Today’s utilities are under greater pressure than ever. Electrification is rising dramatically thanks to accelerating AI use and electric vehicle adoption, creating a pressing need to expand and modernize the grid. Climate change is driving major, costly decarbonization efforts while threatening energy reliability. And skilled labor remains difficult to find and retain, creating workforce capacity constraints.
Epoch Solutions Group recognizes the challenges your utility faces in delivering safe, reliable, cost-effective energy. We’re committed to keeping our EpochField workforce management solution in sync with your dynamic needs—not only responding to customer feedback and requests, but anticipating the future of field service management.
This year we released a major EpochField update along with several minor updates as part of our drive to continually enhance this mission-critical solution for leading utilities. Here’s a recap of the invaluable features we added or enhanced in the latest EpochField 5.2 versions, designed to streamline field service operations, improve the efficiency and productivity of your crews, dispatchers, and schedulers, and equip you to deliver the level of service your customers expect.
A More Intuitive Mobile UI/UX for Better Efficiency
In sync with the industry’s shift toward mobile-first solutions, we redesigned the EpochField mobile app for better mobile workforce management. A more intuitive interface makes the app simpler for field workers to use and navigate and more engaging—a major benefit at a time when it’s tough to stay fully staffed and you need to accomplish more work with fewer people. Our app facilitates streamlined workflows, enabling field crews to complete work order-related tasks faster and easier using a mobile phone or tablet for a better overall experience.
.NET Maui Migration for Improved Performance
The migration from Xamarin to the .NET Maui (Multi-Platform App UI) platform accomplishes two important objectives: It improves cross-platform performance when your field crews use EpochField on Apple, Android, or Microsoft mobile devices and ensures you can maximize the value of the latest app development technologies. By taking a forward-thinking view, we’re future-proofing EpochField to provide a solid foundation for developing more mobile capabilities that work across platforms.
Work Order Process Improvements for Greater Productivity
EpochField now includes many enhancements that help your teams process work orders more efficiently. We enhanced the solution’s data collection capabilities to reduce administrative steps, simplify data entry, reduce the risk of data errors, and streamline workflow.
- Self-managed work order creation: EpochField now allows your field crews to initiate and manage the creation of ad hoc work orders themselves by uploading CSV files through the mobile app, using asset data IDs or geographic coordinates. They can organize their own work and complete routine inspections and other jobs without waiting on external dependencies that risk slowing the process.
- Improved editing of multiple work features: Utility field crews can use the solution’s lasso tool to precisely choose work features for editing just by clicking on the map. This tool makes it easier to select and edit tasks individually or in bulk, improving accuracy, efficiency, and oversight. The newest software version also allows end users to delete work features individually or in bulk through the main form, further saving time.
- Better workflow form flexibility: An improved workflow forms layout is more intuitive for your field workers to use, guiding them logically as they complete the form. By combining Categories and Fields on the same form, and enhancing the Workflow Bulder with simple drag-and-drop functionality, we’ve made it simpler to create and use workflow forms.
State Model Functionality for Better Control
Many EpochField users expressed a need to better control field work order statuses. In response we introduced state model functionality that provides clearer workflows and better operational visibility across the EpochField platform.
Other EpochField Enhancements
In addition to these major functionality enhancements, EpochField now provides improved icons, particularly in the Print tool, to further improve the user experience. And of course, we’ve continued to prioritize the security of our platform by applying critical security patches as they become available.
Evolving in Sync with Utilities
EpochField is transforming field service management for leading utilities—streamlining how your teams work, improving efficiency from the front line to the back office, and empowering you to provide safe, reliable services to your customers. Our map-first approach leverages the power of GIS data to improve your field operations, supporting you as you evolve your business model to address the trends that are reshaping the utility industry.
By continually enhancing EpochField with updates that reflect customer input and industry trends, we’re adding the innovative capabilities you need today while keeping one step ahead of the future of field service management.
Learn more about the EpochField workforce management solution or schedule a live demo.
Shane Hullinger
Shane Hullinger is the Epoch Solutions Group Director of Product Management for EpochField, responsible for shaping the product and leading cross-functional teams to execute strategies, embark on impactful market research, and refine the customer experience.
