Endeavour Energy completes second phase of multi-year digital transformation with SAP

This stage of the project, completed remotely during the COVID-19 restrictions, aims to bring the organisation one step closer to its goal of improved organisational productivity and performance, and create stronger future capabilities for both staff and customers.

Endeavour Energy builds, owns and operates an electricity network that connects 2.5 million people in households and businesses across some of the fastest growing regions in New South Wales. It is rapidly transitioning to a vastly different energy system where new technologies like microgrids and batteries seamlessly combine with its traditional network to power brighter futures for its customers and communities.

Beginning in 2018, Endeavour Energy embarked on a multi-year organisation-wide digital transformation to upgrade ageing infrastructure and become amongst the best-performing networks in Australia. Endeavour Energy turned to SAP for its industry expertise across the power distribution sector to help lay the foundation for its new IT infrastructure. As part of the second phase, and in partnership with Deloitte and Syniti, Endeavour has implemented SAP SuccessFactors and Kronos Workforce Dimensions, a time and attendance capabilities tool that feeds directly into SAP SuccessFactors, to automate existing workflows, increase operational transparency and improve decision making.

Andrew Pitman, Endeavour Energy’s General Manager Employee Experience says, “It was a huge achievement for the team to complete phase two on time, despite the restrictions caused by the pandemic. SAP SuccessFactors and Kronos Workforce Dimensions will simplify the systems our people use and improve mobile access, helping teams save time and enabling them to complete key tasks on the move. It will also enable greater visibility and data capture, so we can analyse and optimise key processes. We expect to see further benefits as our change management process continues with more staff adoption and training.”

The second phase of Endeavour Energy’s transformation follows on from the implementation last year of SAP Concur, SAP Enable Now, SAP Solution Manager and Click Work Scheduling. Phase three has begun and is expected to be completed in late 2021. The final release of the program will drive a significant capability uplift that will help Endeavour realise its ambition.

Mr Pitman continued: “The next phase is expected to deliver further improvements across more teams through the introduction of SAP S/4HANA to support better asset management processes, financial systems, enterprise resource planning, procurement, purchasing, logistics and safety. The capabilities provided by these systems will help to future-proof the business by enabling our people to rethink and redesign existing processes in ways that enhance the experience of both employees and our customers.

“A key element of Endeavour Energy’s future roadmap will be on improving its customer service through predictive tools and analytics powered by artificial intelligence. These will enable our people to identify potential issues in the network and proactively implement solutions to minimise disruption. Our people will also be equipped with more data to better inform customers on details like when services might be impacted and how long it will take to get them up and running,” he said.

For customers, this data-driven approach will be experienced through fewer paper-based forms, additional self-service capabilities, access through mobile devices and greater access to information.

Endeavour Energy will also focus on implementing tools that improve health and safety reporting, enabling staff to track remedial actions taken for safety incidents, which has previously been limited.

“Health and safety are of critical importance to our business and implementing platforms that enable better reporting will be a real step change in how our people learn from and prevent safety incidents,” Mr Pitman added.

According to Audrey Hiley from Deloitte, “The success of this remote implementation during the pandemic is a testament to the commitment of Endeavour Energy and their team, and the data migration partners, Syniti. The employee central, recruitment, onboarding and payroll modules from SAP SuccessFactors along with Kronos Workforce Dimensions are already delivering benefits for staff by streamlining processes and automating workflows. We will continue to work in close partnership with Endeavour and to deliver on their future roadmap to drive better experiences for staff and customers.”

Damien Bueno, President and Managing Director, SAP ANZ says, “This partnership demonstrates how intelligent cloud-based platforms can enable businesses to quickly reap the benefits of improved productivity, operational efficiencies and automation.

This year has underlined the essential role of technology to keep staff connected, engaged and productive. The implementation will not only deliver enhanced operational processes but will also support Endeavour’s ambitious goals of becoming the best performing distributor by 2024. By taking steps now to lay the foundations for success, Endeavour will future-proof its business and redefine how it can engage and delight its customers.”