This was the question of the day on Day 2 of the Remote Service Implementation Conference.

One of the keys to successful remote service software adoption is having all the key stakeholders see the benefits and get value.  As companies are forced to do more with less it becomes even more important to eliminate low-value activities in favor of the high-value initiatives that make businesses go.

Remote services can address the following for these key stakeholders:

Your customer (the device owner / operator)
- Make me more productive
- Help me analyze the results
- Don't ask me those silly questions on each failure

Device User (Patient, End User)
- Don't add to the risk of the device that is vital for my health
- Don't make me repeat tests again
- Be ready to go when I am

Service Technicians
- Help me reduce travel time (if I am always driving or flying, I am not productive)
- Don't make me go on-site just to spend 15 minutes there
- Provide diagnosis and correct parts before I go on-site

Engineering Team
- Let me gain access to the machine to see what is happening now
- Let me upgrade to the latest version to see if that corrects the problem
- Show me how the product is being used in the field

Sales Team
- Have remote service capabilities help me close a deal
- Have remote service show value back to the customer

Quality Assurance / Regulatory
- Show me who has what versions in what configurations
- Help me in case of a product recall

The presentations of the last two days tell me that the companies that can clearly articulate the benefits to each of these stakeholders will grow in customer deployments and user acceptance.

Time is precious and not renewable.

I am on the road at the IQPC Remote Service Implementation Conference in San Francisco - moderating a panel on overcoming remote service software implementation challenges.  These are the Top 3 things I heard yesterday:

1. Lean Operational Effectiveness - Achieving higher levels of operational effectiveness in the current economic situation is paramount. This includes:

a. Only dealing with conditions that are vital to fix and deferring things that can be deferred.
b. Continued focus on doing more with less
c. Need to be lean on what data is collected

2. Map out backend systems at the start - Recommendations are now being made that it is better to map out backend systems in the beginning. This will eliminate a rework later. You can implement in phases, but have a plan up front.

3. The long arms of remote service - Remote service is like extending the arms of service technicians outside the facility - otherwise, the work flow process is the same.

The discussions around remote service continue to mature.  More from the road later...