Meeting high expectations

Oneserve's Chris Proctor explains how the latest field service management technology can help utilities meet their customers’ needs.

Customer expectation of utilities providers has always been high, and providers, more often than not, have struggled to deliver.

With new competitive providers emerging and regulators implementing measures to halt poor customer service, the sector is entering a new era. Companies must change their approach or risk irrevocable damage to their reputations, and to customer loyalty.

Consumers now value experience over price and product, and the utilities industry must re-focus its priorities to keep up with changing needs and expectations. Next-generation technology will optimise service delivery and generate insights for future improvement. Without this, customer service will remain stuck at a subpar level.

Field service management (FSM) technology can unite office teams, mobile workers and customers, improving efficiency and overall service. However, many utilities providers still rely on legacy FSM software and manual processes. This makes it harder for teams to work productively which has a direct impact on the customer experience.

Capitalising on new developments enables companies to lower the costs of their field operations by up to 40 per cent while improving productivity by up to 30 per cent. This efficiency ultimately improves the customer experience. For instance, optimised job scheduling will ensure a suitably qualified engineer is sent to the customer the first time, reducing return visits. Automation helps companies send SMS messages when the engineer is on the way, giving customers greater confidence in the service they receive.

Service faults such as burst pipes and faulty telephone lines are one of the sector’s biggest challenges and a common cause of customer complaints. Predictive maintenance software constantly monitors and reports on assets, so engineers can pre-empt and remedy faults before customers experience any disruption.

Consumers want consistency and clear communication from their providers. New developments in FSM help field operatives efficiently complete jobs, share information with office teams in real time and keep the customer up-to-date. With cloud-based FSM software, providers can further change the software themselves to ensure they continually meet customer demand.

Embracing the future of customer experience in utilities requires future-facing technology. This will improve operational efficiencies and transform customer service levels, for good.