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e& United Arab Emirates Case Study

Revolutionizing Connectivity in the United Arab Emirates with Comarch Field Service Management

As the telecom arm of e& in the UAE, e& UAE has a mission to maximize stakeholder value, deliver an unparalleled customer experience and optimize business performance for sustainable growth and success. Leveraging the latest world-class technologies, e& UAE will grow core and digital services, enriching consumer value propositions with digital services catering to new consumer lifestyles and emerging demands beyond core telecom services, including health, insurance and gaming. It is expected that e& UAE will continue to act as a trusted partner to enterprises in meeting their connectivity needs and beyond. Bolstering its leadership position as a digital telco that champions customers in a hyper-connected digital world, e& UAE will pivot the new sustainable demand into future spaces such as private networks, autonomous vehicles, and AI. To learn more about e& UAE, please visit: www.e&UAE.ae

Overview

The collaboration between Comarch and e& UAE started in 2015, and has since evolved into a partnership based on innovation and mutual success. Over the years, Comarch has provided its comprehensive Field Service Management product with many additional modules that assist e& UAE’s business efforts.

Comarch FSM has introduced numerous optimizations and improvements in the service provider’s network across the entire United Arab Emirates, from end to end network development support and field service optimization to customer satisfaction. It has set new benchmarks for the industry, highlighting the significance of reliability and forward-thinking.

ENHANCING SERVICE EXCELLENCE AND CUSTOMER
SATISFACTION WITH COMARCH FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENT

The Approach

It was quickly recognized that the quality of services depends significantly on technicians’ efficiency and knowledge. Providing them with tools that would support their work became the primary objective. The first areas that Comarch’s product addressed were:

    • Optimizing travel routes - to increase punctuality, Comarch FSM mobile app provides technicians with full travel support, including directions, traffic conditions, and calculated time to the destination.
    • Providing comprehensive work order context - technicians obtained the possibility to have all required information about work orders and clients with a single click in the mobile app.
    • Improving field staff management - by introducing workflows and status changes depending on the current work progress, it becomes easier for dispatchers to have complete supervision over field work and react to the current situation in real-time.
    • Access to integrated third-party tools - through integration with third-party tools such as a field testing application, the tool provides additional value  to technicians and shortens the time of task execution.
    • Real-time monitoring of resource utilization - it was crucial to understand and monitor the current utilization of resources, but also to know what capacity will be required in the upcoming months to be sure that technical departments can handle it efficiently.

Increasing overall support for technicians was a critical factor in achieving the desired KPIs. Once the selected KPIs were implemented and improved, there was a need to focus more on automation and optimization. It was also an excellent time to see how intelligent solutions could support e& UAE’s duties.

The Challenge

From the outset, it was clear that end-customer satisfaction was the priority for this project. Improving service excellence was the main business goal. Despite experience of modern FSM solutions, e& UAE sought further improvements and automation features that followed technological trends and current innovations in this area.

The company provides services to two types of customers: residential and business. Both require different approaches and coordination. With more than 1,100 technicians and thousands orders a day, the room for improving efficiency and optimizing processes was enormous. It was necessary to focus on two areas: service delivery and fault management.

Comarch, together with e& UAE, identified the relevant key performance indicators (KPIs) and established the following operational goals:

  • Optimizing resource utilization - providing more efficient scheduling to increase the number of tasks that each technician can perform per day. 
  • Improving task execution efficiency - decreasing the average time needed to perform a task.
  • Process optimization - implementing automation of process steps and elimination of paperwork. 
  • First-time fix rate - achieving a higher average number of tasks completed during the first visit.

Since provisioning and fault management processes are business-critical when seeking to increase customer engagement,  Comarch also focused on fine-tuning the overall business process.


The Implemented Product

Comarch delivered a comprehensive Field Service Management (FSM) platform to e& UAE, enabling them to manage their operations effectively.
The platform includes various modules such as Order and Task Management, Resources, Time Management, Field Supervisor, Maps, Mobile App, Reporting, Forecasting, What If, Roster Optimization, Task Duration optimization, and Automatic Dispatcher.

Order and Task Management stores real-time information about work orders, tasks, and task details. Resources manage information about human and technical resources, including technicians’ skill sets and their relation to assigned regions or the organization’s hierarchy. Time Management provides a view of employees’ calendars, allowing for rapid schedule changes.

Automatic Dispatcher is an advanced algorithm that allows tasks to be assigned automatically based on predefined rules and constraints related to business goals and then, based on the actual status of task completion, update and supplement schedules with additional tasks to maximize the availability of field workers’ time. Maps provide location context information for planning, tracking, and reporting. A mobile app is dedicated to technicians, allowing them to view their schedules and add photos, videos, and information about materials and equipment usage.

The Field Supervisor module is available on mobile devices, allowing the control of field workers and the work status in real-time and the immediate corrective action taken. Additionally, the Task Duration optimization module tracks the task execution of each field employee separately and, based on advanced criteria, assesses the credibility of the task completion data reported by employees. Thanks to this, it allows to create schedules taking into account the individual performance of individual employees.

Reporting enables real-time monitoring of strategic and operational KPIs with ad hoc or scheduled dashboards. Forecasting based on historical data and specific knowledge allows for more intelligent decisions about skill changes and resource reallocation.

Comarch FSM also includes automation, artificial intelligence, and low-code configuration mechanisms to allow e& UAE to benefit from the advanced FSM  tool to the full extent.The Continuous Schedule Optimization module utilizes  AI algorithms to address near-real-time route optimization problems, while the What If and Roster Optimization module simulates changes to review their impact on operations and optimize the distribution of technicians’ availability to best meet customer expectations. AI-based knowledge management recommends documents based on technician history and behavior. Self-configuration options allow users to reconfigure the system for their business needs without involving a vendor.

The Results

The project resulted in several recommendations for improving service quality, including a change in the organization model to one team per group, combining fault and provisioning controller roles, and providing business-focused training for controllers Real-time scheduling management was also crucial, enhancing KPIs and ensuring better service quality. These changes aim to improve service quality and streamline the business process.

The implementation of the Comarch FSM solution resulted in a significant improvement in customer satisfaction and service excellence. A significant factor was the utilization of real-time management of the schedules, allowing for the following enhancements:


Increased daily efficiency – the average number of completed tasks per day per technician increased to 7.57


Appointment booking efficiency – increased 4.75-fold


2000 appointments optimized in every three minutes

Close cooperation between Comarch and e& UAE on various operational levels provided the customer with the expected results. Not only was customer service quality significantly improved, but e& UAE and Comarch also managed to open another area for further implementations.

INNOVATIVE NETWORK DEVELOPMENT IN THE UAE
WITH COMARCH FSM

The Approach

The company was using Comarch FSM in all of the United Arab Emirates to accelerate network development procedures and support fixed and mobile access network operations. The approach explicitly targeted the planning and viability, design and execution, construction and installation, testing, and site acceptance phases of mobile and fixed access operations.

Comarch’s automation and digitization-supporting features facilitate the expansion of the e& UAE network. The most common elements include:

    • Hardware planning - Comarch configured processes of preparation, verification, and utilization of the hardware needed for network building operations. The Warehouse Management, Order and Task Management, and Sites and Assets  Management modules create the right combination of tools even for the most advanced needs.
    • KPIs reporting - Comarch FSM through integration with BI tools allow e& UAE to monitor projects on different levels, including the status of each initiative and its performance.
    • Subcontractor management and budget control - the implemented modules allow to assign the appropriate resources to each project and to manage the contract and expenses for network expansion.
    • Master plans and work orders management - proper configuration of workflows allows for in-depth monitoring and tracking decisions in the complex  network expansion processes.
    • Deep automation - Comarch FSM automates the exchange of data between all systems involved in the process, including information about related network sites.
    • FSM mobile app - mobile application allows field technicians to control the processes using a smartphone. 

The Challenge

In developing its mobile network across the UAE, e& UAE used many technologies to fulfill customer needs in a competitive telecommunications market.

The development process required exchanging a large number of documents between many departments and subcontractors. Various checkpoints were established during the process, and key performance indicators were assigned to each step.

As a result, there was a need to streamline network deployment processes and implement a web and mobile tool to support network planning, field testing, quality assurance, unified process management, network commissioning, monitoring, and reporting.

The tool had to specifically target mobile and fixed access operations processes comprising planning and feasibility, design and implementation, construction and installation, testing, and site acceptance.
.

The Implemented Product

Comarch delivered a tool to digitize and automate the entire network development process, covering all stages from planning to execution. The tool allows for the creation of extended workflows with validations and automation. This was made possible thanks to Comarch Field Service Management platform, which enabled e& UAE to modify operational processes in the future easily.

Comarch FSM supports processes or workforce management and manages projects and their milestones, subcontractors, warehouses, budgeting, and contracts with suppliers. This, connected with field service management, builds unique value for r& UAE, helping them to digitize and automate all activities.

Since 2015, e& UAE has been using Comarch FSM in customer services. The solution has already proved reliable in e& UAE’s business environment and was easily adopted in a new department of their activity

The Results

The project successfully covered all regions of the United Arab Emirates through network expansion processes, automating the work of over 1,000 employees and subcontractors. A fully digitized process allows for proper budget control and real-time process KPI monitoring. Processes are not only digitized but also automated in the steps where human involvement is not required. Automated escalation for breaching SLA dates enhances the work order management experience for FSM users and improves the quality of delivered infrastructure. The improvements can be observed in areas such as:


Optimized management of the teams organized into groups


Automated exchange of data between other systems involved in the process, including troubleshooting


Live dispatching and rescheduling


Management of master plans and work orders


Automated budget management

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF NETWORK MAINTENANCE
ACTIVITIES BY THE FIELD OPERATIONS SUPPORT TEAM

The Approach

The following were provided by Comarch to successfully introduce the tool to new engineering areas, addressing the implementation scope of the initiative:

    • Fulfillment of specific functional requirements which are crucial for newly involved departments. These functional requirements were defined according o a dedicated analysis of the processes and specific functions.
    • Implementation of business processes that would be valid for the department covered by the initiative. The business processes were defined to digitize the current workflow and automate the areas where human involvement was obsolete.
    • Integration of interfaces between WFM (Workforce Management) and other systems that participate in end-to-end service delivery processes Integrations were crucial from a productivity and automation perspective.

The Challenge

Recently, e& UAE launched its Workforce Digitization program to combine various field workforce management tools seamlessly. The goal was to provide a unified platform to automate and optimize the field and office activities performed by e& UAE employees. The customer wanted to redefine technicians’ workday by automating routine activities through efficient information exchange and processes. Smooth integration with fault reporting systems and the network facilities database was essential to the efficiency of the operations support team that performs repair and maintenance activities at e& UAE’s network locations.

The Implemented Product

For the intended purposes of the Workforce Digitization program, Comarch delivered its Field Service Management (FSM) platform as the foundation for a unified management support tool. The product consisted of multiple modules explicitly designed to aid field technicians by providing them with real-time access to vital information, optimization of work schedules, and planning based on technicians’ skills, workload, current location, and other work requests in any area.

Additionally, Comarch extended the implementation by adding automation, and low-code configuration features to allow e& UAE to benefit from the full extent of Comarch FSM’s capabilities in the business support department.

  • Order and Task Management stores real-time information about work orders and task details. Audit allows technicians to fill out the survey questions. 
  • Resources manages information about human and technical resources, including technicians’ skill sets and their relation to assigned regions or the organization’s hierarchy.  
  • Time Management that participate in end-to-end service delivery processes Integrations were crucial from a productivity and automation perspective.
  • Automatic Dispatcher is an advanced algorithm that allows tasks to be assigned automatically based on predefined rules and constraints related to business goals. 
  • Maps provide location context information for planning, tracking, and reporting. 

The Results

Implementation allowed e& UAE to successfully transform network maintenance activities through collaboration with Comarch, achieving significant efficiency gains and enhancing overall operational performance. The implementation of Comarch FSM not only optimized current operations but also paved the way for future innovations and improvements in network maintenance processes.

The project was completed successfully and provided e& UAE with new tools that are intensively utilized daily, and drastically improve routine processes. From the automation and optimization perspective, the most satisfying areas of improvement for the customer are:


Team management functionality


optimizing user group management by providing bulk operations and dynamic management of the assignment of tasks to the team or individual technician, which depends on the domain of activities that must be performedLive automatic dispatcher


Live automatic dispatcher


automatic task dispatching functionality for OFS department (live rescheduling, optimizing schedules)


Unified resource management system


the customer can manage human and technical resources by the functions of warehouse management available in the Field Service Management tool


Integration with trouble ticketing system

Why Comarch?

Comarch’s experience in telecommunications made it easier to analyze telco domain processes and integrate them with different, even external, solutions. The products provided by Comarch consist of easily configurable modules for deeply automated workflows. For e& UAE, the unique value of the Field Service Management product comes from the combination of the following:

  • Flexibility of configuration - network development, which includes planning and many other activities, must be supported by the tool that allows for configuring extended workflows with validations and automation included.
  • Proven workforce management solution - e& UAE has been using Comarch FSM in customer service since 2015. The solution has already proved reliable in e& UAE’s environment and could be used in other departments.
  • Complete support for operational processes - Comarch products offer a set of functionalities that support processes or workforce management and manage projects and their milestones, subcontractors, hardware planning, budgeting, and contracts. This, connected with field service management, creates unique value for e& UAE.
  • Shorter time to market - Comarch Managed Services enables e& UAE to implement custom development by their specialists, resulting in the rapid delivery of any changes required by business needs or regulations.

Summary

The cooperation between e& UAE and Comarch provided the UAE-based operator with solutions that progressively increased optimization and automation in field service management tools. The partnership, which was based on trust, allowed new advanced solutions Comarch and e& UAE plan to work in this area even more strategically, and have signed a framework contract for long-term cooperation. Comarch gives e& UAE flexibility not only in areas of business value, but also in the technology department. Now, e& UAE can develop its features on top of Comarch’s solution and efficiently utilize its strategic approach for open platforms, DevOps, and the cloud-based approach for internal IT tools.

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