Free Newsletters for the Channel
Register for Your Free Newsletter Now
Xerox Announces ServiceNow-Backed Service Experience Platform, CareAR
The new $700 million AR-based service experience management platform attracts a $10 million investment from ServiceNow.
2 Min Read
Microsoft talks about augmented reality/mixed reality (AR/MR) changing the face of manufacturing on the plant floor, in the field and in design departments. With real-time IoT data, for example, plant workers can identify issues with a machine or process on the plant floor or help a service technician fix a piece of equipment.
Microsoft Azure IoT for manufacturing helps companies monitor manufacturing equipment, customer experience and improve field service.
Rick Beckers, president and CEO of CloudTech1, says he’s seeing use cases of VR and IoT in educational or training type scenarios.
“I’m seeing instances of virtual reality and IoT connecting to get at a piece of equipment that’s way out in the wilderness, for example. The person in the field is looking at it with a pair of goggles, and a subject-matter expert not in the field – maybe back at central headquarters – can see what’s happening with that piece equipment and advise on how to repair it,” he said.
Three key findings from an updated PTC white paper — The State of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT): There’s significant opportunity for companies looking to build IIoT capabilities into their physical products or to provide IIoT solutions to their end customers; larger companies are primarily focused on internal use of IIoT technology as they recognize the opportunity for efficiency and to optimize processes across complex value chains; and the “service” use case tends to be the primary beneficiary of a company’s IIoT offering.Shutterstock
Xerox has taken the wraps off a new software company, CareAR. The new “service experience management platform” is valued at $700 million following a $10 million investment from ServiceNow.
Xerox president and COO Steve Bandrowczak will expand his current role to serve as CareAR’s chairman. Sam Waicberg, the original founder of Care Inc., will serve as CareAR’s president.
The CareAR platform combines DocuShare’s content management system, XMPie’s cross-media platform and Xerox’s PARC Alto AI engine. Its backbone is the augmented reality (AR) technology Xerox gained through the acquisition of CareAR earlier this year. With ServiceNow field service management, service technicians can connect with experienced technicians through live, AR assisted instruction.
Xerox’s John Visentin
Xerox vice chairman and CEO John Visentin said the platform “is intuitive to a digitally native workforce.” With the investment from ServiceNow, he said he believes CareAR will define and grow the service experience management category.
It was “disrupting industries at a time when it’s needed most,” he added.
Empowering Workforces
Xerox says the AR technology is “disrupting the service delivery ecosystem and addressing key sustainability and workforce challenges.”
This includes empowering support workforces with the visual tools and access to data. It also claims to help solve talent issues primarily associated with a retiring workforce. CareAR aims to optimize experienced employees’ time and allow inexperienced workers to draw on their knowledge curated by CareAR’s predictive AI capabilities.
It also says its supports service employers’ sustainability and social responsibility goals.
“CareAR facilitates remote preventative and maintenance-based actions, thereby reducing initial and follow-on technician dispatches. Lower dispatches result in fewer truck rolls, thereby lowering carbon emissions for service organizations,” said the firm.
ServiceNow’s John Ball
John Ball is SVP of customer workflows at ServiceNow. He said customers “urgently needed workflows that deliver greater operational efficiencies, better customer and environmental outcomes, and improved safety.”
“Our investment reflects our belief that CareAR has the potential to deliver world-class, enterprise-grade augmented reality. Together, we’re delivering powerful enterprise service experiences for the new world of work,” said Ball.
Want to contact the author directly about this story? Have ideas for a follow-up article? Email Christine Horton or connect with her on LinkedIn. |
Read more about:
MSPsAbout the Author(s)
You May Also Like
Sep 16 - Sep 19, 2024
Sep 16 - Sep 19, 2024
Join us for MSP Summit, September 16-19, 2024 in Atlanta, GA. You don't want to miss the industry’s most innovative and inspiring gathering of business leaders focused on growing their managed services businesses. This year’s MSP Summit will help attendees stay ahead of exponentially increasing security threats, expanding their range of services through a merger or acquisition and embrace a wide range of innovative new technologies. Get notified when registration opens.
Sign Up For Special Deal