The Future Of Service Delivery: Humans, AI, And Automation

The Future Of Service Delivery: Humans, AI, And Automation

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Written by Adam Wicken

ML Engineer

Adam Wicken is an expert in Machine Learning and Computer Vision with 7 years of experience. He specializes in tasks such as classification, segmentation, object detection.

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Reviewed by Zayn Saddique

Founder

Zayn Saddique is a passionate entrepreneur and visionary behind Digixvalley, a software development company that's been at the forefront of AI and metaverse technology.

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On a quiet street in Bend and Oregon the last Blockbuster Video stands proudly between a nail salon and a take-and-bake pizza shop.

For many, this store evokes nostalgia, stirring memories of VHS tapes and weekly movie rentals. Yet it also highlights how rapidly technology can transform an industry. Less than 15 years Blockbuster shrank from 9,000 locations to just one unable to compete with the speed and convenience of on demand streaming services.

Companies like Netflix and Uber have set new expectations for how services should be delivered. Even something as straightforward as hailing a cab now feels outdated. People want everything at their fingertips from scheduling rides and ordering meals to downloading movies all from the comfort of their couches.

These days, when I talk to industry leaders, Conversations are often about enhancing the customer experience.

Companies are eager to find ways to provide better faster service. For many this means harnessing the latest advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to empower their teams and boost productivity.

Rethinking The Nature Of Work

A recent survey by Deloitte revealed that nearly half of respondents believe their organizations are actively engaged in automation projects, with 24% incorporating AI and robotics to handle routine tasks.

We’re already witnessing automation’s impact on workforce productivity. Companies are leveraging AI to monitor networks of smart devices and transform vast amounts of data into highly personalized marketing campaigns. While a human writer may still be behind that perfect tagline, it’s technology that decides when, where, and how you receive the message. 

As we rethink work, it’s clear that blending human creativity with automation can lead to smarter strategies and faster growth.

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Working Smarter Faster And More Efficiently

Almost every company can enhance its operations by integrating more automation. But field service organizations are particularly focused on using AI to boost productivity and improve service.

In my experience, most companies employ about one back-office coordinator for every four field technicians. These coordinators juggle a wide range of tasks from creating work orders to sourcing spare parts and providing on-the-spot support. It’s a slow, labor-intensive process that begs for optimization. With just a touch of automation, back-office coordinators could effectively support as many as 20 technicians.

Driving Productivity With Automation

For field service leaders today, one metric stands out above the rest: availability. In an industry where every minute of downtime translates to lost revenue. Even a small boost in asset uptime can make a big difference.

Many organizations are turning to predictive maintenance for a solution. Instead of the traditional break-fix approach where technicians only respond after something breaks, artificial intelligence can help spot potential issues before they arise.

Picture two identical towers: one standing tall in chilly Chicago, the other basking in sunny Los Angeles. Despite their similarities, these towers experience very different wear and tear.

Predictive maintenance addresses this by using AI and sensor-equipped devices to tailor maintenance schedules for each tower, based on real-time monitoring and historical data from similar structures. Technicians are dispatched only as a last resort, to replace parts or investigate root causes.

As companies increasingly depend on AI for operational efficiency, spending on intelligent automation is soaring. From analyzing historical data to forecast failures to utilizing natural language processing for smarter chatbots, businesses are harnessing intelligent automation to fuel efficiency and innovation.

Before deciding how and when to implement AI in your organization, take a moment to assess your current processes and data capture capabilities. Outdated software and practices can hinder genuine transformation, preventing you from unlocking the full potential of intelligent automation.

Finding The Right Blend For Your Business

As customer expectations for speed and quality continue to rise, organizations must move away from manual methods for creating, assigning, and executing work, and focus more on automation.

A recent McKinsey study found that 6 out of 10 jobs today involve over 30% of tasks that could be automated. However, after speaking with customers, I believe that number should be closer to 70%. With the right data and algorithms, there are very few tasks a machine can’t learn to perform effectively. Implementing automation isn’t an overnight process. As you explore ways to incorporate more automation into your organization, consider these key points:

 

  • Define Roles and Priorities: Even with automation, there will always be a need for human workers. Let your team focus on tasks that require a human touch, such as handling unique escalations or adding a personal touch to customer interactions.

  • Iterate, Iterate, Iterate: Automating inefficient processes is counterproductive. Your automated workflows should evolve through constant observation and analysis. Don’t forget to consider the human perspective if a back-office coordinator consistently overrides an AI recommendation, the system should learn from that feedback and adjust.

 

While AI is becoming increasingly capable of performing human tasks, it’s not quite ready to operate independently. Human involvement is still crucial whether it’s providing feedback on automated processes or managing escalations. The most successful organizations will find the right balance between human input and AI-driven automation.

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