3 ways virtual work helps speed up utility distribution projects

In combination with weather, vegetation is one of the most common causes of power outages - or even wildfires - that could be termed as an electrical utility’s fault. That makes vegetation management one of the most critical, unseen functions in the electrical utility economy. Unfortunately, many utilities still use outdated processes that are costly on time and money. However, technology is making it easier than ever to keep business humming while keeping people safe.  

Field work businesses are becoming more complex, meaning partners, vendors, and suppliers increasingly play important roles in delivering a great customer experience.

With that in mind, field work companies need to take a holistic view of how they deliver services to customers -  often called the “enterprise experience”. Here’s what that enterprise experience looks like and how it makes life a lot better for customers and employees alike.

In the old way of delivering field work, truck rolls were a revenue generator. But with changing customer needs and increased technological capability, it’s time to question both the real costs and the future necessity of truck rolls.

Companies with a high quality digital experience are 2x more likely to be chosen as a preferred supplier, and utility companies are taking note. The industry has been slowly shifting already, as companies look to digital options as a key way to gain a competitive advantage. Now, changes are quickly expanding throughout whole organizations, from how they interact with customers to how they manage administration and find new business opportunities. 

For decades, field technicians were assumed to be the face of a field work company. They did sales and solved problems face to face, making sure to provide the best possible customer experience. Now, things are different: customers still want great service, but 52% of field service organizations agree that virtual-first and remote services have become the primary way they deliver service. And now customers prefer it that way. 

The majority (78%) of people buy from the service provider who responds first, according to a Lead Connect study. That’s a huge opportunity to close business simply by showing up. However, this presents a challenge in the field service space when driving to a site is part of your sales process. To take advantage of the speed opportunity - closing more business simply by responding first - field service companies need to leverage video technology. 

The field service industry is ripe for the remote-first innovation accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only is purpose-built technology ready for this kind of work, but customers and field workers want it. The metaphorical stars are aligning to make it easy for companies to reap the benefits of virtual service.

Increasing safety through virtual assistance has quickly become a top priority for many home service providers, especially as COVID infection rates are once again rising across the country. 

The effects of climate change are becoming undeniable. Weather patterns are changing, seasons are becoming wildly messed up, and entire ecosystems are dying. And the problem is not just environmental, but economic: when we can’t live in certain areas due to weather patterns, or whole cities are destroyed from storms, that harms business. 

The team at ICwhatUC is excited to share that we’ve been selected to participate in this year’s Google for Startups Accelerator Canada cohort, alongside a small group of promising Canadian Seed to Series A tech startups. 

ICwhatUC announced this week that they have been selected as one of the top 100 energy and mobility startups of 2021 by Start Up Energy Transition.

From trucks to equipment to insurance, field work is a pricey business to get into. However, technology is opening up opportunities to lower fixed costs in ways that used to be impossible. In one national field work company’s case, it led to 6-figure savings per day. 

Leveraging remote technology like secure video is a helpful way to sell more and land higher quality customers. But as technology makes lives more convenient, employees are also demanding that it make their work safer. So while technology is often considered a sales tool, it has six risk reduction benefits field work companies should be aware of.

Life is interesting. If you listen and share with others, connections happen, and sometimes you connect with people that share the desire to reimagin
e how things work.

Over half (53%) of field service companies are concerned about replacing their workforce as people retire. For decades, knowledge was gained in siloed environments due to many field workers going to sites alone. Now as many experienced technicians think about retirement, young newcomers are ready to learn but fear being left out in the cold. Thankfully though, as challenging as the transition will be, new technology is enabling it more than ever.

There is big data in field work. It’s not digital bits and bytes flying through cyberspace, though. It’s the conversations you have with customers, the notes about a job you think to yourself, or the observations you make in a virtual check up call. This data can not only help you find better clients, but also uncover efficiencies you never thought possible. 

The fieldwork industry can be a slog sometimes. You get booked on an assignment and show up to someone’s house, half the time not knowing what to expect. Too often, it’s only after you show up do you realize what tools you need - resulting in yet another visit. This kind of back and forth amounts to field workers spending half their days on the road, but getting little done. 

ICwhatUC and Deloitte LLP in Canada (“Deloitte”) are pleased to announce an exclusive reseller agreement that will see both companies work together to support the Power and Utility Sector.

Now more than ever, customers are less concerned about how a problem is solved - they just want it solved. That opens up huge opportunities, especially in traditional industries like fieldwork. For decades, field work looked pretty much the same - someone would drive to your house to fix a problem. But the combination of fieldworkers demanding new technology and customers demanding faster service means field service companies need to think outside the box.