Medical device service leaders should first identify the operational friction that most limits capacity, consistency, or customer outcomes, then fix the data, knowledge, and workflow gaps behind it. Modernization should begin with a specific frontline problem, not a broad technology purchase.

At the 2026 event, Edwin Pahk, Senior Vice President of AI Innovation & Solution Strategy at Aquant at the time of the conference, described a shift in what service leaders are trying to solve. "Operational complexity… seems to be trending at a much higher level in the last couple years than ever before," he said. His point is important: leaders need better visibility into work, expertise, and performance variation before they can use new tools to improve service at scale.

A separate event discussion showed how a structured knowledge environment can bring decades of customer interactions, technical documents, and support materials into one usable source of truth. That foundation makes it easier to improve troubleshooting, support different user groups, maintain controlled content, and prepare information for responsible AI use.

Service executives should begin with a focused operational assessment: identify the most frequent source of avoidable delay, such as repeat troubleshooting, poor case documentation, inconsistent technician access to information, or fragmented handoffs. Assign an owner, establish a baseline for time, quality, and customer impact, then redesign the workflow before selecting the technology that will support it.

Join Service Next Medical to compare practical approaches for simplifying operations, strengthening frontline execution, and modernizing medical device service with purpose.