Market Perspectives

ISG Research is happy to share insights gleaned from our latest Buyers Guide, an assessment of how well software providers’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements. The Manufacturing Field Service: ISG Research Buyers Guide is the distillation of a year of market and product research by ISG Research. The manufacturing industry is continuously under pressure to streamline its product and supply chain cycles to maximize efficiency while simultaneously meeting cost, profitability and customer expectations. Equipment and product manufacturers are also expected to provide maintenance, repair and operational services promptly to meet customer needs. It is essential that field service teams, as well as those who support manufacturing functions, are efficient and responsive in addressing and resolving customer issues. ISG Research defines field service management (FSM) as the practice of delivering technical support at the customer's site or supporting locations, as opposed to relying solely on remote communication channels such as phone or chat. This approach is critical in today's market, where manufacturers are increasingly pressured to enhance customer experiences while minimizing costs. Field service is not merely about dispatching workers; it is a complex orchestration that involves optimizing processes and automating as much of the workflow as possible to ensure successful resolution to issues or required service. The history of field service management dates back more than several decades when manufacturers need to maintain or repair equipment. Initially, FSM operations required manual processes, with paper-based systems for tracking service requests, work orders and technician assignments. This approach was often cumbersome and slow, leading to inefficiencies and operational challenges. The introduction of basic scheduling software and mobile communications allowed for more efficient dispatching and communication between technicians and the central office of a manufacturer. As technology advanced, particularly with the rise of mobile devices and cloud computing, field service for manufacturers has evolved. Early software solutions integrated functionalities such as real-time communication, GPS tracking and comprehensive customer service tools. This integration streamlined operations and enhanced the ability to gather and analyze data, leading to improved decision-making and resource allocation. The more recent advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) has further changed approaches for manufacturers with enabling remote monitoring and predictive maintenance, allowing technicians to address issues proactively rather than reactively. Today, manufacturing field service is characterized by its focus on mobility, automation and data-driven decision-making. Enterprises are increasingly adopting advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning along with analytics to optimize operations, forecast maintenance needs, and improve customer experience. The evolution of field service management in manufacturing reflects a broader shift in how manufactures engage with customers, moving from reactive support to proactive service delivery, aiming to enhance value and maintain competitive advantage in an increasingly demanding marketplace. Manufacturers often look at field service operations as extensions of customer service and look to those applications and platforms to manage the process. As dedicated field service systems have developed, they differ from those used for traditional service in several key areas. FSM has moved beyond just managing schedules and time tracking to and support the workflow and orchestration of a continuous dialogue between customers, en route technicians and the manufacturers operations centers. For manufacturers, field service is focused on mobility: the movement of people and assets from place to place, tracking them and optimizing their deployment. Field service management systems focus on controlling scheduling and communicating updates to everyone involved. Mobile applications are essential in providing remote technicians with technical data, product catalogs, customer histories and information on service-level agreements and warranties. For customers of manufacturers, mobile apps offer communication capabilities and sometimes the ability to upload media (such as photos or videos), with both apps potentially supporting augmented reality functions for enhanced service delivery. The ongoing revolution in data and AI tools, like those found in more recent agentic AI offerings, has allowed manufactures to build more sophisticated applications that allow for finer control of the many variables involved in sending out remote teams. By 2028, two-thirds of enterprises will be using AI to coordinate and optimize processes for scheduling the dispatch and workflow of field service technical teams. Contemporary systems can harness much deeper knowledge resources and company data pools to provide service that is timely, accurate and—from the end customer’s perspective—seamless. Many tools can predict when certain types of service or maintenance will be needed and potentially alert the customer to that need. When evaluating field service management tools, manufacturers should consider several factors. The first step is to assess the scalability and flexibility of the software, ensuring it can accommodate the current volume of operations while allowing for future growth. Integration capabilities are also important; the FSM tool should seamlessly connect with CRM, ERP and inventory management systems to facilitate a unified workflow. Finally, enterprises should prioritize mobile functionality, enabling technicians to access real-time information and communicate effectively in the field. The stakes are very high in this arena. Customer expectations for on-site service and continuous operations of products purchased are higher than for standard interactions. In B2B contexts, the success or failure of field service on critical systems can have profound effects on an enterprise’s operations and profits. Consumers also experience field service as a test of an organization’s basic competence. Building a modern field service operation requires an FSM platform that arms workers with precise information and necessary parts and tools, all within a very narrow timeframe. The ISG Buyers Guide™ for Manufacturing Field Service evaluates software providers and products in key areas, including support for mobile applications, mobile workforce management, scheduling and dispatch optimization, work order and asset management, customer engagement and experience, automation and AI integration, data and analytics, knowledge management, predictive maintenance and proactive service, along with specific needs of manufacturers. This research evaluates the following software providers that offer products that address key elements of manufacturing field service as we define it: FSM Global, IBM, IFS, Kapture CX, Oracle, PTC and Salesforce. This research-based index evaluates the full business and information technology value of manufacturing field service software offerings. We encourage you to learn more about our Buyers Guide and its effectiveness as a provider selection and RFI/RFP tool. We urge organizations to do a thorough job of evaluating manufacturing field service offerings in this Buyers Guide as both the results of our in-depth analysis of these software providers and as an evaluation methodology. The Buyers Guide can be used to evaluate existing suppliers, plus provides evaluation criteria for new projects. Using it can shorten the cycle time for an RFP and the definition of an RFI. The Buyers Guide for Manufacturing Field Service in 2025 finds Salesforce first on the list, followed by Oracle and IFS. Software providers that rated in the top three of any category ﹘ including the product and customer experience dimensions ﹘ earn the designation of Leader. The Leaders in Product Experience are: Salesforce. Oracle. IFS. The Leaders in Customer Experience are: Salesforce. Oracle. IFS. The Leaders across any of the seven categories are: Salesforce and Oracle, which have achieved this rating seven of the seven categories. IFS in five categories. IBM and PTC in one category. The overall performance chart provides a visual representation of how providers rate across product and customer experience. Software providers with products scoring higher in a weighted rating of the five product experience categories place farther to the right. The combination of ratings for the two customer experience categories determines their placement on the vertical axis. As a result, providers that place closer to the upper-right are “exemplary” and rated higher than those closer to the lower-left and identified as providers of “merit.” Software providers that excelled at customer experience over product experience have an “assurance” rating, and those excelling instead in product experience have an “innovative” rating. Note that close provider scores should not be taken to imply that the packages evaluated are functionally identical or equally well-suited for use by every enterprise or process. Although there is a high degree of commonality in how organizations handle manufacturing field service, there are many idiosyncrasies and differences that can make one provider’s offering a better fit than another. ISG Research has made every effort to encompass in this Buyers Guide the overall product and customer experience from our manufacturing field service blueprint, which we believe reflects what a well-crafted RFP should contain. Even so, there may be additional areas that affect which software provider and products best fit an enterprise’s particular requirements. Therefore, while this research is complete as it stands, utilizing it in your own organizational context is critical to ensure that products deliver the highest level of support for your projects. You can find more details on our community as well as on our expertise in the research for this Buyers Guide.

ISG Buyers Guide for Manufacturing Field Service Classifies and Rates Software Providers

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