Building a robot is incredibly difficult. And selling robots is only one part of the value chain. The real test — and the real revenue — comes after the robot leaves your factory. The more lucrative opportunity — offering roughly 3x greater margins — is guaranteeing uptime through ongoing service agreements.
Most robotics OEMs, however, are stuck in a reactive “break/fix” service model that leaves this revenue on the table. Whether you manufacture autonomous warehouse vehicles, medical devices, or industrial arms, your customers expect zero downtime. When the robots go down, operations stop, revenue stops, and your phone starts ringing.
To unlock those 3x margins, OEMs need a new service model. The current approach — your mobile workforce scrambling to sites, hunting for data across disconnected systems, arriving without the right parts or complete asset histories — frustrates customers and wastes resources.
Let’s look at a few leading robotics manufacturers transformed their service operations through the right field service management software.
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Movu Robotics finds agility and uptime in the warehouse
Movu Robotics is a leader in 4-way pallet shuttle automation, powering warehouses across Europe and the US. Their customers rely on these robots for mission-critical logistics. When the robots stop, the warehouse stops.
To meet demands, Movu’s customer care isn’t a simple offering, it’s a guarantee.
The challenge:
While Movu’s robots were technically advanced, their internal service workflows were fragmented. Field engineers lacked clear action plans. A single service job required juggling multiple tools — one for material registration, another for checklists, plus a standalone ticketing system that created bottlenecks for the customer service team.
The solution:
Movu integrated Agentforce Field Service and Operations directly with their SAP ERP system, unifying work orders, customer data, and asset history in a single platform.
Instead of flying blind, field engineers now access complete action plans and asset histories through a simple mobile interface. For internal teams, intuitive workflows from Case to Work Order meant instant adoption.
The results:
- 55% of service tickets resolved remotely — without ever dispatching a truck
- 10x ticket volume handled — all with the same operational footprint
- Weeks, not months to deploy the initial MVP — protecting aftermarket revenue immediately
Movu proved that world-class asset management doesn’t require heavy enterprise infrastructure. A targeted MVP deployed in weeks can directly protect your highest-margin revenue stream.
Varian scales life-saving reliability at global scale
Varian (a Siemens Healthineers company) is showing what’s possible at enterprise scale — and what’s at stake when service fails. Varian develops cancer care technologies that touch 23 million patients annually. For customers who need care, downtime isn’t just some operational inconvenience.
The challenge:
Varian managed tens of thousands of highly complex, connected medical assets globally. But legacy technology obscured visibility into asset health. When a technician arrives without the right part to repair cancer treatment equipment, it’s not just a service failure — it could seriously impact patient care.
The solution:
Varian shifted to proactive maintenance using Agentforce Field Service and Operations. They have streamlined their scheduling of technicians using the Dispatch Console and Mobile App. Salesforce contributes to technicians being able to conduct updates offsite, cutting down truck rolls by 40%.
The results:
- 99% uptime for critical medical equipment — ensuring continuous patient care
- 40% reduction in truck rolls — technicians conduct updates and diagnostics remotely
- 85 NPS score — maintained at the time of rapid growth
- 3% technician headcount growth while revenue grew double-digits — service operations scaled without proportional cost increases
“Our business runs on Agentforce Field Service,” said Patrick Dell, Field Vice President of Service Operations. “Without it, we would not be able to deliver this kind of customer success.”
As Varian continues expanding, they’re now deploying Agentforce to provide field engineers with real-time, on-site troubleshooting support.
Waters’ wins with Agentforce Field Service
With 1,500+ field engineers managing millions of assets, downtime was costly. A switch to Agentforce Field Service brought a 40% referral revenue boost and 10% cut in replacement part costs.
The Foundation: Mastering Robot Maintenance
For robotics OEMs, profitable aftermarket service starts with solving the fragmented data problem.
When asset histories, entitlements, warranties, service records, and IoT telemetry live in disconnected systems, technicians can’t deliver efficient service. Your customers experience downtime. Your field teams waste time. Your margins suffer.
Unified asset intelligence as a solution
When you connect robot telematics (via IoT and data platforms) to service execution (via Agentforce Field Service and Operations) and layer on AI-powered decision support (via Agentforce), three things happen:
- Revenue maximizes
Shift from selling hardware to selling high-margin, proactive service contracts. Empower field technicians to identify cross-sell opportunities directly from customer sites. - Uptime increases
Predict failures before they happen. Reducing your customer’s downtime can increase their revenue by up to 10% — making your service contracts stickier and more valuable. - Costs drop
Optimize parts inventory, streamline warranty claims, and improve first-time fix rates. Remote diagnostics eliminate unnecessary truck rolls. Proactive maintenance prevents expensive emergency repairs.
Connecting the flow of information coming from your assets is key.
You don’t need a massive budget to start
The barrier to modern service operations isn’t cost — it’s thinking you need to transform everything at once.
Movu deployed a targeted MVP in weeks. Varian scaled globally with a platform that grew alongside their business. Both started with clear objectives: improve technician productivity, increase uptime, protect aftermarket revenue.
Here’s how to get started with robotic maintenance:
Start with your highest-impact assets.
Which robots generate the most service revenue? Which customers have the tightest uptime requirements? Focus there first.
Connect your data.
Unified asset intelligence requires connecting IoT telemetry, service history, and customer data. This doesn’t mean ripping out your ERP — it means integrating what you have.
Deploy fast, measure results.
Targeted implementations with simple pricing and fast deployment models mean robotics manufacturers can modernize service operations in weeks. Track what matters: remote resolution rates, first-time fix rates, truck roll reduction, service contract renewal rates.
Scale what works.
Once you prove ROI on high-value assets, expand to the rest of your install base. Add AI-powered diagnostics. Build proactive maintenance into every customer contract.
Your robots are connected. It’s time to connect your service operations.
The robotics industry is evolving rapidly. AI field service management and outcome-based contracts are becoming table stakes. But none of that matters if your service operations can’t keep the robots running.
The manufacturers winning in this market aren’t just building better robots. They’re building better service operations — turning aftermarket support into their most profitable business line.
Your competitors are already making this shift. The question isn’t whether to modernize service operations. It’s how quickly you can get started.
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