Xerox-backed field service startup CareAR raises $10M

Customer expectations and demands are on the rise, exacerbating the challenge for organizations facing a larger volume of consumer requests in the course of the pandemic. The concern is acute in field service work, exactly where personnel have to work on gear with varying technical specifications — typically in confined, bandwidth-constrained, and difficult-to-attain spaces. In a current survey by The Service Council, more than 90% of field workers stated that more expertise is essential to service modern day solutions although almost 70% stated that solutions are more complicated today. Moreover,  over 80% stated that their existing field service responsibilities call for “greater technology knowledge” compared with when they initially began their jobs.

Against this backdrop, Xerox today announced that CareAR, a platform that combines Xerox’s content management technique DocuShare and multichannel advertising and marketing service XMPie with augmented reality tools for field service workers, has raised $10 million. The funding — which came from ServiceNow — values CareAR at $700 million post-cash, came from ServiceNow, and ServiceNow’s John Ball says it’ll be used to expand the company’s operations and help future item development.

“Our customers have never more urgently needed workflows that deliver greater operational efficiencies, better customer and environmental outcomes, and improved safety,” Ball stated in a press release. “Our investment reflects our belief that CareAR has the potential to deliver world-class, enterprise-grade augmented reality (AR). Customers using CareAR’s AR to route work through ServiceNow’s leading workflow platform can better solve problems remotely, speeding resolution times and reducing the need for expensive on-site visits … Together, we’re delivering powerful enterprise service experiences for the new world of work.”

CareAR was founded in 2018 as an AR business focused on field service work. Xerox acquired it in January, and at the time stated it planned to combine the “care experience amnagement” startup’s software program with DocuShare and XMPie to type a new organization unit.

AR-powered consumer service

CareAR’s platform, which has more than 10,000 shoppers such as Allstate, Nordstrom, Staples, and Verizon, lets agents see what customers see for true-time troubleshooting. Technicians get AI-powered AR visual help and guidance tools, although IT service employees obtain a portal from exactly where they can remotely resolve incidents. Companies can use CareAR to develop AR-based guidelines for self-guided and animated step-by-step flows. Moreover, they can tap the platform for insights into particular assets, troubles, and resolutions.

CareAR competes with TechSee, which also presents a platform that guides agents and shoppers by way of item setup and troubleshooting measures. Other rivals consist of Aquant and Neuron7, which leverage AI tools to automate field service across a quantity of unique forms of devices. Even tech giant Salesforce presents a competing item in Field Service Lightning, which orchestrates technician work with automated triaging and remediation tools.

But Xerox believes that CareAR, which is sold straight by Xerox and by means of channel partners like Accenture, Deloitte, HCL and Tata, is differentiated by its integration with ServiceNow, which supplies AR guidance for shoppers, personnel, and field workers.

Xerox vice chairman and CEO John Visentin estimates the service encounter management total addressable marketplace to be about $80 billion.

“Xerox has positioned CareAR to deliver capabilities that service-intensive industries need, with real-time instruction, visual tools and access to data at the tip of any user’s fingertips, all driven by predictive artificial intelligence,” Visentin stated. “By creating a platform that is intuitive to a digitally native workforce, and with investment from ServiceNow, we believe CareAR will define and grow the Service Experience Management category, disrupting industries at a time when it’s needed most.”

Originally appeared on: TheSpuzz