Utility companies are faced with greater levels of performance measurement and scrutiny than ever before, one of the most public being the focus placed on capital or maintenance works which require public roads and pavements to be excavated.

The rules which dictate how when and how long this kind of work can last were formalised and updated in the Traffic Management Act of 2004 – utilities face financial penalties for work which overruns and causes congestion longer than planned and agreed with local authorities.

Utilities are increasingly looking to Enterprise Mobility technology to record their activities and provide a formal and auditable record which proves beyond doubt that they have operated within agreed limits. Extending their use of wireless technology to provide the functionality needed ‘on the ground’, while meeting the information management needs of the business as a whole is increasingly important for the industry as a whole.

For TBS customers in particular, this means functionality built into handheld wireless devices, such as date and time-stamped digital pictures, providing auditable proof about when a particular job was completed. This can even be integrated with GPS latitude and longitude positioning to cross reference time stamped image with the location of the device when the image was taken.

Communication capabilities provided by TBS TaskMaster allow this information to be transmitted back to headquarters in real time, ensuring that reporting and accuracy are maintained to the highest possible standards, and removing any risks associated with processes which rely on manual form filling and administration.