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ESB NETWORKS LTD
Aug/Sept 2011 www.esb.ie/em
New Scheduling Support centre
THE NEW OPTIMISED Scheduling System (OSS), went live on Tuesday 26th April 2011. The key purpose of the new scheduling system is to support Supervisors to ensure that the right Meter Work Service Orders (MWSO) e.g. New Connection metering, service alterations, De-Energisations, Voltage Complaints etc. Are automatically scheduled to the right Network technicians (NTS) throughout the working day.
For the first time in ESB Networks, all the MWSO’s associated with Customer Services Supervisors can be scheduled in real time and can be dynamically adjusted as priorities change throughout the day.
The Schedule Support Centre (SSC) based in Wilton, is a dedicated centre focussed on proactively viewing schedules and supporting Customer Service Supervisors and Network technicians in managing their schedules throughout the day.
The SSC is staffed by 26 Team Members (20 FTE’s), 2 Team Leaders, 2 Technical & Procedural Support Staff who provide First- level support with systems and procedures, and an SSC Manager. The Technical & Procedural Support positions are being filled by two supervisors who have vast experience of our business and provide great backup and support to the team in the SSC. In addition, a number of the SSC staff worked on the OSS Project in Merrion Square and have brought back a wealth of knowledge with them which is invaluable to the SSC Team.
Each team member is primarily responsible for up to the Planner Groups, with the exception of the functionalised Planner Groups, who have a dedicated person. Prior to going live the team members visited the staff with whom they would be dealing. These visits have proved to be a key element in developing the relationship between the Planner Groups and SSC.
Since SSC went into operation, it has been a hub of activity with a high level of interaction between Supervisors, Clerical Officers and Network Technicians. The SSC deals with on average over 550 telephone calls and 100 emails on a daily basis. All of this interaction results in adjustments being made to schedules in order to meet Service Level Agreements (SLAs), Customer Appointments and to address issues that arise on a daily basis for an NT. For example if an NT arrives on site to complete a re-energisation and discovers that a meter exchange is also required, he or she contacts SSC to request the additional MWSO to be scheduled to them. In addition the SSC Agent will adjust the schedule, and other calls tentatively scheduled to that NT later in the day will be reoptimised and scheduled to meet SLA’s.
“ The SSC is staffed by 26 Team Members (20 FTE’s), 2 Team Leaders, 2 Technical & Procedural Support Staff who provide First Level support with systems and procedures, and an SSC Manager
When the new Scheduling System went live, as with any new system, a number of issues arose. There were instances of NTS given excessive travel time in their schedules and occasions when more than one Nt was allocated MWSOs at locations quite close to each other. However, these issues were taken on board and the project team worked quickly to resolve them. The solution to resolving the issues is known as the tuning of Schedules and over the first eight weeks adjustments were made to the system which went a long way to resolving these issues. This tuning is continuing and the SSC and the Business readiness team are keen to get feedback and suggestions from users of the system. This ongoing investment is well worthwhile. One of the challenges for SSC is to identify, record and log any issues that arise. SSC Staff will then work with the Project Team and ICT to resolve them.
The new system is a major change in the way ESB Networks does its business and it will provide a platform to schedule many other types of work orders in the future – e.g. operations, maintenance, faults and small construction jobs).
A VISITOR'S VIEW OF THE SSC
Visitors to the Scheduling Support Centre are immediately impressed by the “can do” attitude of the team working there. The team want OSS to work well for the supervisors and NTS and they aim to provide the best possible service.
The SSC is a very busy area, particularly early morning and early afternoon when NTS ring in about their schedules. Throughout the day the agents take calls from NTS in relations to calls scheduled and help resolve any problems encountered. Where necessary the SSC contact customers to follow up on details and make appointments.
The staff in the SSC have previously worked in various areas of Electric Ireland and ESB Networks and use their knowledge of the ESB Networks business to support them in the SSC.
Sarah O’Donoghue and Michael Broderick, two of the team members in the SSC describe how they completed intensive training on the OSS system and their role in the SSC. During the training period the SSC team formed a close bond, and now help and support each other, where necessary. They describe how they were nervous when OSS first went live, but they quickly got used to the system and their new roles. They have established good relationships with the Network technicians and Supervisors, and are all working well together. Sarah, Michael and their colleagues are really enjoying their new role in the SSC. The first few months have been very challenging, and rewarding.
The NTS play a very important role in making the schedules work, by feeding back information to the SSC on issues and follow-up items in relation to calls, e.g. access problems or outstanding work on the customer’s site. The SSC team can then follow up with customers, where necessary, to ensure work can be completed.
The team receives considerable support from Liam Deasy and Jim O’Sullivan, the Technical & Procedural Support staff, who previously worked as Customer Services Supervisors. They provide support to the team, covering the technical side of the job. Jim and Liam, along with Ber O’Connell, Marian Glavin, Anne O’ Donovan and Kathleen Joyce worked on the OSS project team, so they are very familiar with the intricacies of OSS and can provide expertise in this area.
The OSS system and SSC team will deliver many benefits to ESB Networks including the optimisation of Network Technician time and expertise. Jobs are optimised based on their priority, so we can meet our SLA, Customer Charter and customer appointment commitments. Schedules can be re-optimised where faults occur, so that the most urgent jobs still get done. Where NTS meet snags during the day they can ring the SSC and will always reach someone, who will be glad to help them.
Teresa Williamson, the SSC manager describes how the SSC is constantly striving to improve their service. When issues arise, the SSC team get together and, in consultation with Customer Service Supervisors and the OSS project team, find solutions. Procedures are then set to deal with the issues. She says that the system is not yet perfect and that issues will continue to arise, but she and the team are confident they will resolve any issue. Where changes need to be made to improve the service of the SSC, this is done.
The entire SSC team is determined to provide excellent service levels and is continually striving to improve. Teresa and the team leaders describe their team as “A great team. They just do what needs to be done, and do it well.”
