Apple Watch continues to gain adoption in a variety of different enterprise settings. A new report from ComputerWorld today details how Volvo has distributed Apple Watch to over 1,500 service engineers. The goal is for service engineers to use the Apple Watch to improve communication and streamline the repair process for customers.
Volvo explained to ComputerWorld that it has equipped engineers — referred to as Personal Service Technicians — with an Apple Watch as well as an iPhone running the Volvo service application. There are four main ways Volvo expects service technicians to use the Apple Watch in the garage:
- In use, the engineer will receive a Notification when a customer arrives at the garage with their car.
- The watch will show the customer’s name, relevant notes, and car details.
- During the repair, engineers can access information — and once the repair is complete, they can directly call the customer to tell them.
- They can also schedule and make a subsequent follow-up call.
Volvo believes that this adoption of the Apple Watch and iPhone will reduce reliance on printed records and PC hardware. Both of these are time consuming and have a learning curve, with Volvo telling ComputerWorld that it previously took as long as six months to train new hires on the “15 different IT systems” the company previously used.
“With Apple Watch, I have everything I need for my job right on my wrist,” said Johnnie Andersson, a personal service technician for Volvo.” It’s also way easier to train a new technician on the Apple Watch and the iPhone than our desktop systems.”
In fact, the old way of working really got in the way. The research showed that to do their job well, technicians needed to be mobile for 40% of the day, moving in the workshop, speaking with customers, or visiting stockrooms for parts. Scuttling back to the PC for information interrupted workflow.
So far, Volvo says the transition away from PC and paper to iPhone and Apple Watch has been a success. It says that 80% of technicians using the new hardware have increased customer satisfaction scores. It has also seen a 30% increase in “post-service follow up calls and emails to customers,” and a 40% decrease in paper printouts.
The full report over at ComputerWorld is well worth a read and includes more details on the development of the Volvo Service app and more.
Author: Chance Miller
Source: 9TO5Google
