Food for Thought Webinar: Finding the right people, processes, and technology to prepare your company for the impact of the Infrastructure Bill
KorTerra recently held a webinar as part of the CGA Food for Thought Webinar Series. The session was presented by KorTerra’s Jim Plasynski, Chief Revenue Officer, Tom Hall, VP of Business Development, and Brian Peters, Chief Product Officer. In the webinar, the presenters discussed the importance of preparing for the impact of the Infrastructure Bill and what things you need to look at within your company to succeed; specifically, people, processes, and technology.
Over the past year through our blog and in webinars, we have talked about the impact of the Bill on the damage prevention industry. The Infrastructure Bill, which will gradually allocate approximately $550 billion in federal investments to America’s infrastructure over a 5-year period is already impacting our customers. Not only does the industry need to prepare for the Bill impact, but there are additional factors like supply chain issues, labor shortages, gas price hikes, inflation, and increased regulations which all pose their own problems. In response to this, Jim Plasynski suggested companies need to be asking the right questions to ensure they are maximizing their success in the years ahead.
Is your staff equipped to handle a significant increase in business?
How would your company fare if the projections of the one call transmission counts jumped 50%-100% higher than normal due to the projected programs that are slated to roll out as a direct result of the Infrastructure Bill? Presenter Tom Hall emphasized the need for employers to start evaluating their staff now and assess how each of their abilities and strengths play into the additional workload. Start by creating a SWOT (Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses, and Threats) analysis and take note of what you may be missing within your staff; whether it be specific skills or just sheer numbers.
Tom encouraged attendees to focus on recruitment tactics, the hiring process, and employee retention. How can you be attractive as an employer? Look at your benefits and incentives from an employee perspective. Do they align with the current industry standards? How quickly are you able to get an employee hired and trained to a point where they are comfortable on their own? Find the best way to streamline your hiring and training processes. Also look at your employee turnover rate. It is crucial in the current job market to maintain employees and the best way to do that is to ensure the current job climate and culture are good. Give your employees the tools and education they need to do their jobs well and continue forward with their professional development.
What processes do you have in place to ensure you don’t fall behind?
Brian Peters discussed how organizations should assess their processes. How mature and operationally efficient are the processes that your organization has in place today to support your damage prevention responsibilities? Asset protection is tedious, and damages can set you back, but having efficient and effective processes in place enables you to complete more locates which in turn means fewer damages.
Brian urged attendees to analyze historical data on damages and find areas for improvement. Fortunately for our industry, there is a general understanding of the projects that will take place and where the funds from the Bill will be allocated. We encourage you to consider how your processes might change with a significant increase in ticket volume in those specific areas. What are the top three sectors in your operation that might encounter challenges? Use this information to your advantage.
What are the primary tools that support your damage prevention efforts today?
Where in your processes could your teams better leverage technology to increase efficiency, improve accuracy, and reduce risk? Possessing the proper tools is critical to success in this industry. Are you setting your locators up for success in the field? Mobile applications can eliminate time-consuming paperwork and allow locators to work offline on their own devices. If you already have these tools, are your users properly trained and educated on best practices and uses? Effective training promotes confidence and increases operational efficiencies.
With the right technology, another major time-saver is ticket screening, prioritizing, and risk scoring. How accurate is your mapping data and does your organization presently leverage mapping data to help improve locator efficiency or screen tickets where possible to eliminate unnecessary work? Ensuring your team is set up with the right technology is paramount in increasing efficiency and reducing ticket times.
The Infrastructure Bill is significant in size and in the damage prevention industry, along with macro market conditions, will present challenges in the upcoming years. Jim reiterated the need to be proactive now, and to think about the things you can be doing to ready your organization. Focusing on the three categories of people, processes, and technology when prioritizing the needs of your organization, can help create a centered and strong strategy that results in successful execution in the time ahead.
Follow KorTerra as we track updates and continue to investigate the damage prevention impacts of the Infrastructure Bill!
Watch the Full Webinar
Additional Resources
10 Point Readiness Checklist:
https://info.korterra.com/10-point-checklist
Program overview with timing details and links to apply:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/BIL-Factsheet-Local-Competitive-Funding.pdf
Awarded projects:
About KorTerra, Inc.
KorTerra is the leading provider of damage prevention software, protecting billions of dollars in underground infrastructure. For over 30 years, the leading stakeholders in gas distribution, pipeline operation, telecommunications, electric distribution, contract locating, and city, county, and state governments have trusted KorTerra as their damage prevention solution. KorTerra helps mitigate risk and ensure the safety of field personnel by providing secure software platforms for processing 811 locate tickets, tracking and reporting asset damages, meeting regulatory compliance, and more. Explore additional solutions at korterra.com and follow KorTerra on LinkedIn.
Media Contact:
Paige Nygaard – KorTerra, Inc.
952.368.1911
marketing@korterra.com