Mobile Workforce Management Solutions for Restoration Crews
Image courtesy of Jim Makos under Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License, resized to 700 x 391 pixels.
Effective and efficient mobile workforce management solutions can make or break utility restoration efforts. Simply put, if utility personnel, mutual aid resources, and contractors are not utilizing mobile workforce solutions, they are missing the boat. It is simply not possible to work efficiently in the field by using spreadsheets, voice calls, pen and paper, or emails.
Benefits of Using Mobile Workforce Management Solutions
First and foremost, can we agree that pen and paper solutions are highly inefficient? With this antiquated method, the paper document can become outdated quickly, making it all but useless. Paper solutions are also ripe for human error and getting misplaced.
Conversely, mobile technology can help maximize efficiency. According to IDC research, mobile solutions can increase field worker productivity by 15-25%. The research also showed a 17% reduction in asset-inspection times by ‘goin? mobile.’ That is pretty compelling.
In addition to productivity gains, these tools can also optimize planning activities, as they allow decision-makers the ability to see a holistic, real-time view of the health of the system. Efficient planning, coupled with increased worker productivity, can definitely move the needle on restoration times in a positive way.
All in all, mobile workforce management solutions can help expedite the creation of work orders, damage assessment, progress reporting, invoice management, forms and reports, work-site condition assessments, and communication, among other things.
If your company has not yet ‘gone mobile,’ it’s important to get caught up, especially since this technology is readily available, cost effective, and easy to deploy. Not doing so would be akin to accessing the internet with a 28.8 modem even though broadband connectivity is readily available.
There is no doubt that mobile workforce management solutions are the future for utility companies, and the future is now. The business case is sound, and the benefits are clear, so what are you waiting for?
