With major storms becoming more frequent, it’s important to have a system in place to keep track of the work you do. You’ll want to be able to review decisions, go through a playback of your organization’s activities, and add up the costs quickly, accurately, and with verification. You want to be able to use that knowledge not just now, but to plan for future events. And you’ll want to do it without having to spend weeks or months entering data into spreadsheets.
One Source of Truth
Thankfully, with today’s technology, data doesn’t have to be captured on paper that may get lost in the shuffle. Instead, there are electronic solutions that give you one source of truth for all your restoration activities and save you time searching for data for reporting in multiple places.
For instance, data collection for a Category 2 hurricane might take six months to compile without an electronic solution to log hours, crews, and resources. Typically, there will be interviews with employees, collecting pictures and notes, finding GPS coordinates for each repair, adding up meal costs, and reviewing documentation of every task.
ARCOS’ utility resource management software can help by pulling everything you need together in one place with real-time reporting, saving you weeks and months of compiling data during the recovery process. One of our utility partners said switching from a manual process to ARCOS cut their time spent for storm recovery in half.
Crew Manager Tracks It All
ARCOS Crew Manager can help you capture everything you need for reporting, such as the number and make-up of crews, as well as how long they worked. Our software logs employees, resources (such as lodging, food, and fuel), and equipment on a minute-by-minute basis. You can watch activities in real-time, and run comprehensive reports after the fact.
With ARCOS Damage Assessment, employees in the field can see where they’re going and what they’re doing instantly. Gone are the obstacles of communication and information lost in the handoffs of paper packets. Everyone can see what needs to be done clearly, in electronic form. Field workers can even add pictures to support the reports and any additional notes, everything they would have included on a paper log.
Contractors in the Same System
ARCOS Resource Assist adds contractors into your own system just as seamlessly. With a few keystrokes, you can request and confirm exactly the type of workers you need. Contractors can respond via their own portal within Resource Assist, even pre-building crews before the storm and swapping personnel as needed. You can see all updates instantly, fully integrated with your own staff in Crew Manager.
Storm Reporting Made Simple
Recovering the costs of storm restoration can be a challenge. It’s time-consuming, and much of the data you need may be with outside contractors. During restoration efforts, the focus is on getting service restored to customers, not sweating the details. But FEMA, regulators, and private carriers require adequate documentation in order to return the spending to you.
By using ARCOS, you can eliminate the guesswork, with an immediate and accurate gathering of the numbers you need. We streamline the process and put in place one source of truth for you to figure out what was spent and how it was distributed. There’s no digging through paperwork or comparing conflicting notes – if they were even kept and organized correctly. Everything you need is all in one place, and reports can be configured to your needs.
If you’d like to learn more, contact ARCOS now. We’d love to provide a solution for you.
