Substance over style
Smart cities were going to fix everything – from gridlocked traffic and energy-inefficient buildings to lack of urban safety and waning quality of life. The vision was sleek.
We sat down with Marko Kafadaroglu, Global Head of Technical Operations Centers, to get the full lowdown on the technology-packed command-and-control centers that sit at the heart of our connectivity offering.
We currently have 27 Technical Operation Centers (TOCs) all around the world. With a rising number of connected units, this number is expected to grow further. We are a large global network that sees elevator and escalator specialists work side by side with data analysts. Think of them as little "NASA" control centers – but for elevators & escalators. Together, they continuously monitor and analyze performance data from elevators and escalators transmitted via our IoT solutions.
We’re working on many different fronts. Our focus has been on digitizing our entire value chain, building an integrated digital service offering, introducing new products with a reduced environmental impact, and upgrading processes to make Schindler’s customer service even more effective. Our network of TOCs is instrumental in making sure that our clients get to enjoy the benefits that our connected units offer. All connected elevators and escalators are monitored on a 24/7-basis. When an anomaly is detected, our algorithms react within seconds, and our teams can take suitable actions within minutes.
All our service technicians are equipped with a smartphone on which "FieldLink", our award-winning Digital Tool Case, is running. FieldLink helps our service technicians proactively deliver high-quality service. It also allows our employees working in TOCs to share digital insights with them – contextually, right when they need them. For example, when service technicians tend to an elevator that is currently out of service, their FieldLink device will let them know the root cause of the breakdown, contributing to making their work on-site more effective and to helping bring the units back in service faster. In fact, the average downtime of on a connected elevator is up to 34% shorter than that of a non-connected elevator.
The FieldLink application provides a kind of "briefing" to our technicians: It contains information such as checklists, insights & recommendations from remote monitoring and access to a technical document database. This is for all kinds of visits – preventive maintenance or troubleshooting. If our technicians require further assistance, they have the choice between getting help from a senior troubleshooter, an internal expert phone hotline, or a digital community of Schindler experts on their phones.
Our Technical Operations Centers focus on quality, efficiency and connectivity by constantly watching over our connected fleet – but not only that. Together, we also analyze the data related to our office and field processes and derive ways to make them more efficient. For example, we can troubleshoot some faulty behaviors remotely. Another improvement was the integration of remote monitoring data into our customer care center operations. This allows us to confirm reported breakdowns and avoid false calls to site. Both examples allow us to reduce unnecessary trips to site, which, in turn, reduce CO2 emissions.