With 2.5 million 811 utility locate tickets processed annually, Brightspeed required a comprehensive ticket management solution that could effectively track tickets from request to completion, mitigate utility or infrastructure damage risks, and improve its damage prevention program. Through a rigorous vendor selection process, Brightspeed chose Irth for its full breadth of damage prevention offerings, including Irth Insights for Damage Prevention with Risk Scoring, which uses risk models and machine learning to understand the risk of different activities around assets.
Problem
Brightspeed manages one of the largest fiber networks across the U.S., which results in the company processing more than 2.5 million 811 tickets annually across 20 states while working with three contract locating groups as the company continues expanding and updating its critical network infrastructure. The contractors must also comply with 20 states’ One Call Center programs and communicate effectively with disparate systems.
Before working with Irth, Brightspeed didn’t have any technology to assist in determining high-priority tickets from lower-risk tickets. They treated every 811 ticket the same, which led to increased costs as these tickets were sent out to external service providers to manage.
Given the increased cost of this solution, Brightspeed was looking for ways to optimize operations, reduce costs, and improve the efficiency of the three locate teams managing the millions of 811 requests across their footprint.
Solution
Following a rigorous vendor selection process, Brightspeed determined that Irth and its 811 ticket management system, the leading 811 ticket management software since 1995, would best enable the company to manage the company’s massive ticket volume. Irth’s platform is completely configurable, designed to scale, and includes a suite of damage prevention offerings, including Irth Insights for Damage Prevention.
“We had buy-in across our leadership to use Irth’s system to its fullest capacity and were highly confident that their platform and suite of AI solutions would enable us to solve our operational issues in a cost-effective manner,” said Tom Philie, operational support manager at Brightspeed.
With millions of tickets to manage, the platform’s ability to analyze 811 tickets based on risk factors is crucial for Brightspeed’s effective operations.
- Unparalleled data for complete insights: The technology assesses tickets against Irth’s unparalleled data set, including industry trend analysis, risk data, and Brightspeed’s own data, to flag high-risk tickets. Then, these high-risk tickets receive specific intervention, including automated notifications, supporting documentation, and prescribed actions that can make the activities safer.
- Technology drives efficiency: The platform’s artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning capabilities inform the Brightspeed team and its contractors regarding the level of risk associated with the activities around a critical asset.
- Risk scoring optimizes action: With every ticket scored based on the likelihood of damage, high-risk tickets get highlighted. This allows the customer and its contractors to handle each ticket according to its specific risk factors.
- Automated communication streamlines efforts: Customers can customize actions, including communications or orders for standbys, based on specific needs and to get the right resources deployed where they are needed most.
Results
After engaging with Irth, Brightspeed experienced a significant reduction in damages and incidents in the field. The technology paid for itself in eight days and yielded a cost savings of 28% — 11% of that from AI.
Combining Irth’s 811 ticket management system with Irth Insights for Damage Prevention significantly reduced Brightspeed’s operating costs and created efficiencies for the field team, ultimately increasing productivity. Irth and Brightspeed projected a specific cost savings milestone to be reached within 12 months. Impressively, Brightspeed surpassed that goal in just six months of using the platform, demonstrating the immediate value and impact of Irth’s solutions.
“Based on Irth’s exceptional implementation process, leading platform solutions, and unparalleled customer service, we’re currently discussing expanding our engagement with Irth,” said Tom Philie, operational support manager at Brightspeed.
Irth’s platform seamlessly integrates with every One Call Center, accommodating a diverse range of ticket formats, requirements, and types. This enabled Brightspeed to gain a comprehensive view of its operations across its entire footprint. Irth further enhanced its platform by developing custom dashboards tailored to Brightspeed’s specific reporting needs, providing insights that span from a high-level overview of its entire footprint to detailed metrics at the regional and state levels.
“We are always looking at ways to work more efficiently, streamlining operations wherever we can. This includes making utility and infrastructure locates more efficient, mitigating any damage risks, and improving the claims process. We needed to become more efficient without sacrificing safety or increasing damages.”
Kristy Harrison, Vice President of Brightspeed Field Operations
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Brightspeed is the third-largest fiber builder in the nation and is focused on empowering more homes with ultrafast, reliable internet. The company launched in 2022 with a multi-billion-dollar investment to bring high-speed fiber internet connectivity to more than 4 million locations in rural and suburban communities across its 20-state footprint. The company is actively building its fiber network in 17 states and has already reached more than 1.8 million homes and businesses, with more than 2 million additional locations currently in the engineering and construction phases. Brightspeed also manages a complex operating environment across its asset network, with 4,000 employees and 400+ contracted work crews providing daily support.