Hot Topics from Field Service Palm Springs 2025 & What to Expect at Field Service Europe 2025 in Amsterdam
Field Service Palm Springs 2025 revealed that the industry has evolved beyond basic digitisation to strategic transformation. The conference focused on solving immediate challenges—AI implementation hurdles, workforce retention crises, and data management complexity.
Field Service Europe 2025, taking place 27-29 October in Amsterdam, will advance these conversations toward strategic growth, agentic AI, and service as a profit centre. The evolution from reactive problem-solving to proactive value creation represents the next phase of field service maturity.
Here are the groundbreaking topics you can expect to hear about in Amsterdam.
Taking AI Evolution from Implementation to Intelligence
Palm Springs demonstrated that organisationshave moved past the question of whether to implement AI. Instead, the focus shifted to optimisation and practical application, empowering attendees with insights on how they can draw value from their AI implementations.
In the partner keynote and "fireside chat” called "Easily Finding the Needle in a Haystack of Data,” speakers from Waters and Aquant shared emphasized making organisational data actionable for decision-making rather than collecting information without purpose.
Similarly, Ashok Kartham, Founder & CEO of Circuitry.ai, showcased AI-driven decision intelligence for productivity optimisation. His presentation highlighted how global equipment manufacturers harness AI-powered service advisers to elevate decision-making across the service lifecycle.
The technology enhances productivity by empowering technicians with AI-driven diagnostics and parts recommendations for faster job completion.
Chris Dickerson, Vice President of Service Planning & Logistics at Nokia, shared how predictive support prevented 80% of escalations in their optical networking business. The Nokia-Ascendo.AI partnership enabled advanced data analytics and AI agents that optimise spare parts management and proactively avoid escalations.
Field Service Europe 2025 Will Explore on Autonomous AI
Europe 2025 will advance these conversations significantly.
Matthew Skipworth, Vice President of Global Services & Digital Solutions at Terex, will demystify "Agentic AI" and explore human-AI collaboration. This represents a fundamental shift from basic AI implementation to autonomous AI systems capable of independent action while maintaining human oversight.
Jessica Murillo, Chief Operating Officer for Technology Lifecycle Services at IBM, returns to explore advanced AI applications. Having shared insights at Palm Springs, her Europe presentation will likely focus on enterprise-scale AI deployment lessons.
Additionally, the new AI Advisory Lab will provide one-to-one consultations with AI experts and practitioners. Attendees will be able to pose specific questions to solution providers and receive focused feedback on their AI journey.
Transforming the Workforce Beyond Shortages and Stopgaps
Palm Springs addressed immediate workforce challenges through tactical solutions. David Sarazen, Vice President of Customer Service at Multivac, demonstrated how to cut technician turnover in half through revitalized training programmes. His approach focused on improved candidate screening, leveraging apprenticeships, and building comprehensive training programmes with regular progress reviews.
Sessions also explored how to "fire up" new recruits quickly to prevent early departures. The conference revealed that engaging new employees within their first few months is crucial for retention. Organisationsshared strategies for creating immediate connections between new hires and their teams despite geographical dispersion.
Field Service Europe 2025 Will Shift to Strategic Workforce Planning
Europe 2025 will shift toward creating "trusted advisers" rather than just fixing retention problems. The focus moves from crisis management to strategic workforce planning and development.
Career pathway development will appeal to Gen Z and Alpha generations who expect clear advancement opportunities and meaningful work.
Arnaud Billard, Senior Director Applications & Service Europe at Cepheid, along with other panelists, will explore workforce flexibility and explain how organisations can create career pathways that appeal to the next generation. This discussion will examine how service leaders can design roles that meet evolving expectations while ensuring operational excellence.
The strategic progression from immediate retention fixes to long-term workforce development reflects the industry's recognition that sustainable service delivery requires engaged, skilled professionals at every level.
Data as a Strategic Asset
Palm Springs focused internally on making organisational data actionable. Sara Smith's presentation emphasised filtering useful insights from data overload and bridging the gap between data collection and practical application. Organisations struggled with vast amounts of information but lacked the tools to transform it into operational improvements.
The "needle in a haystack" metaphor resonated throughout multiple sessions. Attendees learned that successful data strategies require understanding which metrics matter most for accurate decision-making. Companies that collected data without clear objectives found themselves overwhelmed rather than empowered.
Field Service Europe 2025 Will Explore Value Creation Through Data
Field Service Europe 2025 will advance this conversation toward external value creation.
Tanya Singh, Chief Commercial Officer at Biotronics3D, will explore turning data into client partnership tools. This represents a fundamental shift from internal operational efficiency to external customer value creation and revenue generation.
Thomas Frendo, Global Vice President of Service Technologies at Siemens, brings enterprise-level data strategy insights to the foray. His session will likely demonstrate how large organisations can leverage data for strategic advantage across multiple markets and customer segments.
Lastly, Andrea Gombach, Chief Services Officer at Ricoh Europe, will demonstrate how to turn data into insights to deepen client relationships and deliver data-driven service enhancement techniques. This presentation will show how organisations can use analytics to strengthen client trust and engagement while identifying new service opportunities.
The value evolution from internal operational efficiency to external customer value creation and revenue generation shows how data transforms from a cost center to a profit driver.
Cultural and Digital Transformation
Field Service Palm Springs addressed the human side of service transformation.
Laurie Battaglia, CEO & Workplace Strategist at Aligned at Work, focused on leading through disruption and change. Her session explored the emotional phases of change and provided tools to build resiliency for individuals and teams.
Fabio Raffone, VP Service Operation Americas at Tetra Pak, explored future service culture creation. His presentation examined shifting paradigms in field service and their impact on organisational culture. The focus centered on changing "shut-up and do it" cultures to accountability-driven organisations where employees feel valued and heard.
Field Service Europe Will Present New Digital Service Models
Europe 2025 will progress toward building digitally native service organisations.
Frank Jans, Head of Service Digitalization at Ricoh Europe, will demonstrate digital-first mentality implementation. This approach integrates digital tools and technologies into service operations as a cultural foundation rather than an add-on capability.
Clinten van der Merwe, Senior Vice President, Head of Global Service and Project Management at TOMRA Recycling, will balance sustainability with growth objectives. His session will explore how organisation scan align environmental responsibility with revenue objectives.
The emphasis shifts from fixing toxic cultures to proactive digital transformation leadership. Organisations recognize that sustainable change requires cultural alignment with technological capabilities.
Technology Integration and Innovation
Finally, Field Service Palm Springs revealed widespread frustration with "multiplatform hell." Organisations struggled with integration difficulties and ROI concerns from disparate systems that don't communicate effectively.
Technology investment optimisation and speed-to-value acceleration became critical concerns.
For example, Joseph June, General Manager of ServiceMax at PTC, questioned whether LLMs can be trusted for strategic decisions. This skepticism reflected broader industry concerns about moving beyond pilot programmes to strategic AI deployment.
Field Service Europe 2025 Will Embrace Technology Maturity
Field Service Europe 2025 will showcase cutting-edge technologies. More importantly, it will reveal how field service teams can integrate the latest tech into their workflows to deliver next-generation services and unlock new revenue streams.
Jan Tjurin, Strategy Head of Global Services at Nokia, will demonstrate digital twin technology for customer value creation. His presentation will explore how virtual replicas of physical assets enable real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance.
Ivo Siebers, Senior Vice President of Global Logistics at TK Elevator, will share service expansion success strategies. His insights will likely focus on how to scale service capabilities to meet ambitious growth targets.
Product serviceability design integration will give service "a seat at the table" in product development. This approach ensures that service considerations influence product design from the beginning rather than being addressed as an afterthought.
The innovation trajectory moves from solving integration problems to leveraging cutting-edge technologies for strategic business advantage.