The Competitive Edge: Mobile Computing and Deregulation
Steve Schramm President and CEO, DataRover Mobile Systems 420 N. Mary Ave. Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Advent of competition
With the advent of deregulation, utilities are preparing for competition. In the contest for customers, winners will be the ones who provide more (better service, to more customers with higher expectations) with less (lower cost, in less time, with fewer people). What utilities lack in time and resources, they’re gaining in technology, communication and mobility. And since the majority of a utility’s work force is in the field -- up to 65 percent, according to estimates from EPRI -- mobile technology is connecting these mobile workers to customers quickly, conveniently and cost-effectively. Whether it’s stopping trouble before it starts, or correcting it once it does, today’s mobile workers need to be on-site, in-time, with tools in-hand. Increasingly, these tools are mobile devices that are as capable at computing as they are at communicating. Responding to trouble There’s an old Irish saying, “Even a small thorn causes pain.” And from the perception of a utility customer, any problem -- regardless of size or scope -- is still a problem. In today’s competitive environment, the economics of winning and keeping customers greatly increases when the perception of service is good, and sharply declines when the perception is poor. And at no time are the stakes of perception higher than at the onset of trouble. In order to respond quickly and effectively, utilities are relying on mobile devices to send people and information where they’re needed most, when the need is greatest. Dispatch The central nervous system of any response effort is central dispatch. Coordinating the location of mobile crews is more than good planning, it’s good business. The ability to prioritize -- and re-prioritize -- work crew schedules is often the difference between success and failure, customer retention and customer loss. With the advent of handheld mobile communications, this process begins at the start of each day, and continues throughout that day and into the next. Before automation with mobile devices, field crews typically would report to a central dispatch facility, pick up assignments and leave for a day in the field. At the end of their shift, they would return to the office, enter data from the field into a record-keeping system, and return home. Now, field workers can send and receive their assignment from home automatically over phone lines or wireless connections. In fact, the new communicators can be programmed to wake up at a pre-ordained time, dial a pre-determined number and synchronize with a database. And since updates can be sent electronically throughout the day, field crews don’t need to physically report to a company location, except to restock supplies. This capability saves the utility on travel time and increases productivity. It also improves customer service. In the course of the day, if an emergency arises, dispatch is able to pinpoint the proximity of the closest crew, match the work that’s planned against the unexpected trouble site, and re-assign resources to the most critical place at the time critical time. Mobile Computing Use Profile A An automated field system implemented by an East Coast utility has produced tremendous gains in customer service productivity. Before automating the dispatch procedure, field crews were dispatched using traditional paper-based methods. Since the process has been automated, field crews are now able to service an additional trouble call in the morning and another at night. Such productivity gains come largely as a result of the inherent communications benefits of mobile devices. Rather than travel back and forth among a central dispatch facility and customer sites, crews are able to take their trucks home at night and transfer data electronically. The award-winning program has been so successful that the utility is now considering extending the program to include the trucks themselves. By outfitting the vehicles with mobile automation devices, crews will automatically be able to determine when levels of inventory are running low or when maintenance should be scheduled. Stopping trouble before it starts There’s another old saying -- “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This is particularly appropriate for customer service in the utility industry -- where preventive maintenance is served-up on mobile devices that weigh mere ounces, instead of pounds. While not quite one ounce, these mobile devices are a fraction of the size and weight of a typical notebook computer, yet offer vastly superior communications capabilities. As these mobile computing devices continue to replace the more traditional systems of pen-and- clipboard, they are also providing utilities with new customer service functionality, such as -- enhanced communications, better data synchronization, reduced need for data entry, and new methods for automated forms. The result is better customer service at lower lost. Installation Next to experiencing trouble, installation of equipment probably creates the most enduring perception of service quality among customers. As utilities install more intelligent devices at customer sites, the utilities themselves are relying on more sophisticated equipment to streamline the installation process. Take, for example, upgrading standard utility meters -- which represent points of presence in 100 million customer locations across the country, according to EPRI --to automated meter reading devices (AMRs) capable of automated two-way communications. While the AMR is far more intelligent than the dumb meter it replaces, the handheld mobile devices is a more intelligent choice for the installation process. Mobile computing devices are capable of capturing all the critical data that needs to be recorded -- old consumption figures, several serial numbers from the old meter, the serial number of the new meter, and various levels that need to be set on the new AMR. The handheld device can even store installation scripts on customized forms, to instruct personnel on procedures for installing new equipment. And since mobile devices are as much communicators as they are computers, all record information is instantly transmitted -- either over wireline or tirelessly -- to a central computer. This reduces the need for travel, minimizes the possibility of errors by eliminating redundant data entry, and increases customer satisfaction by providing accurate billing information. Inspection Once equipment is in place, the constant challenge to keep it running begins. Inspections are both routine and ad hoc, but most of all, they are continuous. Automation improves this process by sending crews to a site at the first sign of trouble. Many utilities have maps that can be loaded into portable mobile devices capable of directing field crews to poles or substations for inspection. In the event of suspected equipment ftilure utilities can locate the closest crew in the vicinity of the equipment that needs attention, communicate with them and redirect them to the site -- as they do when trouble arises, Once at the site, information on the inspection can be transmitted directly to the crew over wireline connections (via phone line) or tirelessly. Likewise, inspection reports can be electronically fed back into data bases for storage and analysis. Collections Ironically, customer service sometimes requires disconnecting service from delinquent or past due accounts. Before the automation of mobile devices, the process was labor-intensive and subject to inconvenience for both the customer and the utility. In a paper-based system, collections agents would receive an assignment in the morning with a list of disconnections for that day. Oftentimes, customers would wait until the last possible time -- the same day as the scheduled shut-off date --to pay their bill. Unfortunately, payment was typically received afler the crew was dispatched to the customer premises. While the customer was at the utility paying the bill, the field representative was at the customer site shutting-off the power. More than an unfortunate breakdown in communication, this process had an untoward effect on the utility’s ability to provide customer service to other customers. First, complaints from the disconnected customers tied up customer call centers. Second, a crew needed to again be dispatched to the customer’s site to turn-on the power. With automation, this situation can be remedied through an immediate communication to the field, eliminating false power shut-offs, reducing the number of irate phone calls to customer call centers, and freeing field crews to tend to paying customers. Costs are reduced for the utility, and customer satisfaction improves. Mobile Computing Use Profile B A midwest utility recently completed a six-month trial of a mobile computing device in its collections department. In warm-weather months, the utility employees a dozen or more collection agents to visit delinquent accounts, and when appropriate, order service to be disconnected. Credit collectors were assigned routes and schedules using paper forms, which were either handed out or faxed to each person. At the end of a day of collections, these agents would tabulate the status of each account they visited on paper and pass the information to clerks who would input the results into a customer information database. This system proved time-consuming and inconvenient for both the utility and its customers. At times, customers would pay their account balance after service was interrupted. But depending on when that information was entered into the database, it could be up to 24 hours before a second technician was dispatched to restore service. Using a mobile computing solution, “credit collectors can send radio updates to the database in a matter of three seconds,” according to a member of the utility IS staff. Since service is synchronized with payment status, a crew can be dispatched immediately to restore service once payment is received Serving Customers with Information But customer service is not confined to equipment service, installation and maintenance. Sometimes the best service comes in the form of quick and accurate information. Particularly in sales situations. As the competitive environment heats up, companies with the best service and lowest price stand the greatest chance of winning the most customers. On the front lines on this battle for customers loyalty are mobile sales forces calling on customers. Mobile computing devices can quickly provide the people closest to the customers with the information the customer needs to make a decision -- what products and services are offered at what price. By using mobile devices to communicate with central databases, a sales force representative in the field can call up a customer’s history of credit, collections and past purchases, and match that against the utility’s up-to-date product offering and price list. Mobile Comrwting Use Profile C A large utility company in the midwest is investigating swapping the portable PCs that were provided to the field calls organization with a new line of handheld mobile devices. The PCs are bigger, heavier and more expensive, yet have limited communications capabilities. Using handheld mobile devices, like the DataRover, sales reps in the field will be able to call into a central database using CDPD and access the latest pricing and usage costs -- all at one-third to one-fifth the cost of a typical portable PC. The right tool for the job Among tradespeople, there is a saying that” workers are known by their work.” And at no time will the quality of their work be more critical to the livelihood of a utility company than in a deregulated market. Customer service will be more than good business; it will make or break a business. To adapt to these pressures, utilities are finding news ways of conducting business and improving on old ones. Response time to trouble will drop, while services, such as installing and inspecting equipment, and routines such as collections, will need to become more efficient with better results. The armature that utilities will use in this battle to build a business will be small, lightweight, mobile computing devices. The devices will be as capable computing information as communicating it. They will be customizable for specific tasks, and case-hardened for the rigors of work in the field. In a world where “utility” describes both the business and the tools, today’s mobile computing devices are delivering on the expectations of both. | ||
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