Touch and Go!!!!

Touch and Go!!!!

John Leeuwenburg
International Sales Manager
Tensing.SKS BV
Wielkamp 3a
NL-5301 DB Zaltbommel
The Netherlands
TEL: +31 (0)418 540 824,+31 (0)418 540 606
Email: jleeuwenburg@tensingsks.com

Abstract:
Today’s technology makes it possible to have your field engineers provide a level of customer service that you originally sold or promised. With a viable direct access to the network database, on-line status information and up-to-date work orders, service engineers and field technicians need only to visit the office for supplies. A properly designed field application allows supervisors to plan activities and jobs more easily yet keeping the field personnel in touch with their offices. Besides an easy-to-use application running on either a pen computer or a laptop, the reduction of administrative procedures improves productivity. A wireless data network link supports the servicemen with up-to-date information from the dispatcher’s office. To limit the communication costs, GIS data is stored on a hard disk that may be updated nightly, using ISDN, PSTN, GSM, ADSL etc. Status information of network components can be requested real time using this wireless data link. The system at the office shows the availability for service calls, progress reports and daily schedules. A map is displayed of the area in which a company’s service engineers are operating. Dispatchers can assign new jobs, change appointments, add additional information, and conduct part-availability inquiries. Benefits are gained in a variety of ways such as travel times, operating procedures and customer satisfaction.

Mobile Field Computing
Today’s technology makes it possible to have your field engineers provide a level of customer service that you originally sold or promised. With a viable direct access to the network database, on-line status information and up-to-date work orders, service engineers and field technicians need only to visit the office for supplies. A properly designed field application allows supervisors to plan activities and jobs more easily yet keeping the field personnel in touch with their offices. Besides an easy-to-use application running on either a pen computer or a laptop, the reduction of administrative procedures improves productivity. A wireless data network link supports the servicemen with up-to-date information from the dispatcher’s office. To limit the communication costs, GIS data is stored on a hard disk that may be updated nightly, using ISDN. Status information of network components can be requested real time using this wireless data link. The system at the office shows the availability for service calls, progress reports and daily schedules. A map is displayed of the area in which a company’s service engineers are operating. Dispatchers can assign new jobs, change appointments, add additional information, and conduct part-availability inquiries. Benefits are gained in a variety of ways such as travel times, operating procedures and customer satisfaction.

Within the GIS industry, a concentrated effort has been applied at all levels of government to ensure that large-scale base maps of the whole country be made available in digital format to all utilities and municipalities. The result has been that utility organizations have been able to quickly implement GIS that in combination with these maps has sped up the process of digitizing the networks. Early Returns of Investments were made on the basis of capturing all this data into a single repository. Thus, the Engineering and Planning tasks associated with the data justified the need for the GIS. As hardware and software technology improved, Returns on Investments were recalculated on a basis that this data could be exploited throughout the organization.

In order to accomplish this, a multistage process was initiated within the industry. First, only workstations were provided with a connection to the database. It was a simple method of exploiting the use of the data internal to utility organizations but was also very expensive in that full-blown GIS workstations were required to accommodate this construction. Second, desktop applications for viewing, querying, changing attribute data and adding some redline data became the requirement. This construction identified the need for GIS Lite software that could be priced more attractively to the volumes required here. However, GIS vendors relented in providing a solution where the full blown GIS could have been used while GIS Lite vendors were faced with the need to natively read or translate GIS data while providing only limited functionality. Then the Internet craze took over. Thin client applications for viewing, querying over the Internet and even analyzing were the norm.

Nowadays it is possible to have a direct data link between someone in the field and the office. In the terminology of the utility industry, field engineers can now communicate with the dispatcher’s office to send and receive digital data as opposed to only speaking via the telephone or radio. Like any professional service organization, a utility wants to ensure the customers satisfaction. The solution described below can help you to achieve this.

The Solution
The GIS industry needs to seamlessly integrated dispatch, mobile data, scheduling, and outage management solution. Every utility organization wants to increase efficiency across the entire enterprise. Implementing a single dispatching and mobile data environment to support both commercial and operational needs yields a remarkable return on investment, including greater efficiency in managing field-based personnel, reduced implementation complexity, and significantly lowered cost of system ownership.

This multipurpose application provides a tightly integrated workflow that supports the business processes associated with dispatching work to field crews. Users can analyse, schedule, and dispatch service-related work from a single environment, eliminating the traditional barrier between commercial and operational organizations and providing customers with superior service response.

Dispatching Module
One of the most important business processes within a utility organization is the efficiency in which it attempts to minimize or even eliminate client disruptions. The conventional method has inherent and obvious disadvantages. Occasionally, utility company personnel must travel to a location to determine the problem, write up a report and hand it off to a supervisor who in turn determines when and by whom it can be repaired.

However, for every instance of maintenance, the Technician from the utility organization must go to a specific office location to obtain issued cards and/or work orders, which costs a lot of unnecessary effort and time. Since Technicians are on the road and return to headquarters only daily, it is difficult to add a work order. Management of available parts in inventory as well as on hand is not a simple undertaking. Administration of work orders and disruption registration forms is very slow and cumbersome. Furthermore, providing the necessary information, like GIS data and drop wire (connection) sketches to the Technicians on paper is costly and time consuming.

With the current information and communication technologies available, it is now very easy to realize a solution that greatly eases the above process. Such a solution has been realized that by far meets or exceeds the demands of these times, especially in time savings and cost effectiveness. An implementation of an actual Work Order Management system including the integration of the GIS data and associated drop wire sketches provides the solution.

The solution is composed of a base workstation for the Service Manager at the office and a mobile computer for every Technician. This mobile computer could be a laptop as well as a pen based computer with all the information necessary for the Technician to do his job. These computers can remotely accept planned work orders or assignments on any given day at any given time along with the geographical information system data and the associated drop wire sketches. To make it easy finding the address of a client, the Technician also has a map of the streets of his service area.

The system must have an Open Architecture, with extensive support for native data formats, an elaborate on line help system and compatible with Office packages such as MS-Office or Corel Suite. Scheduling, Work orders exchange, used parts list, used hours on the job, travel time are all types of information exchanged with the base station. Standardization ensures compatibility with kinds of extensions like barcode readers, label printers and so on. In a basic set-up the following entities are involved: a base station (the planner’s or dispatchers office) and one or more satellite / mobile stations (the car of a field engineer or even his home office).

Main functions

The product concept consists of components that are responsible for specific, related sets of functions. The system components communicate with each other via messaging, which is the optimal method for network communication. The dispatch environment supports:

Interfaces to real-time alarm systems, such as cable, pressure, and equipment alarms.
An interface to existing customer call-centres.
An extremely fast and highly functional map display that is tightly integrated with the system’s tabular displays.
Integration with the as-built facility model maintained in the GIS.
The ability to dispatch multiple types of work, not just trouble-related orders. Users can manage the entire dispatching process from a single application environment. The system can be configured to enable a utility to dispatch service order-related work from one seat and to send operational work (such as trouble orders) to another. This implementation flexibility provides utilities the advantage of meeting all of their dispatch requirements within a single product line.
The ability to extend dispatching capabilities to include near real-time display of vehicles using global positioning system (GPS) co-ordinates, dispatching to mobile data terminals (MDT’s), and dispatching via alphanumeric paging devices.
High Availability

The following subsections discuss the listed components:

Computer Aided Dispatch
Dispatch System Interfaces
Mobile Computing Systems
Integration with GIS in general
Real-Time Messaging

Computer Aided Dispatch
A service call can be received from the call-centre, the dispatcher or via batch call creation. Batch call is a component that allows an external process to create a call. It is a gateway to the dispatch database and network protocols. Service orders are automatically sent to the appropriate dispatcher workstation based on the type and location of the service order. All service order data is entered into a central database, and a subset of the data is broadcast on the local area network to update the real-time status displays of the other dispatcher workstations. The graphical user interface (GUI) and the database schema must be highly configurable so that the system may be tailored for the terminology, workflow, and data processing requirements of each individual customer.

The module provides full dispatching capabilities on a dual-screen colour workstation. Interactive mapping is combined with both dispatching and monitoring functions. The map display interacts with the information-entry display so that all available information received for service calls is accessible and visible to the dispatcher. With the dispatch position, the staff can dispatch service orders effectively, monitor crews, and control the operations of all service vehicles. Because visual information is easily assimilated, the dispatchers can make their decisions quickly, accurately, and confidently.

In a dual-screen dispatcher workstation configuration, the first screen displays dialogs for entering call information, listing pending events, and presenting crew and service order statuses. The service order and crew status dialog is colour-coded, allowing the dispatchers to see the status of the events and crews under their control. There are also built-in timers, both visual and audible, to show crew and event statuses, alerting dispatchers before problems develop. For example, a timer alarm sounds when a crew is out of communication longer than expected or when a low-priority order, which had been stacked for later dispatch, requires attention. The second screen displays the facility and street map of the communications service territory. Command buttons on this screen issue some of the same dispatching commands as the first screen, but there are additional buttons to control the appearance of the map display. Dispatchers can zoom-in on views, window certain areas, attach related graphic files to expand their informational base, turn different map layers on and off to control the amount of data shown, and query the database about map symbols.

The data on both the dialog screen and the map screen is dynamically kept up-to-date. Regardless of the data source, as new information is available, it is made available to the user. There are no technical limitations to the information that can be displayed on the fully interactive intelligent map, because the intelligent maps are not just pictures on a screen – they are “smart” maps, meaning features include extensive database records for immediate recall. The operator can query the system by simply pointing and clicking on map symbols. Using the street network, the system can route crews to locations by the shortest time, the shortest distance, the fewest turns or intersections, and the minimum risk involved.

The Base Station
The base station is the centrepiece to the support of service engineers and technicians that are in the field. It provides them with up-to-date information, such as network status, from the dispatcher’s office and is included in work orders and assignments. A tight integration with ERP, Service Management and Customer information Systems ensures the accuracy of the data. Detailed information is available on daily schedules, part availability, set appointments, and route planning for time estimation purposes and complex queries. Thus technicians can be assigned specific tasks based on the service area, task, where they are located compared to the requested location and which spare components are available in which vehicle based on land base backgrounds for dispatching software, representation of the status and location of all the field engineers.

The Mobile Station
Once the Technicians connect and turn on the laptop or pen based computer, all information is automatically exchanged, ready for the next day’s activities. One type of data included is used for route planning to direct him to the location. Information on these computers includes graphic and alphanumeric data. It is stored in a RDBMS along with connectivity information. All information required for data display such as line styles, symbol, colour, etc. are also stored in the RDBMS and created consistent with the master GIS implementation. With fast screen displays for very large data volumes, a very efficient usage of internal memory and a user definable layering structure that can be scale dependent for display purposes, Technicians can quickly obtain the appropriate data needed to execute his task.

Dispatcher Features
The dispatcher application has a robust set of address matching functions, including customer name, premise address, telephone number, or account number. It also provides a listing of pending events to allow dispatchers to relay status information to customers, as well as a map display that provides the location of existing events and crews.
Dispatch features include:

Graphic display of map, service orders, and crews.
Automatic route selection for shortest/fastest path.
Screen forms and event types that can be user-configured, and monitor displays that allow individual operators to personalize status, pending events, and map displays.
Multiple deployment (coverage area) strategies that can be mapped to shortcut commands.
Multiple crew information.
Road closures that appear on the graphic display and that the system recognizes so that crews are automatically routed around them.
Database links to information relevant to any map symbol that can be accessed by simply clicking on the symbol.
Sophisticated address verification algorithms.
Call scheduling that can be applied relative to specific crews, to appoint times, or to both.
Crew and event transfer between dispatchers.
Crew recommendations that factor in current location, call type, specialized equipment, or training requirements, using a true street network not an “as the crow flies” algorithm.
Estimated time of repair.
Edit repair timetable.
High-performance map display that provides a seamless view of the entire service territory.

Automatic dispatch
The dispatching needs to be enhanced by automatically assigning available crews to pending events, providing information regarding relative crew workloads, and providing an Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) of a crew to newly created events. It accomplishes this by observing, through existing dispatch communication mechanisms, the activity of call-takers, service orders, OMS dispatchers, and crews such as “Accept Event,” “Logon crews,” and crew status changes.

A crew is automatically assigned to an event when the crew becomes available, and there is an appropriate event for it to service. The system seeks to minimise the total cost of crew dispatch. Crews can be assigned to a service territory and be responsible for the events that occur in that service territory. Service territories may also have a list of backup areas. In such a service territory structure, the crew can respond to any event in the service territory to which it is assigned, as well as any of the backup areas. In this way, the service area can be divided into a set of overlapping zones.

The system calculates the relative workloads for crews, as well as the cost of servicing an event with a specific crew. This information is then used to enforce constraints such as shifts, breaks, and crew ability-level.

ETA is calculated when a new event is accepted and adjusted when a change in event details would affect the calculation. This ETA is also adjusted to account for uncertainties in travel and service times and to allow some crew assignment flexibility. This programmed-in flexibility enables the system to optimise resource utilisation, instead of serving events on a “First Come - First Serve.”

Because the Automatic Dispatch system operates in the background, it is possible for dispatchers to interact with and augment the decisions made by Automatic Dispatch. Dispatchers are able to explicitly dispatch a crew to an event. This might be used to allow an available crew to service an event outside their geographic area, or it might be used to pre-empt a decision made by the automatic software. Dispatchers may also transfer crews between service territories to adjust coverage.

Status Monitors
On the status monitor, the dispatcher is presented with tabular displays for pending events, crew status, number of customers affected; high-priority customers affected, and time remaining to end of shift for logged-on unit. The crew status monitor also indicates an alarm state when a unit is still logged on beyond the scheduled end of shift.

Dispatch Interface Capabilities
The dispatch solution has to include the ability to interface with external systems to provide a complete GIS solution, design management, work management, network analysis, operations, maintenance, and service order systems. The solution needs to offer the following interface products:

Interfaces with real-time alarm systems.
Interfaces with customer information systems.
Interfaces with emergency services
Interfaces with work management systems.
Custom interfaces for other appropriate systems.

Mobile Computing Systems Capabilities
Mobile data components increase the efficiency of crew communications. Mobile computing provides the ability for crews to receive work automatically and to update the status of work on their mobile data terminals (MDT’s).

Although certain operations are performed locally by the crew, ultimate event and crew management is performed at the central site. Thus, mobile computing has mainly to facilitate and support the dispatch application. It serves as a mobile user interface to dispatch functions, empowering remote personnel to deal with crews, events, people, things, and locations.

The following are the features requested:

Allows the Dispatch operator to provide information (especially dispatches) to the crew.
Allows Dispatch to automatically provide information to the crew.
Allows the Dispatch operator to make inquiries about the crew.
Allows the crew operator to provide information to the dispatch software.
Allows the crew to automatically provide information, such as vehicle location, to CAD.
Allows the operator to make inquiries from the dispatcher.
Allows the operator to make inquiries on external databases, such as customer address check.
Allows the operator to communicate with other crews.

The Work Order
The Service Manager distributes the work orders per Technician. Instead of driving to the office, the Technician can, via an ISDN line, make contact every night with the office to download the next day’s activities (work orders or assignments). Complimentary to this, the Technician sends updated information about finished assignments and adjusted geographical data and sketches. Furthermore, if the Technician is on his way to a particular location or already at a location, he can send messages to the base. This promotes regular contact between the Technician and the office with continuous reports as to his activities and what the status of his job is. With this information, the Service Manager always knows how the Technicians are progressing and can adjust the plans for the rest of that day and affect scheduling thereafter. Also, if a Technician misses a component required to complete the job, the office can tell him if another Technician in close vicinity has that component. Of course, in case of an emergency, any Technician could be called upon to respond to that situation as quickly as possible since the office knows where all the Technicians are located and the base station can send all necessary information regarding the emergency to the appropriate resource, quickly.

Reporting capabilities
The dispatch solution provides reporting capabilities in the core software, in a separate management-reporting tool, and in a web-based reporting tool. Management analysis and reporting This reporting or tool is a generalised management tool that facilitates the generation of operational and service performance reports. It is also an analysis tool that performs spatial queries and provides a geographic reporting perspective. It is used to geographically analyse the distribution of requests for service by time of day and by response time. Analysis is used in the creation of deployment plans for varying the number of available resources at different times of the day and week.

Integration With GIS In General
Changing a crew’s location or adding an event, for example, automatically updates all map displays to reflect the change. Commands can be issued from the command line, the menu, or the map, and response lists that apply to multiple units can be mapped to single commands. The map also provides a source for additional, situation-dependent information.

In addition to streets and distribution facilities, the map is capable of displaying building footprints, rivers, lakes, railroad lines, and much more. Multiple windows can be opened and manipulated so that different areas and information sets can be viewed simultaneously. These intelligent maps are not just pictures on a screen; they are “smart” maps, encompassing features that include extensive database records that can be accessed for immediate data recall. Operators can scale map displays to any size and access information by simply pointing and clicking on map symbols. Using the street network, the system enables operators to route units to locations by the shortest time, shortest distance, fewest turns or intersections, and minimum risk involved while taking into account daily traffic fluctuations and the type of vehicle being dispatched. Individual operators control their map displays by zooming in or out and by turning levels of information on and off.

The map data structure is organised so that similar graphic elements can be placed on separate layers/levels and different types of graphic features can be separated into different files. Related textual names may be placed on separate levels. Reference data, such as roads, lot lines, or vegetation, can be similarly separated. In this manner, file sizes and data response times are negligible compared to the capability of the software to display them.

Any graphic entity on the map can have an attribute record attached to it, and that record can be queried and reviewed. The database stores any information that the user determines to be of value about each graphic entity on the map. In addition, the user defines graphic symbols and default colour schemes.

The Geo-Component
The software on both base and mobile stations is based on COM (OCX, ActiveX control). Facilities for the creation of user friendly applications in a Rapid Application Development (RAD) environment supporting ActiveX (Visual Basic, Access, Designer 2000, etc.) with full Windows related functionality (OLE, ODBC, SQL, DDE, COM, DCOM, DAO, etc.) is inherently available. Windows standards for any type of peripheral equipment such as plotters, printers, scanners and displays, touch screens and pen computer hardware technology, monitors, printers, WMF, GIF, clipboards and Internet streams are all supported. Thus the operator and field technician can be supplied with an environment that suit their requirements.

In short: An ActiveX control is not an independent application but rather an environment where software developers can create, in their organizational standard using their favourite programming tool, independent applications for use throughout their organization. This facilitates an integration of GIS related functionality with for example office automation and workflow management technology. It can even be used to create applications that combine with Oracle Objects for OLE (Oracle Designer 2000’s replacement) to create GIS applications that heavily depend on database integrity. Using component-based software can also improve business processes and workflow administration resulting in dramatic cost reductions.

Furthermore, any existing applications can be expanded to include GIS functionality. In the end component based software development will inherently make application development cheaper, of higher quality and faster resulting in lower costs.

The Sketch
Drop wire sketches are hosted by any Document Imaging System. With an on-line request mechanism in place, these sketches can be downloaded to the mobile station as a reference drawing for the technician. Since these sketches are reasonably static and depending on location or task oriented mobile units, a large number can be stored on the hard drive, on CD-ROM or even DVD. Simple zoom in / out and panning functions allow the technician to display close in views of these sketches.

The Map
Any GIS component may be used. However based on past experiences, some unique GIS related functions as well as the magnitude of the GIS to address the functionality required in a GIS system preclude the use of a majority of systems. These are used to manage very large amounts of graphical data and its associated fast display on screen. With this toolkit on the Windows platform, users can:

Zoom in and out
Set layers on and off
Set multiple views on screen
Set scale dependent views
Perform spatial queries and analyses
Perform network analyses, connectivity checks, tracing routines including distance down a network, and tracking routines
Perform route planning
Import/export vector and raster data formats
Integrate real-time systems such as GPS and SCADA
Control graphic and alphanumeric entities
Compose plots and prints
Integrate with office automation tools, e.g. MS Office and work flow management software
CAD/Drawing functions for redlining or editing

Real-Time Messaging
The dispatch architecture is optimised for real-time applications. Data packets are broadcast on the network to keep other processes running on workstations and servers “aware” of real-time changes. This is a system of distributed real-time displays. The advantages to this approach are:

The dispatcher’s display is updated immediately when changes occur.
The network packets have a very low overhead and impact on network resources.
Summary information is broadcast to all clients.
Database processing is reduced.

In a distributed network of real-time client processes, all workstations need to receive updates when they occur. Current relational database technology does not have the performance required to support this type of application. All transactions are logged in the database at start-up. Inter-process communication via broadcast of network packets sends real-time update information. This architecture is optimised for:

Real-time performance.
Scalability.
Distributed applications.

The Telecommunications Network
For transferring data (work orders, sketches, etc.) from and to the operator and the field engineers, the software relies on a telecommunications link. In terms of telecommunications coverage, Mobile data network and Cellular telephone, are becoming cheaper every day. However communications speed has limitations thus the volume of communications should be limited to emergency situations only. Nightly replication using PSTN, ADSL, ISDN and eventually GPRS will ensure that full updating of the GIS master database takes place. The synchronization of data with the master GIS database makes it possible that the replica of the GIS database is always current.

Dispatch security administration
Within the Dispatch environment, security measures beyond those provided by the operating system can be instituted to restrict access to applications and commands by job function. For example, by requiring user names and passwords, the security administrator can fine-tune dispatch user privileges according to user types, such as a call-taker or a dispatcher. Dispatchers can further be divided into dispatch groups that provide access to resources and personnel assigned to that group, but prohibit access to resources and personnel assigned to another dispatch group. Classifying users in this manner determines the commands and functionality available to the user.

Web-Based Reporting
This reporting tool allows the user to see information about crews and their current status, as well as pending and active events. The crew and outage information may also be displayed on an interactive map for a visual summary of current activity throughout the utility. If more detailed information is needed on a specific crew or outage, a simple mouse click retrieves the additional data.

The Gain
A better streamlining of the processes of handling interruptions enables a utility business to react and respond to client complaints and reports to attain a higher cost savings. The following issues can be managed with the implementation of a fast GIS in combination with a Work Flow/Scheduling Management system.

A direct, digital operational approach in the issuance of work orders and disruption forms in a steadily defined process.
To make available in digital form the drop wire sketches and GIS data.
The Technicians work completely “away from home” and rarely have to travel to the office.
Through regular communications inherent in the solution, actual data and insight are available everywhere and continuously.
Reduction of travel times means a more responsive utility organization.
By simplifying operating procedures, administrative costs can be reduced dramatically.
Increase customer satisfaction, which is where the utility earns its money.
Provide a level of customer service that you originally sold or promised.

This methodology gives an operation, besides the advantages related to a better cost savings and extension of services, more insight in the execution of these operations, an effective communication tool, a simplified administration and an up to date inventory system all resulting in higher productivity within the operational environment. The new method of working is attractive for the employee since there is always a clear definition of his tasks and the Technician loses less time on the telephone, driving to the office, filling out work orders, etc. The Technician’s administration is minimized if not eliminated, so the Technician has more time to dedicate to their actual tasks.

The Future
Larger bandwidth will allow more data to be directly accessed. This means the field engineer will ultimately have an on-line connection to the company database. It is no longer necessary to take copies of the GIS database in the field. Combine that with the improving technology, improved integration procedures and the need to become more competitive, the Touch and Go concept is one that will be heavily exploited in the near future.

Work Flow Management Diagram

Interfaces with real-time alarm systems.
Interfaces with customer information systems.
Interfaces with emergency services
Interfaces with work management systems.
Custom interfaces for other appropriate systems.

Allows the Dispatch operator to provide information (especially dispatches) to the crew.
Allows Dispatch to automatically provide information to the crew.
Allows the Dispatch operator to make inquiries about the crew.
Allows the crew operator to provide information to the dispatch software.
Allows the crew to automatically provide information, such as vehicle location, to CAD.
Allows the operator to make inquiries from the dispatcher.
Allows the operator to make inquiries on external databases, such as customer address check.
Allows the operator to communicate with other crews.

Zoom in and out
Set layers on and off
Set multiple views on screen
Set scale dependent views
Perform spatial queries and analyses
Perform network analyses, connectivity checks, tracing routines including distance down a network, and tracking routines
Perform route planning
Import/export vector and raster data formats
Integrate real-time systems such as GPS and SCADA
Control graphic and alphanumeric entities
Compose plots and prints
Integrate with office automation tools, e.g. MS Office and work flow management software
CAD/Drawing functions for redlining or editing

The dispatcher’s display is updated immediately when changes occur.
The network packets have a very low overhead and impact on network resources.
Summary information is broadcast to all clients.
Database processing is reduced.

Real-time performance.
Scalability.
Distributed applications.

A direct, digital operational approach in the issuance of work orders and disruption forms in a steadily defined process.
To make available in digital form the drop wire sketches and GIS data.
The Technicians work completely “away from home” and rarely have to travel to the office.
Through regular communications inherent in the solution, actual data and insight are available everywhere and continuously.
Reduction of travel times means a more responsive utility organization.
By simplifying operating procedures, administrative costs can be reduced dramatically.
Increase customer satisfaction, which is where the utility earns its money.
Provide a level of customer service that you originally sold or promised.