A leading energy technology firm, one of the world’s largest oil and gas exploration companies, needed to standardize its processes and create auditable reports for maintenance and repair tasks in remote, high-risk locations.
The client’s diverse operations in more than 120 countries include oilfield services and equipment, gas and steam turbines, and eco-friendly energy projects such as geothermal energy, wind and hydropower. Committed to people and the planet, the company has invested heavily in initiatives to cut carbon emissions and overall waste as part of its growth strategy.
As part of its efforts to accelerate carbon neutrality, the company has bolstered the remote operations and digital service solutions it offers customers with visual assistance and digital process automation from SightCall.
Building on the Success of SightCall’s Visual Assistance
The company has been using SightCall for remote visual assistance, drawn to its robust features and seamless integrations. On-site service engineers with minimal experience are paired with a skilled remote specialist to walk them through a project or work order, eliminating the need for multiple travelers to a site.
Previously, the need for highly specialized engineers created the need for numerous visits, which was especially challenging for offshore oil rigs. Deployment time was measured in a matter of weeks instead of days.
The Need for Digital Process Automation
While Visual Assistance helped reduce travel and provide expert support to on-site technicians, the process of documenting work performed was the next step for the client’s digital transformation.
Prior to the introduction of SightCall Digital Flows, engineers were using pen and paper to log their work, writing down what repairs and maintenance tasks they performed on a wide range of highly specialized equipment.
At the end of a long shift, technicians were tasked with entering all their handwritten notes to their FSM. Inconsistent information and a lack of standardized documentation increased the risk for unpaid invoices, regulatory fines, safety issues, and potential shutdowns. In one instance the customer paid close to a million dollars back to a customer for a repair that was improperly documented because the work could not be verified.
With a wide variety of equipment models and changing best practices, the client wanted to ensure that each technician knew exactly what tasks to perform while creating a standardized and auditable report of all work performed.
SightCall Digital Flows in Action
Now, for every repair and maintenance task, a technician can access a specific Digital Flow on their mobile device. As they go through the automated process, they are prompted to enter all relevant information and collect media, such as photos or videos. The robust features of SightCall help ensure the process is seamless from start to finish. Engineers can scan a serial or model number, automatically capture display readings, perform accurate AR measurements, and document and confirm their work on the spot.
SightCall Digital Flows are designed in such a way that a continuous internet connection isn’t required, which is a strong advantage to teams working on oil rigs or in other remote locations. Technicians load up a digital flow from an office or breakroom with a connection, then head out to do their tasks. All information and media are cached, then automatically uploaded directly into the correct case file when an internet connection is restored.
Expected values and other information available in the Digital Flow are also available offline. If a technician enters an unexpected value in any field, they will get a notification that it may be incorrect, along with the expected value range, allowing them to check their work and documentation as they go. This is especially helpful when guidelines and safety parameters change or vary between different models of the same equipment.
Following a Digital Flow ensures that the technician employs the current best practices for every task, without the need for continuous training which previously occupied 1-2 hours of every technician’s day.
SightCall Digital Flows and Visual Assistance work seamlessly together, allowing technicians to escalate to a video call with a remote specialist if they need further guidance.
“Our teams need to be able to simply click a link,” a senior IT executive said. “Given that they are extremely busy, our engineers don’t have time to learn something completely new. Any solution we implemented would be extremely high-cost otherwise.”
Putting it all Together
SightCall Digital Flows provides easy-to-follow instructions that make it possible for any technician, regardless of experience, to perform service tasks according to standardized procedures resulting in detailed documentation including photos and videos.
With these standardized processes, the risk of mistakes and safety issues has been significantly reduced. The company benefits from having an auditable record of all repair and maintenance work performed, which in turn streamlines their invoicing processes and ensures compliance with all regulatory guidelines.
With clear benefits to both the company and its technicians, adoption has been widespread and enthusiastic.
"For a global business, SightCall was our only option, and its capabilities put us miles ahead of our competitors in terms of innovation. When we launched SightCall, it was immediately clear to us how this tool worked and the benefits it offered. Speaking frankly, that doesn’t happen often."
- A Specialist Engineer