THE CHANGE SIMPLY WORKFLOW ON DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND INNOVATION
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ne of the positive outcomes from this pandemic is the rapid adoption and utilisation of digital technologies, Zoom and Team video calls, remote working and online collaboration tools are now the norm. These technologies have been available for years, so why did it take a pandemic to get companies to start using them? Covid-19 was a compelling reason to change our learned behaviours. Forced to work from home, many of our work practices have changed with the stark realisation that we can do things differently. Embracing these new technologies will drive significant operational efficiencies while delivering a good quality service and experience to our customers. Field Service Management (FSM) SaaS technologies is an example of how some of the most traditional industries are being revolutionised by digitalisation. There are many businesses in the utility sector that continue to use excel spread sheets, paper and manual processes, to manage people, jobs, stock and assets in the field. But the strategic use of technology is a significant competitive advantage in delivering a better service, with a higher margin in a very competitive market.
We have all seen and heard of new technologies and new business models such as IOT, Augmented Reality, drones and the gig economy. By leveraging FSM and connecting to existent technologies, companies can reap some big rewards.
Drones: An electricity supply network will send an engineer to the field to discover why a fault is appearing on the network, such as a fallen line in a storm. Using drones, the company can conduct a remote diagnostic of the network to find the fault. An engineer can then be dispatched to the exact location, with a good understanding of the problem, meaning it is resolved faster and ensuring the correct stock, skills, tools are available for the job.
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IOT: The internet of things allows machines to be connected to the internet. Most machines today are smart, which means we can take information from a machine and create warning systems to set up jobs, schedule services or attend to issues (such as refuelling a cell tower).
Predictive Analytics: As we gather more data from machines, we can learn how they will behave and predict their performance. So, a company can anticipate when a machine needs servicing or new parts and schedule these jobs as a preventative maintenance to optimise operations. Augmented Reality: How often does an engineer go to the field to discover that they don’t have the right parts or skills to fix an issue? Using Augmented Reality and video calling, an engineer can call up digital manuals and video instructions to walk them through a fix while on site.
Gig Economy: For utility companies there is still a large workforce required to do many manual jobs such as meter readings, remote fault repairs and customer support call outs. It is very costly or inefficient to keep an employee working full time, especially in remote areas. FSM can help structure a new business model around a gig economy, where workers are only paid for jobs that they do. Using the FSM app, companies can still train workers and ensure that health and safety regulations are followed.
THE STRATEGIC USE OF TECHNOLOGY IS A SIGNIFICANT COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE.
What challenges does your business face, and how you could address them with innovative use of technologies that you already know about? There are so many opportunities for companies to embrace this new world of digital technology connected to FSM, it’s impossible to mention them all here. Simply Workflow are leaders in the FSM market and innovation is at the heart of what we do for our customers. We have helped our businesses drive significant operational efficiencies while improving customer service, adding millions to the bottom line.
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