Challenges
The electric utility determined it was time to replace the paper-based processes that had served it so far. As the power provider for a community that is increasing in population, new technological solutions were needed to replace the wall-scale map of the city that was the primary organizational tool.
Today’s electricity consumers want fast and in-depth access to information, while internal personnel need quick, standardized contact features. By entering the market for a new Outage Management System (OMS) connected with Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Roseville sought to solve both types of communications issues simultaneously.
Solutions
The Roseville team was drawn to dataVoice’s solutions due to the superiority of its communication platform. The utility would gain the ability to speak with customers and internal stakeholders in real time during an outage or other event requiring a response. Integration of the dataVoice solution proved simple, without an extended or complex build-out process.
The electric utility tweaked the deployment slightly to suit its unique staffing level: The city is large enough to always have someone on standby in case of customer calls, but not big enough for a dispatcher to be working at all hours. The dataVoice team engaged with Roseville stakeholders to enable these changes. Despite the fact that the implementation occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, necessitating remote training, it was easy to access the needed resources and get all users up to date with the new system.
Instead of manually sending emails and text messages out, to a number of staff internally, the dispatchers are literally just monitoring the system, making their operational changes as they need and the system is sending out notifications as they do things. As something gets entered into the IVR by a customer, or to the OMS by a dispatcher, or even a troubleshooter, everybody can see that in near real-time.”
Jason Grace, Electric Operations Manager, Roseville Electric Utility
Outcomes
The new solution included customer-facing digital communications capabilities, a first for the city. Emails and texts notifying customers of important updates are now triggered automatically, not manually, freeing up time for office staff.
An easy integration between the dataVoice system and Roseville’s existing Cayenta customer billing solution enabled even greater efficiencies. All customers’ data is stored in Cayenta, allowing the utility to reach out directly to people who may be affected by an outage and proactively notify them. This real-time communication allows staff to get ahead of any issues on the customer side and stay productive, as there are fewer calls for them to answer.
The Roseville electric utility now has internal and external communication capabilities that will power its operations for years to come. The new real-time notifications allow the city to reach its goal of providing top-quality customer service as the population expands, all while reducing the burden of manual work on internal team members.
Despite the inherent challenges associated with operating in pandemic conditions, staff members have integrated the new communication practices into their daily routines. The journey from paper-based to digital has been smooth and productive, with future development focused on fully exploring the capabilities of dataVoice’s mobile app functionality. Innovation and modernization are now part of the utility’s strategy as the city continues to grow.
