One Customer Experience”

The presentation by Matt Orcutt, Director, Customer Experience, Ingersoll Rand Residential HVAC, provided insights for melding IoT into the broader customer experience. The Internet has created transparency that extends across the systems that touch the customer and increases the need for brand protection. Mr. Orcutt described Ingersoll Rand’s approach for integrating the “touchpoints” from awareness (search), initial engagement, purchase, and installation, to post-sales support. This has an omni-channel approach involving both Ingersoll Rand and its dealers. The methodology includes a “customer journey map” which is a process flow chart like Lean’s value stream mapping to identify pain points and unmet needs. Entering duplicate information into multiple systems is particularly problematic.

Mr. Orcutt then focused on IoT with a use case for a better customer experience. Here, a consumer with a newly installed air conditioner returned home to find the temperature in his house warmer than set. The traditional approach would be to send a service technician to troubleshoot and repair – inconveniencing the customer and expensive. However, using the new Nexia Home Intelligence system, the dealer was able to tap into the system and determine that the air conditioner was recovering from a recent power outage. The customer’s issue was immediately answered and resolved without sending a technician.

For part of the “One Customer Experience” initiative, Ingersoll Rand engaged with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for consulting and implementation services. TCS helped improve the ease of doing business with channel partners. This included applications across multiple strategic business units (SBU) and geographies. TCS also provided strategic consulting for improving the connected services in the customer portal.

Recommendations

To borrow Geoffrey Moore’s terminology for the lifecycle of technology adoption, the application of IIoT with analytics for predictive and prescriptive maintenance has clearly “crossed the chasm.” With this in mind, ARC recommends the following actions:

• If they have not already done so, OEMs should develop and deploy predictive/prescriptive maintenance services using IIoT.  This offers both high margin revenue growth plus a means for assuring improved brand protection.


• Owner-operators should include IIoT adoption by their equipment suppliers as a critical selection criterion when sourcing equipment. In particular, this applies to the more complex devices for which on-site, general-purpose technicians do not have the specific expertise, skills or tools required for dependable trouble shooting, problem isolation and repair.