Insights for After-sales and Field Service Leaders

Practical blogs, frameworks, and tools to help manufacturing and service organizations improve after-sales performance and field operations.

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Featured Articles

Handpicked insights on the biggest shifts shaping after-sales and field service

Diagram of a field service KPI framework showing technician performance metrics, dispatcher and planner KPIs, service manager dashboards, and AI-driven predictive KPIs across customer, operational, and strategic dimensions.

The Field Service KPI Dashboard: What Executives, Managers & Technicians Should Really Track

A complete guide to field service KPIs by role, from executives to technicians. Learn which metrics drive profitability, efficiency, and customer experience. Based on the SmartServiceOps Field Service KPI Framework, this article helps service leaders…

Software-defined vehicle with digital health, uptime, and performance indicators showing continuous value creation through OTA updates

The 2026 Service Blueprint: From Predictive AI to Agentic Operations

2026 marks the end of AI experimentation and the rise of Agentic Execution. As assets become software-defined and margins shift to uptime, service leaders must master Industrial FinOps and ‘teleporting expertise’ to protect Customer Lifetime…

software service the new mandate in aftersales field service agenticai manufacturing

Service Leadership in the AI Age: From Cost Containment to Force Multiplication

In the AI age, service leadership is being redefined by a paradoxical mandate: lower costs, shrinking workforces, and rising customer expectations. Move beyond the hype of “predictive” service to master Data Orchestration and Force Multiplication….

About Smart Service Ops

SmartServiceOps is a space dedicated to exploring the evolving world of after-sales service, field operations, and digital transformation. Drawing from over 15 years of hands-on experience with global industrial and automotive manufacturers, this site offers real-world insights, frameworks, and reflections on what drives success, and what holds it back in service organizations.

Whether you’re a service leader, strategist, or just curious about how businesses unlock value after the sale, you’ll find practical perspectives, industry commentary, and field-tested thinking here.

This site is built with a clear purpose: to inform, to challenge, and to spark better conversations in the service community.

From Insights to Execution

Explore frameworks and tools that help service leaders move from strategy to measurable outcomes.

FRAMEWORK

Field Service Tools assessment framework

A structured, multi-dimensional framework to compare field service tools and identify which solution best fits your organization’s business, IT, operational needs.

View the Framework

GUIDE

Field Service KPI Framework & Dashboard Guide

A practical guide to selecting the right KPIs and designing dashboards that support decisions across multipel field service roles.

Explore the KPI guide

CHECKLIST

Service-Led Growth Readiness Checklist

A quick checklist to evaluate readiness for service-led growth and clarify where to focus first. Useful for leadership discussions, planning cycles, and initial transformation scoping.

Get the checklist

Latest Insights

The latest thinking on KPIs, service strategy, field operations, and emerging technologies

Uptime as the key service KPI that matters to customers, highlighting whether equipment is running when needed rather than internal metrics like response time or first-time fix rate

KPI & Performance

Why Uptime Is the KPI That Really Matters in Service

Most manufacturers still focus on KPIs like mean time to repair (MTTR), first-time fix rates (FTF), or service response times. While these are useful, they…

AI use cases improving after-sales operations through faster diagnostics, accurate service workflows, optimized parts management, and better customer support.

AI & Emerging Tech, Field Service Strategy & Transformation

How AI Can (Actually) Help After-Sales Service – Beyond the Hype

Discover how AI is revolutionizing after-sales in industrial manufacturing – from complaint triage and technician scheduling to predictive maintenance and customer companion bots. This in-depth…

Hidden revenue opportunities in a manufacturer’s installed base worth over 100 million dollars, driven by service expansion and asset insights.

Service Revenue & Business Growth

The $100M Opportunity Hiding in Your Installed Base

Every industrial organization is sitting on an untapped revenue engine, the installed base. Yet, without asset lifecycle visibility and a strategic aftermarket approach, millions slip…

Five strategic mistakes sabotaging field service success in 2025, including data silos, chasing AI, underinvesting in upskilling, and treating field service as cost center.

Field Service Strategy & Transformation

5 Strategic Mistakes That Are Sabotaging Field Service Success in 2025

In 2025, companies are investing heavily in field service transformation, but many still miss the mark. This article uncovers five critical missteps, from treating field…

Field service trends for 2025 illustrating new technologies, workforce challenges, and the future direction of service operations.

Field Service Strategy & Transformation

The State of Field Service in 2025: Trends, Challenges & the Road Ahead

In 2025, field service is no longer a back-office function, it’s a strategic growth engine. This article explores key trends like predictive maintenance, unified technicians,…

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Start Your Service Ops Audit!

SmartServiceOps is an independent space for practical thinking on after-sales service, service-led growth, KPIs, and emerging technologies, grounded in real-world experience, not vendor narratives.

What you will find here

Practical breakdowns of service KPIs and performance metrics
Frameworks and tools you can apply independently
Clear-eyed views on AI, service strategy, and execution gaps
No vendor bias. No sales pitch.

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