How do the most successful energy and water utility companies utilize the full potential of their Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) and Field Service Management (FSM) processes? In this post, we’ll dive into best practices and lessons learned across asset management deployments to gain insights into organizational asset management maturity. We’ll also discuss how companies can optimize their processes for maximum efficiency and cost-effectiveness. 

The Challenge: Managing distributed assets and a mobile workforce 

A common challenge that utility companies encounter is the lack of a complete and integrated view of their assets and workforce, as well as modern tools that help them effectively deliver field service and asset management. If companies are dealing with incomplete and asynchronous data and processes, coupled with outdated technologies, this leads to poor workforce adoption and ultimately underperforming field service and asset management programs. 

For the past 20 years, traditional EAM and FSM implementations and upgrades have been focused on data and how software delivers that data without regard to how the workforce on the ground actually functions. To truly deliver value from EAM and FSM systems, companies need to look at how field service workers are working on a day to day basis, so they can use the system in a way that’s natural. Part of this involves solving data siloing issues and putting processes in place, but these upgrades need to be done in a way that reflects the realities of the workforce – not the way systems typically work. 

As a result, many large scale EAM and FSM implementation projects in the utility industry have failed or underperformed on their original planned outcomes. The focus on data and how systems interact, instead of how people interact, has led to these results – costing companies tens of millions of dollars in failed projects. By re-centering the focus on how field workers interact with the system in real time, EAM and FSM implementation can deliver true value for companies. 

Driving value while empowering your workforce 

For EAM and FSM implementations to generate value, it’s imperative for companies to start by analyzing their workforce and how their workers interact – what they’re doing, where they’re doing it, and what they’re working on. This workforce-centered approach allows companies to build systems and processes that facilitate the field workers’ day to day workflow and integrate it with other systems within the business. This has the net benefit of empowering a company’s workforce by: 

• Equipping all workers with better information and decision support 
• Collecting and sharing tribal knowledge across the organization 
• Simplifying and streamlining the user experience and interface, eliminating the need to search multiple systems and devices 
• Providing quality data across the business
• Capturing a complete view of all work and assets 

This people-first approach to EAM and FSM implementation in turn builds a holistic, work-driven, linear asset environment. A single face of work, like KloudGin’s platform, enables companies to unify their asset, field and customer operations; enable long and short cycle schedule optimization; build comprehensive asset records complete with all work history; and establish intelligent knowledge management and decision support. Once this holistic business process has been established, technology becomes the tool that facilitates this flow within an organization, rather than dictating it. 

The Asset Management Maturity Model 

Many organizations are still struggling to meet the promise that Enterprise Asset Management systems have claimed to deliver over the past 20 years – the promise of integrated systems where data flows seamlessly and information is efficiently gathered. The majority of companies struggle and are stuck with siloed data and processes – a mix of disparate platforms and old mainframes alongside newly implemented softwares. 

At the next level, companies may have more integrations, synchronized data and automated processes, while more advanced companies have integrations that are benefiting their systems and extending their capabilities, but typically with most value seen on the accounting and regulatory side. At this level, companies are typically still not considering the day in the life of the workforce and how best to grow and develop systems that holistically support them. 

The most mature level, with optimized end-to-end data and processes, is where companies should be aiming as they look towards the future. Once systems are integrated, silos have been dealt with, and processes are in flow, then the end user experience becomes essential for optimizing processes. Focusing on the user experience enables companies to develop bespoke industry workflows and interactions – ultimately accelerating their workforce and the work that they do. 

Single Face of Work: The KloudGin Platform 

Our platform at KloudGin provides companies and their workforce an innovative single face of work. This encompasses all of the core functions of a company’s EAM and FSM processes, utilizing AI + machine learning based technology to support its workforce and assets at the most granular, functional level. 

The KloudGin platform brings together multiple functions that support the end user, giving them simple, real time access to all the information and tools they need to do their job effectively and efficiently. The information generated by the user is then captured and seamlessly transmitted back to the company, maximizing the functionality of the platform and using it to drive more value for the business. 

 

About KloudGin

KloudGin is a trusted provider of the only combined, cloud-based field and asset management solution that connects customers, employees, and assets using AI-powered access to information, on any device. Built for the workers who use it most, KloudGin eliminates traditional information and process silos to enable clients to unify siloed systems, resources, and processes so they can transform the customer experience and improve worker productivity to effectively meet the challenges of today—and the demands of tomorrow.