Large, Investor-Owned Electric Utility

Inspiration for Change

Time-Consuming Legacy Tech

Innovative for its time, the utility relied on radio-connected computers with the ability to only send small data packets and no documents while limiting workers to the truck where the device is mounted. Field staff struggled with multiple apps for work, navigation, and time keeping, requiring ~5 min. to receive each of 20 to 30 trouble tickets per day, enter into GIS, and start navigating to the job.

Data Silos Limit Situational Awareness

Planned work (e.g., routine maintenance, inspections, construction), and unplanned work (e.g., storm events, outages, equipment failure) were managed in disconnected systems that impeded the free flow of information. The siloed data in field and back office systems prevented workers from adapting to evolving situations, requiring staff to return to field offices for updates, text, or call.

Reliance on Large Contract Workforce

The electric utility has a hybrid workforce of 80% contractors with no access to the company’s back office systems for crew assignments, work order management, outage management, an time tracking. As a result, most of the utility’s workforce relied on paper feeder maps, phone calls, and text messages to coordinate work with no access to up-to-date digital docs, e.g. circuit maps.

Damage by Outside Party Claims

Like all electric utilities, the Midwest service provider struggles with large numbers of third party damage to utility-owned assets, e.g., vehicle knocks down a pole. Manual DBOP claims required massive back office resources and long time frames to process as appropriate documentation is gathered, impacting cash flow from slow reimbursement or write-off.