Accenture Helps United Utilities Build and Deploy a Digital Workforce Management Solution, Based on Salesforce Platform
January 23 2020 - 2:59AM
Business Wire
Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has helped United Utilities (LON: UU), the
U.K.’s largest listed water company, build and deploy a new digital
workforce management solution built on the Salesforce platform,
enabling the company to improve the service it provides to its 7
million customers.
To simplify processes, provide enhanced visibility of contractor
work and customer data, optimize network maintenance, and resolve
issues more quickly, United Utilities sought a solution that could
support multiple contract partners and integrate their data on a
single platform.
As part of the project, Accenture helped the utility — which
manages the regulated water and wastewater network in North West
England — evaluate and select the optimal platform for the
solution, creating a roadmap for transformation. Accenture then
implemented a comprehensive solution and managed the migration of 4
million customer records to the system, digitizing processes for a
workforce previously reliant on multiple outdated technologies.
The new solution manages and optimizes the work, scheduling and
customer engagement related to the repair and maintenance of United
Utilities’ 120,000 kilometer-long water and wastewater network.
This includes the raising of work, work schedule optimization, work
dispatch, and tracking of progress updates from field technicians
via mobile devices in real time. Beyond reactive maintenance, the
solution also deploys sub-contractors for planned maintenance on
below-ground assets, such as pumps, valves and pipes.
The solution is designed to enable United Utilities to realize
substantial cost savings, with the company predicting a return on
its investment within six months and enabling savings of £110
million over five years. The solution should also support the
demands of industry reporting standards from the outset while
adapting to regulatory changes as they occur.
“This new solution we have delivered in partnership with
Accenture provides a step change in how we serve customers in the
North West,” said Simon Chadwick, United Utilities’ director of
Digital Services and Central Operations. “To have achieved all of
this in under 12 months, working with a variety of teams and
partners, is truly remarkable.”
The solution is powered by the Salesforce platform, integrating
with Salesforce Service Cloud and Field Service Lightning. The
former will be used by customer service representatives to manage
customer interaction, and the latter by field workers and those
managing their dispatch to provide work management, scheduling,
work execution and mobile management.
“We are delighted to work with United Utilities on this project,
which should enable them to resolve network faults more quickly and
better communicate with customers — while also delivering
substantial cost savings, which the company can pass on to
customers,” said Gavin Moore, a managing director in Accenture’s
Utilities practice. “By applying leading-edge technology to its
network maintenance challenges, United Utilities will be able to
enhance customer service, transform its business and use this
deployment as a platform for future growth.”
Accenture will provide application management services to help
United Utilities run the platform following the launch, as well as
application development services to provide ongoing delivery of new
functionality to support business requirements and extend the
capability of the solution.
“The Fourth Industrial Revolution is enabling huge change within
the U.K. utilities sector, and United Utilities is adapting to
anticipate their customers’ needs and exceed their expectations,”
said Musidora Jorgensen, RVP Utilities at Salesforce U.K.
“Salesforce is delighted to be part of this journey with them,
equipping United Utilities with the tools they need to reach
customers across multiple channels, smartly prioritize tasks to
address urgent cases and view customer profiles that enable them to
build deeper relationships with customers.”
Salesforce and others are among the trademarks of
salesforce.com.
About United Utilities
United Utilities is the UK’s largest listed water company and
manages the regulated water and wastewater network in North West
England — which includes Cumbria, Cheshire, Greater Manchester,
Lancashire and Merseyside, with a combined population of nearly 7
million.
United Utilities’ headquarters are in Warrington. Its shares are
listed on the London Stock Exchange and the FTSE 100 Index. In 2018
the company was awarded World Class Status in the Dow Jones
Sustainability Index for the eleventh year in succession. In 2018
the company was also accredited with the Service Mark by the
Institute of Customer Service.
About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company,
providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy,
consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched
experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries
and all business functions — underpinned by the world’s largest
delivery network — Accenture works at the intersection of business
and technology to help clients improve their performance and create
sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 505,000 people
serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives
innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us
at www.accenture.com.
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Guy Cantwell Accenture +1 281 900 9089
guy.cantwell@accenture.com
Matt Corser Accenture +44 755 784 9009
matthew.corser@accenture.com
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