Solutions, Inc.

This AMI/AMR/MDM primer will introduce the key strategic considerations your utility should address, provide a status of the industry so you can get your business, regulatory and technology bearings; and identify specific marketplace gaps.

A Practical Solution for Using Off-Cycle Readings in an “MDM Lite” Implementation

Jeffrey Benson, business systems analyst, American Electric Power Company, Inc.

Tony Harris, senior manager, practical solutions, a division of Centric Consulting, LLC

AEP implemented a low-cost solution to store daily off-cycle readings to support customer calls, investigate theft of service, complete orders automatically and eliminate estimated bills and secure a faster payback on implemented AMR technology.

Measure Bill Collect Data Warehouse (MBCDW) or What the Heck Do I Do with 100TB of Customer Data?

Eugene M. Park, IT senior director, PG&E

Regina Chan, data architect, PG&E

PG&E’s MBCDW plays an important role in its goal to improve customer service. This presentation describes the benefits of implementing a data warehouse supporting business intelligence.

Establishing Business Value for AMI Data Beyond Billing

Michael S. Godorov, manager, AMI operations, PPL Electric Utilities

The presentation covers how PPL Electric Utilities implemented the installation of a meter data management repository to capture the data that has been generated by their AMI systems. PPL will illustrate where the data is being used for customer data presentment through the Internet for customers to make informed energy efficiency decisions.

Billing

Focuses on all aspects of billing including e-billing; wholesale billing; billing for other services; bill print services; consolidated bills; revenue assurance; complex billing; and dynamic pricing.

CIS Goes Solar. Renewable Energy Net Metering
Thomas Brandt, IT manager, APS
Beth Pope, solar partners incentive operations
lead, APS

Dinesh A. Rajan, project manager, Wipro Technologies

With 300 customers already on solar, APS offers attractive incentives, a net-billing rate and a pilot net-metering rate to encourage residential and commercial customers to go solar. APS looked for an automated system to process bi-directional meter reads to bill “Co-Gen” customers but instead, APS leveraged the strengths of its existing CIS.

Better Bill Formats Are Key to Great Customer Service

Paula B. Pope, director, finance & controller, Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership

Jeffrey P. Martin, director, billing & systems, National Grid New York

There is a direct correlation between customer satisfaction and call center volumes and properly designed bill formats. Panelists will share their experiences in optimizing bill formats to effect better customer satisfaction as well as future directions for their bill formats and the toolsets they use to accomplish their results.

Will We Drown? Quantifying Go Live Readiness

Robert M. Arnett, VP, technology services, Cobb EMC Tim D. Jarrell, manager, information system programs, Cobb EMC

How sure are you that you are ready to go live? With billing system-related implementations, there is never a clear answer. Review one utility’s implementation illustrating potential methods and techniques to measure go-live readiness.

Impacts of Rate Design for New Offerings

Jacqueline Kirwin, director, business systems services, NSTAR

Demand response programs are forcing electric utilities to offer new rates to improve energy efficiency and lessen the impact of demand on the environment. This session will look at the business and technology implications of new rate designs on CIS.

Smartsourcing Your Bill Production and Distribution

Tom Long, IT manager, billing applications, EPCOR Utilities, Inc.

Cory Olson, CSF product manager, Metavante Corporation

Is there a more effective way to communicate with your customers and improve customer service while simultaneously reducing costs and cycle times? Smartsourcing is a new approach in the

arena of customer communications.

Ensuring Bill Print Quality through Strategic Changes

Greg Witkowski, team leader, applications, We Energies

In the past three years, We Energies developed two business cases that identified significant corporate cost savings: mainframe retirement followed by a bill print/insertion service provider change. This presentation will cover the rationale for mainframe retirement, the alternatives considered and associated risks as well as the implementation of the selected retirement approach.

Complex Billing Methodologies in a Deregulated Market: ENMAX Energy Marketing

Paul Gelleta, manager, C&I billing operations, ENMAX Energy Corporation

Frank Hoogendoorn, senior firector, business dolutions, Cognera Corp

This presentation examines how complex business requirements and personalized customer needs for C&I are supported by a flexible CIS and billing system/service model via an outsource software/service provider, to gain competitive advantage in a deregulated market.

Customer Contact Center Explores current, emerging and enabling process and technology in the areas of customer acquisition; customer segmentation and marketing; channel management; telephony; DSM/conservation; CRM; web self-services; call center software; outage management; work management; GIS; kiosks; and document management.

Effective CSR Hiring and Training Methods That Deliver Satisfied Customers

Deirdre A. Brown, VP, customer service & regulatory affairs, Tampa Electric Company

Chris Fink, senior supervisor, CIS, Lee County Electric Cooperative

The selection and retention of call center talent is critical, but what strategies work when today’s workforce consists of four generations? Two industry leaders will address this question and more.

Call Quality Research - Results of Utilities Mystery Shopper

Kimberly King, president, Inter Weave

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