Siemens elevates field service operations with Microsoft Dynamics 365

Service technicians from the Siemens Smart Infrastructure Buildings Business Unit generate more than 1.4 million work-order reports for customers every year, which is why the company is harnessing generative AI to elevate and standardize report quality.

Siemens Smart Infrastructure used Microsoft Copilot for Dynamics 365 to develop and begin testing an application that helps its field technicians from the Buildings Business Unit generate clear, consistent work-order reports for customers.

Siemens expects to see high quality and more-standardized reports from its more than 10,000 field service technicians from the Buildings Business Unit, as well as streamlined workflows, enhanced customer communication, and improved job satisfaction.

Siemens, one of the world’s largest technology companies, is pioneering generative AI solutions to enrich customer engagement and employee satisfaction. The Siemens Smart Infrastructure Buildings Business Unit helps organizations optimize facility operations, and its more than 10,000 field service technicians perform preventative maintenance and repairs, offering valuable touchpoints with customers.

These field service technicians generate more than 1.4 million work-order reports every year for customers. Siemens wanted to harness AI to elevate and standardize report quality to help customers stay informed and efficiently operate buildings, avoid downtime, and meet sustainability goals. It turned to longtime ally Microsoft to develop a generative AI–powered solution that would enhance the customer experience.

Embracing generative AI to deliver exceptional customer service

Siemens Smart Infrastructure streamlines and optimizes field service operations for its geographically dispersed customers and technicians with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service. “We use Dynamics 365 to do our scheduling and dispatching in order to understand what the work schedule looks like for the office as well as the field technician and the customer work report,” says Matthew Hashenberger, Head of Service Excellence at Siemens Smart Infrastructure in the United States.

The company wanted to take the next step and incorporate generative AI to improve the technician experience and create natural-sounding work-order reports that would clearly describe completed work. “Service is an intangible product,” says Hashenberger. “It’s critical to our overall business to ensure that we have proper customer work reports that support the work we do and the value that Siemens provides.”

Service is an intangible product. It’s critical to our overall business to ensure that we have proper customer work reports that support the work we do and the value that Siemens provides.

Matthew Hashenberger, Head of Service Excellence, Siemens Smart Infrastructure in the United States

Siemens and Microsoft collaborated to develop a custom application with Microsoft Copilot for Dynamics 365 that would empower technicians to generate high-quality reports with less manual input by using AI. The Microsoft team visited with Siemens technicians to create a solution that would streamline workflows and offer them more time to engage with customers. “Anything we do to make technicians more efficient is going to help us provide better service for our customers,” says Brad Haeberle, Executive Vice President, Services, Siemens Smart Infrastructure Buildings.

As an existing Dynamics 365 user, Siemens can develop and use its Copilot solution without purchasing additional licenses. The company piloted its new application with a handful of field technicians and incorporated their feedback to further improve the AI-generated work-order reports. The next pilot phase will expand to 40 technicians.

Anything we do to make technicians more efficient is going to help us provide better service for our customers.

Brad Haeberle, Executive Vice President, Services, Siemens Smart Infrastructure Buildings

Moving from concept to testing in six months to boost employee satisfaction

Siemens Smart Infrastructure was able to move from its initial concept to its first pilot in only six months with support from Microsoft, and the company hopes to complete testing and the rollout of the solution by the end of 2024. “The development was much faster than expected, and I think our testing and feedback loop will get quicker,” says Haeberle.

The company has already observed that the AI-generated reports are standardizing quality across the board, offering customers a more consistent experience. The reports aim to not only enhance communication between field technicians and customers but also improve operations, boost employee satisfaction and enhance employee experience. “The field technicians understand that AI can be a benefit for them,” says Hashenberger. “It’s really about trying to improve their overall experience as well as the customer’s.”

The field technicians understand that AI can be a benefit for them. It’s really about trying to improve their overall experience as well as the customer’s.

Matthew Hashenberger, Head of Service Excellence, Siemens Smart Infrastructure in the United States

Siemens has AI applications, such as quick search capabilities, in development across its Smart Infrastructure business. Through these, it is excited to provide more time for employees to deliver exceptional customer service and focus on other value-added tasks. “We have a good partnership with Microsoft,” says Haeberle. “We have a very open dialogue about our problems and potential solutions. The strength of our relationship is that our two leadership teams are working together.”

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