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Utilities/Oil & Gas
Clients
include:
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North West Water
Scottish Power
Shell
Yorkshire Water
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Oil and gas
Epic has delivered projects on oil trading, risk management, health
& safety and at point of sale for Shell.
Making a Commitment was an oil-trading simulator. Oil traders
deal in oil products and need an understanding of those products
along with the trading process that includes shipping and insurance.
We built a deal-driven simulation designed to be emotionally engaging
and intellectually stimulating. It aimed to bring all dealers up
to a basic standard with trading concepts, processes and risks.
It also allowed new dealers to understand the consequences of mistakes,
without having to experience the cost of those mistakes.
The Shell International Trading Company wanted to make sure that
all staff involved in deal making understood the nature of risk
exposure, futures, options, contracts for difference and forward
contracts. Content covered - risk management, exposure, hedging,
contracts, futures and options. Success - used by all new and in
some cases experienced dealers to improve their ability to calculate
their exposure at any point during a deal. This resulted in higher
competence all round, less reliance on experienced dealers supporting
new staff and, most important of all, fewer mistakes (a big cost
saving to Shell).
Retail Outlet Safety is a simulator where users are asked to identify
potential safety hazards in a petrol station. A full 3D computer-based
model of a petrol station was shown on screen and users could move
through the model to identify hazards. You click on areas of potential
danger and input was from lists of adjectives and nouns describing
faults. If you missed a few faults an ambulance appeared as your
negligence had resulted in someone being injured. For serious offenders,
the station actually blew up on screen! The programme was produced
in a number of languages and distributed around the globe.
A major oil company commissioned this research project into point
of sale shopping in petrol stations. Different interfaces were tested
and a full analysis completed in terms of creative design, ergonomics,
technology, coherence, attractiveness, familiarity, elegance, feeling,
legibility, simplicity, logical sequencing, spaciousness, grouping,
relevance and consistency. It is, as far as we know, the largest
single piece of research undertaken in this field. Epic designed
and implemented the research project from start to finish.
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Water
Customer care training, in particular, complaints handling, was
handled by recording the 100 most common complaints onto an audio
CD. The trainees listened to these complaints using a cheap portable
CD player and had to respond as the complaints hit them at random.
This was a novel use of technology in training, using a cheap but
effective simulation.
Managing Change was a simple but very effective computer based
training programme for a major water utility that covered the conception
of change through communication, motivation to implementation. This
programme can be used as a training programme or in 'consult' mode.
Workbooks provided additional training material.
Poor planning applications from utility companies can severely
affect business performance. Projects can be delayed by months and
sometimes years because of inaccurate and inadequate planning notes.
This training programme takes the trainee through each and every
step reminding them of the importance of accuracy and content. The
walk-throughs are supplemented by real exercises.
Absenteeism is a general business problem that rarely gets the
attention it needs in training. Research has clearly shown that,
if managed, absenteeism can be significantly reduced. Epic produced
a training programme for a major water ultility that drew the manager's
attention to the facts, including national averages. Techniques
were taught such as patterns of absenteeism, return to work interviews
and proactive techniques to manage rather than simply record days
off.
A major water utility chose Epic to help provide a multi-faceted
approach to satisfy complex training requirements for the implementation
of its new Integrated Customer and Operations Management system.
3,500 man-days of training have been designed via an integrated
approach using coaching and classroom training, computer simulations
and e-learning.
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Power
A major power provider commissioned a Museum of Communications
and wanted a multiplayer game which would grab the attention of
schoolchildren. Epic designed and produced a multiplayer game where
you must answer questions on the history of communications to create
a round-the-globe network. Each player gets a symbol - rather like
the 'Monopoly' boot or top hat - and this symbol animates on the
screen across the globe when answered correctly. Get one wrong and
it is the next player's chance.
Personal Development Plans often suffer from being filled in then
filed and forgotten. Scottish Power want to breathe life
into the Plans by creating an electronic version that is less daunting
and provides plenty of support to the user as they build their plan.
These electronic plans allow you to carry data forward so that there
is less writing. It provides tools that make planning easier and
quicker. Support comes in the form of real examples and explanations.
Of course, the plan can also be stored in an accessible electronic
format.
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