Good Field Engineer Performance-Part 1

by Michael Fritsch on May 3, 2011

We just returned from Field Service 2011 (Confoe was a sponsor).  The participants represented a large range of industries and companies.  The size of their field service organizations ranged from the tens to the ten thousands.  We’ve worked with companies at each end of the spectrum.  A common theme, both at the conference and in our engagements has been “how to improve field engineer performance and motivation.”  Often, your field service engineer is your company’s most visible face to the customer so how they perform matters greatly.

The keys to great Field Engineer performance are simple to understand, but often difficult to execute.  Fore great performance, Field Engineers must:

  • Be Capable
  • Have clearly defined job roles
  • Know what is expected of them
  • Have the knowledge and skills to perform the job
  • Have the tools to do the job
  • Receive feedback on their performance
  • See rewards for good performance

Putting all those things in place requires a good performance management system that links your field service mission and goals with individual field engineer objectives.  The elements of the Field Service Performance Management System  can be seen in the diagram below:

Performance Management System

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Confoe and FFD Partnership

by Michael Fritsch on April 17, 2011

FFD and Confoe are pleased to announce a new partnership aimed at offering our customers visibility and access to more complete manufacturing optimization software and services. This will be accomplished through coordinated marketing, sales referrals and services activities.

“Forging this relationship between FFD and Confoe, two companies who are both keenly focused on helping their customers improve operational performance, is something that I am very excited about.” said Barry Lucas, FFD’s President & CEO.  “Not only will Sequence be a great addition to Confoe’s tool belt of ramp-up and optimization solutions, being able to refer our customers who have broader operational challenges to the experts at Confoe gives us greater opportunity to help them reach their overall strategic goals.”

“Our partnership with FFD gives Confoe another great solution to rapidly bring results to our clients.  We see tremendous value for both our manufacturing and field service clients and are excited to be working with a partner that shares our passion for bringing rapid results” said Kirby Hick, CEO of Confoe.

Confoe – Turbo Charge Your Operations

Since 1998, Confoe has rapidly improved operational and manufacturing performance for companies of all sizes. We bring consulting and technology solutions that are fast, effective, and fit your budget.  Confoe has served clients across industries and across the globe.  From fortune 100 to new venture start-ups, Confoe customers include cities, chipmakers, solar fabs, computer manufacturers, capital equipment makers, software suppliers, and others. Are your key initiatives taking longer than you want? Are your IT solutions always on the road-map, but never solved? To get results now visit us at www.confoe.com or e-mail sales@confoe.com

To learn more about Confoe visit Confoe on the web.

FFD – Sequence Work Instruction Software: Enabling Manufacturing Excellence

FFD’s Sequence Enterprise Software is used by manufacturing companies worldwide to author, manage, deploy and validate critical manufacturing work instructions. Sequence is a vital enabling technology accelerator for manufacturing organizations allowing them to add significant value to their bottom line. Designed for the manufacturing enterprise needing work instructions that are fully integrated with ERP/PLM/MES and the ability to deploy in a real time, interactive paperless environment, Sequence has been shown to provide short-term measurable improvements in operational efficiency and time to market for new products.

To learn more about FFD visit Sequence Software on the web.

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“The Devil Made Me Do It” Building Accountability in Organizations

February 1, 2011

The comedian Flip Wilson had a famous bit with the punch line “the devil made me do it.”  It’s funny because we know it’s often human nature to avoid accountability for our actions.  The tendency is as old as mankind itself.   We see it even with Adam and Eve.  Genesis 3:11-13: And he said, “Who told [...]

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New Year’s Resolution-No More Crappy Meetings!

December 30, 2010

As either a consultant,  a partner, a customer, or a supplier, I’ve worked with over one hundred Fortune 1000 companies and numerous smaller organizations.  A common theme across almost all of those organizations is poorly run meetings.  It is the rare company, that is consistently good at this most basic of functions.  Most of us [...]

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Management Lessons from the Elf on the Shelf

December 24, 2010

With Christmas upon us, many of us use the “Santa Clause is watching” technique to motivate our children.  The folks at “Elf on the Shelf” took that up a notch: “My earliest memories of this charming tradition began when my brother and I asked the all-too-familiar question, “How does Santa really know if we are [...]

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BPM as a Case Management and Call Center Tool

December 22, 2010

According to Wikipedia “Business process management (BPM) is a management approach focused on aligning all aspects of an organization with the wants and needs of clients.”  It aims at continuous process improvement through the classic feedback model of “Design, Model, Execute, Monitor, and Optimize.  In the past, BPM was a slow and cumbersome process.  Many [...]

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