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How Utility Companies Use AR Digital Work Instructions to Transform Service Experience

Overview

energy field working using remote AR support to troubleshoot power python

The timing could not be more perfect for utility companies to embrace the advancements in Augmented Reality (AR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). In today’s competitive market, customers have many options to choose from when it comes to their utility service providers. AR and AI bring a new level of innovation that can significantly enhance the overall service experience for utility companies.

Augmented reality is revolutionizing utility operations, transforming service experiences for customers and technicians. Many utility companies are already taking advantage of remote solve technology using AR. CareAR® Assist allows utility field technicians and customers of all experience levels to access “see-what-I-see” technology, AR from their smartphones, tablets, and smart glasses to receive remote support. With live remote visual assistance, issues can be remotely identified and solved from anywhere. Experts or agents can also be escalated to see and guide resolutions remotely as if they are on-site.

In addition to AR remote solve assistance, the complexities of the utility industry impose a critical need for self-solve digital work instructions to support field service operations and utility customers. CareAR® Instruct enables the creation of digital work instructions leveraging augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and 3D digital twins for self-guided and animated step-by-step guidance to provide content in context.

By utilizing AR’s interactive capabilities, utility companies can create immersive workflows and provide digital work instructions to improve field service and customer service experiences. This technology can revolutionize how utility companies operate and meet the elevated expectations of their customers.

Since 2020 Annual Utility Capital Spending Has Exceeded

Utility Companies Current Challenges

Utility workers repairing electrical wiring on poles

Utility companies face many challenges in today’s dynamic landscape, but digital work instructions offer potent solutions. Here are some key challenges currently being experienced by utility companies that can be improved using AR-powered tools.

Aging infrastructure and rising operational costs

Maintaining and upgrading utility infrastructure is expensive, putting pressure on utility company profitability. Many utility networks are aging and prone to malfunctions and outages, leading to customer frustration and downtime. According to S&P Global, annual utility spending has exceeded $150 billion since 2020. ¹ In the current situation, utility companies will be forced to upgrade their networks to offer dependable and economically viable products and services to their customers.

Skilled workforce shortage

The utility industry struggles to attract and retain skilled technicians and experiences staff shortages. The US Department of Labor has estimated that as much as 50% of the current utility workforce will retire within the next ten years. ² Companies will be compelled to hire inexperienced workers to fill vacant positions, impacting service efficiency and quality. According to Deloitte, millennials are entering the workforce and are expected to account for 50% of the workforce in the next few years, creating a massive skills gap. ³

Increased customer expectation

As the world becomes more digitized, utility customers expect more from their service providers. They want faster response times, tailored service that meets their unique needs, and transparent and open communication. The modern customer wants to know what is happening at every step of the process and to feel that their utility company has their best interests at heart. Utility companies must prioritize these demands and work to improve their services to meet the evolving needs of their customers.

Regulatory pressure

As global consciousness of the environmental and public safety impact of utilities grows, companies in these sectors are expected to comply with increasingly complex and evolving regulations and safety standards. This compliance involves significant investments and operational changes to ensure that utility companies operate sustainably and safely.

Accelerated Demand

According to recent reports, the electric power industry is gearing up to handle a potential surge in demand for electricity in the United States, which could potentially triple within the next few decades. This means that power companies are looking at ways to scale up their infrastructure and technology to ensure that they can meet the growing energy needs of the country sustainably and reliably. ⁴ “By 2025, 40% of utility companies will face a 50% increase in capital demands triggered by resource scarcity and soaring demands.” , according to Gartner, Inc. ⁵

“By 2025, 40% of utility companies will face a 50% increase in capital demands triggered by resource scarcity and soaring demands.”

What are Digital Work Instructions?

digital work instructions for telecom - CareAR

Digital work instructions represent a significant advancement in work instructions, surpassing the constraints imposed by text-heavy manuals and online PDFs. They combine visually engaging elements with concise explanations, connecting human intuition with intricate processes. Envision clear photographs that meticulously capture each assembly step, diagrams that break down complex procedures into easily digestible portions, informative videos that captivate the viewer, and three-dimensional objects that breathe life into abstract concepts. These elements form the foundation of digital work instructions, specifically designed to align with our innate ability to comprehend information visually.

Digital work instructions represent a fundamental shift in communicating and understanding workers’ complex tasks in the utility industry. By harnessing the power of visuals with concise instructions, utility companies can unlock a wealth of benefits, driving efficiency, accuracy, and employee and customer empowerment across every facet of their operations.

How Digital Work Instructions Benefit Utility Companies

Wind Farm Worker using digital instructions on a tablet

Digital work instruction is a transformative tool for utility companies to improve service, providing advantages beyond immediate productivity improvements. For example, technicians use digital work instructions to improve equipment installation accuracy. This reduces utility customer complaints and call center costs. Customers are satisfied when their equipment is installed correctly on the first try, leading to increased loyalty.

Enabling digital work instructions yields numerous benefits for utility companies.

Enhanced Efficiency

Digital work instructions assist technicians, both novice and skilled, in completing complex tasks with step-by-step instructions, diagrams, and 3D models, reducing errors and time to completion.

Improved Safety

Computer vision AI visually verifies important safety procedures are being complied with and provides auditable evidence each technician is following critical safety procedures.

First Time Resolution

Digital work instructions allow technicians to spend less time assessing a problem and more time solving the actual problem, resulting in a higher First Time Fix Rate (FTFR).

Remote Expert Support

On-site technicians can escalate to live call involving a remote specialists to guide through complex issues within to verify that work is completed accurately, minimizing travel time and costs.

Reduced Repeat Calls and Escalation

The need for agent intervention is reduced by providing digital work instructions for utility field service technicians to solve issues independently.

Increased Customer Satisfaction

Provide utility customers instructions for complex or technical topics, such as installations or repairs, that are clear and easy to understand. This helps prevent customer frustration and improve overall satisfaction with the service.

Enhanced Comprehension

Studies have proven that individuals are more likely to remember information in images, infographics, and emojis. Digital work instructions convert lengthy text into a clear visual language that is easier to comprehend. This leads to improved productivity and efficiency in completing tasks.

Reduced Training Time

Gone are the days of struggling through lengthy manuals. Digital work instructions are easily understandable, reducing training time and quickly familiarizing employees with their tasks. Digital work instructions empower new hires to complete tasks, replacing convoluted text.

Improved Accuracy

Complex procedures are more error prone leading to increased downtime and rework. With digital work instructions clear and concise visuals eliminates confusion and computer vision AI verifies critical steps are completed correctly.

Greater Accessibility

Digital work instructions provide a universal language, making complex tasks accessible to a broader audience. Think of it as creating an inclusive work environment where everyone, regardless of their learning style or native tongue, can participate and excel.

Boosted Efficiency

Streamlined workflows, reduced training times, and fewer errors naturally increase efficiency. Digital work instructions can help your team complete tasks faster, increasing productivity and freeing up resources for innovation and growth. Imagine an optimized workplace where employees do not waste time searching for content but instead focus on achieving their goals.

Audit and Compliance

Digital work instructions can guide workers step by step, ensuring critical checkpoints aren’t missed, and work is performed according to standardized protocols. This is crucial for safety, compliance, and quality control.

Utility Use Cases for Digital Work Instructions

One of the most promising use cases for utility companies to leverage AR and digital work instructions is to enable third-party contractors. Due to the increased demand for highly skilled workers, utility companies rely on third-party contractors to supplement their workforce. This creates challenges in overseeing the training, enablement, and quality control of the work done by these third-party contractors, especially when meeting service-level agreements.

Digital work instructions give utility companies greater control over the information provided to third-party technicians to perform the work they are contracted to provide. Digital work instruction workflows can be integrated into the field technicians’ work orders. Field technicians use mobile devices to view the work order with digital instructions. These instructions guide the technician through complex processes, providing step-by-step instructions and resolving issues more quickly and efficiently.

Additional utility use cases:

Field service worker maintaining base station with digital work instructions

Maintenance and Repair

Routine Equipment Maintenance: Use digital work instructions to guide regular maintenance tasks on generators, transformers, boilers, etc., visually showing parts and tools to use.
Breakdown Repairs: Use digital step-by-step work instructions as visual guides for diagnosing and repairing common utility equipment failures, helping reduce downtime and ensure repair consistency.
Troubleshooting and Repairs: Technicians use digital work instructions to identify faulty machine and equipment components, diagnose issues, and even receive on-the-spot training using AR digital twins.

telecom field worker installing fiber optic cables on pole with digital work instructions

Installation and Commissioning

Infrastructure setup: Use digital work instructions with visual guides for meter placements, cable routes, and potential installation conflicts, leading to smoother installations and higher customer satisfaction.
Commissioning equipment: Use digital work instructions for procedures of initial setup and testing of new electrical equipment, ensuring all steps are followed accurately for optimal operation.
Accelerated Revenue: Accurately record and document the precise time when service becomes available to the end customer so that billing can begin. This information will ensure accurate and fair billing and maintain clear transaction records.

field worker verifying lock out tag out safety check with digital work instructions

Safety Procedures

Emergency Response: Emergency protocols such as gas leaks, electrical fires, or water main breaks require clear, step-by-step instructions. Digital work instructions are built with rich visuals to ensure protocol compliance.
Safety Equipment Usage: Use digital work instructions for utility workers’ protective equipment, such as how to wear a harness properly when working at heights, or how to use insulating gloves and tools when working with electricity.
Lock Out Tag Out (LOTO): Proper control of hazardous energy is critical for workers’ safety during maintenance. LOTO practices built into digital work instructions are used to ensure the safe de-energization of equipment.

customer installing modem with AI state detection in digital work instructions

Customer Service and Field Operations

Field Service Tasks: Ensure consistent quality service with digital work instructions for meter reading, data collection, installations, leak detection, and customer visits.
Customer Troubleshooting: Share digital work instructions with customers for basic troubleshooting, like resetting an intelligent meter or checking a home water supply.
Consistent Service Delivery: Standardize procedures and ensure all customers receive the same high-quality assistance by providing agents with a visual library of best practices and solutions.

engineer inspecting ship engine with digital instructions and ai state detection

Regulatory Compliance and Inspections

Compliance Checks: Use digital work instructions to provide checklists and guides for conducting regulatory compliance checks, complete with visuals indicating what inspectors should look for.
Safety Inspections: Use digital work instructions by industry standards for regular safety inspections of facilities and equipment.
Quality Control: Identify critical points where quality checks are required and build into digital work instruction workflows to ensure quality and deliver service expectations.

field worker using mobile phone to inspect gas meter

Training and Onboarding

New Employee Training: Use digital work instructions to train new employees on standard operating procedures and safety protocols more effectively than reading PDF manuals.
Skill Development: For more experienced employees, digital work instructions can aid in advanced training, such as operating complex control systems.
Reduced Time to Competency: Provide junior technicians in the field with digital work instructions that offers step-by-step guidance, backed by AI-powered verification and immediate escalation to senior workers when necessary.

solar worker documenting panel maintenance on tablet

Environmental and Sustainability Practices

Waste Management: Digital work instructions can help ensure adequate disposal and recycling of materials, especially hazardous waste.
Energy Conservation: Digital work instructions can be linked to remote support to finish an installation or repair, reducing the need for an onsite resource or a second truck roll.

How Digital Work Instructions Are Created

CareAR® Experience Builder

Creating powerful digital work instructions is not limited to technical experts with coding skills. Just envision a scenario where subject matter experts, who are the true experts in their respective utility fields, can effortlessly transform their expertise into captivating visual guides without being overwhelmed by complex tools.

CareAR® Experience Builder makes this dream a reality, empowering anyone with the ability to become a visual work instruction author through its intuitive, no-code approach.

Experience Builder offers a user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface that eliminates the need for complex coding languages and confusing manuals. It functions like building blocks for knowledge. Users effortlessly add text, images, videos, and advanced technologies such as 3D and AR digital twins to workflows with just a few clicks.

This empowers experts who have a deep understanding of the task to quickly create digital work instructions, putting the power in the hands of the experts who understand the task best.

These digital work instructions can be created, updated and published easily without the need for lengthy and expensive professional services required.

Subject matter experts using digital work instructions no longer struggle to translate expertise into instructions. Experience Builder enables utility subject matter experts to focus on what they do best: convey knowledge clearly and concisely. The intuitive interface handles the technical heavy lifting, freeing them to craft engaging step-by-step guides that resonate with users.

CareAR Experience Builder delivers robust, rich content beyond basic text and images.

CareAR Experience Builder Interactive Forms

Embed Interactive Forms

Using visual work instruction, users can embed interactive forms for data collection, ensuring vital information is captured.

Camera Capture

Use the camera capture feature to document completed work steps, creating a visual library of success.

AI-powered Search

Leverage the AI-powered search to tap into existing organizational knowledge, enriching your digital work instructions with additional context and expertise.

Visual Verification

And for the ultimate accuracy and efficiency, embrace Visual Verification. This AI-powered object detection technology automatically validates whether the correct steps have been taken during task execution, providing real-time feedback, and ensuring a successful outcome.

Experience Builder revolutionizes the creation of digital work instructions, turning them from complex and challenging tasks into empowering and user-friendly experiences. This innovative tool allows subject matter experts to highlight their expertise by creating engaging visual guides that simplify workflows, enhance precision, and cultivate a culture of excellence.

How to Access Digital Work Instructions from Anywhere

Telecom tower field worker using digital work instructions on smartphone

Traditional work instructions frequently encounter a fundamental drawback: they are often disconnected from the immediate requirement. Picture a utility field service technician onsite to install a new meter due to an equipment failure outage. Time is crucial, and the technician struggles with a worn-out manual looking for troubleshooting guidance to finish the installation. The system is down, and customers are without service.

CareAR® Instruct eliminates this struggle by providing digital work instructions that can be accessed at the time of need across various devices, from smartphones to tablets and even smart glasses. Tap a link, scan a QR code, or browse available experiences, empowering you to complete tasks quickly and confidently.

CareAR Instruct integrates seamlessly with desktop browsers for larger tasks, allowing you to choose the right platform for every situation, whether working alone or collaborating with colleagues.

You never have to guess, struggle, or waste time finding instructions. CareAR Instruct brings that vision to life, putting the power of digital work instructions exactly where you need them most, on the device you have in hand. This seamless access translates to a more productive, empowered, and better work experience.

Leveraging Digital Work Instruction Analytics to Improve Service

CareAR Instruct Analytics Session Details

Digital work instructions go beyond aesthetically pleasing images and videos. They contain a wealth of data that can be converted into valuable insights. CareAR Instruct’s comprehensive analytics reveal this potential, providing utility companies with a clear, data-driven understanding of how digital work instructions are utilized and their impact on your operations.

Consider the potential of monitoring field service job completion rates. Gain insights into the tasks consistently finished within the designated period and identify any obstacles encountered. Evaluate whether certain employees face difficulties with steps, revealing potential gaps in the visual work instruction clarity or training needs. This granular detail level identifies areas for improvement, enabling you to enhance the efficiency of your digital work instructions.

CareAR Instruct Analytics Session Listing

Auditing worker tasks brings transparency to a new level. Ensure adherence to safety protocols and quality control by checking all steps and shortcuts. Improve your operations by catching potential errors and identifying opportunities for streamlined workflows by analyzing skipped steps.

Maximizing the potential of digital work instructions extends beyond individual tasks and requires understanding how they are discovered. Analytics reveals which instructions are underutilized or difficult to find. This technology allows you to create better adoption plans, curate content more strategically, and distribute high-value visual instructions to ensure that the proper knowledge reaches the right people at the right time.

CareAR Instruct analytics are a window into the soul of your workforce and their interaction with your instructions

By harnessing this data, you can:

Refine digital work instructions for optimal clarity and efficiency: Identify confusing steps, adjust sequencing, and personalize content based on user needs.

Drive consistent job completion: Address bottlenecks, troubleshoot common difficulties, and ensure everyone executes tasks flawlessly.

Cultivate a learning and knowledge-sharing culture: Track visual work instruction usage patterns, promote valuable instructions, and encourage continuous improvement.

These insights translate into tangible benefits: reduced errors, improved compliance, boosted productivity, and a more empowered workforce. CareAR Instructs analytics empower you to make data-driven decisions, optimize your digital work instructions, and unlock their full potential to transform your enterprise, one visualized step at a time.

Getting Started with AR and Digital Work Instructions

By embracing AR strategically and addressing key considerations, utility companies can revolutionize their service experience, boost efficiency, and enhance customer satisfaction.

By employing digital work instructions, utility companies can effectively reduce investment costs. These instructions provide a clear and concise method of conveying information and help eliminate ambiguity from traditional written instructions. This ensures that employees understand their tasks, reducing the likelihood of errors and rework. Digital work instructions can also be easily updated, making them ideal for companies with changing processes. Overall, implementing digital work instructions is valuable for companies looking to streamline operations and reduce costs.

If you are considering implementing augmented reality (AR) technology in your business, it is important to partner with an experienced solution provider who can guide you through the process. This includes understanding your specific needs, providing ongoing support, and helping you tailor the technology to fit your unique requirements. By working with a trusted AR partner, you can ensure successful implementation and maximize the benefits of this exciting technology.

How CareAR can help

To ensure successful implementation, it is crucial to have a thoroughly planned approach that caters to your specific needs and objectives. This is where partnering with a reliable augmented reality provider such as CareAR can make all the difference in helping you navigate the journey toward achieving your goals.

Our proven phased adoption model can help with gradual implementation to mitigate risks and generate results from day one. This approach has been proven to be efficient in industries where operations are complex and the margin for error is small.

Our dedicated CareAR Customer Success team is here to provide you with the highest chance of success. With our team’s expertise, we will help you strategically plan, seamlessly deploy, and effectively measure your CareAR rollout.

Contact us if you want to learn how our experts can help you be successful.

Schedule a Demo

About CareAR

CareAR, A Xerox Company, is the Service Experience Management (SXM) leader. We make expertise accessible instantly for users through remote, live visual augmented reality and AI-driven interactions, instructions, and insights as part of a seamless digital workflow experience. CareAR sets the benchmark for the SXM category by bridging skills gaps, accelerating knowledge transfers, providing greater operational efficiencies, and enhancing customer outcomes and safety. Learn more at CareAR.com

Sources:

S&P Global Ratings, Infrastructure and Utilities. 2024
Smart Energy International, “The Aging Workforce Brain Drain” 2019
“Positioning Utilities to Win the Battle for Talent the Evolving Utility Landscape.” Deloitte, 2017
“Utility execs prepare for ‘tripling’ of electricity demand by 2050,” S&P Global, 2023.
Market Guide for Asset Investment Planning Solutions for Energy and Utilities.” Gartner, Inc., 2022