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May 1, 2009
Utility Employees, Customers See Benefits of IVR, OMS, Public Power Magazine, May 2009
| For More Information |
Tim Blodgett
Hometown Connections
tblodgett@hometownconnections.com
303-526-4515
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Milsoft Offers Integrated IVR, OMS, Mapping, Analysis
At Keys Energy Services, the corporate culture had long been to answer every telephone call with a live person, even during major outages or emergencies. However, with a small staff serving 28,000 customers, the Florida utility grew to realize the resistance to automation was ultimately frustrating to customers and perpetuating an inefficient use of staff and resources. Today, Keys Energy and many other public power utilities are extolling the customer service benefits of the interactive voice response (IVR) and outage management systems (OMS) of Milsoft Utility Solutions.
Milsoft offers integrated IVR, OMS, engineering analysis, and GIS mapping solutions to over 850 electric utilities, educational institutions and consultants in the United States and abroad. Milsoft's IVR/OMS solution is enabling Keys Energy to:
--Process information from customers, crews, and devices to locate and quickly respond to problems—from the routine transformer outage to emergency storm situations;
--Avoid busy signals that accompany the high volume of customer calls during an outage;
--Allow customers to get their call answered and report their outage;
--Provide instant information on outage parameters;
--Provide callbacks to customers to confirm that power has been restored;
--Automate the assembly of repair crews;
--Free up utility personnel to take calls from customers requesting a live contact; and
--Enable customers to access account information and make payments by phone via voice recognition or keypad.
"Before installing the Milsoft systems, our small staff would rush into an 'all hands on deck' mode to answer 46 incoming lines during an outage," said Fred Culpepper, supervisor of the utility's Power & Control Center. "We did the best we could, with employees from every department pitching in. But too many of our customers would encounter an instant busy signal when trying to report an outage. Today, most of our office staff doesn't even know when there is an outage. Our customers receive very specific reports about lines down or transformers blown in their neighborhoods. They take great comfort in knowing that we know what's going on and will share that information with them."
According to IT Systems Analyst Brenda LaLama, the largest hurdle to installing the new system at Keys Energy has been cleaning up the customer database. "The system is driven by the phone number of the person placing the call to the utility. It has to tie into the account records of the residence or business. We have registered few customer complaints."
LaLama reports that while the technology and functionality of the Milsoft systems are first rate, the Milsoft employees are its chief benefit. "I'm a systems analyst. I've worked with probably 100 software companies. Hands down, Milsoft is at the top of the list. We are a demanding client that requested a long list of special features and adaptations, including software interfaces to our weather digital technology system, automatic vehicle location system, and the multi-resolution seamless image database (Mr Sid) incorporated into the Milsoft model. Everything we asked for they delivered. They are smart, honest amazing people. They are the best you will ever deal with."
About nine years ago, the Clinton Utilities Board found itself in the same position as many other smaller utilities across the country. The Tennessee utility faced an aging work force and had yet to embrace technology as an integral part of its day-to-day operations. To address these vulnerabilities, CUB began an ambitious project in 2001 with the intention of first improving service and reliability to its customers while simultaneously incorporating technology to increase the efficiency of its operations. CUB's project included Milsoft applications.
"The Milsoft IVR and OMS solutions are allowing our work force to be faster, more flexible, and more efficient when responding to outages," said Technical Operations Supervisor Todd Loggins. "For example, our service area includes a seven-mile stretch of remote power lines traversing through the Cumberland Mountains. In the past, servicing these lines would have required a laborious and time-consuming process of fault analysis. Today, in a fraction of the time and cost, service can be restored even in locations as challenging as this one. It is no wonder that both operations and line crew personnel now find the Milsoft software indispensable. There is also the safety of line crew personnel to consider. Locating a fault reduces the amount of time personnel spend on the road during poor weather conditions."
Loggins noted an experience common to most of Milsoft's public power clients. "As a municipal utility, our customers are our friends and neighbors. We tended to be reluctant to automate some customer interactions. But once the staff began seeing the benefits of the improvements, they realized how helpful the technology would be. It made their lives easier and more productive, which translates into happier employees and ultimately happier customers."
For more information, visit these links:
• Hometown Connections
• Milsoft Utility Solutions
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