This newly-introduced system is the core element of a software solution which GASAG is using to further optimise its repair crew service. Its start-up date was in spring 2005.
By way of reminder: When the repair crew service receives an emergency call, the crew has to be on the spot within 30 minutes. This is required by the DVGW rules (German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water), among other things. Thus the new software is the last stage of a transformation process that the repair crew service has gone through in the preceding months.
About 30% of all incoming calls are trouble calls which trigger repair crew call-outs. It is precisely here that the 30-minute rule is most important. For an experienced team, a standard call-out is no problem. But what if an emergency situation has arisen? What if there is a life-threatening danger?
In both instances the person who is calling is in a very stressful situation, and the staff at the reporting office have to respond appropriately. And that is the crux of the matter. First of all, the reporting office staff have to remain calm themselves, and have to convey this to the caller while at the same time recording all of the information which is necessary to initiate a response. In this decisive moment, all of the decisive elements converge on this staff member, and he or she has to co-ordinate the subsequent actions. He or she has to keep abreast of the operation, immediately supplying the necessary information to the proper entities. And all in a timely manner.
This mixture of internal and external requirements characterises the new quality of process support. The new software makes it possible to register a malfunction and send an alarm to the repair vehicle in less than two minutes. This procedure is user-friendly, and takes just a click of the mouse. Support is provided not only in the form of on-screen reminders of questions to ask the caller, but at the same time pre-defined measures – so that everything can be done lightning-fast, and the staff members can concentrate fully on the call itself. Even during the telephone call the system responds and provides a suggestion as to what actions should be initiated. Their execution, however, is always confirmed manually. This is important, because decisions are made not by the technology, but rather by the human being on the basis of his or her experience.
Even during the malfunction registration, the reporting system uses GPRS to report all of the available response vehicles, and supports the staff in making the optimal selection. Transfer of information about the event before and after the malfunction takes place in the form of two-way data exchange between the reporting office and the response vehicle. This guarantees seamless documentation of the call-out. This is made possible by cutting-edge mobile communications technology linking all of the parties involved.
The project "A New Central Reporting Office" encompasses a broad spectrum of different activities, which have to be planned, co-ordinated and also successfully implemented. The main emphasis here is – besides the integration of the complete hardware and software into a unified process – preparing the staff members whose task it is to operate this system and bring it to life. After a project cycle of 14 months, factory acceptance was carried out on the 24th February 2005, and test operation on 1st March, with the objective of gathering experience under actual conditions.
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