Tips for Greening Your Service

The green movement is gaining momentum in earnest, all the way from individual consumers to the world’s largest cities, and from mom-and-pop shops to global organizations. At a consumer level, people are increasingly making decisions based not just on price, but also on environmental impact. Were these eggs sustainably raised? Will this car reduce my carbon footprint?

 

So too are they applying these standards when making choices about service organizations, be they utilities, computer equipment suppliers or telecommunications companies. But adopting green strategies for a service company goes beyond the issue of whether an electric company sources some of its power from wind, for example. These companies must take a close look at their vehicle fleet’s gas consumption as a critical step toward significantly reducing their impact on the environment.

 

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that corporations, rental agencies and the federal government account for about nine million fleet vehicles, each running an average of 25,000 miles per year. Service organizations need to plan ahead and develop strategies to minimize the need to roll trucks unnecessarily, and make travel between jobs more efficient. They should look at everything from eco (News - Alert)-friendly driver training, to improved vehicle maintenance, street-level routing and schedule optimization.

 

To follow is a handful of strategies that companies can use to become greener.

 

1. Improve fuel efficiency while lowering consumption – While long a mandate for many service organizations, this has become “job number one” with oil prices topping $120 per barrel. There are several ways to do this, and no effective strategy should be overlooked. Regular engine and tire service makes a huge difference. For example, replacing a clogged air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10 percent, according to www.fueleconomy.gov, a joint project between the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. Reducing aerodynamic drag from things like roof signs or overly bulky side-view mirrors also helps vehicles reach their maximum miles per gallon.

Companies may want to consider driver training as a less obvious, but equally effective tactic for reducing fuel consumption. Minimizing bad habits such as excessive idling and aggressive driving (speeding, frequent lane changes, excessive braking) can lower gas mileage by as much as 33 percent at highway speeds, according to www.fueleconomy.gov.

 

2. Improve route planning – If they haven’t already done so, companies should consider more actively planning efficient routes for field technicians to maximize fuel efficiency. Doing so effectively requires better schedule management. Greater overall efficiency arises from transforming fuel cost management into overall travel management by ensuring the right people with the right skills are doing the right things at the right time. It’s true that companies can reduce total mileage by a few percentage points by minimizing unauthorized trips and helping drivers pick short routes. However, efficiently assigning tasks to mobile workers can reduce travel by as much as 20 percent.

 

Street-level routing (SLR) can help companies significantly reduce travel time and increase “wrench time” – time completing jobs. Combined with GPS, SLR not only lets managers know where technicians are throughout the day, it also ensures drivers travel the most efficient distances between jobs, further reducing fuel consumption. SLR takes into account myriad variables including one-way streets, congested neighborhoods, slow-moving highways, etc. and calculates the optimal route each driver should take – reducing travel time and gas consumption and ensuring on-time arrivals.

 

3. Avoid the second visit – Everyone wants to do the job right the first time. If not, customers, managers and technicians become frustrated, and the work schedule gets pushed back. Additionally, the return trip burns more gas. How much of a waste is this? It depends on the frequency with which it happens and the distance traveled. But consider that if five percent of your tasks aren’t completed on the first try, then you’ve increased travel by five percent and worse, you’re completing five percent less new jobs.

 

Field technician skill or lack of proper tools aren’t the only issues here. Poor schedule management can also contribute to second site visits. Corporations need to ensure they’re sending the right technician, with the right skills to the right job so the job is done correctly the first time. When you’re dealing with hundreds of technicians and countless variables, your best bet is to automate the scheduling with decision support software. This will help prevent repeat visits and the resulting additional emissions.

4. Prevent the first visit – Early resolution can minimize the need to roll trucks in the first place. Companies can occasionally resolve customer service issues over the phone by asking just a couple of the questions that cover the most common user-fixable problems (such as “Have you rebooted your computer?”). Moreover, remote diagnostics that allow companies to query equipment to determine whether it can be fixed remotely or it requires on-site attention also helps organizations make smart decisions that can reduce travel.

 

5. Plan ahead – Historical trend analysis, reporting, demand forecasting and planning can help service organizations minimize unexpected situations that increase travel time. Improper planning can lead to situations where there is too much work for too few technicians, forcing technicians from other regions to be dispatched to the site.

 

Utilities, home and office computer and equipment suppliers and other service organizations benefit from  studying historical trends based on variables such as the holidays, seasonal usage, scheduled promotional sales, storm patterns, long-term projects, etc. to accurately determine future demand. They can then ensure managers adequately schedule technicians (based on shift, skill, etc.) to meet that demand. For example, if a utility doesn’t have enough staff on hand for a future week of work, it can either relocate staff from another region or utilize third-party contractors to ensure the work is completed. Automating demand forecasting and capacity planning helps service organizations match workforce capacity to fluctuating demand, which ultimately reduces unnecessary travel. 

 

6. Keep up with preventative maintenance – Equipment that isn’t operating at or near optimum specs generally wastes more energy. Internal infrastructure items such as elevators, air-conditioners and just about anything else should be monitored closely (via remote monitoring if possible) and maintained more effectively to keep their energy usage at the most efficient level.

 

Utilities are quite familiar with the need to stay on top of preventative maintenance for external infrastructure items. For example, electrical utilities take the time to keep cables, generators, transformers, etc. operating at maximum efficiency. This not only reduces overall operating emissions, but replacing old infrastructure is also the preventative maintenance that minimizes problems down the road.