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News
Issue #2002 - 19
(May 2002)
(Updated May
22, 2002)
APPLICATIONS
& DEVELOPMENT
Wireless Solution Improves Service
Call Efficiency by 10%, Utility Company says
Yankee Gas, a natural gas
utility company serving nearly 200,000 customs in Connecticut,
reported that in the last three months, it has seen a 10 percent
improvement in its ability to meet service appointments. The natural
gas company attributes the improved efficiency in part to a wireless
solution that incorporates an automatic vehicle location system
along with dispatching and scheduling capabilities.
During February of 2002, Radio Satellite Integrators, Inc., a provider of
GPS-based vehicle systems, equipped 85 Yankee Gas service vehicles
with an Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and mobile data system that
enables dispatchers to locate their trucks within a few meters.
Fully integrated with Axiom Corporation’s Mobility mobile
workforce solution, the RSI system provides the vehicle tracking and
wireless data communication components of the system.
The complete system allows dispatchers to locate their trucks
within meters and to dispatch work order assignments to field
technicians equipped with in-vehicle laptop computers. The system
also provides a driver emergency panic button in the vehicle.
Recently, Axiom’s Mobility division incorporated ClickSoftware’s
ClickSchedule application, which enables Yankee Gas to automatically
schedule customer service requests based on a variety of
user-defined parameters, such as customer availability and
technician skills. The application optimizes routes with detailed
street maps, which advise technicians of the most efficient routes.
For more information: http://www.radsat.com
http://www.axiom-corp.com/
MobileInfo.com’s Comments & Advisory: There is
a strong business case for field service dispatch application. 10%
productivity improvement can easily justify the capital investment
required for such an application. Yankee Gas implementation based on
GPS, AVL, detailed street maps and computer-aided dispatch appears
quite advanced. Utilities still using older methods should seriously
look into Yankee gas and other case studies.
Note: This news release may contain
forward-looking statements. Readers should take appropriate caution in
developing plans utilizing these products, services and technology
architectures. All trademarks used in this summary are
the property of their respective owners.
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