Case Study
Service technician in the field

The company operates in the technical services sector. It had to expand its service due to the market situation and the wishes of its customers. Instead of large orders, more small orders are being processed. The company needed more employees in the field to handle the small orders. It therefore transferred several employees to the field service.

The three employees are deaf and therefore severely disabled. They are unable to perceive acoustic information, e.g. spoken language and signals. Due to their disabilities, audible information must therefore be modified so that they can perceive it visually or tactilely.

The three employees were transferred from office work to field work as service technicians.

The three employees with deafness are required to carry out field service activities and must drive to customers in the company car.
the legal regulations for people with disabilities or deafness to obtain a driver's license also apply.
As the work is carried out on site at the customer's premises, the circumstances and maintenance and repair conditions are constantly different. It is not possible for the three employees to communicate with the company by telephone in the usual way. Verbal instructions from the company and queries from the employees can therefore not be made verbally.
The three employees were therefore each equipped with a smartphone with a standard vibration detector for incoming calls. With the help of the smartphone, the employees can communicate in writing with their company or superiors. In addition, the smartphone makes it possible to take good quality photos so that the technical situation or conditions at the customer's premises can be documented and forwarded. Supervisors can thus be quickly informed of problems on site via photos so that they can, for example, provide written information, tips and instructions.

The smartphones were funded by the Integration and Inclusion Office. Advice was provided by the Technical Advisory Service of the Integration and Inclusion Office.