Matthews Intelligent Identification has realised early-adopter benefits in its digital transformation program this year as it accelerates the advanced stages of its multi-year strategy even as the pandemic took hold across Australia.
The leaders in Intelligent Identification this week revealed a suite of digital upgrades to its customer-centric Care 24x7 programs designed to enhance both technical onsite and remote service capabilities for its extensive customer base nationally.
Since the business began its digital transformation program in 2018 they have reported a 40% increase in contact from customers via mobile devices through their various digital platforms. Matthews predicts that this trend of “support where I need it, how I need it” to continue to accelerate post-pandemic and is targeting its technology investment to support its customers future real time, often mobile and online needs.
Enhanced first-time fix rates and speed are two major benefits that Matthews’ Care 24x7 service offers local manufacturers. Andy Hecke, Matthews Intelligent Identification’s Technical Operations Manager, also sees one more very large benefit across the three elements comprising Care 24x7.
Mr Hecke outlined three initiatives to Care 24x7 programs that have accelerated Matthews ability to deliver a superior level of remote service and support 24x7 in the industry: HINDSITE, Printernet and Albert the Intelligent Assistant, the brands new live chat platform.
“Our new live chat platform is all about providing choices and new capabilities for our customers to interact with Matthews for both customer service and tech support. In most cases, the reduced waiting time for information also enables quicker decision-making during time-sensitive situations, because as every manufacturing business knows: time is money and unplanned line stoppage is pressure.
“The live chat platform also has a chatbot that we’ve named ‘Albert’ – a neat reference to Albert Einstein and Matthews’ tagline of ‘intelligent identification’. The live chat instantly connects customers with our local team and the ‘intelligent assistant’ Albert means they can ask questions and after final testing is completed in the near future even book technical services 24x7. Together, these give our customers further ways to contact Matthews for help, depending on what suits them at the time.”
Mr Hecke said HINDSITE is a second element of Matthews’ Care 24x7. HINDSITE is Matthews new IOT smart glasses & Cloud based technology for our Field & Install Technical Teams.
“Basically, this is a wearable device with interactive vision and audio. The smart glasses send live video and audio from the technician to the Matthews’ central technical support team. The beauty about being wearable is that HINDSITE captures video and still imagery, plus allows files to be viewed in a ‘view monocle’. This allows the technician to be hands free to focus on the job while simultaneously accessing real time Matthews technical knowledge database as well as live support from the Mathews inhouse and local support team if required. This ensures that our high levels of first time fix rates across Australia are maintained, especially when new technicians are onboarded.”
Mr Hecke said HINDSITE has major benefits for both isolated regions and remotely supported self-install.
“For straight-forward applications, HINDSITE will allow us to remotely support customers to self-install solutions. This means shorter lead times for remote regions in straight-forward applications because there’s no waiting on travel to and from the site by Matthews technical teams. This will provide a more cost effective solution to our customers and achieve a faster turn-around to new units getting up and running on the production lines.”
Mr Hecke said the third element in Matthews’ Care 24x7 offering is Printernet. A Cloud enabled technology that allows remote interaction & diagnostic monitoring with a range of coding devices.
“With Printernet, we can remotely access a device to check and monitor its condition and vital signs when powered and connected. Back in the office, or these days from home, Matthews’ technical support team can then remotely interact with a customer’s machine to optimise printer performance related to set up, assisting operators remotely with troubleshooting as well as viewing historical logged data for further analytics and support functions.
“Our customers who invest in this capability will enjoy a heightened performance of their Care 24x7 experience. The important point also being, it is 100% locally supported 24x7 by Matthews. We are not reliant on 3rd parties or overseas suppliers to provide the necessary remote support which we believe typically leads to delays in responsiveness to manufacturers. Providing local and inhouse support 24x7 to our customers is something Matthews will not compromise on.
Mr Hecke said as well as staff being able to apply their collective technical knowledge to bolster customers’ businesses, another major benefit of Matthews’ Australian-based Care 24x7 offering was on the Matthews’ staff themselves.
Operationally, being able to reduce the time needed to resolve each job not only impacts the technicians, but the entire team. Less site visits frees up scheduling traffic and allows better average on-site, response-lead time. The effect on staff is that they are happier – reducing or even eliminating backlogs and their associated impacts, means staff can move through and assist more customers in the same time frames.
“All in all, the way we’ve structured our Care 24x7 program to maximise the benefits of both digital and face to face, to provide a higher level of support to our customers through quicker response rates and times and decreases unplanned downtime for production, while for staff, it means they can do their jobs more effectively, help more customers and best utilise their knowledge, which is both professionally and personally satisfying.”
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