AI Finds Its Home in the Enterprise through Field Service

A growing number of organizations, from the smallest startups to the largest enterprises, all often bring up the same problem in our conversations with them: Even though they want to drive operating costs down, they also need to execute on an increasing volume of work. Some companies respond by deploying more systems. Others try throwing more people at the problem, like third-party contractors. Neither solution is ultimately productive, and both often create operational bottlenecks. We’re seeing new AI solutions pop up in various respective industries to tackle the growing issues bubbling up within highly complex working groups. However, as enterprises begin immersing themselves in these AI solutions, they find that AI isn’t as simple as flipping a switch – and poorly implemented AI solutions can create more hassle than they’re worth. The true strength of any AI solution lies in its machine learning and analytics capabilities – and the degree to which those capabilities help the human workforce become more efficient and productive. If machine learning and analytics are applied thoughtfully to streamline an enterprise’s operations and business processes, their human horsepower can focus on delivering a stellar customer experience, and tangible company growth should follow. To put it into perspective, take Siri and Alexa as examples. These voice assistants essentially compare a constant flow of data gathered from the field against historical trends, which enables them to automatically recommend the best course of action at any given time. Comprehensive AI solutions can do the same for an enterprise, and as a result, organizations can easily build AI solutions for the use cases most important to them. All they need to do is determine the scope, criteria, and threshold for AI recommendations, and the platform will take it from there. AI has matured to the point that it is powering countless companies around the world – and is fundamentally changing the landscape of those companies’ respective markets. For example, the field service management industry is expected to double in size to nearly $6B by 2024, but we project a $30B+ market opportunity for AI-driven automated field service. In field service, AI is making a significant impact on both customers’ bottom lines and on how organizations manage their field service workforce. In order to remain competitive, companies both large and small need to focus on implementing AI that augments their human workforce – as opposed to hindering their people with yet another technology that is far from a “solution.” When applied thoughtfully, AI can be the transformational technology enterprises have been anticipating for years.
Who is this presentation for?
IT executives, business and technology decision makers
Prerequisite knowledge:
Foundational knowledge of artificial intelligence, familiarity with AI implementations in IT use cases
What you'll learn?
How to implement AI to augment the workforce

Arka Dhar is a 30 year-old two-time startup founder, MIT-trained engineer and CEO of Silicon Valley-based startup Zinier. As an undergraduate at MIT, he launched two companies: a startup that significantly reduced the cost of RFID tags, and a non-profit that helped underprivileged children in India learn photography. After MIT, Arka joined TripAdvisor and managed its market development programs across Asia Pacific, and in 2012, he co-founded his first company at age 23: Singapore-based retailer LIFT12. In 2015, Arka leveraged the vast amount of knowledge he gained at LIFT12 on data analysis to co-found Zinier. Zinier’s AI-driven platform helps the often underappreciated “machine” (aka field service teams) within organizations work smarter—from the main office to the field—to solve problems more quickly, fix things before they break, and keep the services that we count on every day running like we expect them to. Arka’s international experience and leadership have helped Zinier land top-tier telecommunication clients in North America, Asia, and South America. As CEO, Arka directs Zinier’s business strategy and manages its executive team - and his vision for bringing AI to field service has been backed by elite investors including Accel, Qualcomm Ventures, Nokia-backed venture capital (VC) firm NGP Capital, Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, and France’s Newfund.