While automakers and dealers do their best to make sure technicians know how to work on every vehicle that sells the brand, it is impossible for them to bring every technician to the level of knowledge and skill level of the company’s top engineers and experts. Nor can the company place these top experts and engineers at every dealer, right?
I thought so too, but Ford proved us all wrong. But, unlike many of the times I have been proven wrong, this time I am happy about it. How can Ford’s top experts at every store do repairs to Ford’s vehicles? By magic, of course, but only in the way Arthur C. Clarke would define it. Technology is now advanced enough to do what only magicians of the past could claim to do: put the experts in every trader, immediately, just when they are needed.
People do things like this all the time with Zoom meetings, but when you do something as complex as working on a vehicle, it’s hard for the other person to see what you’re doing and to guide you through the process of getting out. find out what the problem is and fix it. So Ford decided to start using a new technology to give another person a first-person view of what the technician sees.
Their SWIS headsets are not made in Switzerland as far as I know. SWIS stands for “See what I see.” The camera is close to where the technician’s own eyes are located, providing both visual and audio communication between the technician who came in over his head with an unusual problem and the expert trying to guide them through it. It allows the expert to see what is really happening and provides step-by-step guidance not only in solving problems, but in figuring out what is going on in the first place.
“SWIS definitely helps to get our customers back on the road faster. We had some wiring situations that we were able to fix in a few hours compared to a few days with See What I See and it’s really valuable, ”says Susan Padro, Service Manager at Mullinax Ford in Apopka Florida.
These headsets also get a lot of work done. 1200 of the headsets have been activated so far, and technicians have asked for help 350 times in the past 90 days. By the end of November, all American Ford dealers will have their own headsets, and they will be able to get the help they need much faster.
Another thing that the headphones will be useful for in the future is for remote service calls, in a company’s garage or in an individual’s driveway. Mobile service technicians can not only get help from Ford Corporate, but also get guidance from other, more experienced and trained technicians at their home dealer. In addition, new technicians in training, both mobile and in retail, will be able to use the headsets to do some of their training in the future, by working remotely with instructors from training centers in other states to develop skills without going into ‘ stay in a hotel.
Bottom line here: Ford EV technicians are going to continue to become more efficient thanks to this kind of remote assistance technology.
Featured image by Ford.
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