Refocusing from “Art of the Possible” to “Art of the Relevant”

Key Takeaways:

Top service executives are shifting their focus from what’s possible to what’s relevant.

• Technology investments are increasing, but many organizations are struggling to align them with business priorities.
• Executives are utilizing pilot programs and structured reviews to make more informed decisions.
• Experience Level Agreements (XLAs) are becoming important measures of success.
• Organizational resistance is a greater challenge than the technology itself.
• Long-term success relies on minor, continuous improvements over time.

Panelists: James Gable (Vice President of Global Services, Hologic Inc.), Patrycja Sobera (SVP and GM, Digital Workplace Solutions, Unisys), Zack Fallowfield (VP & Head of Service, Roche Diagnostics), Terry Young (CEO, P3)

The service world is evolving fast. Emerging tech, rising customer expectations, and the need for resilience are forcing teams to rethink legacy models. The real question isn’t speed. It’s direction: are organizations moving with intent, or just moving?

This was the primary assumption discussed by a high-profile group of industry leaders at the recent Smarter Services Executive Symposium, hosted by Service Councilt. The discussion was not only theoretical but based on real-life issues, practical knowledge, and plans. One of the most notable findings that formed the basis of the discussion was especially interesting: many service organizations are investing more in technology. So what’s driving these investments, and how do you turn spend into outcomes rather than optics?

The C-Suite’s Role: Prioritizing Technology Investment

At the executive level, the question is not whether to invest in technology, but rather where, how, and when to make those investments. The stakes are high. Misaligned investments may result in the squandering of resources, disjointed processes, and missed opportunities.

Terry Young, the CEO of P3, emphasized the delicate balance that the C-suite should find. It is always about shareholder value management, positive cash flow, and revenue expectations. At the executive level, the question isn’t whether to invest in technology, but where, how, and when. Misalignment wastes budget and fractures processes. Terry Young argues for pilot programs to de-risk innovation and test scalability, especially in acquisition-heavy firms.

Conversely, James Gable, the Vice President at Hologic Inc., highlighted the difficulty of operating in decentralized organizations. James Gable’s team tackles decentralization with formal quarterly reviews to check each investment against strategy and financials. The cadence keeps decisions focused.

Beyond ROI: Measuring Success in a New Era

ROI still matters, but it’s no longer sufficient. As service becomes experience-based, leaders add Return on Experience (ROE) and Experience Level Agreements (XLAs) to measure how work feels for users, not just how fast it closes.

Patrycja Sobera, SVP and GM at Unisys, cites a tool that showed no immediate ROI yet raised customer and employee satisfaction over time. Traditional metrics missed that signal; ROE didn’t.

She provided a powerful example: her team has recently invested in a new tool, which, on the surface, did not provide an immediately obvious ROI. No immediate cost reduction or productivity burst. However, over time, the platform led to tangible improvements in customer and employee experience. That, she said, is the type of value that conventional measures are inclined to ignore – but it is where the actual distinction is becoming.

Navigating Resistance and Ensuring Adoption

Tech isn’t the hard part. Adoption is. Most failures trace back to change resistance and weak change management. There was a general agreement across the panel: the biggest obstacle is not the tech, but resistance to change.

Most organizations invest in new platforms, applications, and systems and fail to achieve success due to their inability to take their people with them. Organizational change management is often given too little attention in assisting teams to learn, embrace, and eventually become champions of the new tools at their disposal.

How can companies achieve this?

The panelists provided helpful tips:

• Start small. Proofs of Concept (POCs) enable organizations to experiment with ideas in a controlled setting, develop early success stories, and mitigate the risk of massive failure.
• Empower “super users.” These are internal champions who are familiar with the tools and can serve as mentors to others. Their passion and skills can have a ripple effect on teams.
• Focus on personal impact. Frame benefits in terms of each role’s daily work.
  Adoption isn’t a box at the end of rollout. It starts on day one with empathy, communication, and feedback loops.

The moral of the story is obvious: adoption is not a box at the end of a rollout, but a strategic process that begins at the very beginning, based on empathy, communication, and collaboration.

The Sustainability Question: Small Bets and Continuous Improvement

Technology is full of promise, but it’s also full of noise. Among the most effective lessons learned during the panel was a warning note: beware of shiny object syndrome because trends are loud but value is quiet. Avoid one giant bet. Place small, staged bets across the value chain, learn fast, and course correct. Commit to the tool’s lifecycle: nurture, refine, and adapt.

AI-based scheduling and mobile-first tools are powerful foundations—and teams that keep iterating turn them into compounding advantages. That’s how implementation becomes a growth platform.

The focus on the significance of long-term commitment was also shared. It is not only about whether a technology is working today, but also about whether the organization is prepared to nurture, refine, and adapt that technology over time.

Although the panel emphasized the significance of sustainable innovation, it is also evident that the discussion on field service technology is still developing. Organizations are currently not only experimenting with new tools but also reconsidering how field service management technology can be scaled and modified over time.

The actual opportunity lies in choosing service management technology that offers both short-term and long-term flexibility. As the latest technology in field services emerges, such as AI-based scheduling and mobile-first platforms, companies that prioritize continuous improvement over a single upgrade will be in the best position to remain relevant in the competitive market.

Conclusion: Looking to the Future of Service

By the end of the panel, one obvious theme emerged: Success in service is evolving. Pair ROI with ROE. Prioritize people-first change. Trade moonshot upgrades for steady, compounding improvements. The winners won’t just respond to change; they’ll direct it.

People-first change management was also highlighted in the discussion. Field service management technology is only one part of the answer; adoption, communication, and cultural alignment are equally important.

It will not be a single big bet that will bring about true transformation, but a series of thoughtful, continuous improvements. It is service organizations that listen, adapt, and iterate that will shape the future, not merely survive in it.

And the most significant question to ask is, perhaps, this:

Are you responding to change, or driving it?

At Praxedo, we believe the future of service isn’t defined by what’s possible; it’s defined by what’s relevant, scalable, and human-focused.

This panel discussion resonated with what we observe daily throughout the organizations we serve: success is achieved through making smart investments that align with real-world needs, not trends. It could be empowering AI-based scheduling, enhancing technician processes, or linking customers to smooth digital experiences. Still, the aim remains the same: to provide meaningful value sustainably.

FAQs:

1: What does “The Art of the Relevant” mean?

The Art of the Relevant is the process of moving beyond pursuing all new technologies (the possible) and focusing on technologies and strategies that are actually relevant to business objectives, employee requirements, and customer expectations. Selective, strategic, sustainable.

2: Why is ROI no longer the only metric that matters in service transformation?

Although ROI is still significant, Return on Experience (ROE) is also being measured in many service organizations. ROE loyalty and productivity. Add ROE to track satisfaction and long-term value that ROI alone often misses.

3: What are common barriers to adopting new service technologies?

People. Address resistance with early engagement, POCs, and empowered champions. Even the best field service management technology investments can be derailed by organizational resistance, inadequate change management, and poor communication. Engage employees at the initial stage, pilot programs, and empower internal champions in the implementation.

4: How can service organizations ensure field service technology investments are sustainable?

Sustainable field service technology investment involves a paradigm shift from “big bets” to a series of smaller innovations throughout the value chain. Run smaller experiments, scale what works, and plan for long-term stewardship. Think platform lifecycle, not one-and-done.