FSM Construction Image credit pixabay/voltamaxAt SuiteWorld, NetSuite launched NetSuite Field Service. This is a new application for NetSuite, and it extends its capabilities for service companies. The product is the result of Oracle’s recently announced acquisition of Next Technik—an Australian headquartered firm founded by Annaliese Kloe in 2018. The company has grown substantially and has operations in both Australia and North America.

Annaliese Kloe, CEO, Next Technik
Annaliese Kloe, CEO, Next Technik

Kloe is also the Director and Founder of Klugo, a 5-star NetSuite Partner, though this firm is not part of the deal. It is not clear what role Kloe will have within Oracle. Next Technik is the company behind Next Service, now part of NetSuite.

Next Service Field Service Management Software is built on and for NetSuite. It promises to deliver a quick and substantial return on investment for field services companies. The application includes a powerful mobile app, work scheduler, and asset management capabilities to increase efficiency while elevating the customer experience.

For businesses that look to send out engineers for any job, NetSuite can now address that requirement.

Any business that sends technicians and/or service staff to customer sites to perform installation, maintenance, or repair work will find Next Service to be an invaluable solution for increased productivity, profitability, and customer satisfaction.

Fully fledged with an existing customer base

This is not just a tech tuck-in for NetSuite. While it will not bring new customers to the company, it will increase revenues as a result of the acquisition. Next Service boasts an impressive list of customers. Recent customers include energy firms such as Hubbard Electric, facilities management firms such as WSS Integrated Technologies, Easton Electronics and HHM Facility Management and manufacturer Headland Machinery.

Long-standing customer David Van Rooy of Vanrooy Machinery commented, “For any business, upgrading major operational systems can be a nightmare. Working with the Next Service implementation team, however, has been a refreshing change to the norm. They were at all times professional, approachable, and honest. If something wasn’t quite right, they just fixed it. No hiding behind excuses such as ‘not in scope.’ And the Next Service product genuinely works within NetSuite. It is seamless, it is not a bolt-on product, it just works.

“Next Service works so seamlessly and effortlessly with NetSuite. And the mobile app makes technicians’ jobs easier. They want to work from their phones, not a cumbersome tablet or laptop. It’s user-friendly and the techs love it. They are very, very happy with it. When you look at the totality of a job—from the time it’s assigned by a service manager, completed and all administrative aspects finished—Next Service is generating big savings in time. The service manager loves that he can just drag and drop assignments onto the schedule and move them as needed.

“The financial information we’re getting is accurate and easy to access by any of our team wherever they are working. My dashboard shows bank balance, cost of goods sold, inventory, current sales trends, and what’s in the pipeline. In seconds of opening my screen, I’ve got an instant snapshot of the health of the company. If we’re seeing repeated issues with a customer’s equipment, we have visibility into the service history of that asset. This is proving to be a massive benefit.”

Fully integrated into NetSuite

This is not a bolt-on application but one that is deeply embedded across most areas of NetSuite. Users can create service jobs from the most relevant locations within NetSuite. Examples include:

  • A service case when a customer is generating a service request
  • A preventative maintenance request
  • Initiated from a sales order where an inspection, certification or installation is required on-site
  • As part of a larger project, for example, to commission or modify a piece of capital equipment

The solution includes a work scheduling tool that ensures that the right technician is assigned to the right job. The allocation is based on factors such as skills, availability, location, labour costs and job type. Resource managers are able to filter resources to quickly identify the right jobs. In larger organisations, resource managers can filter tasks based on skills, region, level or others to prioritise their resources and tasks.

Once in the field, both the back office and the engineer have access to the status of the job. The engineer can use the powerful mobile application, which provides all the information they need from anywhere at any time on their preferred device. They can capture photos, enter expense claims, update jobs and capture signatures from clients. The application also works offline so that in poor coverage areas, the most up-to-date information is held about the job, and they can update their tasks for later synchronisation.

There are also powerful inventory management and asset management modules, which support truck and van inventory and enable the latest technology.

Enterprise Times: What does this mean

NetSuite has suddenly jumped headlong into the FSM market with a tool. While Oracle NetSuite is a leader on the G2 Grid for ERP systems, Next Service isn’t listed on the FSM grid. This is, however, more due to the lack of reviews from customers there. However, if NetSuite decides that it wants to push for G2 reviews, expect Next Service to appear and potentially make a significant entrance onto the grid.

This is a powerful and impressive add-on to the NetSuite application. Like NetSuite, Next Technik does not release pricing for the FSM product, and customers will have to ask. However, with its global reach, expect the Next Service team to be very busy in the coming months as customers realise that they no longer need a third-party solution for their Field service requirements.

Where that leaves the other Field Service applications on the SuiteApp platform is unclear. There may still be a place for them, depending on pricing or whether they address a niche use case.

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