An increasing number of utilities are using automated solutions to streamline Dial Before You Dig enquiries.
Dial Before You Dig (DBYD) is a free referral service, which provides information to assist with locating underground infrastructure anywhere in Australia.
DBYD Queensland State Manager Paul Newman says while the onus is on utilities to respond to enquiries within 48 hours, automated systems are something of a game-changer.
“You might find 80% of the time people are getting that information back in 20 minutes,” he says.
“A lot of our members, and certainly the larger members, are now looking at automated solutions.”
It’s a far cry from a decade ago, when it might have taken as long as a week for an enquiry to receive a response.
“Now, often you’ll put a request in, get a cup of tea, and your response will be there when you come back to the computer,” Newman says.
“We encourage all our members to go down that automated path – and each year a percentage of our members take that step.”
While the larger members are leading the pack, Newman says the accumulative savings in time and effort make automated systems something smaller members should also consider.
“From a DBYD perspective, it’s fantastic for our members,” he enthuses.
South-east Queensland utility Unitywater is proof of that – its quick response to DBYD enquires was recently recognised with a 2016 Asia Pacific Spatial Excellence Award.
The Performance Award, presented by the Geospatial Information and Technology Association, recognises high performance of member companies when responding to DBYD enquiries.
Competition entrants are judged on a range of criteria, including speed of response, quality of response, availability, accuracy and quality of material provided to the enquirer.
Unitywater’s Infrastructure Planning and Capital Delivery Executive Manager Simon Taylor says, in addition to the diligence of staff, the award can be attributed to a system called TicketAccess (previously known as AIRS – Asset Information Request System) that Unitywater adopted from Australian software and services company PelicanCorp in June 2014.
“The system allows Unitywater to very quickly workflow a DBYD request with paperwork and a map,” Taylor says.
“According to a report charting Unitywater’s performance in the 2015 calendar year, we responded to a total of 45,483 requests and our average response time was just 20 minutes.”
Newman applauds Unitywater’s conscientious approach to DBYD enquiries – which is particularly notable considering the utility has been a member for a relatively short period of time.
“It’s a great achievement,” he says.
Newman says the DBYD team has been “blown out of the water” by the service’s rapid growth in popularity of late, which he partially attributes to shifting industry expectations.
“On average our services grow 13% – 15% each year,” he says.
Newman says 93% of enquiries made to DBYD are submitted electronically, with a DBYD mobile application meaning enquiries can be submitted while in the field.
For more information on DBYD, visit www.1100.com.au.