IFS has full coverage in all functional capabilities for utilities in the Gartner 2020 Market Guide for Mobile Workforce Management Systems for Utilities.
For six years Gartner has included Clevest, an IFS company, in the Market Guide for Mobile Workforce Management Systems for Utilities, noting the high number of in-production utility clients in the report’s functional capabilities matrix.
Clevest has focused exclusively on the utility sector for 15 years, particularly in mobile workforce management and advanced network deployment. Most of its customers have been providing electricity, water, and gas to communities for decades, so it’s no surprise that complicated, legacy infrastructure is often their biggest challenge. Even today, it’s not uncommon to see crews relying on paper maps and hardcopy reports while working in the field. Mobile Workforce Mobile Workforce Management technology helps utility businesses digitize and modernize their infrastructure, providing mobile workers with the tools and access to real-time information so they can work efficiently and safely
Clevest has historically focused on developing Mobile Workforce Management and Advanced Network Deployment solutions for the energy and utility sector, and IFS has focused on developing Enterprise Asset Management and Field Service Management solutions.
Now, as a combined entity with IFS, our reach extends across all functional capabilities included in the Gartner Market Guide for Mobile Workforce Management Systems for Utilities, along with the report’s detailed research categories:
- Distribution of Functional Capabilities
- Use Cases by Vendor
- MWM Revenue by Geographic Region.
A Year of Disruptions
This report is of particular importance during the pandemic as noted by Gartner in the report, “remote-work impacts from COVID-19 are forcing utilities to evaluate mobile workforce management systems to manage asset-related activities and optimize field personnel in support and delivery of a broad spectrum of utility fieldwork. This guide provides insights for utility CIOs on market directions and providers.”
Although we were in an earlier stage of the pandemic when the report was published, the Gartner analyst presciently noted recent impacts from COVID-19 as a key finding in their research. Although the pandemic accelerated the need to support a remote workforce, many utility providers were already heading down this path.
The Field Becomes the Office
Even before the arrival of COVID-19, much of the utilities sector intended to modernize existing infrastructure, converting from paper- and phone-based operations to digital and mobile technologies. These advancements will provide workers with the ability to respond in real-time to events in the field, making informed decisions in the moment.
However, the most significant impact to the utilities industry– even overshadowing the pandemic, is the devastating environmental impact of climate change. Field crews have become frontline workers, forced to deal with ferocious wildfires, catastrophic floods, and powerful storms. Today, utilities businesses face increased pressure to safeguard workers—and the communities they serve—while minimizing disruptions to service.
As a result, we’ve seen event management become a critical capability for most of our customers. Mobile workforces must be agile and resilient, with access to real-time data so they can pivot as needed and as safely and efficiently as possible.
The capabilities required to achieve this result appear as emerging requirements in the 2020 guide. These requirements are critical to overcoming the combined challenges of climate change and the global pandemic while protecting workers. The list includes:
- The safe enablement of field personnel
- Refining asset management activities
- The importance of collaboration and visibility in the field
- Efficiencies in location services and crew routing.
Research predictions for the future of the industry
We believe the research Gartner has driven in this space is invaluable. Looking at past years, the market guide has provided detailed insights and accurate predictions, foreshadowing what’s in store for the industry. Yet rarely has the industry undergone such significant change within a single year.
As per our understanding, in the 2020 market guide, critical considerations align with best practices when evaluating any new technology platform. These include ease of integration and compatibility with existing systems, the vendor’s domain expertise (with emphasis on a future-forward product roadmap), alignment with the organization’s objectives, and other considerations. This guidance will not change.
However, there’s a good chance that the 2021 market guide may look much different. Based on the year we’ve had, the guidance for the utilities industry could shift, with an emphasis on support for mobility and remote working models, particularly the move to digital and mobile technologies. The integration of data—”de-siloing” existing stores—may also receive coverage. This will provide mobile workers with access to real-time data to respond to events in the field as they happen. Workforce health and safety could also be prioritized, including implementing health management applications that streamline processes for assessing and testing worker health.
We look forward to Gartner’s continued insights into what lies ahead for utility organizations.
Get your copy of the Gartner Market Guide for Mobile Workforce Management for Utilities
Read the full report to learn about:
- Current industry trends and innovations in mobile workforce management
- Comparisons of vendor functional capabilities
- What Gartner says about IFS and Clevest.
As stated previously, Clevest has designed Mobile Workforce Management solutions for the energy and utility sector, while IFS has historically focused on Enterprise Asset Management and Field Service Management solutions. Together, our reach extends across all functional capabilities included in the Gartner Market Guide for Mobile Workforce Management for Utilities.
IFS is pleased to have been included not only in this Gartner report, but also positioned once again as a Leader within the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Field Service Management. IFS attributes this to its commitment to deliver field service solutions that help its customers anticipate, adapt and achieve greater uptime.
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Gartner, Market Guide for Mobile Workforce Management Systems for Utilities, Nicole Foust, 11 May 2020
Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Field Service Management, Jim Robinson, Naved Rashid, 06 July 2020
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
