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Embracing Mobile and Boosting Data

Uncover the benefits of mobile integration in data management, improving accessibility and enhancing operational efficiency.

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ARCOS

 

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February 09, 2022

Like many utilities, the City of Ocala’s Electric Utility in Florida struggled with the time-consuming and manual processes surrounding callout for their field employees. Union rules made the order of employees called complicated, and their existing solution could not phone more than two workers at once. Even more challenging, the system was not able to provide reports on the callout results. Meaning they weren’t tracking when employees declined or failed to answer, or even when an employee was skipped. ARCOS understands callout complexity and has an automated solution. Our software is configurable to automatically apply the rules and needs of any business, accounting for the agreements already in place. It provides real-time reporting, is flexible and agile, and can be scaled up or down for any size organization.

Ocala Seeks a Solution

The City Council of Ocala had a strategic goal of operational excellence. Their software was not meeting the organization’s needs for emergency calls. Besides only being able to run two calls at once, it did not take into account union rules, employee skills, or rest time. Employees reported being skipped or not being able to accept a call, but Ocala couldn’t verify these claims. Marvin Ayala, director of Ocala Electric Utility, brought ARCOS as a solution before the City Council. He was certain that “The ARCOS callout system will improve system reliability, customer satisfaction, and transparency for both field employees and supervisors.” The City Council agreed, unanimously approving building a partnership with ARCOS.

Moving into the Future with ARCOS

The ARCOS Callout and Scheduling solution was a perfect fit for all of Ocala’s needs. Rather than being limited to two calls at a time, ARCOS can call all needed employees at once, avoiding bottlenecks and speeding up response time. Real-time reporting means that all those call attempts are tracked with specificity. Any call can be looked back on, and reports can be run on the whole callout or on series of callouts. Using advanced algorithms, ARCOS can mirror exactly any number of workplace agreements that utilities have made with their employees. Seniority, availability, and skill are all considered when determining call order. This eliminates grievances almost entirely. ARCOS’s reporting means it’s easy for supervisors to check records if there are questions, providing transparency and forensic capability for all.

Going Mobile

The final cherry on top is ARCOS’s mobile app. With it, employees can see where they are in the roster order and their callout acceptance rate. They can accept a callout in the app or by text, as well as by answering their phones. Supervisors can see and adjust schedules and roster order through the app, too. At any time, they can check what resources are available. With the mobile solution, ARCOS gives visibility into operations from anywhere. OEU found ARCOS to be the right solution for their 54,000 customers. With flexibility and configurability, ARCOS can be the right solution for any utility. Learn more about ARCOS resource management software by contacting us today.