OPTIMIZED SCHEDULING PLAYS KEY ROLE IN SERVICE DELIVERY EXCELLENCE

Milwaukee, WI (August 5, 2008) – A new benchmark survey published by Aberdeen Research and sponsored in part by service management software vendor Metrix, found that Best-in-Class companies are turning to schedule optimization solutions and mobile tools to increase service organization efficiency, deliver better service and cut costs.

"Whether for break/fix or preventive maintenance tasks, service firms need to insure that the right technician arrives at the right location with the right part at the right time." says Sumair Dutta, Research Analyst at the Aberdeen Group. "This requires the efficient assignment, scheduling and dispatch of service work orders."

The study, titled "Field Service Scheduling and Routing: A Guide to Service Delivery Excellence", by the Aberdeen Group highlighted the combined pressures of customer demand for shorter response times and executive mandates to minimize costs. To respond to these pressures, leading firms were two times as likely as all others to utilize optimized scheduling tools and nearly three times as likely to provide their field technicians with mobile tools to access work order or customer/asset related information. As a result, these firms experienced the following:
• 86% first-time fix rate
• 17% increase in technician productivity
• 9% decrease in mean time to repair over the last year
• 8% improvement in meeting response times over the last year

"According to this study, almost 30% of customers are demanding service response times of two hours or less," says Tom Bowe, VP of Engineering for Metrix. "When you combine that with the fact that the cost per dispatch has gone up 26% over the past two years, it is obvious that more companies will need to leverage scheduling and mobile tools in order to stay competitive."

Along with reporting survey results, the study also contains a profile of companies considered to be "Best-in-Class" as well as recommendations on steps your company can make to achieve similar results. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410227&cid=4897

About Metrix
Metrix software applications enable world-class service management by automating customer support, field service, scheduling, and reverse logistics business processes. Leveraging over 28 years of industry experience, Metrix provides a competitive advantage to innovative companies like Ingenico, Olympus, Xerox, Ericsson, and Makino by improving service profitability. Metrix Advanced Scheduling, powered by 360, takes a strategic approach to scheduling, providing street-level routing, KPI monitoring and predictive analytics. For more information, visit: www.metrix.com.