Sept/Oct 2004

Conwy County Borough Council is hoping to enhance management control of its street lighting technicians, reducing costs and improving service, by introducing the Web-based ServiceNet real-time mobile data solution from Telepartner Systems.

Conwy runs the HiLight Horizon management system, which up to now has produced paper-based works orders for use by its street lighting contractor (as it happens, this is part of the Council's own direct labour organisation).

The council will be able to retain the HiLight system under the new arrangements, since ServiceNet will integrate with it. However, electricians will no longer need to collect paperwork and return it on job completion. Instead, the street lighting supervisor will allocate jobs to individual electricians through a simple Web-based application.

Jobs will be sent direct to electricians, who are being equipped with Panasonic CF-P1 handheld PDAs. Each PDA runs ServiceNet client software, which enables electricians to receive jobs and report back to the central system in real time via the Vodafone mobile wireless network.

 

ServiceNet is a subscription based solution, so there has been no up-front investment except in the handheld technology.