A small utility services company, Keystone Services LLC, based in Muscat, Oman, specializing in contracting work for the electricity and water sectors, confronted substantial challenges in managing its city-wide operations. These hurdles led to manual and labor-intensive processes, impacting service quality,customer satisfaction, and overall productivity.With numerous contractors to coordinate and over a hundred thousand smart water meter installations to oversee, Keystone found it challenging to maintain the accuracy of installations, ensure precise billing data, and manage stock effectively.Keystone wanted a comprehensive solution for its operational processes to be automated, improving productivity and enhancing customer satisfaction. Fieldmaster.ai turn Keystone’s vision into reality, enabling it to revolutionize its operations by successfully completing its contract with 100% acceptance andsignificantly increasing its profit margin.

Client Overview

Established in 2015, Keystone Services LLC quickly grew into an exceptional workforce capable of undertaking and executing large-scale projects without compromising quality. Over the years, they've forged partnerships with many prominent Oman entities and expanded their footprint internationally.

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They've developed a reputation for providing world-class services to their Omani clients, founded on their scientific, systems-based approach. Their strength is customizing their offerings to alleviate client pain points, always ensuring the right solution for individual needs.

To keep up with ever-changing industry demands, Keystone invests in advanced technology to provide accurate, efficient, and timely services. Notably, what distinguishes them is their relentless commitment to staff development, continuously enhancing their skills to meet evolving industry requirements. As they work with honesty and integrity, they aim to position Oman as a global business hub that attracts eminent entrepreneurs worldwide.

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The Challenge

Keystone Services faced considerable challenges during their project to replace traditional water meters with smart meters in Muscat. The difficulties involved:

1. Coordinating City-wide Operations in Multiple Categories: There were 6 different SKUs in water meters depending on the pipe diameter along with retrofit devices. The installation points were spread across the city and it was a huge task to identify them and plan the operations.
2. Ensuring accurate installation and billing data: Regardless of which installer did the work, the installation needed to be completely standardized with accurate data capture to ensure correct billing. Any mistakes would lead to huge penalties. This was made more difficult because different members of the team spoke different languages.
3. Maintaining Accurate Inventory: With so many SKUs and so many teams, it was a challenge to ensure visibility into who had which meters, let alone plan the stock levels so that everyone had what they needed to ensure uninterrupted work. The lack of precise inventory data caused inefficiencies in stock management and operations.
4. Single Visit Completions: The inability to ensure account completion in one visit led to extra costs and time. A break in the flow and repeated visits negatively impacted workforce motivation, potentially compromising the overall quality of work and customer satisfaction.

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Solution & Implementation

Our approach to Keystone Services' challenges was multi-pronged, implementing automation, real-time monitoring, and employee motivation systems. The project was divided into two primary phases: survey and installation.

1. We created an intuitive workflow enabling field workers to update multiple meters at once, and the system automatically generated installation tasks for these meters with corresponding material requirements
2. Managing inventory was streamlined using barcode scanning for both the received and issued stock, providing real-time data on each installer's stock levels.
3. Old meters removed from sites were tracked until returned to the warehouse, ensuring accountability.
4. A special portal facilitated the scheduling of customer appointments, which is useful for large- scale meter replacements.
5. We implemented automated incentive calculations and real-time leaderboards to boost efficiency and worker motivation, sparking healthy competition among installers.
6. Our solution enabled the back-office person to only focus on work monitoring. A live dashboard and automated daily reporting kept him abreast of the project's status compared to targets.
7. Automated stock requisitions and maintain optimal inventory levels

Our solution addressed operational bottlenecks, streamlined the project execution, kept workers motivated, and ensured on- time, on-budget completion of the project. The solutions were deployed in a phased manner, starting with training the Keystone workforce on how to use the new system. The client was involved in the initial stages of the implementation process to understand their specific requirements and to customize the solution accordingly. They were also involved in the testing phase to ensure the solution worked as expected.

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Results

The results of the solution implementation were nothing short of impressive.

1. Contract Success: Keystone was the only contractor to fully deliver on the contract with complete acceptance, receiving full payment on time
2. Zero Inventory Losses: Remarkably, they didn't lose track of a single meter throughout the project, whereas other contractors had to pay the price for lost meters.
3. Phenomenal Profitability: They achieved roughly 2.6 times the profit margin of the nearest competitor.
4. Unprecedented Efficiency: With just 22 installers, Keystone completed installations of over 100,000 meters within 18 months, demonstrating unprecedented efficiency compared to another contractor who required 40 installers for 30,000 meters.
5. Comprehensive Record-keeping: The client was able to maintain a comprehensive record of the scope of work, a resource that continues to be valuable months after the installations.
6. Company Growth: Keystone earned the client's appreciation for their superior performance and reporting, leading to larger contracts being awarded to them.

Conclusion

Through implementing Fieldmaster.ai, Keystone Services accomplished an impressive turnaround in productivity, profitability, and customer satisfaction.

Our solution continues to offer benefits and can potentially revolutionize field service management across the electricity and water sectors. Are you facing similar challenges or aspire to achieve comparable results? Don't hesitate to reach out!

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Additional Information

Fieldmaster.ai distinguishes itself by offering free customization throughout the contract period, recognizing that each business is unique and requires a tailored solution. This commitment to customization ensures that the system evolves with your business, supporting continuous optimization of field operations.

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