In September, respected analyst firm IDC published an end-user study, sponsored by IFS, that quantified the business value achieved by customers using IFS enterprise software. It is a truly global study that provides provable, exact numbers and demonstrates the value IFS brings.
This included working with a number of our customers from the Energy, Utilities & Resources industry who are using IFS software in areas of their businesses that are critical to many across this industry. This is a broad and diverse industry of course, but the fundamental challenges of efficient management of critical assets, optimizing a field workforce and conducting the supporting business operations quickly and accurately are common.
At IFS, we address these EU&R challenges by focusing on our key solution areas Enterprise Asset Management, Field Service Management and Enterprise Resource Planning
In this study, IDC prove and quantify the productivity improvements these solutions have delivered to our customers at the level of individual users (each IFS user is 18% more productive than they were prior to the implementation for example), of specific teams, and of assets, infrastructure and equipment.
Asset Management
“IFS helps us extend the life span of capital assets. I think it’s around 10–15% longer because of higher maintenance quality and assessments.”
“We have improved our utilization and our efficiency operationally from low 80s up to the mid90s.”
Whether an organization that manages a port and relies on complex, modern installations, fully automated assets to offload and transport containers /bulk good or is in power generation or oil & gas and assets are directly linked to the safe and reliable operation of plant, protecting revenue and managing cost, operating and maintaining assets is a common challenge across all segments of the EU&R industry. This equipment is expensive to buy, expensive to operate and maintain, and at the front line of many of our customers’ businesses. In this IDC white paper, the analysts found that a number of IFS customers were able to extend the service life of key assets and increase the uptime and availability.
Service Management
“We’re seeing big savings with IFS in scheduling activities. Before, it would take a couple of days, and now it takes minutes because it’s basically self-service. This happens every day for the field service team.”
Delivering a service and managing a field service workforce is at the heart of many EU&R companies and fundamental to delivering high customer satisfaction, revenue protection and cost reduction. Across telecommunications, energy distribution and water supply, this involves dispatching engineers to customers’ homes to conduct installations or make repairs – and is often the only face-to-face experience a customer has with the provider so first-time fix rates, SLA adherence, minimizing travel and meeting appointments are key. IDC’s analysts found that IFS enterprise solutions support achieving this and were able to put a real value on the role of our software.
ERP
“With separate finance, maintenance, and work order systems, the team had to consolidate all of the data and this created a lot of double-entry work.”
It’s common for many EU&R companies to operate different systems for different processes – this is often for historical reasons such as M+A or selecting point solutions for point problems as a company has grown. But this mix can create real challenges for leadership and functions trying to operate across business units or countries. At IFS, we’ve long spoken about the benefits of an enterprise-wide solution that supports managing assets, projects and services alongside human capital management, finance, supply chain, one version of the truth – an approach endorsed by IDC’s findings from studying a sample of our customer base.
Choose a vendor that proves it
At IFS, we are proud to ‘prove it’ by working with a respected analyst firm to independently assess what we deliver to our customers. Through providing choice in what they buy, how it’s implemented and managed, IFS delivers faster time to value and increased productivity for customers. Not to mention proud of the fantastic value they uncovered – in addition to that 18 percent increase in user productivity cited earlier, customers also reported:
- 28% more work orders completed,
- 14% faster delivery of orders/products,
- 21% faster budgetary cycles.
Download the IDC white paper, sponsored by IFS, to understand these numbers and more.
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Cheryl Beebe
When it comes to running a business, energy utilities and resources are important for keeping things afloat. It is important to choose the right resources for your company’s needs. When you do, this can even help save money!