Oil and gas companies today are faced with a multitude of challenges concerning day-to-day operations. From the field to the back office, organizations of all sizes suffer from the inadequacies of outdated practices and systems, losing time, money and jeopardizing worker safety in the process.

Often resistant to change, many oil and gas service providers are still using paper documents and receipts, which is not only inefficient but can leave companies open to errors and discrepancies that lead to higher costs and lost productivity. Put simply, processing tickets and forms without an efficient and seamless digital solution generates a bottleneck in the quote-to-cash process.

A field service technology platform allows both service providers and operators to shift to a paperless system that streamlines the entire process from operations to field personnel and invoicing. Companies confirm the status of completed work tickets the moment job information is updated to the database. With electronic invoicing, human error is removed from the equation, automating the billing process and eliminating billing delays caused by lost revenue errors and incorrect pricing.

Along with inefficient data, the absence of data is just as harmful, if not more so, to business performance and success. Paper forms cannot provide reporting capabilities and analytics, leaving oil and gas companies without visibility into current and historical data—a surefire way to decrease efficiency and profitability. Without question, actionable data provides companies with the in-depth operational insight they need to grow and thrive.

Effective field service software also provides operators with a guided form completion module that simplifies the form filling process and efficiently captures data online. This is mission-critical in addressing communication between the field, the office and the client. With employees working primarily in remote locations, capturing data offline is essential; data can then be shared across an entire organization in real time.

With the ever-increasing need for data, many businesses continue to suffer from the disconnection between field operation solutions and enterprise management software. A robust software solution that unifies both systems eliminates this issue and enables the free flow of information between field and office. Unaddressed, these inconsistencies obstruct the company’s long-term success and increase safety risks for workers in the field.

Data collected from field tickets can be utilized for strategic asset management and enhanced worker safety. Once collected, the data is used to create a proactive workflow that allows for routine, preventative and predictive maintenance, increased equipment reliability and efficient regulatory compliance. The system enables maintenance managers to monitor equipment conditions and verify user qualifications reducing safety risks while protecting assets and the operators utilizing them. With equipment records digitally transformed into a visual, user-friendly format, quality assurance managers and field service teams can use the data to ensure worksite safety conditions meet safety and regulatory compliance standards.

The oil and gas industry is evolving from a growth to a cash-flow business mindset that requires companies to do more with less. Operators need a field service technology platform that streamlines the workflow process into one single unifying solution. Eliminating errors and discrepancies caused by poor data collection, outdated systems and poor visibility keeps service providers running efficiently, allowing them to accurately collect billables and recover lost revenue. Implementing a standard technology solution company-wide leads to increased awareness of equipment and workers, protecting employees on-and-off site, and increasing the productivity businesses need to thrive.

About the Author:

Travis Parigi is the founder and CEO at LiquidFrameworks. Parigi focuses on growing the company’s software platform and evangelizing its benefits to customers. He plays an active role in our technology, architecture and overall product vision. Prior to LiquidFrameworks, Parigi was a founding member and served as a senior engagement manager for Emerging Inc., an e-business professional services firm funded by Austin Ventures and Benchmark Capital with offices across the U.S.