Race to the Future of Field Service

Race to the Future of Field Service Charting the Course of Digital Workforce Experiences for Utilities





Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword5 Introduction6-7 Sounds Familiar? Utility Pain Points 8 Heart Of The Matter Decoding The Work Evolution 9-11 Expect the Unexpected Trends in Field Work 12-14 Simplifying Field Service Operations for a City Water Utility 15 WX Blueprint for Utilities Trends? But to What End 16-17 Connecting the Dots- Digitally Innovating the WX Journey 18-19 Building blocks of Workforce Experience (WX) Excellence 20-21 The Journey from Reactive to Predictive 22 Building Superior Workforce Experiences for California’s 23 Gas and Electric Company Dawn of a New Day 24-25 Let’s Start, Today 26-27 4

Foreword FOREWORD Welcome to the new digital playground. Here we see the transformation of a thankless job that ensures our lives run with reliable energy and water services. In this playground, utilities are going beyond “what is happening now” or “what might happen in the future” to control “what should happen.” We are talking about the field workforce transformation. The long-due utility workforce transformation saw a significant rise in importance in the past couple of months with digital interventions, once begun, allowing many utilities to implement advanced technology solutions that will alleviate customer concerns and ready themselves for whatever lies ahead. We are witnessing the need to build a resilient business model aggressively and innovatively. In this document, we follow the core of the WX transformation, the driving factors, and where WX is heading. We disintegrate a modern digital core and outline how utilities can tap into intelligent and connected technologies to provide the muscle and brain for advanced workforce management. It is no news that a well-connected field service organization is essential to keeping customers operations going and elevating CX. And utilities with a digital edge are even more valuable to customers right now. In fact, a strong digital technology foundation combined with continual improvements will become even more indispensable as the ecosystem adjusts to this new, remote way of doing business. Here’s the race to the future of field service, and we are charting the course of Digital Workforce Experiences for Utilities. Let’s begin our journey. Deepak Garg Founder/CEO Smart Energy Water (SEW) 5

Introduction Introduction A Parade of Black Swans. The recent course of events caught the world by surprise. Be it the COVID-19 pandemic, bushfires, or Texas power outage, what we saw was a parade of black swan events. One after the other, disrupting lives, industries, and economies. With the change so significant, it is easy to overlook everything that is happening in the world of energy and water. Utility transformation undercurrent is running deep and large, with impending disruption in how they serve their customer and how they manage their workforce. Amidst this backdrop, lets’ look at how utilities are reaching their tipping point. An important lesson has been to build resilience. If tomorrow, you are asked to completely transform your operation to digital, you will respond with a bit of patch work here and there. Now let’s bring ecosystem changes (think disruptions) one after another, some unexpected others thought through. In such a scenario, patchwork will be unsustainable. An intelligent response calls for utilities to seriously evaluate what is changing and adopt the best solution possible. This assessment and planning need to start today. We cannot and must not wait for another series of black swan events to break the backbone of our utility ecosystem. Transforming utility and field service organization from an inbound break/fix model into a model that serves customers in their immediate time of need, both quickly and efficiently, or, be able to predict when they will need service, enabling proactive relationships, as well as more cost-effective operations is the ideal situation to be in. That’s the goal. Think of a situation where utilities delight their customers and inspire loyalty with a level of service that puts the customer at the center of every service interaction in real-time! Consider the impact a utility can make when they retool operations to connect the digital and physical world, ensuring accuracy, reliability, consistency, and efficiency. These are the ideas that are going to drive success in our new connected world. The systems set in place during the 1960s, ‘70s or ‘80s, need revaluation and gauged for their efficacy in responding to future-utility needs. Let’s start a journey to the future of field service in utilities. Ready. Set. Go. 6

Pause and Reflect Introduction Texas in February 2021 As the growing threat of extreme weather puts vital systems & human lives at risk, climate resilience needs to be taken much more seriously. A “domino effect” led to the collapse of the Texas power grid. A major winter storm brought subfreezing temperatures and snow across the region, resulting in residents cranking up their heat. At the same time, ice was beginning to freeze the wind turbines that were built to withstand typical winter weather in Texas, but not for more frigid zones. A series of events caused the grid to fail. The failure was systemic and multifaceted. During outages, wholesale electric prices went to as high as $9,000/megawatt-hour. Investing in resilience is a form of insurance. The cost of guarding against every conceivable climate extremity would be prohibitive. It is time to, Pause, Rewind, Reflect & Fast Forward a lot of lessons that can be applied. Think of the lessons from Texas Grid Failure and what utilities can do the avert massive-unexpected disruptions. 7

Sounds Familiar? Utility Pain Points Sounds Familiar? Utility Pain Points Meet Joe. He is a proud member of the utility fraternity, ensuring his people do not go without essential services. But his field days come with their own set of challenges. He is often out to work in dangerous conditions as the first responder to emergencies. Many piecemeal digital solutions complicate the resolution workflow and add to the lack of visibility across teams. Then there is the pressure of following through the paper-intensive processes, and his manager has a limited view into what’s happening in the field. Some days he is burdened with field visits, and others have none scheduled. Over time, his morale is declining, and he has been raising important questions about improving his productivity. Sounds Familiar? Utilities, large or small, are grappling with similar pain points. These pain points are indicative of hidden opportunities, and the undercurrents can be seen throughout. High volumes of paper-based activities Limited workflow automation for the fieldwork leading to poor productivity and efficiency levels Lack of robust IT foundation to manage the automated system Time-consuming manual work scheduling processes resulting in conflicts Lack of tools to track and monitor live locations and best routes, causing delays in emergency response and negatively impacting the first-time fix rates Limited on-site documentation and data support for workers to learn and train. Inaccurate asset information leading to reactive maintenance Geographically dispersed assets that are difficult and labor-intensive to track and maintain Limited collaboration between field workers and back office, causing communication delays Paper-based static forms, checklists, and surveys leading to limitations in inspections and feedback gathering Insufficient data support for forecasting, scenario modeling, or root cause analysis Skill Shortage for high-value work Aging infrastructure that requires greater attention for reliable operation Frequent and severe weather events that require prompt response 8

Heart Of The Matter Decoding The Work Evolution Heart Of The Matter Decoding The Work Evolution The Heart of the Matter is- A multitude of factors are coming together to change the utility ecosystem, thus changing the fieldwork definition. We have witnessed the change drivers from the past couple of years, and now they have upped the momentum. Digital technologies, customer drivers, innovating for net ‘zero’, the convergence of industries, etc., are transforming the traditional grid into a smarter alternative. Given this, adaptation is a no-brainer but how utilities can take a proactive route requires a detailed study. Progressive utilities are adopting a new model that’s decarbonized, decentralized, disaggregated, and digitized, putting people at the heart of their strategy. It may seem there are mountains to climb, but with challenges come opportunities. WATER SUPPLIER ELECTRICITY GENERATION Equipped for the journey, utilities can transform and thrive. This journey finds integrated two-way communications that make the grid dynamic, interactive with real-time infrastructure. Sensing and measurement technologies are facilitating the transformation of data into intelligent information. Advanced Components playing an active role in determining the grid behavior, applying the latest research in materials, 9

Heart Of The Matter Decoding The Work Evolution superconductivity, energy storage, power electronics, and microelectronics to produce higher power densities, greater reliability, and power quality. Advanced Control Methods are helping in monitoring power system components, enabling rapid diagnosis and timely, appropriate responses to any event. Additionally, they are also supporting market pricing, enhancing asset management, and facilitating efficient operations. This evolution is backed by technological advancements across the utility value chain. These may be in the areas of advanced distributed generation and energy storage, Microgrids, PHEVs and Next-generation FACTS/PQ (power quality) devices, Smart Meters, WAMS, Advanced Protection systems, Asset condition monitors. Or helping in data collection and monitoring, data analysis, data reduction, and visualization. IOT Data Management AI Digital Automation Technologies Cloud Drones DMS OMS Enabled Use Cases Connected Transformer Scheduling Intelligence Virtualized Transformer Process Automation Flexibility, Demand Response Predictive Maintenance Simulation, Modelization Predictive Vegetation Management Faster New Connections Augmented Field Worker Asset Investment Lifecycle Planning Security Improvement Self Healing Vehicle To Grid Real Time Consumer Information 10

Heart Of The Matter Decoding The Work Evolution The Intelligent Grid T he Efficient Grid The Accommodative Grid Capable of sensing Capable of meeting Accepting energy system overloads and increased consumer from virtually any fuel source including rerouting power to demand without clean sources; capable prevent or minimize adding infrastructure of integrating all a potential outage better ideas and technologies – energy or potential grid storage technologies, failures. Working EVs, Distributed autonomously when required. Resolution generation faster than humans technologies, demand can respond and cooperatively in response and more. aligning the goals of utilities, consumers, The Opportunistic The Quality Grid Grid and regulators Capable of delivering Creating new the power quality The Understanding opportunities and necessary – free Grid markets by means of of sags, spikes, Enabling real-time its ability to capitalize disturbances, communication on plug-and-play and interruptions innovation wherever – to power our between the increasingly digital consumer and utility and whenever economy appropriate be it so consumers can emobility, smart tailor their energy homes, smart consumption buildings etc. based on individual preferences and behaviors, like price and/or environmental concerns The Resilient Grid The Green Grid Slowing the advance of global climate Increasingly resistant to attack and natural disasters as it becomes more change and offering an accelerated path towards a sustainable world. decentralized and digitized. With minimized danger for employees, 11 customers, and general public.

Expect the Unexpected Trends in Field Work Expect the Unexpected Trends in Field Work Given the change in the grid ecosystem, the early signs of the work evolution are evident. The trends in the field workforce tell the story of change and are interesting to follow. Increased Importance of Mobile Apps According to research,  almost 75% of field service companies will use mobile apps for their day- to-day work by the middle of this decade. The implementation of mobile apps will contribute to improved efficiency, reduced response time to improve service delivery. More so, the enablement of the workforce with new technologies (mobile, toughbooks, and cameras) is slated to improve asset data collection, workforce productivity, learning, and safety. 12

Expect the Unexpected Trends in Field Work Rising Importance of IoT, AI, ML Advancing Voice Capabilities and other Digital Technologies Mobile workers will increase the adoption It is anticipated that there will be a significant of voice interfaces to boost efficiency increase in information coming from connected and meet safety requirements. Mobile machines, and businesses now need to be able workers who need to reach their to adopt a much more proactive than corrective dispatcher or send an update to a strategy. There is added intelligence layer customer on the go, would use speech- cultivated by AI and ML, with tools increasingly to-text or voice controls to confirm and being used to control various service processes. communicate.  The automation of the work order lifecycle, from planning and tracking the status of technicians Frontline Workers Adapting on the field, to customer communications and to the New Digital Workplace real-time planning, the day in the life of a field worker is getting simplified by these digital Lessons from the last year show an technologies. uptrend in digital workplace model adoption. Utilities and field workers alike Responding to Increase are adapting to the new remote work in Customer Self-Service paradigm, with the behaviors to stick for Capabilities times to come. Customers are driving the behavioral change Amping up Emergency by adopting more self-service tools and Response Systems encouraging the field counterparts to actively respond to their digital demands. Customers Utilities are celebrated for restoring want quick support, real-time information normalcy, with the front-line technicians that can take the form of streamlining service shouldering the maximum responsibility. requests and issue resolution via chat support, As the uncertainty increases, so will the social networks, apps, etc. response mechanism grow complex. And utilities are relooking as tools and Rise of Intelligent Service Vehicles platforms that manage streamline the Improvements in vehicle connectivity are facilitating real-time information exchange between agents- workers-customers inclusive of route planning. Further, technician vehicles will be more intelligent than their predecessors (GPS, crash-resistant systems, automatic parking, etc.) in coming years. 13

Expect the Unexpected Trends in Field Work emergency responses. K eeping a workforce Advent of Intelligent pool of freelance contract response workers Uniforms is one measure that utilities are deploying to handle the flood of job requests in the event of a Interventions are being taken to natural disaster or in case of other emergencies. improve the safety of the field workers, and technologies are catering to this. The uniform of field workers will protect technicians who carry out dangerous tasks and transfer information to the company’s field service management systems about the activity of each technician wearing them, issuing alerts to prevent accidents or poor executions of jobs causing injuries Adpotion of Predictive Impetus of augmented Maintenance reality to improve operational effciency The field technicians are transitioning to proactive and not reactive approach. Many field service Utilities also rely on AR to facilitate companies employ predictive maintenance the technician’s work for repairing and processes to improve efficiency and service training purposes. The field service delivery while minimizing operational costs.  sector will integrate AR technology in its systems and devices (such as tablets, smartphones, or AR glasses) to improve operational efficiency and productivity. Rising application of Drones and Robots in Services Field service technicians are also implementing drones to monitor machinery that is difficult to access. Further, the applications of robot assistants to carry out mechanical tasks or for risk environments for humans will increase. 14

Case Study Case Study Simplifying Field Service Operations for a City Water Utility Located in Los Angeles County, the water utility serves approximately 61,000 residents and is committed to implementing long-range plans that enhance the physical, economic, and human resources of the community. Consistent with its commitment, the utility recognized the need for their customers to have access to a dependable supply of fresh water and efficient water services. For this, the utility is ensuring that field-service and office team are well-equipped to deliver services consistent with their vision. Challenges Objectives • Outdated workflows, • Better track customer interactions and improve customer procedures and methods service that caused the water services team to be less • Eliminate paper-based work processing and tracking efficient than desired • Increase team productivity and overall accountability • Adopt a digital mobile apps to communicate and deliver the • No coordination and lack of communication right information and tools to their field-based employees between the field service • Access previously completed work and back-office teams • Support its customers with prompt and adequate services Platform Overview The SMW® platform provided a simple and efficient replacement to their previous manual, paper- based operation. As a result, they can now easily track their work in SMW®- from inception to completion- in digital fashion which had not been possible previously due to the amount of paperwork and manual processing that was required. SMW® has also increased the efficiency of the most critical workflows and significantly improved the rate of work order completion. Just as importantly, SMW® has allowed the water services team to send and receive information within a single platform which has resulted in better team collaboration and increased worker engagement. The SMW® back-office portal has given the administrative employees a single consolidated view of all work which allows them to dispatch workers to and from jobs at a faster rate based on worker availability and their proximity to job sites. This time-savings has resulted in significant productivity gains. Win Results Better track and manage the progress and status of work orders Maintain and easily retrieve accurate records of customer interactions and services delivered Streamline its data management, tracking and reporting 15

WX Blueprint for Utilities Trends? But to What End WX Blueprint for Utilities Trends? But to What End It is no news that the workings of a typical utility are built around safeguarding large, long- lived assets and minimizing operational risks. Because of this mindset, utilities are cautious, and rightly so, in embracing digital ways of working that involve constant experimentation, pilots, learning- unlearning, and could have unintended consequences. Sometimes, the complex legacy operations and IT environments inhibit rapid innovation. However, as the digital trends gather steam and as the industry sees more success stories, digital adoption will chart an exponential trajectory. Customer Services Advanced AI/ML/ Contract & Warranty • Customer and • Reporting and Decision Support Functional Support Applications 16

WX Blueprint for Utilities Trends? But to What End We need innovators and early adopters in the industry to develop the new WX blueprint and make digital workforce experiences as mainstream as digital customer experiences are. To do this, we need to begin by defining value—for the customer, regulators, employees, and business at large. We need to figure out the roles digital can play in the entirety of the customer journey and business value chain. The transformation will rest on an agile and innovative approach to address the inevitable change in behaviors and expectations arising from current and unknown disruptors. Imagine operational gains from transitioning the utility systems operating in silos to a platform that facilitates seamless workforce management Asset Management / Planning & Resource Scheduling IoT Analytics Workforce Data Dashboards Field Service Execution Logistics / Inventory Management Operations 17

Connecting the Dots- Digitally Innovating the WX Journey Connecting the Dots Digitally Innovating the WX Journey Journey Service Asset utilization First Service Customer Details event monitoring Response self-service An issue Monitoring Customer Customer maintenance system service system attempts to captures error resolve issue event identifies error and alerts the (self-service) occurs on and sends using repair equipment or to customer customer guidance from is predicted via mobile app knowledge to occur service system and provides repair guidance system Primary Issue detection Self-service Function Future • Anticipate Customer Demands • Overlaid Capabilities • Remote monitoring self-service • Predictive maintenance instructions • Preventative maintenance • Automated customer alerts • See-what-I- see/remote support Market Monitoring and proactive detection Self-service Trends 18

Connecting the Dots- Digitally Innovating the WX Journey Remote Second-wave Augmentation and Update assistance support remote assistance case If unable to resolve, If still unable If still unable to Upon completion, customer contacts to resolve, AI resolve, technician field service solution contact center for recommends parts contacts supervisor and contact center sends work order remote support schedules tech to who provides unfo to knowledge address issue on site remote support system resolution Expert support Close case • Video capture for • Parts recommendations • Equipment data future use of data • Scheduling with optimization • Overlaid work instructions • Work order • See-what-I-see/remote support findings and • Video Capture for future use resolutions • Routing Optimization Algorithm Intelligent • Travel time Forecasting and Scheduling • AI/ML Dispatch • Video data • Mobility Field Support First time fix rates Knowledge management 19

Building blocks of Workforce Experience (WX) Excellence Building blocks of Workforce Experience (WX) Excellence Mobile Plant Information Mobile Incident Generation Management. Management. Transmission Mobile Shift And Mobile Safety And Best Distribution Schedule Management. Practices. Sales & Service Mobile Asset Inspection Corporate Enableme And Maintenance. Mobile Asset Inspection Mobile Automated And Maintenance. Routing And Dispatch. Mobile Asset And Fleet Mobile Work Tracking. Management. Mobile Outage Mobile Damage Restoration And Repair. Assessment Mobile Vegetation Mobile Safety And Best Management. Practices. Mobile Data Capture Mobile Parts And And Upload. Inventory. Mobile Crm & Meter Mobile Automated Services. Routing And Dispatch. Mobile Service And Mobile Billing Warranty Retrieval. Presentment And Payment. Mobile Work Order Management. Mobile Feedback Gathering Mobile Parts And Inventory. Mobile Training And Mobile Hr & Finance Development. Support Services. Mobile Time & Expense Reporting. 20

Building blocks of Workforce Experience (WX) Excellence Given the evolution in the utility tech stack and changes in the field workflows, we can identify the building blocks of digital workforce experiences. These systems when transitioned to the digital alternatives will reveal hidden value and add to improvements in the utility bottom line. Benefits Important Decisions Better Access To Safety Possible In Real Time. Checklist & Procedures Resulting In High Demand & Pricing Compliance. Information Available In Real Time. Reduced Cost Of Compilance. Provides Remote Access Real Time Outage To Facilities Reducing Information. Cost Of Travel. Switching & Safety Manage Work Orders On Procedure Can Be The Go. Followed Closely & Accurately. Provides Real Time Updated From Field. Asset Health Can Be Efficient & Faster Monitored Remotely. Inspections Using Mobile Devices. Real Time Alerts & Accurate Updates For Real Time Workforce & Critical Assets Based On Asset Tracking Via Gps. Conditions. Eliminates Costs & Enables Crew To Manage Reduces Paperwork. Work From Field. Reduces Turnaround Efficient Routing Time For Requests. Increases Productivity. Provides Real Time Increases Revenue Workforce Updates. Through Cross-/Up-Sell. nt & Productivity Skilled And Proficient High Quality Work Workforce Maximize Productivity 21

The Journey from Reactive to Predictive However, the transition needs to be Predictive service calculated, considering the human element in change management. These Issue prediction through systems need to go from a reactive to forecasting, advance a predictive stage where utilities deploy analytics, and AI Advanced analytics and AI to realize maximum gains. Level 4 Proactive Post-Market Surveillance Issue elimination before reported by Signal customer Detection And Thresholds Level 3 Ar/Vr Field Service Enablement Planned Proactive Service Omnichannel Prevent issue through scheduled maintenance Support Customer Service Level 2 Community Reactive Scheduling And Technical Bulletin Dispatch Fix when broken Management Warranty And Customer Level 1 Entitlements Satisfaction Surveys Case Creation Installed Base Knowledge-Enabled Case Classification Management Operations And Routing Parts Work Order Management The Journey from Management Tools Reactive to Field Visit Report Management Predictive Complaint Handling Customer Inventory Management Communication Channel Integration Shipping And Service Reports Receiving Installation Coordination Certificates And E-Signatures 22

Case Study Case Study Building Superior Workforce Experiences for California’s Gas and Electric Company The utility was incorporated in California in 1905, is one of the largest combination natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Serving approximately 16 million people throughout a 70,000-square-mile service area in northern and central California, there are approximately 20,000 employees working and handling the utility’s primary business – the transmission and deliver of energy. Challenges Objectives • Using excel spreadsheets to plan, Leverage a workforce management schedule tasks- which was time solution that would support consuming, complicated and was having utility’s growth strategy and an impact on the customer service improve their workforce and customer experience • Increase in number of staff, related- costs and service-levels Help elevate business value with considerable time savings and • Un-synced schedule and workload operational efficiencies volume, overworked and burnt- out staff Platform Overview Win Results The utility successfully deployed, SEW’s Ease of use, and intuitive user #1 Digital Workforce Experience Platform- interface Smart Mobile Workforce (SMW®), providing field crew the end-to-end work Sophisticated features, and order management capabilities. The enhanced security platform provided capabilities for assets and inventory management, timekeeping, Demonstrated return on e-learning etc. With SMW, the utility is investment realizing operational gains, reduction in paperwork, regulatory compliances, Transparency around workforce improved collaboration, and service data – time, expenses, work delivery. All data stored digitally, and can be retrieved from anywhere 23

Dawn of a New Day Dawn of a New Day We met Joe. Here’s how the day in his field life will change, as his utility adopts digital technologies and starts delivering superior workforce experiences. Joe starts his day to work Field Worker Gets Notification from admin on the mobile app about the day’s schedule Joe start work on power outage complaint Customer gets an intimation when Joe starts his job, customer can track the field worker location in real-time He contacts the admin and subject matter experts with questions to resolve the outage complaints For Joe, work coordination become easier and he again try to resolve the complaint Admin and Customer both gets notification that the complaint have been resolved 24

Dawn of a New Day For his first field trip, Joe checks for the shortest route to the customer location The customer receives notification of Joe’s arrival Joe issues the estimated time of repair updates, which notifies the office and affected customers Joe encounters issue while on site and refers mobile library to access knowledge/help documents On the field, Joe shares real-time status and completion updates. Joe visits another site to resolve issue as per the schedule set by admin 25

Title Name Let’s Start, Today It is crucial to think about workforce transformation as a new muscle that utilities will need to build and exercise continuously. The attention to WX must not be short-lived but a long, tedious journey that involves multiple checks and balances. Whether it is investing in superior digital engagement to stay connected to customers or planning for the next emergency, the workforce will remain central to all transformation initiatives. Utilities need to resolve, start building systemic resilience, plan a safe return to work, reimagine the next-normal operating model, and reform inside-out to create the future value. Utilities that started digital programs before the crisis have been more resilient. In the post- COVID-19 world, many will need to reconsider their technology priorities. Utility workforce systems have been in place for decades; they primarily consist of multiple siloed applications built over time to address disparate concerns. In a way, these systems mirror the grid itself. Now the evolution is driven by both need and opportunity. Hence the digital worker vision and architecture, becomes crucial, one that covers utility worker tasks and realize improvements in safety, productivity and cost reduction, and achieves better outcomes around reliability, customer satisfaction, and profitability. As the grid gets smarter, so will the workforce. Let’s start bridging the divide. Let’s start the journey today. 26

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About Smart Energy Water Smart Energy Water, with its innovative and industry-leading cloud platforms, delivers the best Digital Customer Experiences (CX) and Workforce Experiences (WX), powered by AI, ML, and IoT Analytics to the global energy, water, and gas providers. At SEW, the vision is to Engage, Empower, and Educate billions of people to save energy and water. We partner with businesses to deliver platforms that are easy-to-use, integrate seamlessly, and help build a strong technology foundation that allows them to become future-ready. 15495 San d C anyo n Ave. Ste. 100, Irvin e, C A 92618 (9 4 9 ) 4 0 9 6 8 3 3 | w w w .S E W .a i w w w .S E W .a i