What Service Leaders Shared at Field Service Next East 2026

I’ve spent nearly a decade working with service and field service organizations to implement and improve service management technology, so I was interested to hear what some of the largest service leaders in the world were focused on at Field Service Next East 2026 in Orlando, Florida.

AI, automation, and emerging technology dominated many of the conversations. But what stood out was how often the discussion came back to the fundamentals: helping people work more effectively, making processes run more smoothly, and creating better customer experiences.

1. Everyone’s Talking AI, but Some Are Still on Pen and Paper

The excitement around what AI can do in field service is real. Smarter asset triage, intelligent technician dispatching, technician repair guidance, agent-powered self-service, and asset issues detected before a truck even rolls are all becoming part of the conversation.

However, what I’ve seen firsthand is that the right foundation has to be in place for any of that to actually work.

AI is only as good as the operation it’s built on. The most successful AI initiatives start with the right operational and data foundation, not the technology itself. The reality is that some service organizations are talking about AI while parts of their operations still rely on spreadsheets, manual data entry, or even pen-and-paper processes. If your asset records are full of data gaps, your service history is siloed across multiple systems, or critical information never makes it into the system at all, AI can’t fix that.

Think about something as straightforward as an EV charger service call. If the service management system doesn’t know which specific unit is installed, its full service history, or what work has already been performed, AI has very little context to determine what might be wrong or what the technician will need when they arrive.

The good news is that you don’t have to have perfect data or systems in place. You do, however, need to be honest about where the gaps are in your current service workflows and close the ones that could keep a new tool from delivering the value you expect. 

You can’t automate your way around a broken foundation.

2. At the End of the Day, This Is Still About People

The agenda was full of technology-focused session tracks, but some of the most interesting discussions were about the people in the field and in the office who use it.

The challenges were familiar:

• Experienced technicians are retiring.
• Skilled talent is hard to find.
• Teams are being asked to do more with fewer resources. 

Organizations are getting creative by cross-training technicians, leaning on contractor and third-party networks, improving knowledge transfer, and using technology to help each person be more effective.

A new tool is only worth adopting if it truly makes someone’s job easier, and that starts with understanding how technicians actually work in the field. We’ve seen service organizations frustrate, and sometimes lose, valuable technicians when the tools they provide don’t support the realities of working in the field. That means giving them:

• Mobile and offline access to service history when they’re in remote locations
• Smarter, optimized scheduling that minimizes unnecessary travel and quickly adapts when colleagues call out or schedules change
• Streamlined work order management that reduces redundant data entry and makes it easier to close out work orders efficiently while still capturing critical service history
• Access to comprehensive knowledge bases to find information quickly without having to call support phone lines for assistance

Those aren’t just productivity wins. Done right, they make the day-to-day experience better for technicians and help retain great talent. As companies rethink their workforce, technology should remove friction, not create another system to manage.

3. Service Has to Be Measurable

Another theme at Field Service Next East was that the bar for what counts as “good” service continues to rise.

Response times and SLAs still matter, but service leaders are increasingly being asked to connect what happens in the field to what it means for the business.

It’s not just about whether the work order was closed or what percentage of work orders were completed. Leaders want to know if they’re fixing things right the first time, reducing unnecessary truck rolls, reducing unnecessary parts consumption, keeping assets running longer, protecting contracts, and giving customers a better experience.

A completed work order tells you the job got done. Avoiding a second truck roll because the technician had the right information and the right part the first time tells you something much more valuable.

And ultimately, what does all of that add up to financially?

That reframes the technology conversation, too. AI, automation, connected assets, and new service models only matter if they move the needle on outcomes the business can actually measure. First-time fix rate, unnecessary truck rolls, parts consumption, asset uptime, SLA performance, and customer satisfaction are only useful metrics when leaders can connect them to cost, revenue, customer retention, risk, or growth.

When organizations can connect service performance to those outcomes, service is no longer viewed only as a cost center. It becomes a driver of customer retention, growth, and differentiation. Innovation gets the attention, but business impact is what makes it matter.

Field Service Next East reinforced something I’ve seen throughout my years working with service organizations. Technology is still only one piece of the equation. What matters is how well organizations bring their people, operations, data, and technology together around the outcomes they’re trying to achieve.

The winners won’t be the organizations that adopt the most technology. They’ll be the ones that turn technology into better service.

Make Your Next Move Count

If these challenges sound familiar, the first step isn't necessarily choosing another platform or launching an AI initiative.

Start by taking an honest look at your people, processes, data, and technology. What's working? Where are the gaps? And which improvements would have the greatest impact on your customers and your business?

That's the conversation we help service organizations have. 

No pitch. No platform bias. Just a practical conversation about where you are today and what should come next.