From integrated energy delivery operations to ebusiness transformation cinery ties it all together as a first mover in the new energy economy

The Energy Portal provides web-enabled opportunities to purchase energy online, conduct price discovery, and select from an array of innovative products and services provided by Cinergy or business partners. In the future, the Portal will allow customers to view online energy consumption histories and load profiles or to use the Internet to explore energy management opportunities and real-time pricing options. Ultimately, the Portal will provide the broadest venue for future energy services provided to a borderless service territory.

At the heart of the customer interaction is a Blended Media Contact Center that can handle customer communications via phone, fax, voice response, or Internet functionalities like live chat, FAQ, or directed browsing. The Center’s contact management/CRM system routes and manages all customer interactions – no matter what communication channel is used. Contact management provides a central data repository that remembers each customer interaction and reminds CSRs of the subject of all recent contacts.

The system helps script CSR responses with the use of FAQs and drop-down menus. Multiple screen functionality allows the CSR and the customer to be looking at the same page. With directed browsing, the CSR can work interactively with the customer to complete a form. The content management system also tracks each time the customer seeks help or abandons a transaction. With that data, Cinergy will be able to improve its eBusiness Applications based on continuous customer feedback.

In addition, the CRM capabilities of the system capture information for feedback messages, targeted marketing, and up-sell/cross-sell. Service metrics are collected and fed into intranet decision tools to drive operating improvements.

The eBusiness Applications rely on the EDSIP backbone to handle utility transactions. The applications are presented in an attractive, customer-friendly format. Careful behind-the-scenes programming translates EDSIP’s operating data into customer-useable information. Finally, testing by both novices and experienced Internet surfers determines which wording and navigation instructions are easiest to use.

What’s the real-life impact of the eBusiness Applications?

Service can be scheduled on the web in customer time, not utility time.
Monthly reads from hard-to-read meters (35 percent of all Cincinnati meters are inside) can be entered directly into the billing system.
Addresses, telephone numbers, and employers can be updated.
Budget and electronic billing options can be explored and ordered.
Bills in HTML format can be delivered directly to the customer’s email account.
Multiple accounts can be summarized on one report for landlords or business owners.
Payment information – account balance and status, last payment, next due date – can be accessed. In the future, rate analysis and estimated billing, as well as real-time billing options can be added.
Outages or electric trouble can be reported via Internet. And, continuously updated estimated restoration times can be accessed.
Commercial or industrial customers with sensitive electronic equipment can check reliability and outage history (by specific address) on the web before purchasing or renting property.
Developers or builders can log on to a custom list of their specific construction projects and check the status of each. They’ll know whether the project is being designed, estimated, or built, as well as the planned completion date. And, in the future, functionality can be added to allow a builder or developer to create the preliminary design, submit a digital site plan and receive the approved cost estimate, meter location, etc. – all online and without a long wait.
The Digital Utility enhances Cinergy’s customer focus, improves customer service and reduces costs. The customer gains easier access via new channels, rapid, content-rich information and control of scheduling. In addition to the improved service and enhanced control, the Digital Utility provides differentiation that strengthens loyalty and limits costly churn.
In terms of operational efficiency and savings, the Digital Utility also makes economic good sense. Cinergy will realize major productivity gains and cost reductions in a variety of areas. For example, the end-to-end automated process that allows a customer to schedule an appointment online, moves that appointment directly to the resource allocation/computer-aided dispatch program and prints it on the service worker’s laptop computer reduces costs and eliminates hand-offs. Outage reporting via Internet gives the outage management system more diagnostic information earlier to speed restoration and limit overtime expense. And, obviously, Cinergy saves money when customers assume the responsibility for keeping information up-to-date and for entering routine data such as meter reads.
The Blended Media Contact Center also pays strong financial dividends. Research firm E Source estimates that a call to a service representative costs between $5 and $7, while an email costs between 10 and 50 cents. Live chat falls between the two extremes with costs estimated at $2.50 to $4. This opportunity adds up to an important savings. E Source projects that 30 percent of contact center traffic will shift to the Internet in the next five years.
Clearly, Cinergy has met the challenge of its president and CEO. As a first mover, it has created a new e-economy business model by integrating web applications broadly into its strategy. It’s also harnessed and leveraged new technology to define what it means to be an e-lectric Digital Utility.