The Field Force Automation solution lets dispatchers see each engineer’s job status and vehicle location instantaneously on a single web page. During the pilot, productivity increased by some 10%, from optimal job allocation and a reduction in ineffective time through shorter trips aided by satellite navigation. Together with a dramatic reduction in unnecessary journeys, this meant that driven mileage was reduced by about 20%, reducing the company’s carbon footprint and helping it to be a more sustainable business.
Another factor is that the Field Force Automation solution enables single-entry job information on the mobile devices, substantially reducing paperwork and saving each engineer around 40 minutes each day. Information is now shared between departments, and the system automatically compiles a timesheet of work completed, improving accuracy and eliminating another laborious manual task.
The solution also deals with other important HR-related tasks such as proof of attendance, timesheet generation and submission, end-of-day duty of care obligations, and compiling accurate data to ensure compliance with the European Working Time Directive. Vehicle monitoring has enabled improved response times to emergencies and will also help with the rapid recovery of stolen vehicles.
Following the pilot's success, Northumbrian Water approved the implementation of the solution to all operational teams – extending the value of the contract with BT to £12m over five years. Full-scale rollout to around 850 mobile operatives and 760 vehicles across its three operational regions followed over the next year.
Customers are set to benefit too. Northumbrian Water was one of the first water companies to offer two-hour time slots for engineer appointments, and the improved scheduling process means this promise is now kept more often. David Garrett says: “We were conservative in our calculations of the expected benefits, and despite this, we anticipate a return on investment within 12 months.”
More recently, the original contract was extended to cover a seven-year term and now includes plans to deploy a more agile range of field terminals, including new PDAs, tablets and iOS devices.
Field Force Automation continues to be a core element in the company’s technology roadmap. So much so that BT was recently invited to once again present to the Northumbrian Water senior team, this time focusing on potential enhancements to the current Field Force Automation solution, such as the integration of planning and scheduling to allow for the automated allocation of work to engineers. Work is now ongoing to plan the next phase of enhancements to leverage even greater benefits.
Brian Olley sums up: “It was clear from the outset that Field Force Automation was not an end in itself but an enabler for cultural and business change within Northumbrian Water. It is already apparent that the combination of technology, process rationalisation, and the greater visibility of jobs and the fleet are remarkably impacting our efficiency and effectiveness. BT is assisting us greatly in this transition.”
