Augmented Reality for Field Service Could be a Game Changer
On its blog Field Service News published an interview conducted by Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, with Cranfield University School of Management’s Professor Howard Lightfoot. In the interview, Lightfoot expresses his conviction that Augmented Reality could revive field service as a profession worthy of attention by millennials. The problem is that field service is facing a significant aging workforce crisis. A shortage of qualified field service professionals could hamper the growth of businesses and increase downtime in mission critical systems.
Lightfoot says AR in field service operations is potentially a “massive game changer.” The suggestion is that rather than training the number of professionals needed to perform highly specialized tasks, Augmented Reality-assisted remote guidance will permit remote specialists to support anyone in the field. By connecting with skilled technicians, people will be able to more easily perform service and even repairs themselves. When the specialist can see what a local person is doing and immediately overlay information or to “digitally point at things,” travel to remote locations becomes less necessary.