Spatially Enabled Solutions: A Modern Approach to an Old Problem
Frederick R. Pinkerton
F. R. Pinkerton & Company
275 13th Street, N.E., Suite 402
Atlanta, Georgia 30309-3698
Email : frp@frpinkerton.com
Abstrct
As communities have grown and changed over time, traffic patterns and geographic
concentrations of utility fieldwork have also changed. These changes typically create
inefficiencies in otherwise well-planned field "networks" of service center facilities, crews,
vehicles, and assigned territories (service delivery networks). An outdated or inappropriate
service delivery network (SDN) configuration causes unnecessary field-force windshield time,
which can significantly affect productivity, response time, and overall cost. Too many service
centers or inappropriate staffing levels cause unnecessary facility and labor costs. Too few
service centers or inefficient territory assignments increase windshield time and travel costs, and
decrease responsiveness and field-force efficiency. Updating the SDN configuration to address
current and future work demands has long been a challenge that previously was difficult, if not
impossible, to effectively approach. Fortunately, improved customer, asset, and work-demand
data—combined with advancements in geospatial modeling tools and techniques—make it
possible to quickly and accurately address SDN design challenges.
Introduction
Electric, gas, phone, and cable utilities are being increasingly scrutinized by regulators,
customers, media, and shareholders. The result of economic, political, and social forces, this
scrutiny is placing more pressure on “wires and pipes” executives to push their companies to
higher and higher levels of performance and efficiency. Most recognize that field-force
windshield time has a direct effect on productivity, customer/emergency responsiveness, and
overall asset services cost. However, many are finding that unnecessary windshield time is not
only a product of less-than-optimal scheduling, dispatching, and routing but also outdated
"service delivery networks."
A service delivery network (SDN) can be defined as the structure through which services are
provided from their source points to demand points. A generalized SDN is shown in Figure 1,
where construction, operation, maintenance, and restoration services are provided by field
technicians or crews headquartered throughout a network of local service centers. Each service
center has responsibility for providing services to customers and distribution facilities within its
assigned territory.
Service delivery networks can become outdated if the configuration of service centers, staffing
levels, and assigned territories are not altered to reflect changes over time in work demands and
Figure 1 Service Delivery Network (SDN)
concentrations, roads, traffic patterns, and associated costs. Updating an SDN involves
answering the following fundamental and strategic questions.
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What is the right number of service centers? And, where should they be located?
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What should the assigned territories be for each service center?
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How many field technicians or crews are needed at each service center?
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What effects do service center additions or consolidations have on field service productivity,
customer/emergency responsiveness, reliability, and overall network services cost?
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Can the same field service level be provided with fewer resources?
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What are the estimated costs or savings associated with changing performance by X percent?
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From an external service provider perspective, what SDN footprint will be needed to provide the
desired level of field service for the work being outsourced?
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From an internal service provider perspective, what SDN footprint will be needed for the work
not being outsourced? For example, which service centers should be kept and which ones should
be sold or leased to external service providers?
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If we combine electric and gas asset services, what should the service delivery footprint look
like?
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After merging with a neighboring utility, will all of the service centers be needed—if not, which
ones are kept or consolidated and what are the resulting service center territories and staffing?
