The relevance of selecting the correct technology at point of purchase

1. On the move and on the front line - mobile
technology in utilities
Against a pan-European backdrop of regulatory change, increased consumer awareness of price and
choice and concerns over energy security, the utility sector is facing many challenges and
opportunities over the next decade.
Within the industry itself, the concerns of customer service improvements, the aging workforce and
enabling a more responsive field workforce are driving many utilities to re-evaluate key business
operations, processes and the technology that supports them.
Core to many of these initiatives and achieving new levels of service and field worker productivity is
ensuring seamless access to critical asset and customer data. Research has confirmed a strong
correlation between a highly productive mobile workforce and ensuring utility networks deliver
continuous service and meet customer service standards. As a result, empowering a mobile
workforce is now a key concern for many utilities. As both the workforce and utility infrastructures
age, many utilities are considering wireless technologies to help manage information, assets and
workers.

2. Mobile applications in utilities
Connecting mobile workers with the information and human resources they require delivers many
strategic benefits to utilities. These can be grouped into three main areas - reduced operating costs,
improved asset life and increased customer satisfaction.
At the tactical level these benefits are seen in metrics such as increased on-time responses, greater
“wrench time”, and more job completions. Travel to the next job is less which not only saves time,
but also reduces vehicle emissions, and cuts down missed appointments.
The financial savings of this increased productivity are seen in decreased crew hours and overheads.
Further improvements to the bottom line can be realised by automating the work order process to
help reduce operating costs.
Additional benefits include enabling seamless, real time and interoperable communications with
field workers, centralised support staff, utility management and first responders in emergency
situations. Management is improved by incorporating training, work administration, and
performance monitoring. And by improving collaboration and enhancing knowledge transfer,
utilities can begin to address the challenge of an aging workforce.
The applications to enable these benefits can be covered off in three main
categories:
Next Generation Asset Management and Analytics
Advanced analytics draw on powerful analysis platforms to present data and complex
interrelationships in a manner designed for the business and operational needs of different types of
utility employees. From the field, to the asset manager, to the board room, asset analytics provide
critical intelligence to ensure that appropriate decisions can be made in real time.
Modern mobile versions of asset analytics provide utility field crews with a thorough understanding
of an asset’s inspection and maintenance history and help field crews better understand the
importance of the accuracy of data they are capturing.
Real-Time Scheduling
Customer service in the utility sector has been lagging and much of this has to do with how
customers engage with their local utilities.
While many experienced field technicians generally know their territory and the likely duration of
different tasks, the same does not hold for less experienced workers and frequently, schedules
developed by less experienced workers, can result in productivity decreases. Mobile workforce
applications that include real-time scheduling prevent this productivity drop-off. As the crew finishes
its emergency tasks, real-time schedulers immediately produce new schedules that start from the
current location and follow rules for task priority and drive time.

3. Job Training and Monitoring
Experienced workers carry in their heads the correct safety techniques and job structure. Mobile
workforce software incorporates that knowledge and makes it accessible via tools like checklists and
context sensitive help. It ensures that less experienced crews meet utilities' safety and compliance
guidelines.
As a result, mobile workforce management software can standardise tasks and guide newer
employees through each step, decreasing the time it takes to become productive.
These applications also enable better and more accessible asset records, improved documentation,
and integration with video and image management solutions to provide remote support capabilities.
Integration standards also enable efficient cross-departmental business processes.
The right platform
A variety of mobile form factors are being
used to support field workers in the utility
sector, and tablets represent an
increasingly viable choice. The tablet
provides a strong balance of a highly
portable device with sufficient display real
estate to support the graphics rich
applications common in the utility sector.
As a result of these benefits, according to
research by VDC, over six in ten utilities
are either currently using tablet PCs or are
evaluating tablets for use among their
field workers.
While much of the attention directed towards tablets has been for consumer-oriented devices,
consumer devices have limitations when it comes to enterprise-use cases. The challenges end users
express with consumer tablets in the enterprise span everything from core device functionality to
management of these devices by enterprise IT departments and their security limitations. The ability
to seamlessly interact with backend systems and integrate with legacy applications including support
for capabilities such as rapid updating also rank highly in this list of concerns.
The Motion Computing J3600

4. For utility service technicians, critical requirements of a successful mobile
platform include:
• Durable, yet lightweight design. Failure rates are a critical concern as they can substantially disrupt
workflows. Devices designed to withstand inclement conditions and the potential for occasional
drops are ideal. Another key requirement is the ability to interface with the display with wet hands
or in wet conditions.
• Display daylight visibility. While consumer device displays are visually appealing, in sunlight or
ambient light conditions they wash out. A display that can be easily read in these conditions is a key
benefit, if not essential.
• Application suitability. Many back-end utility applications are designed to operate in a Windows
environment. Leveraging these platform investments and ensuring forward compatibility is critical
for many utilities.
• Input/output configuration options. Mobile workforce management applications require a variety
of input/output configuration options ranging from signature capture, bar code, GPS, image and
video capture, multi-touch interface and magnetic stripe readers.
• Embedded wireless functionality. With more data moving to the cloud, a seamless wireless
network connection, carrier (3G/4G) or Wi-Fi is critical.
• Unobtrusive, yet robust security. Security requirements are becoming even more stringent due to
increased regulation. For mobile devices this likely means both hardware-based encryption, trusted
boot functions, data-at-rest encryption, and remote lock and wipe capabilities. While security –
especially for mobile insurance solutions – needs to be unobtrusive, sacrifices for the sake of ease of
use cannot be made.
Based on these demands, and the driving force of customer service improvements, an aging
workforce and a need to reduce operational cost, the tablet PC is set to become a stable fixture
across the utility sector, especially out in the field and on the front line of service.
Article by Ian Davies, UK Manager, Motion Computing
Camtech Systems
Camtech Systems specialise in fully supported business ready Windows Tablet PC solutions. Our
rugged tablet and semi-rugged tablet PCs are designed to withstand the daily wear of the most
demanding environments.
Our hand-picked Windows Tablet PC solutions are the only choice for the true mobile professional.
We supply Tablet PCs across the UK to a wide variety of industry sectors. As Motion Computing's UK
partner we can provide the most reliable, rugged and powerful Tablet PCs on the market. All our
Tablet PCs come with our exceptional support to keep you working when the going gets tough.
Visit: www.camtechsystems.co.uk
Email: info@camtechsystems.co.uk