I’m sure by now that you’ve heard the news that Salesforce acquired Click Software for $1.35 billion. This seems to usher in the “age of field service” where larger software companies are beginning to make bigger ticket purchases in FSM. It is great news for the industry and follows the path that other line of business applications like CRM, HCM and Procurement took along the path to where we are now in the software industry.
Here at IFS, this acquisition is a pretty clear indicator that businesses understand that the next frontier in excellence will come from service, and they’re gearing up with the Field Service Management (FSM) software to do service right.
The recent news is very good for us as we are the undisputed leader when it comes to the unique combination of our scope of capabilities and the depth that those capabilities offer both in optimization and core capabilities within field service management, or more broadly all of service management, for both enterprises as well as medium and small businesses. And that technology expertise comes with the domain expertise that we are a partner, not someone that needs to be taught what field service really is. Our job is to help your business reach its full potential so that your brand can delight your customers.
Breaking news – one less FSM competitor as Salesforce tries to buy their way to the leaders quadrant. And for all the Click on premise customers – IFS allows choice of how you deploy and upgrade your optimization and field service software. https://t.co/5BVy3L3IMr
— Marne Martin (@marne_martin) August 7, 2019
The numbers bear out that what was a “frontier” line of business application is going mainstream with this acquisition as well as investment in FSM software growing by a projected 15 percent year-over-year through 2023, a faster pace than the growth in many other line of business applications. FSM software oversees what may be the only time your customer interacts physically (versus digitally) anymore with a person representing your brand.
This also means that organizations are beginning to realize that you can’t just focus on your customer in a vacuum of their wants and needs, as captured through a CRM. You need to focus on the process and the delivery of service, and the tool to do that is FSM. This is the same trajectory that led organizations to evaluate and adopt HCM, CRM, and Procurement software in the past, and now it’s time to add FSM to that list.
The other aspect implicit in this quickly heightening attention that triggers both acquisitions like this and accelerating investment is an increase in servitization. Organizations from all industries are beginning to realize that the integrity of their products is only as strong by the quality of their experiences. To stay relevant, grow your brand, provide the customers with the experience they need and want, many are using that opportunity to create new service opportunities to support their products, increase customer loyalty, and future-proof their offerings. These firms will need the support from FSM software straight out of the gate. A mature and fully functional FSM platform like IFS is like hopping into the express lane towards service excellence versus keeping on your training wheels.
Whether businesses are starting from scratch with service or reinforcing what they already have, the message is clear—Service Management software is not just the norm, it’s a necessity. Its business value will only continue to grow in the years to come – and this Salesforce acquisition of Click is living proof. Carpe Diem – what are you doing in service?
Do you have questions or comments?
We’d love to hear them so please leave us a message below.
