Powering productivity and skill for frontline energy workers

The world runs on the work of frontline energy workers, but what powers their productivity and resilience?

The energy industry is experiencing significant change. As companies strive to boost production, embrace more sustainable practices, and prepare to power the AI-driven future of technology globally, there’s increasing demand for new digital tools. This shift isn’t just creating new career possibilities but is also sparking a profound transformation in existing roles across the industry. Frontline energy workers need to learn new skills and use emerging tools to meet the sector’s evolving requirements.

Technology is empowering frontline teams to be more productive and resilient, drive better business outcomes, and streamline costs. It also promotes knowledge sharing across roles, which is critical as an aging workforce and low retention rates among young people contribute to a growing skills gap.

Innovation is essential to the safety, efficiency, and productivity of frontline workers. By embracing digitalization, automation, and AI, industry leaders can instill confidence in the field and propel the energy sector toward a more sustainable and efficient future.

Enhancing productivity with transformative digital tools

Adapting to the changing energy landscape requires frontline workers to adjust to evolving job requirements, such as remote or hybrid work and learning new skills. That’s where powerful digital tools can help energy companies stimulate their workforces and increase output.

Tools that are outdated, complex, or incompatible with modern innovations stifle productivity. New, more efficient tools need to integrate seamlessly so that employees are motivated to learn them. With Microsoft solutions, implementing technologies like AI doesn’t have to be disruptive. The right tools enhance existing workflows to increase productivity and improve communication and collaboration between frontline workers and managers.

Energy companies are successfully integrating Microsoft technology with their existing infrastructure. Ontario Power Generation (OPG) worked with Microsoft to implement Microsoft 365 and create an AI-powered bot called ChatOPG. Frontline workers use natural language to communicate with the bot, which answers questions, creates troubleshooting guides, and acts as a personal assistant. By embracing AI, the company is saving time for its workers and improving their experience, which helps attract and retain talent.

Closing skills gaps through field training with digital tools

Adopting new technology is only a part of the solution. In our Work Trend Index survey, 60% of frontline energy workers reported that they anticipated increasing stress in the coming year. Meanwhile, 31% of workers didn’t feel that they were equipped with the right digital tools to do their jobs efficiently.

Business leaders can transform their organizations by embracing digital tools that improve the field experience for employees. With technology that promotes real-time training, frontline technicians can learn in the same environments where they’ll work. They get practical knowledge that promotes both retention and safe conditions in the field.

Companies can deliver the flexibility their frontline workers need by training them right in the field using Microsoft technology. When Clean Energy needed to train its employees remotely during COVID-19, it used Dynamics 365 Remote Assist to prepare technicians for work in the field. Using digital solutions, the company not only fostered employee retention but also improved resiliency and reduced training costs by 15%.

Automating work to save time with AI

According to research from McKinsey & Company, global electricity demand is projected to rise by between 100% and 180% by 2050. Energy companies must empower frontline workers with the tools they need to work quickly and safely.

By incorporating AI, companies can accelerate production and sustainability goals while reducing operational costs. Energy company Evergy is using the AI capabilities in Microsoft Power Platform to automate key tasks and save time. The company developed one AI-powered solution to automatically extract data from PDF receipts, making inventory tracking easier to review. With this system, Evergy is saving more than 5,600 manual hours per year.

Frontline workers can also request new automations that a team of internal developers build. By using Microsoft Power Automate, Evergy can deploy new automations in just one day. And the company is planning further improvements with AI using Microsoft Copilot.

Building the future of energy on the front lines

Energy companies can make frontline employees more productive, better connected, and safer in the field with innovative technology. By automating tasks, streamlining collaboration, and facilitating field training, business leaders can give frontline workers the tools and expertise they need to meet the industry’s growing demand and evolving needs.

Learn more by reading our e-book Elevate Experiences for Frontline Workers.

Engage with your Microsoft representative and discover more Microsoft Sustainable Energy Solutions.