How to choose the right software for your service department

Improving service efficiency: Moving from paper and Excel to digital solutions

Let us introduce Mr Becker. He is a service manager for a company that manufactures machines for food processing. These machines process large quantities of raw materials into finished products, which are then packaged in standard commercial packaging and distributed to supermarkets.

New installations of these machines take up to three months to complete. New installations of entire production lines often take more than 12 months. Maintenance, inspections and repairs usually take one to four weeks. The machines are sold to more than 35 countries on 5 continents. Mr Becker and his team of technicians are therefore on the move worldwide.

These projects require the right people, service providers, tools and vehicles to be in the right place at the right time. With his Excel scheduling, however, this was easier said than done for Mr Becker! That's why he set out to find a tool that would meet his specific scheduling needs and make his job easier. When it came to selecting and implementing software solutions, he was quickly faced with a choice between two main approaches: Best of Suite or Best of Breed. But what do these terms mean, and which is the right approach for industrial plant services?

What is the "Best of Suite" approach?

"Best of Suite" refers to a comprehensive software solution that covers all of a company's key business processes. These complete solutions, such as SAP Hana, Navision or Salesforce, offer a wide range of modules that work together seamlessly. The standardised user interface and easy integration of the various modules represent a significant advantage. The centralised storage of data provides companies with a consistent information database.

As the solution is designed for a wide range of companies and industries, customisation is often difficult and expensive. Specialised use cases that deviate from standard processes often cannot be mapped. As a result, detours are often taken within the organisation to map the necessary processes. The lack of flexibility limits the company's ability to innovate, and the many functions that are often not required bloat the system. Another disadvantage is the long-term dependency on the provider. Companies feel irrevocably tied to the complete solution, but often do not feel well looked after or listened to. For example, if modules are no longer developed, discontinued or sold, or if there are price adjustments, users are exposed to these changes.

What is the "Best of Breed" approach?

In contrast to the 'best of suite' approach, the 'best of breed' approach is based on the selection and integration of the best available software solutions for each specific business area. Instead of relying on a single provider, it uses specialised tools that are leaders in their respective fields. The advantage lies in the high degree of functional specialisation and the ability to deploy the best solutions for the individual needs of the business. In addition, the 'best breed' approach makes the software provider much more accessible to the customer and thrives on intensive dialogue with users. As a result, user requirements and ongoing development can be addressed much more quickly and flexibly.

The integration of a new software solution into a company's existing software architecture is achieved in the 'best of breed' approach through careful integration planning and, optionally, with the support of experienced IT specialists. For more information on interface integration using SAP R/3 as an example, click here: SAP integration blog post

Use-case in industrial plant engineering

Industrial plant engineering is a sector with very specific requirements and a project-based planning process. Complete 'best of suite' solutions often cannot provide the depth and specialisation required for the complex processes. Standard features like a ticketing system, route optimisation or time tracking are great for the masses, but they're not specific enough for industrial plant manufacturers and their service departments. This is where the best of breed approach comes in. By selecting the best specialised software solution, companies can ensure that their specific business requirements are optimally met and that the company's development and future direction is guaranteed.

In the context of the industrial plant manufacturing sector, as mentioned at the outset of Mr Becker's example, a job is planned and managed in a structured, project-based manner. The service department is responsible for gathering requirements, assembling work packages and defining milestones, planning resource requirements such as personnel, tools and budget, defining project timelines and communicating with the customer, stakeholders and collaborating departments within the company. It's not just the service department involved in providing services, but also the engineering department, product management, accounting and technicians. All of this makes planning projects and their delivery quite complex. It therefore makes sense to look for a software solution for the management of service assignments that specialises in the industry and use cases. A fundamental aspect of the best-of-breed approach is the integration of the various specialised tools. Standardised interfaces play a key role in this. By using open APIs, the different systems can communicate seamlessly with each other. This enables smooth data exchange and ensures that all relevant information is available in real time. As a result, cross-departmental administrative workloads can be reduced by up to 40%, allowing the company to focus on strategic aspects rather than being distracted by day-to-day business.

Integrating into an existing system requires initial effort, but in the long term provides a flexible and scalable solution that can quickly adapt to changing business needs and system architecture. For more information on interface integration using SAP R/3 as an example, click here: SAP integration blog post

Why fieldux is the right choice for industrial plant engineering

fieldux is a field service management software designed to assist service managers in industrial plant engineering. It streamlines complex processes involved in project-based service assignments and eliminates inefficient procedures. fieldux follows a 'best of breed' approach, offering a solution tailored to industrial service needs and integrating seamlessly with other systems via an open API.

Bauer + Kirch, the company behind fieldux, has 35 years of experience in custom development and has assembled an interdisciplinary team that specialises in connecting different systems. We are constantly developing the software in close dialogue with our customers, so that the individual requirements of the industry can be perfectly mapped in terms of functionality in the future.

The easy way often seems to be to get everything from a single source. However, off-the-shelf solutions usually do not cover all of an industrial manufacturer's applications. It might seem like a one-size-fits-all solution is easier to implement, but it often ends up being less usable and not at all tailored to the specific needs of the user. The way industrial plants are built is too complex for one-size-fits-all solutions. It's important to recognise and meet the specific requirements of project-based planning to make the service department more efficient in the long run. When it comes to finding the best field service management solution, it's important to have a solid partner who can not only provide the right tool but also support and advise you on how to integrate the software into your existing system landscape.

Let's talk about the integration options in your system landscape and how we can optimise your service processes!