Pushing Field Service Forward in 2019

Some exciting news to share — we just closed an oversubscribed Series B funding round to bring AI-driven automation to the field service industry.

When I talk about field service, one of the first things I always mention is how many different areas it touches. Most people never think about field service, but it’s all around us. That pothole you try to avoid every morning, when you walk around your house trying to find the best place to get cell reception — it all ties back to the ability to deliver more efficient field service.

Unfortunately, the pace of innovation in field service is lagging. At a time when companies need to work smarter and faster, many still use manual methods to schedule technicians, manage inventory, and monitor field assets. Even the ones investing in digital transformations are doing little more than adding a layer of digitization to existing methods.

At Zinier, we think the future of field service should be automated, or touchless. It’s a perspective shared by our customers, and one of the reasons investors saw so much growth potential in our technology.

Since our Series A round in January 2018, we’ve worked hard to build a platform that helps companies deliver smarter, faster field service. In the last year, we launched Field Service Elements, a purpose-built, AI-driven platform that combines artificial intelligence and proactive insights to drive operational efficiency and fuel technician productivity. We also added several of the largest global telecommunications providers and integrators to our customer roster.

Fueling Our Growth

Over the last three months, we shared our platform and product vision with a number of potential investors. In the end, we decided to work with five firms — repeat investors Accel and Newfund, strategic partners Qualcomm Ventures and NGP Capital, and Founders Fund.

We’re honored to continue working with Accel (who once again led the round) and Newfund. Their enduring support is a testament to our platform our engineering team has built and the momentum our sales team has created.

We’re also excited to enter into strategic partnerships with Qualcomm Ventures and NGP Capital, the investment arm of Nokia. Their deep industry knowledge and expertise in IoT and 5G will help us deliver more effective out-of-the-box solutions to our telecom customers.

Finally, we’re thrilled to count Founders Fund among our investors. As one of the earliest investors in Facebook and the first institutional investor in SpaceX, Founders Fund has a long history of investing in people and organizations who take innovative approaches to difficult problems.

Between our five investors, we’ve raised $22M. Including our Series A round, that brings our total investment to more than $30M.

Reaching More Customers

In 2019, our primary focus will be on continuing to develop our platform and bring intelligent automation to field service.

We’ll use the funding in three ways – to develop and enhance our technology, expand into new regions and vertical markets, and hire the industry’s best talent:

• Moving the field service industry forward: The era of connectivity is here. IoT has been a hot topic for the last few years, but the proliferation of smart devices is driving the need for intelligent automation. At Zinier, we see a future where smart devices, automation, and people work together to deliver faster, more effective service. Of course, getting to that point requires a platform that can turn field data into intelligent automation.
• Extending our global presence: As a global company with an established presence in the U.S., Mexico, and APAC, we’re ideally positioned to help organizations use intelligent automation to drive efficiency and solve complex problems. In the next year, we’ll continue to fuel our growth by pushing into Europe and bringing our technologies to industries beyond telecom and energy.
• Expanding our talent: As we expand into new verticals and regional markets, we’ll continue delivering nuanced, out-of-the-box solutions that drive productivity. Doing so will require the best talent and a deep understanding of the challenges facing each industry. Interested in joining our team? Check out our Careers page for the latest openings.

If you look at the evolution of field service technology, it started with paper records and whiteboard schedules. More recently, companies have started down the path of digitization, with field technicians now able to access service histories and upload closeout packages from their mobile device. All of these advances are an incremental step forward, not an evolutionary leap.

At Zinier, we’re confident that field service automation will redefine the service delivery chain. Whether it’s using AI to predict which spare parts may be needed to perform a corrective maintenance request or leaning on smart devices to predict failure months in advance, intelligent automation will help companies stay ahead of a fast-changing industry. We look forward to sharing more updates soon.

Want to know more? I’m always looking to hear from current and potential customers. Schedule a demo now.

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