Creating a more customer-centric organization for eSAFE

Challenge

In March 2024, eSAFE recognized that their existing technology platform was no longer able to handle the complexity of their business model and that it would not be able to support their long-term goals.

At the time, eSAFE was using a number of disparate technology solutions that were not well integrated, making it challenging for field inspectors to capture data critical to their work and to obtain a unified view of customer information and work orders. eSAFE’s existing field service management solution was also unable to support more interactive customer engagement channels and self-service options, making client interactions a time consuming and highly manual process.

eSAFE aimed to implement a more flexible and scalable technology solution that would help them enhance the experience of their customers and inspectors in the short-term while also giving them a robust base to support their organization’s continued evolution. 

They also sought a solution that was straightforward and user intuitive, with a consistent look and feel across the many devices used by their inspectors.

eSAFE chose the Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform because it had the modularity and scalability they wanted for the future, in addition to a robust Field Service application well-aligned to their objectives. They knew that in order to undertake such a major transformation project successfully and in a timely manner, they needed help.

After a traditional RFP process, eSAFE chose to work with PwC. “PwC understood our requirements and complexity that we were dealing with, and they had the knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics” K.C. explained. He added that PwC also provided a level of comfort in terms of flexibility, which was important given eSAFE’s unique organizational dynamics.

Enhancing user experience through ‘MY eSAFE’

Before the implementation of MY eSAFE, customer’s scheduled service through a manual intake process. This traditional approach meant that customers could only call during standard working hours and the program relied on legacy business processes such as having a customer service representative answering calls and initiating work orders via emails.

With the introduction of MY eSAFE, the framework for customer interactions has undergone a significant transformation. The platform now offers a robust 24/7 self-service capability, empowering customers to independently raise work orders, obtain quotes, and access a range of services at their convenience.

This strategic upgrade streamlines the intake process for service requests, effectively addressing prior limitations. Through this new system customers appreciate the flexibility and efficiency of managing their needs without the constraints of traditional service hours notably increasing both customer user adoption and satisfaction.

Approach

Our approach to the project was based on collaboration. As a starting point, we worked with eSAFE to understand and define their user requirements by reviewing their existing business processes, customer engagement activities and technology dependencies. From there, we iteratively designed and built a solution that met eSAFE’s unique requirements, including integration with other ESA back-office systems.

The strong collaboration continued throughout the project, as once development was complete, we played a pivotal role in supporting the testing activities for this project, including user acceptance testing. Our team also actively participated in the rollout of end-user training, collaborating closely with inspectors and customer service representatives. We took ownership and leadership of the deployment phase, enabling a seamless transition. Additionally, we provided post-go-live support for several weeks following the engagement. This was achieved by retaining the existing project team members to facilitate a smooth transition to the eSAFE business, while concurrently transitioning to our managed service team.

Overall, we blended eSAFE’s desire for incorporating defined gates for the project with the flexibility needed to adjust course, maximizing benefits to their organization, users and customers. This proved successful; at a number of points, we were able to identify opportunities to enhance the project and provide more value based on insights gathered from eSAFE stakeholders without affecting the project’s timing or budget.

From K.C.’s perspective, what worked best about PwC’s approach was the firm’s customer-centricity. 

Impact

Alongside our support, eSAFE was able to successfully implement Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service and My eSAFE—a new digital channel for clients to request electrical inspections and services in December 2024. While it is still early days, eSAFE has already seen strong user adoption; initial feedback has also been very positive, with both eSAFE users and customers praising the application’s ease-of-use and intuitive functionality.

This collaborative project has positioned both eSAFE and the ESA well for future transformation initiatives. “I think the main thing that this project has given us is confidence,” K.C. explained. “What this has given us is a template, confidence, and a path for how we can move forward.”

When asked about what stood out about working with PwC on this project, K.C. stressed the speed of the implementation, the strong collaboration between the two teams, and the project management. He noted that in transformation projects, there’s always a question of whether cost, time or scope is more important. “The beauty of this project is that we balanced all three. For an organization like us to go from RFP to implementation within a nine or ten month timeframe, it’s unheard of,” he said.