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Enabling Enterprise Systems to Support Mobile Applications
John W. Drummond
SAP Canada Inc.
4120 Yonge Street, Suite#600,
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M2P 2B8
Marvin E. VanBebber
Manager Strategic Services
OG&E Electric Services
John W. Drummond
SAP Canada Inc.
4120 Yonge Street, Suite#600,
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M2P 2B8
Marvin E. VanBebber
Manager Strategic Services
OG&E Electric Services
Business Drivers
Historical Perspective
For many decades, utilities have communicated to their field employees via a voice network, usually through a proprietary radio frequency assigned to the utility. In the last decade, software suppliers have enabled the transfer of digital data over these networks to Mobile Data Terminals (MDT’s) in the vehicles. The implementation of this technology has been driven by emergency work such as gas leaks and power outages and uses designs developed for 911 services and service call driven businesses (such as taxicab). These RF networks have had erratic connectivity and slow bandwidth limitations.
Technology Trends/Concerns
Cellular networks, satellite communications, and better data compression techniques are all evolving to provide faster, more stable data links to mobile staff. MDT’s are becoming more robust and the premium for these models has significantly reduced. Hand-held devices with built-in 2-way communication capability are entering the market. However, the user interface for traditional back-office applications use screen, keyboard and mouse. These applications are not compatible with devices which use touch-screens and have very little real-estate for the display. The 911 applications were not originally designed to support the dispatching of 10,000’s of service calls per day. They also have difficulty with job dependencies and work with multi-day duration. The relationship between the asset management system, a supporting AM/FM/GIS application and the mobile dispatching application is critical to ensure that accurate job-site location information is available.
Impact of Utility Industry Re-regulation
Most utility companies around the world are experiencing some form of re-regulation. Usually this experience results in the dis-aggregation of the former monopolistic company into several independent companies. Some of these companies are placed into a competitive market. For example, the electric generation facilities are either sold or spun off to become part of a competitive supply market. The customers of the utility are frequently offered the opportunity to choose their energy supplier and perhaps the supplier of supporting services, as well. It is this competition for the customer services that redefines the role of field staff and requires the enablement of the field staff’s access to corporate information systems. The key business drivers include service profitability, service performance levels, customer retention, employee satisfaction and the effective management of the service business. Most of the field staff affected by these changes is currently part of the utility’s Transmission and Distribution businesses. Some of them may be part of the Customer Service organization.
Service profitability
To compete effectively, the cost and associated revenue for each unit of work must be collected. In addition, the relationship to type of service, asset and service group must also be maintained. This information then allows effective decision-making regarding the continuation of each service. Utilities will be seizing opportunities to enter related service businesses such as HVAC, security, appliance repair and sub-contracting to Telephone and cable companies. They must be assured that these initiatives are profitable.
Service performance levels
To ensure that the utility does not reduce costs at the expense of customer service levels, most regulators define performance standards. These standards include: outage frequency and duration measures, response times for many services including new service connection requests, and requirements for appointments for certain services. A utilitiy’s rate of return for regulated functions (e.g. pipes & wires) is based on these performance measures.
Customer retention
With incumbent utilities assuming the responsibility of supplier-of-last-resort, the focus of initial customer competition will be the high volume consumers such as industrial and commercial customers. Their decisions on suppliers of commodity and associated services will be based on price but also on service level commitments. A Utility’s ability to offer preferred service from the in-coming call through to the satisfaction of service request will be a key differentiation. The requirement for integration of the call center with the fieldwork management system should be obvious. Creative collection processes will be required to ensure less profitable customers do not become a drain on corporate resources.
Employee Satisfaction
As the field staff becomes more visible to the organization, their own expectations will rise. For example, access to Human Resources data concerning vacation entitlement, benefits, job postings and news which are taken for granted by office workers will seen as the right of field staff, as well.
Management of the service business
Effective and efficient decision-making requires complete, correct and timely information about work requirements, work resources (Labor, material, tools) must be available through flexible and easy-to-use reporting tools.
Business Case
Systems Landscape and Business Scenarios
The systems landscape that is required to support the future utility field organizations is illustrated below:
Typical business scenarios/processes that are impacted include:
Key Performance Indicators
The preparation and approval of the business case for this mobile enablement involves examining a new set of business measures or KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators). It also requires a more extensive analysis of the technical solutions and the impact each has on the costs and benefits to the company. Although productivity gains are the fundamental benefit, it would be a serious oversight to ignore the qualitative benefits especially as they support performance targets set by regulators and provide a customer and employee satisfaction level that increases retention.
Total Cost of Ownership
The reduction of FTE’s (Full-time equivalents) is achieved by broader span of control, reduced windshield time versus tool-time, elimination of duplicate data entry, reduced data error correction, reduced call-backs, and reduced effort in managing truck stock.
The cost of a lost customer should also be factored into the analysis. A relationship between customer satisfaction level and retention must be validated. Customer contribution to profit by customer type needs to be understood.
The cost of a lost employee should also be considered. A relationship between employee satisfaction level and retention must be validated. Individual employee productivity needs to be understood.
Reality
Change Management
Since most of the work procedures used by the utility’s field organization is entrenched behavior, the first objective in changing those procedures is to find some ‘champions’ in the organization who understand the current work procedures, support the change and have credibility with their co-workers. Obtaining the buy-in of key stakeholders including field staff, administration, management and union representatives is critical to the success. The business drivers need to be understood. What decisions are on and off the table must be communicated. For example, the decision to enable the field staff has been made. The remaining decisions include when, where, and how require field staff support.
Field Training/Support
The delivery of training and support to field staff creates unique challenges. Train-the-trainer works effectively for the initial training cycle. However, scripting tools that support refresher training and detail exception processing steps must be available in the field.
Pre-production testing
This phase of roll-out must include not only basic functional testing, but common exception testing and most importantly a high-volume load test. Other tests should include disconnected, re-synchronize, start-up and shut-down.
Historical Perspective
For many decades, utilities have communicated to their field employees via a voice network, usually through a proprietary radio frequency assigned to the utility. In the last decade, software suppliers have enabled the transfer of digital data over these networks to Mobile Data Terminals (MDT’s) in the vehicles. The implementation of this technology has been driven by emergency work such as gas leaks and power outages and uses designs developed for 911 services and service call driven businesses (such as taxicab). These RF networks have had erratic connectivity and slow bandwidth limitations.
Technology Trends/Concerns
Cellular networks, satellite communications, and better data compression techniques are all evolving to provide faster, more stable data links to mobile staff. MDT’s are becoming more robust and the premium for these models has significantly reduced. Hand-held devices with built-in 2-way communication capability are entering the market. However, the user interface for traditional back-office applications use screen, keyboard and mouse. These applications are not compatible with devices which use touch-screens and have very little real-estate for the display. The 911 applications were not originally designed to support the dispatching of 10,000’s of service calls per day. They also have difficulty with job dependencies and work with multi-day duration. The relationship between the asset management system, a supporting AM/FM/GIS application and the mobile dispatching application is critical to ensure that accurate job-site location information is available.
Impact of Utility Industry Re-regulation
Most utility companies around the world are experiencing some form of re-regulation. Usually this experience results in the dis-aggregation of the former monopolistic company into several independent companies. Some of these companies are placed into a competitive market. For example, the electric generation facilities are either sold or spun off to become part of a competitive supply market. The customers of the utility are frequently offered the opportunity to choose their energy supplier and perhaps the supplier of supporting services, as well. It is this competition for the customer services that redefines the role of field staff and requires the enablement of the field staff’s access to corporate information systems. The key business drivers include service profitability, service performance levels, customer retention, employee satisfaction and the effective management of the service business. Most of the field staff affected by these changes is currently part of the utility’s Transmission and Distribution businesses. Some of them may be part of the Customer Service organization.
To compete effectively, the cost and associated revenue for each unit of work must be collected. In addition, the relationship to type of service, asset and service group must also be maintained. This information then allows effective decision-making regarding the continuation of each service. Utilities will be seizing opportunities to enter related service businesses such as HVAC, security, appliance repair and sub-contracting to Telephone and cable companies. They must be assured that these initiatives are profitable.
Service performance levels
To ensure that the utility does not reduce costs at the expense of customer service levels, most regulators define performance standards. These standards include: outage frequency and duration measures, response times for many services including new service connection requests, and requirements for appointments for certain services. A utilitiy’s rate of return for regulated functions (e.g. pipes & wires) is based on these performance measures.
Customer retention
With incumbent utilities assuming the responsibility of supplier-of-last-resort, the focus of initial customer competition will be the high volume consumers such as industrial and commercial customers. Their decisions on suppliers of commodity and associated services will be based on price but also on service level commitments. A Utility’s ability to offer preferred service from the in-coming call through to the satisfaction of service request will be a key differentiation. The requirement for integration of the call center with the fieldwork management system should be obvious. Creative collection processes will be required to ensure less profitable customers do not become a drain on corporate resources.
Employee Satisfaction
As the field staff becomes more visible to the organization, their own expectations will rise. For example, access to Human Resources data concerning vacation entitlement, benefits, job postings and news which are taken for granted by office workers will seen as the right of field staff, as well.
Management of the service business
Effective and efficient decision-making requires complete, correct and timely information about work requirements, work resources (Labor, material, tools) must be available through flexible and easy-to-use reporting tools.
Systems Landscape and Business Scenarios
The systems landscape that is required to support the future utility field organizations is illustrated below:
Typical business scenarios/processes that are impacted include:
- Service Outage
- Move-in/out
- New Service connection
- Preventative Maintenance
- Major Development
- Human Resources
- Program/Project Budgets
- Material Management
- Installed Equipment Structure
- Fleet Equipment
- Maintenance plans
- SCADA alarms
- Connectivity model for the T&D network
- Outage analysis
- Asset Accounting
- FERC reporting
- Call Center
- Customer billing
- Right-of-ways
- Joint use
- Meter Management
- Accounts Receivable
Key Performance Indicators
The preparation and approval of the business case for this mobile enablement involves examining a new set of business measures or KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators). It also requires a more extensive analysis of the technical solutions and the impact each has on the costs and benefits to the company. Although productivity gains are the fundamental benefit, it would be a serious oversight to ignore the qualitative benefits especially as they support performance targets set by regulators and provide a customer and employee satisfaction level that increases retention.
Total Cost of Ownership
The reduction of FTE’s (Full-time equivalents) is achieved by broader span of control, reduced windshield time versus tool-time, elimination of duplicate data entry, reduced data error correction, reduced call-backs, and reduced effort in managing truck stock.
The cost of a lost customer should also be factored into the analysis. A relationship between customer satisfaction level and retention must be validated. Customer contribution to profit by customer type needs to be understood.
The cost of a lost employee should also be considered. A relationship between employee satisfaction level and retention must be validated. Individual employee productivity needs to be understood.
Reality
Change Management
Since most of the work procedures used by the utility’s field organization is entrenched behavior, the first objective in changing those procedures is to find some ‘champions’ in the organization who understand the current work procedures, support the change and have credibility with their co-workers. Obtaining the buy-in of key stakeholders including field staff, administration, management and union representatives is critical to the success. The business drivers need to be understood. What decisions are on and off the table must be communicated. For example, the decision to enable the field staff has been made. The remaining decisions include when, where, and how require field staff support.
Field Training/Support
The delivery of training and support to field staff creates unique challenges. Train-the-trainer works effectively for the initial training cycle. However, scripting tools that support refresher training and detail exception processing steps must be available in the field.
Pre-production testing
This phase of roll-out must include not only basic functional testing, but common exception testing and most importantly a high-volume load test. Other tests should include disconnected, re-synchronize, start-up and shut-down.