Utility Week

30 | OCTOBER 2022 | UTILITY WEEK Technology Download report Enpowering fi eld workers boosts staff and customers A new Utility Week report Рin association with Skedulo Рexplores the sector's appetite for increased autonomy across fi eld teams and how this aligns with broader customer engagement strategies. F ield operatives Рfrom engineers to community engagement o cers Рare o en regarded as the public face of utilities and carry out crucial roles, whether installing smart technologies in homes and businesses, or repairing and maintaining infrastructure. Call centre teams are considered the front line when it comes to customer services but, increasingly, eld sta have an expand- ing role in this area. Empowering call cen- tre agents to work autonomously and o er real-time solutions to customers is nothing new but these concepts are not traditionally applied to eld activities. There is a long-held perception that eld sta are being le behind, while many white- collar workers have seen a major transforma- tion in the workplace, largely driven by the impact of the pandemic. Flexible hours and remote working has become a priority for many, with a new level of control over how and where they work. But for primarily desk- less sta , employee autonomy can be a com- plex issue. So, how are employers across utilities supporting eld workers as they engage with customers on a daily basis and respond to issues on the ground? And what is the feasi- bility of empowering engineers and install- ers to o er more tailored advice and services to customers in real time? Utility Week partnered with workforce management platform Skedulo to explore the sector's current appetite for autonomy across eld teams and how this aligns with broader customer engagement strategies. The resulting insight report, Autonomous Working: the Key to Customer Satisfaction?, seeks to identify the key challenges utilities are facing as they monitor eld activities and customer experience, while also demonstrat- ing trust in employees' decision making. The report also looks at how embedding inno- vation and new technologies as business as usual across eld operations can help to improve both employee and customer satisfaction. Are utilities encouraging worker autonomy? According to ndings from Skedulo's 2022 State of the Deskless Work Report Рwhich captured the views of employees from across a range of sectors who spend at least 80% of their time as mobile workers Рover half (51%) of deskless respondents would leave their current role to gain access to more autonomy and Πexibility. Almost half (47%) would rather work for an organisa- tion that provides Πexible scheduling and/or increased autonomy, compared with one that is able to pay them 10% more. Traditionally, eld operations roles across the water and energy sectors have been per- ceived as lacking Πexibility and autonomy

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