Rerelease: ABB's Use of AR and AI to Modernize Field Service and Transform CX | UNSCRIPTED Ep. 264

Rerelease: ABB's Use of AR and AI to Modernize Field Service and Transform CX | Stuart Thompson | UNSCRIPTED Ep. 264 "In three to five years, a lot of the field service work will be divided between an interactive approach — with the customer doing work and us doing work as well." In this episode of UNSCRIPTED — originally released in 2023 and returning as part of our July rerelease series — host Sarah Nicastro sits down with Stuart Thompson, President of the Electrification Service Division at ABB, for a candid look at how one of the world's largest engineering companies is using augmented reality and AI to fundamentally transform service delivery and the customer experience. Stuart leads a global organization of nearly 3,000 field engineers across 50 countries. With about 100 engineers in the air at any given moment, scaling knowledge and expertise across borders is both a strategic imperative and a daily operational challenge. Technology is playing a central role in addressing both. In this conversation, Sarah and Stuart cover: • Why customer demand for instant, always-available support — combined with a global skills shortage — pushed ABB toward AR and AI • How COVID accelerated ABB's AR deployment from a controlled manufacturing environment to live field operations in China and Chile • The real-world story of guiding engineers remotely across language barriers using real-time AR translation • Why ABB doubled its R&D investment in service technology after listening to what engineers actually found cumbersome • How wearable safety devices are the "soft entry point" into AR adoption — starting with voltage detection before adding more capability • The two types of AI ABB is using: generative AI for field reports and data capture, and statistical AI for optimization and scheduling • How AI-assisted report writing is saving ABB's field engineers 2–3 hours per week — equivalent to $30 million per year • Why AI-powered self-service is reducing unnecessary callouts while giving customers a clear upgrade path to higher support levels • The data digitization challenge: making 20–30 year-old legacy device data accessible in the field • How cybersecurity concerns shaped ABB's approach to data localization and separation • Where Stuart sees field service heading in the next 3–5 years — and why the model will shift fundamentally A forward-looking, operationally grounded conversation that is just as relevant today as when it first aired. 🌐 Visit us at futureoffieldservice.com 📩 Subscribe to The INSIDER: futureoffieldservice.com/the-insider