ServiceNow has invested $10 million in CareAR, a Service Experience Management (SXM) software company formed by Xerox. CareAR has a $700 million post-money valuation, Xerox said.
Why should MSPs care? The answer potentially involves the future of remote IT support. Indeed, service employees and MSPs can leverage CareAR visual and augmented reality (AR) tools to deliver remote support to end-customers -- thereby driving down the need for truck rolls.
Still, this is more than an MSP, VAR and IT services play. CareAR is designed to be "industry agnostic," Xerox asserts. In other words, the software is designed for any company that wants to improve customer support and service delivery.
The CareAR platform, which Xerox acquired in January 2021, integrates with ServiceNow Field Service Management and "allows service technicians to tap into the knowledge of more experienced technicians through live, AR assisted instruction," Xerox asserts.
CareAR's augmented reality software combines DocuShare's content management system, XMPie’s cross-media platform, and Xerox’s PARC Alto AI artificial intelligence engine.
Xerox Forms CareAR: Executive Leadership and Perspectives
CareAR will be led by Xerox President and Chief Operations Officer Steve Bandrowczak. Also, Care founder Sam Waicberg shifts to president of CareAR.
Xerox CEO John Visentin, in a prepared statement about CareAR, said:
"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. 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.”
Added John Ball, senior vice president of customer workflows at ServiceNow:
“Our customers have never more urgently needed workflows that deliver greater operational efficiencies, better customer and environmental outcomes, and improved safety. Our investment reflects our belief that CareAR has the potential to deliver world-class, enterprise-grade augmented reality. Customers using CareAR’s augmented reality 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, which also reduces carbon emissions dramatically. Together, we’re delivering powerful enterprise service experiences for the new world of work.”
Augmented Reality (AR), MSPs and Remote IT Support
From Microsoft to Facebook to CareAR, dozens of companies are developing augmented reality software platforms and associated applications.
In many cases, the software is designed for IT support personnel to virtually visit customer sites and equipment. In other cases, the AR technology blends a remote technician's experience with an on-site user or support provider's experience.
Still, Augmented Reality (AR) has largely involved enterprise- and consumer-oriented use cases. ChannelE2E is not aware of major MSP software providers developing AR tools for the SMB market.
