Hometown Connections Business Assessment

2024

How the Business Assessment Works

Step One HCI and Utility have a high-level discussion concerning scope, assessment approach, utility commitment of staff time and assessment costs.
Step Two HCI and Utility execute a contract which details scope, timeframes and terms and conditions.
Step Three HCI and Utility hold a kickoff meeting which will introduce project teams. HCI produces the questionnaire, establish a reasonable schedule and discuss final reporting.
Step Four HCI works with Utility to schedule Zoom calls to review utility responses to the questionnaire.
Step Five HCI prepares a written draft report which will be reviewed by the utility leadership prior to formalizing the final report.

Your Partner for Organizational Transformation

Integrated consulting services based on industry best practices, including strategic planning, measuring & sustaining the value of public power, enterprise risk management, business continuity, caring for customers, and developing strong leaders.

Learn More about Hometown Connections

Benefits

The Hometown Connections consulting team helps public utilities address today’s business management challenges and provides a flexible yet detailed framework for making decisions that will secure the long-term success of the organization to the benefit of the local community.

Hometown’s consulting services are scalable based on the size and objectives of the joint action agency, state association, or public utility. We offer our services through on-site facilitation or in virtual meeting environment, depending on the requirements of the organization.

With more than 20 years of experience working with hundreds of public utilities, Hometown Connections management consultants know how to focus quickly on the challenges you are facing and provide the information, training, policies, and procedures you need to chart your organization’s course to a long and sustainable future.

Features

Hometown Connections guides community-owned utilities through the change process, focusing on strategic planning, managing risk, excellence in customer service, and leadership development.

Strategy

Hometown’s consultants help community-owned utilities address today’s business management challenges and advance towards a successful future.

Strategic Planning for Long-Term Utility Effectiveness

The Hometown Connections proven strategic planning process applies to utilities of all sizes and services.

Develops a practical, step-by-step blueprint for adapting to specific market conditions, regulatory changes, and the evolving expectations of customers
May update existing strategic plans
Benefits from an efficient and time-saving process that places a premium on simplicity, flexibility and logic
Avoids the complexity and rigidity of other approaches that can grind a strategic planning effort to a halt

Strategic Issues that will Determine the Future of Public Power and Your Utility

Hometown Connections reviews industry changes and public power utilities response to the challenges presented. All levels of leaderships, to include governing boards, gain a strong appreciation for the critical role of effective governance in the face of these changes.

Legislative and legal
Technology
Customer changes
Expectations
Demographics
Workforce changes
How public power utilities are responding to these changes
The role of governing boards
The need for community engagement
The importance of Strategic Planning

Measuring & Sustaining the Value of Public Power

Hometown Connections reviews metrics and qualitative data to identify and share with stakeholders the value municipal utilities provide to their local community and customers.

Why is it important to understand the value of your public utility?
Approach to identifying and tracking metrics
Qualitative data related to the value of public power
Challenges and opportunities to collect the data
Telling your story

Managing Risk

Hometown’s consultants help community-owned utilities mitigate risks through the re-design or development of effective foundational business practices.

Business Operations Assessment

Operational gaps and risks can prevent your utility from being efficient, effective, and productive. The Business Operations Assessment provides a customized analysis across the organization, division, or department to determine how practices, functions, policies, and processes are impacting the success of the utility.

By identifying inefficiencies, gaps, and collaboration opportunities, the Assessment provides a path to aligning all functional areas. As a result, your utility will be better able to fortify resilience in times of crisis, maintain an effective workforce, integrate or implement technologies, launch new services, and adapt to changing customer expectations. The Assessment provides recommendations and considerations for setting priorities and building a roadmap for lasting improvement.

The Hometown Connections Business Operations Assessment can help you align people, processes and technology.

Enterprise Risk Management

Enterprise risk management is integral and foundational to organizational strategy, financial stability, operational efficiency, business continuity, and business transformation. It is not a stand-alone activity and its function is core to the successful execution of business objectives and measurement of outcomes. How to manage risk can sometimes be confusing, but once an effective program is implemented, it can assist in prioritization and making efficient key business decisions. Hometown Connections can help you learn how:

To understand the purpose of risk management, the benefits, and how to seamlessly integrate it into strategic planning, governance, and prioritization.
To identify risks and assess their criticality, individually and collectively.
To categorize, and rank risks within your organization.
To respond to, monitor and report risks.
To implement an Enterprise Risk Management Framework.
To train your organization in the identification and mitigation of risks.

Cybersecurity Assessment

As the services organization dedicated to enhancing the performance of community-owned utilities, Hometown Connections is supporting smaller systems lacking the resources to close their cybersecurity gaps. Its low-cost Cybersecurity Assessment identifies shortcomings in cyber defenses and helps utilities develop strategies to resolve them. Through an alliance network organized by Hometown Connections, qualified personnel at joint action agencies conduct the assessments to provide:

Program Evaluation
- Comparison of the client’s current technology architecture, policies, and controls with industry standard guidelines.
Network Vulnerability Assessment
- Using vulnerability scanning tools to look for weaknesses in information systems on the client’s network.
Phishing & Incident Response
- Using email security awareness tools to simulate phishing attacks and provide awareness training to staff.
- Performing an incident response tabletop exercise
Detailed Recommendations on how to:
- Address deficiencies
- Prioritize action items
- Budget for security improvements
Report and Presentation
- For governing board and utility/city staff

Customer Care

Hometown Connections gives governing officials and employees of community-owned utilities vital information on creating a culture of customer service excellence across the enterprise.

Strategies for Successful Customer Service Operations

Hometown Connections organizes its customer service consulting and education services around these core areas.

What is good customer service?
How to segment customers into categories and identify their specific requirements
Changing demographics of utility workforce and customers
Utility customer expectations – today and tomorrow
The seven hallmarks of utility customer service
Building customer service around your customers
Operating with the customer’s needs in mind when building policies and operations
How to create a culture of customer service

Information Governance - How does this help drive the Customer Experience?

Identifying and finding the right information to provide the most efficient and effective customer service can be a challenge. Understanding how to protect customers privacy while using their information presents additional concerns. In today’s digital world, providing the right information, at the right time, can set the tone for how customers feel about their experience with your organization.Working on the front lines, you are the voice of the customer and have unique insight into what they need and how quickly. Hometown Connections will help you understand the key elements of an information governance program and learn how to:
- Assess your customer information maturity
- Identify and classify customer information for the best customer experience
- Understand the difference between information and data
- Protect customer privacy
- Work with information technology teams to build an Information Governance Program

Leadership & Employee Development

To maximize the performance of utility personnel, Hometown Connections consultants offer leadership training and employee development services.

For Individuals and Teams

Leading from where you are is the focus of our development and enhancement programs. Whether you need one-on-one assistance at any level, or tools to bring teams together, we can help with non-positional leadership, emerging leaders, leadership enhancement, and executive leadership.

Accountability and Personal Responsibility
Communication Techniques
Conflict and Negotiation
Organizational Agility
Team Building
Relationship Building
Teamwork
Making Employees #1
Individualism
Mentoring
Delegation
Problem Solving

Totally Responsible Person® Training

With continuous change in our industry, there’s a lot for everyone to do, and success depends on each member of the team working together like a well-oiled machine. Sometimes personality differences and interpersonal dynamics can derail projects and productivity. With Totally Responsible Person® (TRP®) training from Hometown Connections, each of your team members will learn to stay positive, productive, and effective, no matter the circumstances.

Hometown Connections provides TRP training to utility employees at all levels of the organization in virtual and in-person formats.

Who Should Take TRP Training

Individual contributors, supervisors, managers and executives

Learning Objectives

Distinguish between the Totally Responsible Person and “victim mentality”
Apply TRP to manage challenging workplace situations
Give and receive constructive feedback with confidence
Stop workplace gossip and criticism and communicate effectively
Identify productive alternatives to enabling and rescuing in the workplace
Create a personal action plan to apply the TRP principles at work

Bottom Line Results

Greater self-awareness and leadership capability
Greater influence and accountability
Development of your people
Improved communication, feedback
Better work relationships
Improved teamwork and creativity
Increased innovation and problem-solving
Increased productivity and respect
Decreased stress and conflict
Greater enjoyment of work and life!

The TRP workshop will help everyone on your staff achieve a greater self-awareness, a feeling of personal accountability, and an understanding of the necessity to provide honest, candid feedback to others. To discuss how TRP training can revolutionize the way your people work together, send an email to info@hometownconnections.com.