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Windstream, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States: TechMate: Kinetic Field Technician's AI Assistant

Company: Windstream, Little Rock, AR
Company Description: Windstream Communications provides high-speed broadband Internet, phone service and Digital TV packages to residential customers as well as products and services for small, medium and large businesses, and government agencies.
Nomination Category: App Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Use of Augmented Reality
2024 Stevie Winner Nomination Title: TechMate: Kinetic Field Technician’s AI Assistant
  1. The date on which this nominated mobile site or app was first published:

     

    Sep 23, 2024

  2. Briefly describe this mobile site or app’s objectives and how it has met those objectives (up to 200 words). If applicable, include here the platforms your app supports:

     

    Total 200 words used.

    Field technicians often encounter delays because remote specialists lacked full visibility into on-site conditions, leading to multiple visits. Traditional methods, such as phone-support, proved insufficient. To address these challenges, Kinetic deployed TechMate, a groundbreaking solution combining Generative AI with Augmented Reality, empowering over 2,800 technicians with real-time support, quality assessment, and rapid troubleshooting.

    TechMate leverages a finely-tuned YOLO visual recognition model trained on Kinetic's fiber, coaxial, and copper equipment. TechMate processes AR visuals locally on iPhones via the Neural Engine and Core ML, ensuring reliable functionality even offline. The AR interface does more than just superimpose step-by-step instructions: it recognizes and labels components within the camera feed, highlights installation points in real-time, and confirms correct wiring alignments. This on-device AR approach ensures technicians can make corrections on the fly, reducing set-up time. A multi-modal LLM further analyzes live visuals and technician inputs, delivering context-aware troubleshooting that ensures quality installations.

    Barry Bishop, SVP of Kinetic Operations, highlights TechMate’s transformative impact: "TechMate eliminates nearly all common quality issues at installation, significantly reducing repeat dispatches and curbing customer churn." By integrating AI-driven insights with real-time augmented reality, TechMate transitions Kinetic from reactive problem-solving to proactive innovation, enabling quicker, more precise installations.

     

  3. List the appropriate creative and production credits for this app: Advertising Agency/City: Client: Art Director: Cinematographer: Creative Director: Designer: Director: Illustrator/City: Music Producer/City: Photographer/City: Printer/City: Producer: Production Company/City: Programmer: Writer: Web Development Firm/City:

     

    TechMate was designed and developed by the Windstream AI DevOps team. 

    Stephen Farkouh - Chief Information Officer

    Kaushik Bhanderi - Sr Vice President IT – Sales, Marketing, Digital Experience, Data & AI

    Russ Bartels - Vice President IT - DX, Data & AI

    Chase Pavlu - Staff Manager - AI DevOps

    Joseph Harrison - Sr Architect & Lead Developer

    Brian Matt - Sr Architect & Lead Developer

    Aaron Dunlap - Sr Developer

    Jeremy Reynolds - Sr Data Scientist

    Joseph Defabrizio – Developer

    Harrison Goosen – Developer

    Nicholas Gmitter – Developer

     

Attachments/Videos/Links:
TechMate: Kinetic Field Technician’s AI Assistant
Video [REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION]