FYLD

Field teams keep our homes warm and well lit, and they help us stay connected and keep our water flowing, as well as performing essential repairs and maintenance. But when it comes to collecting data for assessing risk and other key processes, too much effort is wasted using outdated tools that simply aren’t efficient.

FYLD is a digital platform that has been designed to transform the safety and efficiency of field teams based on real-time, data-driven decision making. The system was incubated in the live field environment of SGN using BCG’s agile project management process.

The core features of FYLD’s easy-to-use app enable:

• AI-driven risk assessments to improve job safety
• Real-time collaboration between field crews and remote managers
• A high-quality source of data that allows companies to understand operational outcomes and resolve systemic issues
• Immediate safety and productivity benefits, with a platform for medium- and long-term efficiency gains

The Opportunity

Utilities like natural and green gas distribution company SGN are under pressure to maintain high productivity for low prices, while also providing faster and better service. Despite a surge of operational improvements and customer-centric initiatives, these efforts were being thwarted by paper-based ways of working (including “digital paper”).

Field workers were filling out repetitive forms by hand, causing decision makers to react late. Valuable information was trapped on paper and in other outdated modes, depriving managers of vital context. The resulting delays, inefficient staffing, incidents and injuries, and public dissatisfaction led BCG Digital Ventures and engineers and strategists from Koru, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) venture foundry, to work with SGN on creating FYLD.