Utilities Target Scheduling Applications To Power Service Technician Performance

Used with permission from Aberdeen Group. Aberdeen Group is the leading provider of fact-based research focused on the global technology-driven value chain. For additional information, please visit www.aberdeen.com.

Utilities are faced with a high degree of emergency service calls that require service technicians to be on-site within a minimal period of time. Coupled with regulatory requirements requiring timely service response, the pressure on utilities to deliver is significant. Therefore it is not surprising that 41% of the utilities surveyed in Aberdeen's recent Service on Time: All the Time Benchmark are searching for scheduling applications, not only to ensure that a technician is on site within the required period of time but also that he/she is adequately equipped to resolve service emergencies.

Meeting Strict Response Windows

Nearly two-thirds of all utilities surveyed by Aberdeen place a high priority on technician schedule and route optimization. Given that almost 60% of service calls for these firms require attention to some sort of emergency, it is vital for these firms to be able to have a technician who can resolve the issue, onsite within a short period of time. Therefore the need to drive response times and productivity is by far the top pressure faced by these firms, as stated by 83% of utilities. In addition to driving productivity, nearly half of respondents are looking to control their service costs while maintaining adequate levels of service.

Ninety-three percent (93%) of utilities consider technician skills and qualifications to be the top criteria towards assigning a specific technician to a call. One would consider proximity to be of more significance, but it comes in as the fourth most important criteria. In essence, while location is vital to quick service response, a technician who cannot fix or appropriately attend to an emergency is not as valuable even though he/she might be the closest to the scene.