UK-based power and gas company E.ON has selected TOA Technologies’ field services management solution, ETAdirect, for smart meter roll out program in the country.

The company has set a target to replace eight million meters by 2020.

E.ON will use ETAdirect solution to deliver a differentiated customer experience, while benefitting from the information about how individual employees perform and enable E.ON to accurately predict when appointments will happen and how long they will take.

Using the information, the company will communicate the details of appointment status for smart meter installation work to the customer.

During the smart meter installation work, the company will increase its smart meter technician team size and utilize ETAdirect’s capabilities to efficiently schedule and manage a multi-skilled workforce.

TOA Technologies co-founder and CEO Yuval Brisker said the smart meter replacement mandate in Europe by 2020 has forced utilities to rethink their field operation business.

"With the roll-out of smart meters across Europe, utility field service operations have an enormous opportunity to reconnect with their customer base in a way that builds long-term loyalty and trust," Brisker added.

"Thus, every appointment should be predicted, created and scheduled with the uniqueness of the individual customer and employee in mind."