Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | OCTOBER 2022 | 31 Technology over work ows, working hours and location. Working in safety critical environments and providing 24-hour services for customers means it is impossible to provide complete exibility for many of these roles. However, there is scope to support autonomy where appropriate – giving employees the right tools to be the primary decision-maker and supporting them to work in a way that opti- mises performance. The bene• ts of doing so can pay huge dividends both in terms of sta• retention and customer experience. Sarah Brown, head of group HR at SES Water, says giving teams the independence to make real-time decisions, supported by the right technology to enact these, can make a signi• cant di• erence to colleagues' productivity and how they feel about their roles, as well as the outcome for customers. "Putting more technology in • eld teams' hands can bring big health, safety and well- being bene• ts and that's something we're always working towards," she says. "Giv- ing our • eld teams access to data about the customer or the job can help them feel more connected too, while having ready access to more information supports them having more relevant conversations with our cus- tomers and acting as ambassadors for the company." This could involve o• ering speci• c advice on getting the best out of a smart meter, or identifying a vulnerable customer in need of additional support. Tessa Fayers, Thames Water director of wastewater operations – London, agrees that increasing an employee's autonomy at work has a positive impact on their motivation, while also driving better customer outcomes. She explains that Thames has a "very pro- gressive" exible working policy and actively encourages employees to • nd the right work balance for them. The objective is to ensure that sta• can align their role with their per- sonal priorities and values. How can boundaries drive empowerment? Giving • eld teams the space and con• dence to work autonomously must be balanced with the need to operate within a safety critical environment. Establishing robust training and standard operating proce- dures allows individuals to feel empowered while also working to clear guidelines and expectations. For National Grid, there is a • ne balanc- ing act between supporting people to be the primary decision-maker where appropriate and making sure they understand why there are parameters in place. Amy Hardman, digital strategy and deliv- ery manager at National Grid, says: "We make sure it is balanced with training and competence out on site. People are aware, through their competencies and capabilities, what they are responsible for. "That also gives you a clear career path… it is evident to people what their next step is as they go through that process." Hardman explains that National Grid has also embedded assurance and performance reporting processes against activities. "We have • rst, second and third line assurance activities that happen. All of our leaders are asked to do safety walks and safety audit checks to make sure we've got consistency." Mark Simmons, overhead line (OHL) con- dition monitoring team leader at National Grid, adds that the company is focused on giving employees the ability to make the right decisions that are appropriate for them and for customers. Essentially, he says, it is about understanding what kind of decision- making is suitable at each level, and then supporting colleagues to operate and make decisions within that boundary. "You wouldn't necessarily want a • eld engineer making a decision on whether or not they need to replace assets at a macro scale because that's not their role, but you want them to be empowered to make a deci- sion on whether or not a defect needs to be • xed and the timescales within which that might need to happen," he says. Technology can play a key role in this area, by giving utilities and their people the digital tools to monitor and optimise • eld operations. South East Water, for example, currently uses a work scheduler application to help prioritise customer work requests, which is divided between planned and reac- tive tasks. "In conjunction with this, we use vehi- cle tracking to try and ensure the nearest available technician is allocated the work. For planned work this is more successful, but reactive requests can be a challenge," explains Steve Benton, head of operations west at South East Water. Why is connectivity key? As well as establishing clear processes that support employee autonomy, e• ective com- munication across the business allows • eld teams to respond quickly to issues on the ground. However, connectivity remains an enduring challenge for teams working in the • eld. The transfer of data and access to key data applications is pivotal to maintaining high levels of customer service and resolving issues e˜ ciently. Benton says that consistent access to live data can frustratingly be "hit or miss", depending on the level of connectivity on the ground. "In towns where good 3G, 4G and 5G networks are prevalent this isn't an issue, but in rural locations downloading and uploading data can be a challenge," he says. "This is crucial for the work applica- tions we use and allows visibility both back in the o˜ ce and in the • eld of progress of either network issues or customer requests." Many companies are looking at ways to overcome this challenge, including the use of signal boosters in remote locations, as well as adopting alternative communication methods such as radio. Supporting frontline teams with access to the right tools and tech- nology can be the di• erence between a satis- • ed or dissatis• ed customer. Thames Water's Tessa Fayers admits that, historically, frontline sta• were o› en frus- trated by fragmented and clunky systems that hampered their ability to do the right thing for customers. She explains that Thames previously spread data over 13 di• erent legacy systems, which made it impossible to share the full job history with an engineer on site. The company has recently made the transition to one, end-to-end works management system, which "empowers teams to do their roles more e• ectively". For water and energy companies alike, the customer is at the heart of decision- making. It is therefore essential that when teams are sent out into the • eld, they have a clear understanding of how their role and the tasks they are undertaking feed into the broader business. As evidenced through the contributions to this report, there is a clear appetite across the industry to increase employee autonomy and improve customer outcomes. Undoubt- edly, empowering • eld operatives to under- stand how and where they can deliver most value is the key to both satis• ed workers and satis• ed customers. Nadine Buddoo, intelligence editor in association with In association with In this report Introduction Are utilities encouraging worker autonomy? How can boundaries drive empowerment? Why is connectivity key? V I E W P O I N T Chris Fenton, Skedulo I N S I G H T R E P O R T Autonomous working: the key to customer satisfaction? Download the report Download the report Autonomous Working: the Key to Customer Satisfaction? free at: https://utilityweek.co.uk/autonomous- working-the-key-to-customer-satisfaction/

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