As years go by technology is flourishing more and more and it is becoming more of an essential asset for companies to adapt to if they want to remain competitive in their industry. This is especially true in the oil and gas industry, as many companies are still operating using outdated and inefficient methods that are costing them time, money, and opportunities.
This blog post will discuss the common issues oil and gas companies run into when doing things manually and how the ServiceEcho FSM solution can prevent these issues from occurring.
Losing or Recording Inaccurate Data
According to Shiny Docs, Petroleum engineers and technicians spend over half of their time searching and assembling data. With this being said, doing an important task like this manually can result in too many errors. One recurring issue with manual data entry is that there are too many transfers with the data when collected. For example, when technicians collect the data from the field, they will have to come back and manually record and update the system. This can result in inaccurate data as the technicians could make mistakes when inputting the data into the system. Another common issue with manually recording data is that there are more chances of losing the data during the process. Technicians are required to do many tasks during the day and so when switching between tasks data can go missing. Also, data tends to be recorded and stored in a number of different binders and papers. This is considered to be an outdated method as when it is time for decision making, it is going to be frustrating going through binders and papers to find the right data. This storing method is also another issue that causes data to get lost. With data being an important metric for informed decision making, it is best that the recording process is as seamless as possible. Acknowledging the importance of data collection in the oil and gas industry and these common issues, ServiceEcho has come up with an efficient solution that allows technicians to digitally record data and upload it to the system in real-time using their mobile phones with or without a mobile connection. This feature will eliminate the number of steps to search and assemble data into one step and will ensure that all information is stored accurately in real time. Lastly, with our solution companies will be able to reduce the chances of losing data and the number of binders and papers used as all the data is recorded to the system instantly and can be accessed whenever needed.
Miscommunication
Miscommunication is an issue that is caused by poor communication and coordination. This is a common problem that oil and gas companies tend to face when scheduling and dispatching their technicians manually. Manually assigning your technicians to work orders can get complicated and confusing, as one no show or sick leave can disrupt the whole process. Scheduling and dispatching technicians through the phone can become time consuming as you will be expected to answer a number of phone calls and be there in case of any changes. The Technicians that are out on the field work really hard and it is important that they are updated throughout the day in cases of emergencies or changes in their work orders. When scheduling technicians it is important that companies assign them based on their skill set and qualifications to avoid any problems with customers when they arrive. Doing this manually can be exhausting especially if the company houses a big team. There is a clear communication gap between people in the office and the technicians out on the field and so scheduling and dispatching manually will result in miscommunication. As a solution to the miscommunication in the scheduling and dispatching process in the oil and gas industry. ServiceEcho has implemented an easy drag and drop scheduling feature that allows companies to assign technicians to work orders based on skills and experience. This feature will help coordinate the technicians to the right work orders and will allow companies to add last-minute changes if needed. Overall with a digital scheduling system, oil and gas companies are able to work on other value-adding tasks and focus more on growing the company rather than managing their employees.
Downtime
Downtime is when production is stopped unexpectedly, having too much downtime can cost your company a lot of money. According to General Electric, offshore oil and gas organizations experience on average $49 million annually in financial impacts due to unplanned downtime. Major unplanned downtime expenses in the oil and gas industry come from repair costs and labor costs. With that being said, Oil and Gas companies need to be able to update their maintenance operations to more predictive efforts. Tracking maintenance statuses on equipment manually can be complex as there are many maintenance services done on these equipment on a yearly basis. To effectively manage and predict maintenance, the company needs to productively organize equipment maintenance data. As a solution to this, ServiceEcho has provided a feature where you can record all maintenance history into certain files and set up live alerts to notify the maintenance team to check on certain equipment. With a more predictive effort, oil and gas companies can reduce the amount of unexpected downtime.
As a Field Service Solution company, our mission at ServiceEcho is to provide your oil and gas company with a seamless solution to help limit these frustrating issues. Losing and recording inaccurate data, miscommunication, and downtime are all issues that are detrimental to your business. Book a demo today to speak to an expert to find out more information on how your Oil and Gas company can benefit from our solution.