By Mike Wojcik, Verizon Wireless

The windswept landscape was awash in downed power lines and broken tree limbs lying haphazardly across wires still connected to the few remaining upright poles. Nonstop calls from customers and in-house monitoring quickly painted a picture of thousands of utility customers out of service with a few reporting live wires requiring urgent response. Clean up began as soon as it was safe for crews to traverse the devastated area.

Every power company has to address the aftermath of a storm, and, for some, it is repeated several times a year as tornadoes and hurricanes hit with seasonal vengeance. For many utility companies, wireless service has become an important part of operations, resulting in faster response time, better use of field employees and efficiency-related cost savings. In times of crisis, the operational benefits are magnified as customers are brought back online quickly.

In this storm scenario, the power company may be outfitting field workers with phones beefed up by the addition of an out-of-box solution that offers field force management. The ruggedized phones allow supervisors to dispatch workers to job sites with notifications that go directly to employees’ phones, inclusive of turn-by-turn directions.

The service’s two-way communications feature allows workers to accept jobs and complete progress reports. A Web portal allows supervisors to track workers on a map so crews can be dispatched to other locations as the restoration efforts continue. Workers can submit timecards from their mobile phones while supervisors can manage breaks and lunches and bill hours to different jobs for the most efficient resource use. Some wireless providers offer systems that can also automatically link timecard data to the payroll system.

Under normal conditions, a fleet/field force solution gives supervisors control of their workforce for better budget management. The insight into workers’ schedules and locations means that the crew with the proper skill set and equipment can be dispatched to the appropriate job site the first time. In times of crisis, it can mean tending to a live wire faster because supervisors can view workers on a real-time map and make decisions based on locating the best person to handle the job.

Managing Assets

Location-based services (LBS) can also be used to manage a company’s assets. In the case of a utility, knowing where equipment is located during an emergency can save hours in both travel time and responsiveness. LBS can also transform asset management into a robust planning tool with the addition of wireless devices that gather data to show not only where vehicles are located but also aid in preparing the fleet to meet the toughest road challenges. By adding wireless modems and sensors to vehicles, supervisors can retrieve data that shows location and gather information on gas mileage, tire inflation, tire rotation schedules and other essential data for maximum performance. Using the data, fleet managers can create real time tracking reports against budgets as well as develop future comprehensive budgets.

Fleet managers are wise to shop around. Not all location-based services are the same, and selecting one that works on a network that reaches the far corners of a company’s territory is important. If the data can’t be transmitted because a wireless carrier’s network is limited, then asset tracking won’t meet expectations.

By enabling LBS on additional mobile broadband devices, a utility can broaden its field applications. Some devices offer advanced features that may be more suited to a utility’s needs. For example, a turn-by-turn directions feature installed on a mounted laptop may be preferable for a supervisor looking to support field crews. Advanced route planning allows crews to focus on responding while back office support teams plan routes to the next job site.

Field Command

It isn’t unusual that a crew sent to a new job site needs a broadband connection to retrieve vital information, yet no landline connectivity is available within miles. A notebook equipped with embedded high speed mobile access is the simple solution, but what happens to the four other people who don’t have embedded devices but are important to this particular job? The solution: A device about the size of a credit card that can connect to a mobile broadband network but also allows up to five other devices to connect using Wi-Fi. Companies don’t waste time waiting or looking for places to set up field command offices but can get to work swiftly with access to proprietary systems almost immediately.

Worker Acceptance

The best solution is only as good as the workers using it. Few companies will share the details of a project doomed for failure because employees didn’t or wouldn’t adapt to the new technology. There is no magic bullet to help employees accept location-based services that can sometimes imply mistrust when, for most companies, it is about the bottom line far more than catching employees goofing off. In today’s environment, most people still on the payroll are valued employees regardless of the industry.

One company, for example, deployed a field tracking system that met employee resistance until an employee suffered a heart attack. The tracking mechanism saved his life because it enabled emergency responders to find him in time. Employees realized the benefits of the service and began to use it in a way that helped the company reach its goals.

Companies that bring employees into the discussions early are the most successful. It is important that they phase in the technology in ways that make sense and minimize using location-based services to control actions of those who previously worked without tight supervision. Field force management is about how long it takes to get from point A to point B, so the route recommended by the system is generally the shortest, which save the employee and company time. Companies should introduce the latest location-based technologies in a way that shows as many employee benefits as company benefits.

Employee acceptance is priceless. For a company introducing an LBS solution, management approval is the first step; the final step comes when employees think the solution is a winner for them as well as the company.

Wojcik is enterprise data solutions manager for Verizon Wireless. Get more information at www.verizonwireless.com.