Covington Successfully Implements Integrated Clevest MWFM And ATS CIS Solution
Covington Electric Cooperative modernizes field service operations with integrated deployment of Clevest’s Mobile Workforce solution and ATS’ customer information system
Clevest Solutions Inc., a leading provider of mobile workforce automation software including smart grid deployment and post-deployment operations exclusively for the utility industry, announced that Andalusia, AL-based Covington Electric Cooperative has successfully implemented Clevest’s mobile workforce solution (MWFM) combined with the utility’s ATS OpenOne customer information system (CIS) to improve field service operations for members across six counties in the state.
As the first utility to successfully integrate these two systems, Covington is establishing a new standard for member service among cooperatives. The combined solution allows Covington to provide members with a faster service order cycle thanks to a single, real-time view of its service order process, from the time an order is initiated, wirelessly dispatched to a crew, completed in the field, and closed back in the office.
“The Clevest solution has been developed to correspond with the unique business needs that form the foundation of a utility’s operations. For a utility, what this means is that they can readily and cost-effectively fit the solution to their business, instead of the other way around,” explains Harry Ross, VP Client Services, Clevest. Ross adds, “The Covington implementation and the interface between the ATS CIS and our MWFM solution calls attention to this flexibility and adaptability.”
Steven Walker, System Engineer, Covington Electric Cooperative emphasizes, “Clevest has built a strong foundation for improving field operations in the way it has architected its mobile workforce management and its automatic vehicle location products. Walker continues, “The integration with our ATS customer information system is seamless, the communication between the office and the field is so much faster and so much more reliable than where we were previously.”
Covington’s Clevest solution includes Web-based automatic vehicle location (AVL) technology for real-time visibility into vehicle location, condition and driver status information, and mobile workforce management (MWFM) capabilities to automate virtually any work performed in the field using real-time wireless communications combined with dispatching and mobile applications. The AVL solution is fully integrated with Esri’s GIS platform for accurate, GPS-based information and with the MWFM solution for improved day-to-day field service operations.
With the integration that’s in place between Clevest’s MWFM and Covington’s ATS CIS, service orders created in ATS are dispatched wirelessly within seconds to a truck and appear on the AVL map for supervisors. When orders are finished, field crews send completion details that are received in seconds back to the office. By improving the automation of routine tasks and data collection efforts with real-time information exchange, the combined solution closes the gap between order creation and order completion and allows Covington to focus on delivering excellent service to its members.
The Clevest solution also includes Genesis, a powerful, patent-pending, graphic-based configuration tool. With Genesis, nearly all aspects of the application suite can be configured by a utility’s implementation team without any additional programming, which is time-consuming and costly. “The Genesis configuration tool allows us to adapt the solution quickly, independently and at no additional cost,” notes Walker.
About ATS
Headquartered in Castle Hayne, NC, Applied Technology Solutions (ATS) is the leading provider of integrated software solutions for the utility industry. The ATS OpenOne suite of solutions has revolutionized the way utilities function through integration—enter data only once through an easy-to-use web interface and share it throughout the entire organization. The ATS team is built upon leading edge technologists and utility business experts with extensive experience in software development, implementation and systems integration. For more information, visit www.ats.coop
About Clevest
Clevest provides software for mobile workforce automation and smart grid deployment and post-deployment operations exclusively for electric, gas and water utilities. Over 100 utilities worldwide have chosen Clevest to transform their field operations by harnessing the power of our software and deep domain knowledge of mobile computing and utility operations. Clevest’s award-winning platform powers a product suite that includes mobile workforce management, GPS-enabled automated vehicle location, meter reading solutions and a patent-pending configuration tool, as well as the only complete solution for smart grid deployment and post-deployment activities. For more information, visit www.clevest.com
SOURCE: Clevest Solutions Inc.