Training Medical Device Service Teams in the Age of AI Proliferation

Digital transformation continues to accelerate across the medical device manufacturing sector, fundamentally reshaping workforce expectations and training requirements. Organizations face a critical challenge: upskilling existing teams while integrating multigenerational workforces and capturing institutional knowledge before it walks out the door.

The convergence of AR/VR technologies, mobile learning platforms, and AI-powered knowledge systems creates unprecedented opportunities for workforce development.​

Here, we’ll explore how creating the medical field service workforce of the future requires balancing technology adoption with human-centered change management strategies.​

Shifting Employee Expectations in Medical Field Service

Post-COVID workforce dynamics have fundamentally altered the power balance between employers and employees.

As Laurie Battaglia, CEO of Aligned at Work, explained during her keynote at the 2025 Field Service East conference: "Your employees have lost their fear. They are no longer afraid of change. They're not afraid of you anymore, and they're not afraid to speak up and ask for what they need, and that is the best possible thing for both you and your business.”​

Flexibility, work-life balance, and continuous learning opportunities now outweigh monetary compensation as primary retention drivers. Organizations must shift from "be grateful you have a job” to "prove why I should want this job” mentality. This represents a fundamental recalibration of the employer-employee relationship.​

Field service leaders report employees declining overtime, negotiating reduced hours, and leaving without backup jobs lined up more frequently than ever before. The old playbook no longer works. Leaders who cling to traditional command-and-control approaches find themselves hemorrhaging talent to organizations willing to adapt.​

The Multigenerational Challenge: Veterans, Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z

Field service organizations employ workforces spanning four generations, each with distinct learning preferences and technology comfort levels, as well as employees with skillful backgrounds. For example, veterans and experienced technicians possess irreplaceable institutional knowledge but may resist new digital tools.

Younger workers expect immediate feedback, mobile-first experiences, and technology-enabled workflows.​

According to Field Service Next Insights’ 2025 State of AI in Field Service report, 75% of North American field service organizations are only "somewhat confident” about workforce AI readiness, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive upskilling programs. This gap between current capabilities and future requirements demands immediate attention.

Veterans and Mentors

Military veterans represent an underutilized talent pipeline, bringing problem-solving skills, discipline, and technical training. According to a panel at Field Service East 2025 entitled "Veterans in Field Service: Creating a Culture of Outreach, Employment and Mentorship for our Veteran Community in Field Services,” hiring a veteran typically reduces time-to-competency by 15-20%.

Additionally, mentorship programs that pair experienced technicians with newer hires facilitate knowledge transfer while building cross-generational understanding. These relationships preserve institutional wisdom while accelerating the development of emerging talent.​

Knowledge Management Systems: The Foundation of Workforce Evolution

Centralized knowledge platforms transform how organizations capture, distribute, and retain technical expertise. Modern systems provide instant access to accurate information across global regions, reducing resolution times and ensuring consistent service delivery.​

Real-world implementations show improved first-call resolution rates, reduced training time for new hires, and enabled proactive support strategies. Organizations use AI to analyze service history, troubleshooting patterns, and equipment failure modes to build predictive knowledge bases.

This transforms reactive troubleshooting into proactive problem prevention.​

Dr. Angela Thomas, DBA, Executive Vice President of Growth & Strategy for Global Services at GE HealthCare, addressed this evolution during her presentation at the 2025 Field Service East conference:

"Today, there’s a movement toward remote diagnostics in service. The industry is shifting away from traditional break-fix approaches and moving toward being proactive, using cloud-based service platforms. Security is a key consideration here, and tools like augmented reality and virtual reality also play an important role in this transformation.”​

The infrastructure supporting these capabilities determines whether organizations can scale their service operations effectively.

AR/VR Training: Immersive Learning for Complex Medical Equipment

Augmented reality provides real-time, hands-on guidance for technicians in the field, overlaying digital instructions onto physical equipment. Virtual reality creates safe training environments for complex or high-risk procedures without risking patient safety or equipment damage.​

Medical device manufacturers deploy AR-enabled remote expert support, allowing senior technicians to guide junior staff through challenging repairs. This capability proves particularly valuable when dealing with rare equipment failures or new product installations.

The technology effectively multiplies the impact of subject matter experts across geographically dispersed teams.​

These technologies accelerate onboarding, reduce training costs, and enable faster knowledge transfer from retiring experts.

However, healthcare technology complexity demands smarter, faster field support that AR/VR can uniquely provide. Traditional classroom training cannot replicate the hands-on experience these immersive tools deliver.​

Mobile Learning Platforms: Training in the Flow of Work

Modern technicians expect mobile-first learning experiences that integrate seamlessly into daily workflows. Self-service portals and mobile applications provide real-time access to technical documentation, service bulletins, and troubleshooting guides.

The smartphone has become the primary interface between technicians and organizational knowledge.​

Organizations implement interactive digital manuals where technicians can ask questions and receive immediate AI-powered answers.

Mobile platforms enable microlearning. This takes the form of short, focused training modules that technicians complete between service calls. This just-in-time learning model respects the reality of field service work.​

These systems track skill development, certification compliance, and knowledge gaps to personalize learning pathways. The data generated reveals patterns that help organizations identify training needs before they become performance problems.

Case Study: Medical Device Manufacturer Achieves Knowledge Transformation

At Field Service East 2025, AI solution providers presented a case study about a global medical device organization. It provides an excellent example of how technology can lend itself to knowledge preservation and transfer.

The Problem: Fragmented Legacy Systems

The organization faced fragmented technical information across multiple legacy systems. The legacy environment was hindering technician efficiency and increasing service resolution times.

The Solution: An AI-Powered Service Platform That Consolidates Knowledge

The company implemented an AI-powered autonomous service platform that consolidated service manuals, diagnostic guides, parts catalogues, warranty policies, and service bulletins into a unified knowledge system.​

The solution deployed role-based "AI workers” accessible through mobile apps, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, and browser plugins—eliminating change management costs by integrating with existing workflows.

Implementation began with contact centers to validate accuracy before expanding to field technicians and dealer networks. This phased approach built confidence while minimizing disruption.​

The Result: Higher Accuracy and Faster Time-to-Competence

Not only did the platform deflect 50% of inbound calls, but it also reduced average handling time by 60% and achieved 97.5% diagnostic accuracy. Newer employees could perform at the same level as subject matter experts quickly, thanks to their easy access to information and interactive diagnostic features.

The organization transformed scattered information into actionable intelligence that technicians could access instantly, regardless of location or device.​

Upskilling and Change Management Priorities: The Critical Success Factor

According to Field Service Next’s 2025 "State of Field Service” report for North America, 40% of North American field service organizations identify workforce skill development and training as a top AI investment priority over the next 2-3 years. This represents a significant commitment to human capital development alongside technology investments.​

Training, Gamification, and Buy-In

Training programs must address both technical skills—equipment diagnostics, software platforms—and soft skills like customer communication and emotional intelligence. Organizations establish competency frameworks that define skill progression from entry-level to expert technician.

These frameworks create clear career paths that help retain ambitious employees.​

Gamification, contribution leaderboards, and performance-linked incentives drive adoption of new tools and training platforms. Successful programs explain the "why” behind new technologies, demonstrating how AI and automation make jobs easier rather than replacing workers.

Managing Change in the Age of AI

Technician resistance to change stems primarily from fear that AI will eliminate their roles, and organizations must proactively address these concerns.​

Leadership must start with a trust-based model that rests on confidence in employees rather than a sole focus on accelerating technology adoption. Immediate, frequent feedback has become crucial for retention, replacing annual review cycles with regular one-on-ones and specific, actionable guidance.

This shift acknowledges that waiting twelve months to discuss performance makes little sense in rapidly evolving environments.​

Creating employee resource groups and peer support networks helps teams navigate change together. Shared challenges feel less daunting when tackled collectively. Organizations that foster these communities benefit from organic knowledge sharing that formal training programs cannot replicate.​

Preparing for What Comes Next in Medical Field Service

Organizations must view workforce evolution as a continuous journey rather than a one-time initiative. Capturing knowledge from retiring experts requires systematic documentation, mentorship programs, and AI-powered knowledge extraction tools.​

Successful organizations balance technology investment with human-centered approaches that value employee growth, flexibility, and work-life integration. The medical device industry grows more complex each year.

The organizations that empower, train, and retain their workforce will deliver superior patient outcomes and service excellence.