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When electronics giant Honeywell announced on Monday that it was suing start-up Nest, a Silicon Valley darling that makes next-generation thermostats, they also thrust so-called “smart thermostats” in to the collective mainstream. Take a look at the coverage.
The lawsuit… Continue Reading →

Did you know that right now there are advanced underwater robots working in some of the most extreme conditions, deep in the ocean, to keep our underwater gas and oil machinery working properly? As a field service professional, that’s probably… Continue Reading →

We’re in an age in which consumers expect their gadgets to have brains. There’s smart phones, smart dishwashers, and smart coffee makers. Add to that the fact that so many of us are looking for ways to cut our energy… Continue Reading →

For fleet managers, knowing how and when different vehicles hold their value is important for optimizing overall cost and fleet performance. We spoke recently with Eric Ibarra, a 20-year auto industry veteran and the manager of residual value practice for… Continue Reading →

We wrote in this space recently about Comcast’s much-publicized effort to halve its customer-service installation time window from four hours to two.
It didn’t take long for that to get trumped.
Time Warner Cable’s president, Rob Marcus, told reporters in… Continue Reading →

Sometimes it’s nice to have numbers to back up what you think you’re seeing. So when you think to yourself, ‘Wow, everyone’s got a tablet,” you can be sure you’re not crazy. Anyway, rest easy: It appears you’re right. Mobile… Continue Reading →

For those of you in the cable-installation game, some interesting numbers emerged this week from the FCC, to which the National Cable and Telecommunications Association is required to submit quarterly statements updating the agency on the progress of CableCARD adoption.… Continue Reading →

Ever felt that uneasiness when upgrading smartphones, tablets, and the other mobile devices your field service workers use? These devices are important, to be sure, but they tend to give a manager a low sense of dread upon realizing they’ll… Continue Reading →

Coca Cola’s slogan, Life Begins Here, will ring especially true for job seeking field service techs on the East Coast.
Twist the Cap to Refreshment with this week’s installment of the SmartVan’s regular Job of the Week feature. Because Coca… Continue Reading →

Imagine an electronic device that’s billed as the future of its industry, with state-of-the-art software, sleekly designed with an LCD screen, stainless steel case, minimalist packaging and a rechargeable lithium ion battery. No, this isn’t an iPad or a MacBook.… Continue Reading →

The gear-heads among us may fantasize about speedy sports cars or high-performance luxury SUVs, but sometimes you just need your vehicle to be a workhorse. Sometimes you need a van. But beware: not all vans are created equal. So to… Continue Reading →

We’ve written before at the SmartVan about the field service industry’s graying problem. Today, Patrick Peterson, author of the ZenHVAC blog, offers his call to action for business owners to get more proactive about replenishing their workforce and enticing kids to get… Continue Reading →

Earlier this week we sized up the value of reviews on Yelp.com, the review site where actual customers (theoretically, anyway) rate local businesses, and its importance for smaller field service firms. But Yelp is hardly alone in the business of… Continue Reading →

Who says all those hours you spent playing Super Mario Brothers growing up were a waste? (Besides your mom, I mean.) Well, in this week’s installment of the SmartVan Job of the Week feature, we’re highlighting, among others, a position where… Continue Reading →