Technology Transformation
Scottish Water was concerned that the ageing software system it used to manage its 1,200-strong field force was preventing it from delivering the best possible customer service. Senior leaders decided that a complete rethink of the system would be needed to improve customer satisfaction, while also reducing costs and cutting CO2 emissions. They engaged Capgemini Invent to carry out the project – the Scottish Water Intelligent Field Force Transformation, known as SWIFT.
Capgemini worked closely with Scottish Water’s field force to identify problems. They found one of the issues with the system was that various manual workarounds had been added over the years which kept it working but made it impossible to share information with everyone who needed it. These manual systems were error-prone as well as inefficient, so planned visits often had to be cancelled because the necessary parts had not arrived.
While designing the system, Scottish Water’s technicians were kept involved, reviewing prototypes and offering feedback as consultants designed an entirely new architecture. The new system, which allows Scottish Water to deliver more personalised experiences, is designed to adapt as the company’s requirements change.
The new system is built around Salesforce Field Service, the mobile workforce management software, and closely integrated with the multiple instances of Microsoft Dynamics, the customer relationship management system that Scottish Water was already using. Forms created in Youreka, a software tool designed to be used in Salesforce Field Service, are available for each of the 300 unique jobs carried out by Scottish Water field teams. These forms allow technicians to add specific data about a job, such as skills needed and parts required to complete it.
Launched in three phases beginning in September 2021, SWIFT uses automation and artificial intelligence to increase efficiency across the system, for example by sending details about technician visits to customers so they needn’t call Scottish Water for a status update, or by optimising travel routes so technicians are not delayed by traffic.
Despite the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Capgemini Invent delivered the project on time – making it the fastest completion of a project of this scale in Scottish Water’s history. The result has been a significant reduction in the number of visits needed to complete a job, with first-time fix rates up from 49 per cent to 62 per cent. A new remote diagnosis system has reduced the need for any visit at all in one-third of cases. The reduction in visits and the route optimisation system have helped achieve a 13 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions.
On top of that, Scottish Water is seeing almost £5 million per year in cost savings, including from lower requirement for overtime and reduced reliance on third-party contractors. This platform is just the beginning. Further improvements building on this system are already underway and other water companies are exploring the model with a view to adopting it in their own businesses.
View the Capgemini Invent profile in the MCA Members Directory.