Episode 296

In this episode of the Unscripted Podcast, host Sarah Nicastro reflects on the top Unscripted podcast episodes of 2024, celebrating the inspiring guests, diverse topics, and invaluable insights shared throughout the year. From the challenges of servitization and the power of diversity in field service to leveraging AR and AI for modernization, Sarah highlights key lessons and favorite quotes from thought leaders like Dr. Kawal Kapoor, Daniel Trabel, Stuart Thompson, Dot Mynahan, and Teresa Carneiro.

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Episode Highlights:

Sarah:  I just wanna start by saying a huge thank you to each and every one of the guests that we have had join us for an episode of the podcast in 2024. We've had a wide range of topics, different parts of the world represented, a lot of different perspectives, and we're really proud of that. So we will work hard to continue to provide that, but it isn't possible without the willingness of our guests to come and share not only their time, but their opinions and their journeys and their lessons learned and so forth. So big thank you to everyone that has joined for an episode this year, not only the 10 that I'm going to go through. We are quickly coming up on our 100th episode of this podcast, which blows my mind.

Welcome to the Unscripted podcast. I'm your host, Sarah Nicastro. We have somehow found ourselves yet again at the end of another year and it is time for the top 10 podcasts of 2024. I'm gonna do this in 2 parts because I wanna talk a little bit about each of these episodes and share some other things as we go along. So part 1 is what you're hearing today. Part 2 will run on January 1st. So I just want to start by saying a huge thank you to each and every one of the guests that we have had join us for an episode of the podcast in 2024. We've had a wide range of topics, different parts of the world represented, a lot of different perspectives, and we're really proud of that. So we will work hard to continue to provide that, but it isn't possible without the willingness of our guests to come and share not only their time, but their opinions and their journeys and their lessons learned and so forth. So big thank you to everyone that has joined for an episode this year, not only the 10 that I'm going to go through. We are quickly coming up on our 3 100th episode of this podcast, which blows my mind, but is very exciting, and have some fun plans for that. That'll happen in January. Stay tuned for that. And thank you for being here and taking part in this journey.

As you can imagine, coming up on 300 episodes in a lot of aspects, the podcast is a well-oiled machine at this point. I always appreciate when I do interviews, guests often say, this was really easy. This was really enjoyable. This was a lot of fun. So I work hard to minimize the ask of their time and to make it an enjoyable process. But that being said, even though we've been doing this for a while, we are always open to feedback from our community. So if you have feedback on what we could be doing better, what you would like to see, please reach out anytime. And along that line, if you have a story or views, opinions that you would like to share, please reach out as well, and we can see if we can make that happen.

So with that said, I'm gonna go ahead and dive into the first half of our top ten of 2024. I also wanna point out that I randomized the order of these. So we're not necessarily doing a countdown. These are just the top 10, not in any particular order. But the first one I'm going to speak about is episode 266, which is innovating advanced services and delivering on servitization. This episode was with doctor Kawall Kapoor, who is the research manager at the Advanced Services Group out of Aston Business School. Also, the coauthor of a book released this year and a a playbook that came alongside with it titled Servatization Strategy, Delivering Customer Centric Outcomes Through Business Model Innovation. So, Kawal, being part of the Advanced Services Group, some of you who are longtime listeners are probably familiar with that organization. We've had a number of their team on the podcast to talk about different themes and trends related to servertization, professor Tim Baines and plenty of others. And I really appreciate the work that they do around advanced services because Powell's piece of that is managing the research that they do. But they also have a very hands on component of what they do with businesses who are incubating and working through their advanced services ideas and journeys. So they have a good balance of understanding the trends via research, but also understanding the real-world implications of trying to advance services in today's landscape. I'm gonna share for each of these episodes my favorite quote, why that was my favorite quote, and then if there's any other things that come to mind. So my favorite quote from this episode, Kawall says, "what tends to happen is you'll see a disconnect between how a firm is describing its servitized offerings and how it would truly resonate with a customer. The key is customers are more interested in why a service matters, not just how it works. So if you hear firms saying, we offer condition monitoring or we offer digital services, it's technical to a customer. That's not to say they don't understand. They obviously do understand their function, their business, but it's not really clear what it is from that conditioning monitoring or from those digital service that will provide them benefit. And we've always said that that servitization is about putting customers first. So if you think of it this way, you wouldn't buy a product unless it made your life easier." So Kawall point here is that one of the barriers to success when we think about advanced services, outcomes-based services, servitization is companies struggling to articulate the value proposition in a way that resonates with the customers. So for companies to really recognize the value of the full potential of advanced services, we have to not only be able to take that customer-centric view, but to adopt a more customer-centric language. And this is something that talking it through, it sounds very simple, but in reality, it's a sticking point that a lot of companies struggle with. So this was a good conversation about that and other things. You can check out that episode. Again, it is episode 266. And, uh, if you wanna check out the work that Kawall and the rest of the Advanced Services Group team do on Advanced Services, their website is advanced services group dotco.uk.

Alright. Next episode on today's list is episode 257. The title of that is Equity is Everyone's Responsibility. This episode is with Daniel Trebel, who is the director of field service EMEA at Thermo Fisher Scientific. So in this episode, Daniel shares the success that Thermo has had in bringing specifically more women into field service roles and why he feels that organizations ignoring the need to improve diversity overall of field teams are set up to fail. So my favorite quote from Daniel from this episode is, I think it's important to really take a step back from the problem and start asking how the solution should look and how to get to that point. It's important that you really map the situation and try things out. Maybe you're disruptive and you take a risk, but when you don't change it, you will fail from the very beginning. Companies who don't do this will fail because they can't unleash the power of people and they can't unleash the power of diversity, which is necessary to be successful. We are dealing in a situation where when we talk about STEM, there's only a handful of people who can cover open positions and everyone is keen to get someone from somewhere. But if there is no someone, then there is no somewhere. We need to open up the talent pool. And if you don't do that and you're not thinking of changing your plans and your strategy in the long run, I think those companies will fail. That's my clear statement here. So Daniel has a very good point, which is, historically, many field service organizations have hired based on, uh, previous experience. And there's a couple of layers to what we discuss in this episode. The first is that experience is becoming extinct, ultimately. We can't keep relying on previous experience to find the talent that we need in our businesses. That challenge is actually what prompted Thermo to do what they did that Daniel shares in this episode. However, they also realized that not only is there an opportunity to expand the talent pool if you start opening up yourself to more diverse candidates, but there's also value itself in having diverse teams, diversity of thought. So in this episode, Daniel talks about not just the premise of why this is important. It's a premise that I think just about every service organization today understands. Everyone will talk about the challenges to find higher and routine good talent. What is less common is a example with as much detail as Daniel shares of exactly how a company has overcome this challenge. So he talks through many specifics of how Thermo really got more creative than ever before in reflecting on job descriptions, changing hiring criteria, creating new roles, managing change around doing all of this, and also ensuring that diversity was represented at all levels of the business, not just these entry-level field service roles. So there's a lot of great specifics in this episode if you find yourself within an organization that recognizes this problem, but isn't necessarily getting creative about finding solutions. So again, that one is episode 257.

Next on the list is episode 264. This one is ABB's use of augmented reality and artificial intelligence to modernize field service and transform the customer experience. This is with Stuart Thompson, who is the president of the electrification service division at ABB. So what we're really looking at here is how does an organization with nearly 3,000 field engineers across 50 countries respond to customers that are demanding more in an industry with less and less workforce capability to go and serve. So when we think about the premise of the last podcast, Daniel's podcast, we're talking about the need to evolve our talent strategies. In this episode with Stuart from ABB, we're talking about the role technology also plays in minimizing that need and helping the workforce that you do have work smarter. So my favorite quote from Stewart says, if you think about your field engineering work, it's hard work. There's a lot of travel. There's a lot of heavy equipment that you're lifting out in the field. Some of the best field engineers we have are nearing retirement, and so travel becomes more difficult. But the knowledge is there, and for them to be able to impart and share that knowledge with 20 people in a day instead of 1 when they're traveling to a site is far more attractive. As the tools have become more intuitive, you can talk instead of type. If I look at a 64 year old field engineer, being able to just have a conversation and talk like we do, and the computer or device in the background takes care of everything else, it becomes a lot more natural for them. From a customer's viewpoint as well, we can offer different levels of service support. I can have a level 4 technician expert from the factory online with you in minutes, or you can wait a week, I can have them at your site so that customers are taking on that decision. Depending on their sense of urgency, yes, they would love to have a person at the site, but if they're losing $1,000,000 an hour with oil barrels not rolling off the production line, they're very happy to have someone online guiding them as well. Stewart's really talking about 2 different aspects of these types of tools here. One is the way that these tools can help change how your teams work in really significant ways. And he speaks specifically in this example of how that can help organizations take some of their very experienced, very knowledgeable talent that may not want to be out in the field on a day-to-day basis any longer and make really good use of that talent in a way that is comfortable for them. He also, on the other hand, is talking about how to create acceptance from a customer perspective in making changes to your service delivery model. So he talks about really putting the decision in their hands in the sense of stating what the options are and allowing them to choose, and doing so in a way that allows them to determine what the level of urgency is and, therefore, what the appropriate service is. Within this quote, he's talking about these 2 different things. Across this entire episode, he's sharing a very pragmatic approach to adopting modern technologies that I see a lot of companies struggling with. There, we talk through not only what's worked, but some of the challenges that ABB has overcome in bringing these technologies more prominently to its workforce and to its customer base. So the other point that Stuart makes that I think is really important is he talks about how with the introduction of AI supporting field engineers to help them with reporting and admin work, ABB has saved between 2 to 3 hours a week of reporting and admin time. So I believe that's yeah. It's 2 to 3 hours a week per technician, which he says in the episode equates to $30,000,000 a year. But he also points out that they took the opportunity to look at this from the perspective of work, life balance as well as company benefit and to take a balanced approach of monetizing those savings, but also giving some of that time back to the engineer to have an extra hour off, to have an hour for training, etcetera. And I think that mindset is so important in this overall conversation. This episode, in my opinion, is a must listen for anyone who is working through how to incorporate, better incorporate, further incorporate AR, AI, or any other sophisticated tools and automation processes because Stewart shares a lot of tactics for how they've overcome some of the challenges to get to the point they have that I think could be really helpful for others to hear. Again, that one is episode 264.

Next up, episode 256, a look back at 32 years as a woman in service. This episode is with Dot Minahan. When we recorded this, she had recently retired from Otis Elevator after more than 32 years and is now the senior director of safety and workforce development for the National Elevator Industry Incorporated. So Dot talks about how more than 33 years ago, she answered a newspaper ad to be a temporary service clerk at Otis Elevator and ultimately worked her way to being the executive director of field operations for the Americas. So she talks through some of what that journey looked like for her and a lot of the lessons she learned along the way. I think there's so much power in storytelling and and hearing about people's experiences, and there's different aspects to this. There's spending more than 32 years with 1 company and and kind of working through the ranks. And Dot also talks in this episode about some of the value of thinking of career progression as not only a ladder, but a lattice. So she talks about how sometimes making more of a lateral move can bring a lot of value. Obviously, being a woman in a very male-dominated space from 33 years ago to today is really interesting. And quite frankly, she accomplished a lot of really cool things in her time with the company. My favorite quote from Dot in this episode was when I asked her what accomplishment she was proudest of in her time with Otis. And she says, the biggest achievement I have was starting forward, which was the employee resource group for women in field operations. We started that in North America with a group of 12 women. It expanded to over 500 women internationally and really has made a difference in the careers and career ladders, not only for women in field operations and the offices, but even in the field. Because we talked a lot about career ladders and there are career ladders even within the field organization, I'm proud to see a lot of women getting the opportunities that they deserve. It's been an incredible organizational structure to have that employee resource group that Otis supported as well as they did. That's probably my number one achievement. I like this because it underpins a couple of important points. One is the impact that 1 person with a strong passion for something can ignite. So Dot had this idea to start forward, and it started with 12 people in North America and has grown to over 500 people globally. And as she points out, it's impacted the careers of many of those hundreds of women, and that's amazing. It also underpins the power of women supporting women. And don't get me wrong, men need to support women as well as allies, but when you take the time, as Dot did, within her own career to pour back into some of the younger talent around you, to do mentoring, to create something like she did with Forward, it is a really powerful thing. Also underpins, as I mentioned, the importance of storytelling and also community and the tangible effect that groups like this have within and beyond their companies. Really great accomplishment and really cool conversation with Dot to hear about some of her experiences over her career at Otis. Dot also, later in the year, took part as a judge in our standout 50 leadership awards and is featured discussing that a bit in episode 293, which is also worth a listen. Again, Dott's episode on her journey is episode 256.

Last, but certainly not least for today, is episode 274, inside the mind of the new talent you're seeking. This is with Teresa Carneiro, who is a field service engineer at Stem Cell Technologies. Teresa is based in Germany, and I had the great fortune to meet her this June, I believe it was, at our Future of Field Service live event in Cologne. So coincidentally, Daniel Trebel from Thermo Fisher, who we talked about earlier in our conversation, was speaking at this event about some of the work that Thermo has done to attract more women into its field service operations. And so, coincidentally, Teresa was in the audience, which was just wonderful because she was able to bring, uh, first hand perspective to the topic, and it was interesting to see the reaction to her. So once she spoke up and said who she was and what her role was, every break we had, the service leaders in the room were trying to pick her brain, I think probably also giving her job offers and all sorts of things. So it was really serendipitous that she joined us, and I asked her to come on the podcast and share some of her insights about what drew her to field service, what does she enjoy about the field service engineer role, how does she feel about being a woman in field service, how does she envision her career evolving, all sorts of different things like that. And so in sharing some of her journey, she really gives invaluable insight for the service organizations that are looking to improve and evolve their hiring practices. So there's actually 2 quotes from Teresa that I want to share. I could not pick between the 2, so I'm gonna read them both. The first is, I think it's very curious because ever since I joined the industry, I have heard all sorts of companies saying how hard it is to get young talent on their teams. I must say that having very recently searched for a job, I felt exactly the opposite. I felt that I was always behind because I didn't have any previous experience in the industry. And even when you come across some entry-level jobs, they often ask for years of experience. It can be a bit discouraging to find that most job ads require some years of experience, and especially for this type of role because I feel that this type of job, you need a lot of training regardless of your previous experience because of how specific it is. I truly believe that recently graduated students can bring a lot to the table. We are used to learning so many different things in such a short time frame. So she's really giving that firsthand perspective of, at least in the region that she was job seeking, which is in Germany, that most organizations are still requiring experience even for entry level positions, which, again, is really going to limit the talent pool that you can address. The other quote I wanted to share says, I would just like to quickly point out that these questions and the question was around, how does she see her career evolving and changing over time, particularly with the amount of travel and and things of that nature. So she says, I would just like to quickly point out that these questions about balancing this type of job with parenthood are often framed as exclusively a woman's problem, such as how do you see yourself managing this lifestyle when you become a mom. And, of course, you did not frame it that way nor did you assume that I do want to have children, which is also not an assumption that should be made for every woman. But this balance is not just a woman's problem. This might be a concern for anyone who wants to start a family and knows how much time we spend away from home in this type of job. So companies should tackle this problem and get creative having everyone in mind and not just women. I really respect this point, and I think it's refreshing to hear her perspective. And she also shared with me a bit her partner's perspective on this, and to think about how we're framing things, what some of our unconscious bias may be, what the value of flexibility and getting creative about these roles can mean for everyone. And for families, regardless of which parent is benefiting from looking at things differently. So I think that some of the points Teresa makes in this episode really make me wonder how many organizations are still missing the boat on great talent because they're not willing to do things differently. They are acknowledging the problem, but they're not changing. They're not getting creative about the solutions. And I think that seeing the potential in someone like Teresa and knowing that so many organizations are missing out on that because they're trying to just do what they've always done even though it's not working any longer, it really makes you think. And I think her perspective on what that journey was like, what young talent wants, what their viewpoints are on some of the things that, uh, us who are generations older are making assumptions on, etcetera, is just so, so helpful to listen to and understand. So I would say for anyone listening who really wants a peek inside the mind of an intelligent, young, driven field technician that, in my opinion, any organization would want to hire, definitely go back and listen to what Teresa had to say. And again, that is episode 274.

So those are the first 5 of the top 10 podcasts of 2024. As I mentioned, we will be sharing, uh, part 2 on January 1st, so please come back and have a listen to that. In the meantime, you can find more content by visiting the home of unscripted at future of field service .com. As always, the podcast is published in partnership with IFS. You can learn more at ifs.com. Thank you for listening.