Optimize Field Workforce Productivity

Challenge

Today’s field service representative reads meters, fixes equipment, turns service on and off, investigates water and gas leaks, handles emergency calls and deals with credit and collection information. Dispatching and managing work that originates in different departments presents a major challenge to energy and water utilities. Multiple dispatchers and supervisors need to assign and monitor service personnel efficiently, evaluate work performance and log the history of each customer contact to ensure accountability. Field data must then be collected and distributed to the necessary departments. Paper- and radio-based dispatching and work order systems can hardly keep up with the growth in services and service areas.

Solution

Itron’s Service-Link dispatching system is a Web-based workforce management tool that uses the Internet and wireless communications to enable an unprecedented level of field productivity and customer service. Service-Link provides real-time dispatching and workforce management and automates many of the labor-intensive tasks associated with field service calls. By using the power of the Internet to replace costly hardware and server systems, Web-based workforce management tools eliminate paperwork and deliver the instant access to information that field service personnel need to get up to speed faster, work more efficiently and respond to customer needs more quickly.

Benefits

Reduces operational costs by improving efficiency in the field

Eliminates manual data entry

Improves service response times

Minimizes repeat visits

Increases customer satisfaction

Reduces IT installation and support time

Provides more data to field service personnel in the field

Allows supervisors to measure performance more accurately