Improving communication in the Oil & Gas industry

Few industries are as high-stakes as Oil and Gas. Their investments are always in the millions of dollars and delays in production or delivery can be extremely expensive. Well-oiled, smooth communications and data access are crucial to their correct functioning, especially when considering the global reach and the remoteness of many operations.

Their communication problems are common to many global industries: the need to find a tool that people will actually use, making sure information is easy to access, keeping field staff connected, and dealing with multiple skill levels, languages, and cultures.

Imagining the ideal communications tool

If we were to create a wishlist for the perfect communication tool, one of the first things would probably be ease of use and adoption. Any system that does not offer good usability is unlikely to ever reach its full potential, as people would only use it as a last resort instead of as the first port of call.

Going even further with that concept we could say that the best option would be integrating the new communication system with something people are already .used to use. Maybe something that they have on their smartphone and are used to checking regularly. Something like…. a messaging app.

Of course, we don’t mean “just” a messaging app, that would be silly, but rather something that can communicate using the app as a channel. Some system that allows users to interact with it in the same way they would interact with a person, using natural language, asking questions and sharing information.

How automation can help

The system we are talking about is a special type of computer program known colloquially as a chatbot. These programs are often misunderstood as something that can only handle simple questions, however, modern systems are much more powerful. They can, for instance, interact directly with the company’s IT system, retrieving answers from manuals, databases and even asking other team members for information directly.

Chatbots can also be used to send or receive information and notifications to staff, and help solve problems. They never get tired, can handle multiple conversations at a time, and even be used to translate messages or interact with users in different languages.

The possibilities are endless and to make the most of this new technology it is important to conduct an in-depth analysis of the company and its operating environment. To help you get started we have put together a team of experts that will be more than happy to assist you in spotting opportunities like these. To reach out to them please use the link below.