As utility companies work to improve their service delivery, automation is becoming a crucial component of technology that helps them provide higher-quality service. Customer demands rapidly evolve, and automation tools enable utilities to exceed their growing needs. Automation facilitates streamlined, efficient utility operations that support a servitization business model and elevate customer satisfaction.
We examine best practices utilities can follow to implement effective automation:
Evaluate Your Current Field Service Processes
Assessing your current utility workflows is a crucial first step in determining which processes can be enhanced by automation. Review your organization’s constraints, pain points, and opportunities for improvement. This will give you the information to begin automating your operations for impactful results.
Select the Right Automation Technology
Numerous automation options are available for utilities. Choosing the one that’s best for your company will help your utility company boost efficiency and meet its goals. When deciding on automation technology, look for features that enable your organization to optimize scheduling, communicate with customers, and monitor assets. Further, it’s essential to select an automation tool like Gomocha that seamlessly integrates with your current technology, including your ERP and CRM.
Equip Your Technicians
As your utility company employs automation technology, your technicians will use it to do their jobs more efficiently. Provide them with tools to easily access the automation technology, such as mobile devices they can use on the go.
Moreover, it’s crucial to properly train your technicians to use the automation tools and ensure they are set up to effectively leverage their features.
Improve Scheduling and Dispatch
Automation technology can significantly streamline scheduling and dispatch operations. Scheduling algorithms built into these tools consider factors like availability, location, and skills to determine the best technicians for the project. Further, automation tools optimize technician routes to job sites, helping them avoid traffic and ensure they arrive on time. Taking advantage of these key capabilities will give your utility company a leg up in providing efficient, high-quality services.
Facilitate Real-Time Communication
Automation tools help ensure smooth communication between utilities and customers. Capabilities, such as messaging, automated notifications, and GPS tracking, provide technicians with features to update customers, managers, and other team members on the status of utility outages and work orders.
Streamline Data Collection and Analysis
Automation is invaluable in collecting the critical data that helps utilities better serve their customers. Automation tools can measure various metrics, including first-time fix rates, equipment performance, and customer utility usage. Utilities can then use this information to find trends and make data-driven decisions to improve service delivery.
Automation technology is incredibly beneficial for utility companies looking to streamline their operations. Implementing these best practices can help utilities harness automation’s full potential and deliver top-notch service.
Are you ready to leverage automation for more streamlined, efficient utility operations? The Gomocha Field Service Platform automates compliance, matching work order types to the correct resources — every time. Get a first-hand view of what Gomocha can do for your utility company.