MGE's manual process for managing 811 tickets was labor intensive, time-consuming and technically deficient. Implementing 811spotter's automated ticket management solution has resulted in significant cost savings and productivity gains.
Daniel Martin, Lead Project Manager for MGE Underground, takes nothing for granted when it comes to safety. Sitting in his San Jose, California, office, he reflects on a recent job that nearly put the lives of his crew in jeopardy and threatened MGE's bottom line. On a remote upstate site, an underground pressurized line went unmarked, which was thought to be abandoned. The crew inadvertently hit the pipe, severely denting it. "Had we dug in further, it could have meant lost limbs and lost lives," recalls Martin. Even though MGE was not at fault, the company paid over $4000 in damages and required the emergency deployment of the utility, fire department and law enforcement personnel to the site. Events like this, far too common, mean idle equipment and crews sent home, and they raise the prospect of liquidated damages for contractors like MGE.
Given the importance of communications with utilities and the notification center, MGE had a team of full-time employees devoted to sifting through thousands of emails a day. The 811 ticket responses associated with the company's eighty active work crews swamped communication channels. "For instance, we had 2,000 active tickets managed from a single office, all of which sent a constant barrage of robocalls and emails to our team," says Martin. Tracking inbound communications from utilities, waiting for the green light to proceed, managing renewals and documenting the process with spreadsheets from beginning to end resulted in long hours, extra stress and compromised productivity. Missed messages or incorrectly documented email confirmations had a direct impact on MGE's bottom line.
MGE sought emerging technology that could streamline their day-to-day workflows and trim administrative costs. But they were losing faith that their 811 ticketing process could be fixed. "We ended up ignoring a lot of product pitches simply because they didn't fit our specialized needs," says Martin. When he came across 811spotter, he saw how it would fill a critical void as a hands-off digital system combining organization, automation and push notifications. What's more, the platform provides instant visibility into ticket information, utility member responses and documentation. Managing 811 tickets is such a business-critical process, so Martin was hesitant to upend existing workflows without a trial evaluation. During the trial period, Martin assessed 811spotter's technology on a practical level and evaluated the results in coordination with all impacted parties at MGE. Based on the successful results of the trial, Martin was convinced to go with 811spotter.
"811spotter is the first 811 ticket management solution that's specifically built for contractors and the way we work. It's been a massive time saver for MGE."Daniel Martin, Lead Project Manager, MGE Underground
One year and 12,000 dig tickets later, Martin hasn't looked back, crediting 811spotter for supporting MGE through a period of rapid growth. On average, 811spotter manages 2,500 monthly tickets for MGE. The automated system does the equivalent work of three full-time employees. The repurposing of administrative staff previously dedicated to 811 tickets has yielded over $200,000 yearly in operational savings. This is in addition to the unquantified productivity gains throughout the organization.
"811spotter freed up significant resources that were previously needed to manage 811 tickets. Now those employees can focus on other areas of the business that are mission-critical."Daniel Martin, Lead Project Manager, MGE Underground
MGE Underground, founded in 1997 and based in Paso Robles, California, is a utility infrastructure contractor specializing in civil and electrical utility construction across the state. The company provides innovative and cost-effective solutions for electric distribution, gas systems, telecommunications, trenchless technology, and water/wastewater projects. With a mission to make the world a better place to live, MGE operates on core values such as safety, integrity, trust, and continuous development. They emphasize environmental responsibility, supplier diversity, quality assurance, real-time project controls, and active community involvement.